What's new: Retail features

Seamless offline processing mode now available in supported Modern Point of Sale (POS) clients

Modern POS clients for Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail are now provisioned with a local database and a local instance of the Commerce Runtime (CRT). In the event that a Modern POS client cannot communicate with a Retail Server (either a local or centrally-hosted Retail Server) for normal CRT processing, the Modern POS client seamlessly shifts to offline processing mode. In offline processing mode, the local instance of the CRT and the local database perform operations such as processing transactions. When the connection to the Retail Server is restored, the Modern POS client automatically shifts processing back to the Retail Server and the channel database for normal operations.  

Retail mass deployment improvements

In CU8, Retail Hardware Station and Modern POS offline databases can be deployed by using the mass deployment toolkit. Enhancements have also been made to the performance of the mass deployment tools.

Retail management pack updated

The Management Pack for Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail 2012 R3 has been updated to monitor the system for key failure states, and collect events for all Retail components. Support for monitoring modern Point of Sale devices and other Point of Sale devices has also been added.

Shared shifts can be used in Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail and Modern POS

In this release of Microsoft Dynamics AX and Modern POS, you can use shared shift in your retail stores. Because Modern POS can run on Modern devices, multiple employees must have access to multiple cash drawers, receipt printers, etc. during a shift. Also, new staff permissions control access to opening and closing shared shifts.

Create role-based screen layouts for Modern POS on Windows phones

You can now create role-based screen layouts and button grids for Modern POS on Windows phones. This support for Windows phone adds to the existing support for role-based screen layouts for Modern POS on tablets, laptops, and PCs.

Add the ability to apply filters to product searches on any Modern point-of-sale device

This feature adds the ability to set up filtering capabilities for products that you offer in your store. You can set up different filter types that can be applied to product attributes. This enables your store employees to quickly and easily search all product offerings. Based on a set of criteria, the employee can find the products that your customers are looking for without having to view the details for each possible product match.

Add the ability to search for products by using product categories or from within a retail product catalog on any Modern point-of-sale device

This feature adds a tree view of all product categories to the left navigation bar. This enables your store employees to quickly and easily search all product offerings by product category for the product that a customer is asking for as well as to offer possible related products that are in the same or related product categories. A catalog menu option is also being added to the left navigation bar to enable employees to quickly search for the products that a customer wants to buy.

Commerce Data Exchange

The following updates and improvements were made to Commerce Data Exchange in AX 2012 R3. For more information, see Commerce Data Exchange.

Commerce Data Exchange architecture

In earlier releases, Synch Service was a Windows service that was installed at headquarters and at stores. In AX 2012 R3, Synch Service is replaced by two components, Commerce Data Exchange: Async Server and Commerce Data Exchange: Async Client:

• Async Server is a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service that is installed at headquarters and hosted in Internet Information Services (IIS). Because the service is hosted in IIS, you can take advantage of the scalability and reliability features of IIS, such as load balancing.

• Async Client is a Windows service that is installed at the channel.

Database architecture

In earlier releases, store databases and online channel databases differed from each other. In AX 2012 R3, store databases, online channel databases, and any other channel-specific databases are just known as channel databases. A channel database can contain data for one or more channels, and the same channel can be included in more than one channel database.

Change tracking

In earlier releases, preactions and actions were used to collect updates to data in the Microsoft Dynamics AX database. In AX 2012 R3, Microsoft SQL Server change tracking is used instead. Because preactions and actions have been eliminated, fewer records are created in the Microsoft Dynamics AX database, and performance is improved.

Retail Scheduler jobs

In earlier releases, three types of scheduler jobs were available:

• A-jobs used actions and preactions to transfer only changed data from Microsoft Dynamics AX to a channel.

• N-jobs were used to transfer all data from Microsoft Dynamics AX to a channel, regardless of whether the data had changed.

• P-jobs were used to transfer data from the point of sale to Microsoft Dynamics AX.

In AX 2012 R3, only two types of jobs are available, and jobs no longer use the prefixes A, N, and P:

• Outgoing jobs are used to send data from Microsoft Dynamics AX to channels.

• Incoming jobs are used to receive data from channels into Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Data distribution

In earlier releases, an instance of Synch Service at the head office read data from Microsoft Dynamics AX and sent that data to a channel instance of Synch Service. In AX 2012 R3, data transfer is asynchronous and is initiated by the client.

Based on a distribution schedule, data packages are generated from Microsoft Dynamics AX and deposited in a file storage system. At a regular interval, Async Client checks with Async Server to determine whether there are new data packages. If there is new data, Async Client takes the data from the storage location and applies it to the local channel database.

Therefore, you no longer have to use static IP addresses or name resolution in the store to enable instances of Synch Service to communicate with each other. Additionally, because Async Client does not communicate directly with Microsoft Dynamics AX, .NET Business Connector is no longer required.

To reduce the number of data packages that are generated, you can group retail channel databases. When you create a group of channel databases, the data is created one time for the group, and then multiple channels can pick it up. For example, stores in the same region or of the same type can use the same data, and therefore can be grouped.

Troubleshooting data distribution issues

Several new forms are available to help you troubleshoot data distribution issues:

• Async Server connection status – This form in Microsoft Dynamics AX shows the last date and time that each instance of Async Client connected to Async Server to check for updates.

• Download sessions and Upload sessions – These forms in Microsoft Dynamics AX show detailed status information for each data transfer. For example, the forms show when a data package was created, when a data package was uploaded or downloaded, and when a data package was applied to the destination database.

• Download history – This form shows detailed status information for a selected distribution schedule.

For more information, see View history for a distribution schedule or View or cancel retail data distribution sessions.

Retail Hardware Station

Hardware Station enables peripherals in the store, such as Modern POS clients, cash drawers, and credit card terminals, to communicate with Retail Server and AX 2012 R3.

For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail Hardware Station.

Setup.exe support for starter stores

In AX 2012 R3, you can install any Retail online starter store by using Setup.exe. However, you can still manually deploy the starter stores by using Windows PowerShell.

For more information, see Install a Retail online store (e-commerce).

Additional controls for Retail online stores that are published to Microsoft SharePoint

The Retail SDK has been updated to contain code for new controls. These controls include a size picker, a zoom control, a category landing page, and category promotions. You can modify and reuse these controls when you customize a Retail online store.

For more information, see the section titled Extend an online store in Online Store.

Mass deployment

In earlier releases of Retail, there was no easy method for deploying Retail components to multiple computers. For example, Retail POS software had to be installed manually on every register in a store. This process could be time-consuming and could create an inconsistent implementation.

In AX 2012 R3, you can use System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to automate and centralize the deployment of Retail components. This process is scalable to many components and computers. You can set up topology and configuration information in Microsoft Dynamics AX, and then deploy the correct configuration to all computers by using SCCM.

The following components can be deployed by using SCCM:

• Real-time Service

• Synch Service

• Async Server

• Async Client

• Channel databases

• Retail POS (including offline databases)

• Retail Modern POS

• Retail Server

For more information, see Mass deploy Retail components by using System Center Configuration Manager.

The call center has been added as a new retail channel type

The call center is a new channel type that you can set up in the Retail module. In a call center, workers take customer orders over the telephone and create sales orders. Many of the maintenance tasks for call centers are performed in the new Call center module.

For more information about call center features and the Call center module, see What's new: Call center features.

Enhance the usability of info codes by using info code groups

Info codes let you capture data at the point of sale when a cashier performs various actions. You can also create a hard-coded dependency between info codes to gather data in sequential order.

This feature enhances the existing functionality for info codes by letting you group info codes. Info code groups add flexibility, because you can define fewer info codes but use them in more versatile ways. Info code groups let you perform the following tasks:

• Define fewer info codes and easily reuse them. Info codes that are included in info code groups have no hard-coded dependencies on other info codes. You can include the same info code in multiple info code groups and then use prioritization to present the same info codes in the order that makes sense for your various information gathering requirements.

• Link info codes to other info codes or to info code groups, so that you can gather information about a product or transaction in exactly the way that you require. You do not have to define a separate info code or linked info code for each scenario.

For more information, see Set up info code groups.

Gift card enhancements

This feature adds flexibility for gift cards. Gift cards can be set up as a product, and can be made available as a physical product in retail brick-and-mortar stores. You can also sell gift cards as a physical or virtual product, in the form of an electronic gift card, in your online stores and call centers. If the call center functionality is enabled, you can void gift card transactions. Funds can be added to gift cards that are sold through either the call center or the retail point of sale.

Gift cards that are purchased from a store that belongs to one legal entity can now be redeemed in a store that belongs to a different legal entity, if those stores support intercompany transactions.

If your organization supports intercompany transactions, you can set up one company as the parent company. This company can hold the liability for all gift card sales from all stores that are participating in the gift card program. The other stores can be assigned to a different legal entity, but they must roll up to the parent company’s legal entity. When gift cards are sold or redeemed, the liability is increased or decreased accordingly in the parent company by using intercompany posting rules. When statements are posted for retail channels, the liability is increased for the parent company. When payments are made by using the gift card, the liability is decreased for the parent company.

For more information about gift cards, see About gift cards in AX 2012 R3.

Cashiers can disassemble or reconfigure kits at the point of sale

Enhancements have been made to Retail POS and Retail Modern POS to handle kit products in various ways. For example, cashiers can disassemble kit products into their component products or make substitutions for individual products in the kit.

For more information, see About kit products.

Redesign of the Retail loyalty feature

Previously, loyalty programs were configured by using a loyalty scheme. The loyalty scheme was assigned to a loyalty card, and included rules that were used to determine the loyalty points that could be earned or redeemed for that loyalty card.

In AX 2012 R3, the Retail loyalty program has been completely redesigned. The loyalty scheme still exists but is now mapped to the enhancements that were added to the loyalty feature. The new loyalty feature includes the following changes:

• Use loyalty programs to define the various loyalty events that you offer. You also define the loyalty tiers that apply to each loyalty program. You can assign price groups to a loyalty program to apply specific pricing.

• Define multiple levels for your loyalty programs. Loyalty tiers are based on loyalty rewards. You can set criteria that customers must meet to qualify for each level, and also criteria that customers must meet to maintain their membership in a level.

• Use date intervals to set up the duration of loyalty tiers. You can also use date intervals to define the time spans that apply to qualifying rules for loyalty tiers.

• Loyalty cards are assigned to one or more loyalty programs. You can optionally assign a loyalty card to a customer. A loyalty customer can also be assigned to more than one loyalty card.

• Loyalty cards can be used as a payment method.

• Loyalty schemes are assigned to a loyalty program and to retail channels. You define loyalty earning rules and redemption rules as part of the loyalty scheme.

• Loyalty rewards are defined as points. Loyalty rewards can be redeemed for products or used as payment for products.

• Set up loyalty reward points. You define the type of reward point, the currency for amount-based rewards, and expiration dates. You also specify whether the reward is redeemable.

• Retailers can manually adjust loyalty rewards. You can add loyalty points to accommodate or reward a customer. For example, you can move a customer up to the next tier. You can also remove loyalty points, such as when a product is returned.

For more information, see Set up loyalty programs.

Enhancements for maintaining channel product attributes

These feature enhancements let you maintain attributes for products that are offered in a brick-and-mortar store, an online store, or through a call center catalog. You can add, modify, or remove product attributes, attribute values, and attribute metadata for any category in a retail product hierarchy that is assigned to a store or catalog. Child category nodes can inherit attribute data from their parent categories, and any attribute data that is inherited from a parent can be overridden at the level of the child category.

You can maintain product attributes at the level of the individual node. Alternatively, you can maintain product attributes in bulk by using Microsoft Excel. In this case, the following enhancements apply:

• Required attributes are easily identified in the Excel worksheet.

• For attributes of the video or image type, a dialog box is available that lets you enter the URL where the attribute value is stored.

• For attributes that have multiple values associated with them, a field is available that lets you select values from the appropriate value set.

• Minimum and maximum attribute ranges are enforced for attribute values. Attributes for which minimum and maximum value ranges are not defined use the minimum and maximum value ranges that are defined for the system.

• Upload the new channel attribute values for products that are offered in online stores or call center catalogs by using the catalog publishing feature.

For more information, see Add and update product attributes for retail channels and Bulk edit product attributes by using Excel.

Configure screen layouts for Retail Modern POS

Microsoft Dynamics AX now includes Retail Modern POS, a Windows 8 POS app that can be used on Windows 8 tablets and computers. IT staff can configure screen layouts in Microsoft Dynamics AX and then send the layouts to the Windows 8 POS apps that are used at the organization’s stores.

For more information, see Setting up screen layouts.

Set up affiliations and their discounts

Retail staff at the head office can set up affiliations for customers who are affiliated with a group, such as students or seniors. Discounts can be associated with these affiliations, and can be assigned to customer profiles and transactions in Retail POS and Retail Modern POS.

For more information, see Setting up affiliations.

Category-based pricing

You can specify category-based pricing to more easily manage pricing for many products at the same time. For example, you can apply a markup of 10 percent to children’s shoes or mark down a particular vendor’s tennis rackets by 20 percent.

For more information, see Set category-based prices.

View information about discount transactions

You can now view detailed information about discount transactions. This information is available from the following locations:

• A command in the Retail store transactions form

• A command in the Transactions form

• The Business Intelligence (BI) cube

For more information, see View store transactions.

Enhancements to cross-docking

In Retail, the following enhancements have been made to the functionality for replenishing inventory by using cross-docking:

• Inventory transfers that are created by using cross-docking are marked and are linked to their purchase order. Therefore, these inventory transfers will not be used for any other purpose, and other products will not be used for the transfers.

• You can update quantities at the line level.

For more information, see Use cross docking to distribute products.

Create return locations

You can specify that returned products are assigned to different return locations in inventory, depending on the cashier’s response to info codes that are displayed at the point of sale.

A return location can be a store, a warehouse, a location in a store or warehouse, or a specific pallet, depending on the locations that your organization has set up. You can map each return location to one or more Retail info codes and Sales and marketing reason codes.

Prompt for a reason code when the cashier opens the cash register drawer without performing a sale transaction

You can set up reason codes and then capture a reason code when the cashier opens the register without performing a sales transaction. You can define reason codes in the Info codes form. A new field on the Info codes tab in the POS functionality profile form lets you set the reason code that is triggered when the open drawer operation occurs. When the cashier opens the drawer for a purpose other than a sale, the cashier is prompted to select a value or a reason subcode.

For more information, see About info codes (Retail).

You can use a new statement method to calculate statements by shift

This feature adds a statement method so that stores can calculate statements by shift. When this option is selected for the store and the statement is generated, the transaction lines are summarized by payment method and shift. The summarized transaction lines are displayed in the Statements form, and the shifts are listed for each line. You can also select the Split by Statement method on the Statement/closing FastTab in the Stores form to generate a separate statement for each shift.

For more information, see About statements.

Cashiers can view additional customer account information in Retail POS

In Retail POS, the following enhancements have been made:

• Cashiers can view customer account balances.

• Cashiers can view invoice accounts, if invoice accounts are present.

Improvements for point of sale (POS) hardware

The following improvements for POS hardware have been made:

• Support for a second cash drawer and multiple shifts

• Support for a second POS printer

• Support for signature capture

• Support for dual scanners

For more information, see Set up hardware profiles.

Setup improvements for Retail components

The following improvements have been made to the Setup experience for Retail components:

• The Retail Store Connect message database and service account can be configured in Setup.

• .NET Business Connector is automatically installed together with Retail Transaction Service.

• Online and offline databases can be configured in Setup when you install the Retail Store Database Utility.

• Retail Online Channel is a new component that can be installed in AX 2012 R2.

• Retail store components can be deployed through Microsoft System Center.

For more information, see Install retail components.

Upgrade to global store and staff IDs

The values for store and staff IDs are now stored in global variables. Global variables are unique across all companies in a partition. Tasks have been added to the Preprocessing data checklist to resolve this schema change from Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 for Retail.

For more information, see the following topics:

• Setting up retail stores

• Setting up staff

Support catalog management for the Retail module

The Retail module now uses the catalog management feature that was introduced in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

You can create one or more retail catalogs. Each catalog includes navigational categories, and each navigational category can include one or more product offerings that are assigned to a product assortment. Each offering can be enhanced by attributes that are included for the products at either the category level or the product level. You can assign the catalog to one or more retail channels.

After a catalog is validated, reviewed, approved, and finally published, the catalog products are displayed as listings on the channels that the catalog is assigned to. Any changes to the catalog products can be reflected in the channels.

For more information, see Setting up retail product catalogs.

Time clock

A time clock can be used to keep track of time and attendance for retail store employees. This feature consists of a time clock in Retail POS, manager viewing capability in Retail POS, and record keeping in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

For more information, see “Use the time clock” in Retail POS Help.

The store locator service was added for retail and online stores

The store locator service enables queries about item availability in stores within a specified distance. This capability can be used when, for example, an online shopper wants to pick up the item in a physical store instead of having it shipped.

Results can be limited to a specific subset of stores. For example, when a shopper queries item inventory for a hat in an online store for fashion clothing, the results can be configured to include inventory only from specific stores. Additionally, the results can be filtered based on distance from a location that the shopper specifies.

For more information, see Set up store locator groups in Retail.

Online marketplaces

Retailers can now set up and configure an online marketplace as a retail channel directly in Microsoft Dynamics AX. (Previously, this functionality was offered only on the web in Commerce Services.) Retailers can use online marketplaces to easily sell products online through established marketplaces, such as eBay and Amazon.com. Catalogs and product listings are centrally managed, and sales orders flow seamlessly back into Microsoft Dynamics AX for processing.

For more information, see (USA) Setting up online marketplaces.

Additional product details are available in Retail POS

More details about products are available to cashiers in Retail POS. These details include product attributes, bar codes, issue dates, and pictures.

For more information, see “View information about a product” in Retail POS Help.

Additional customer information in Retail POS

Additional customer information is available to cashiers in Retail POS. This information includes an enhanced history of purchases for a customer, and also additional details about a customer, such as contact information, the customer’s currency and language, and a picture.

For more information, see Point of Sale.

Enhance product offerings in retail catalogs

This feature lets users enhance their retail catalog offerings.

• A catalog manager can enrich products by adding descriptions, specifications, product relationships, images, videos, rich text content, and other data.

• You can use attribute groups to apply multiple attributes to products in a catalog.

• The catalog is based on a highly configurable attribute schema at the product, category, or channel level.

• Enhancements can be shared among channels or targeted to a specific channel.

For more information, see About retail product catalogs.

The existing pricing service for POS was extended to include online stores

The commerce runtime provides omni-channel commerce capability that has uniform extensibility across channels. The commerce runtime enables the online storefront, Retail POS, and back office business calculations and business processes. The runtime also supports more than 30 markets and is highly extensible to fill in gaps in a customer’s ERP implementation.

The commerce runtime includes the following components:

• Pricing service

• Tax service

• Shipping service

• Shopping card and checkout

• Store locator service

• Order service

• Address service

The pricing service feature gives an online store the same advanced pricing and discount capabilities that are currently available for Retail POS. The pricing service is enabled when a retail product catalog is published to the online store. The catalog products and their prices are displayed to customers who browse for products in the online store. Any discounts that are available for the products are calculated and displayed after the products are added to the shopping cart at checkout time.

For more information, see Commerce Runtime.

Multi-version POS support during upgrade

To upgrade retail functionality, you must redeploy (replace and reconfigure) the earlier POS software on each terminal in each store. You must perform this redeployment during a tightly constrained time window to avoid disrupting retail activities. Although earlier releases required that all stores be upgraded at the same time, AX 2012 R2 supports operations that use two versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX POS software at the same time. Multi-version support lets upgrade administrators upgrade one store at a time while maintaining regular operations in stores that are still awaiting upgrade.

For more information, see Scenario: Upgrade a Retail system.

An inquiry form was added, so that you can view transactions for online stores

This feature enhances the functionality for transaction inquiries and adds a new inquiry form for online store transactions. You can view all transactions for a retail store by using the existing inquiry form. Then you can view all transactions for an online store by using the new inquiry form for online stores.

For more information, see View inquiries and reports overview.

Channel management and publishing

Channel management lets you define an organizational entity in Microsoft Dynamics AX and associate that entity with an online website. Therefore, you can manage catalogs, prices, promotions, and other content for a brick-and-mortar channel and an online channel in one place. Channel management also lets you define default properties for a channel, such as a default profile for an anonymous shopper, the navigation hierarchy, and payment processing configurations.

Channel publishing lets you publish data and properties for a channel to a website, regardless of where that website is hosted. The data and properties that you can publish include the navigation hierarchy. For example, all Microsoft Dynamics AX administration for a Contoso channel is performed in offices that are located in Seattle, but the data center that hosts Contoso.com is located in Chicago. In this case, administrators can seamlessly manage and publish data from Microsoft Dynamics AX to the data center.

Navigation hierarchies and category attributes

Navigation hierarchies provide a logical taxonomy of categories and subcategories, so that you can group products in a manner that promotes discoverability for users who browse your online store. For example, Contoso.com creates a Products category that includes the Televisions, Computers & Tablets, Modern Phones, and Video Games subcategories. Navigation hierarchies add an organizing structure to an already rich set of retail categories that are optimized for administrative and reporting purposes.

Category attributes provide a schema for logically describing products in a category. Category attributes enhance product refinement, filtering, and search optimization. For example, Contoso.com offers 40 different televisions. The catalog manager assigns category attributes such as LCD, Plasma, and Rear Projection to refine the category groupings even more, and to reduce duplication of effort and administrative overheard when the catalog is updated. Category attributes can also be configured to provide the automatic product filter groups (refinements) on the landing page of each category. For example, the catalog manager can configure refinement groups such as Television price, Television brand, and Screen size. These refinements can then be displayed on the website as a filter or a search refinement option for shoppers.

Major features of the starter online store

• A homepage framework that helps you develop a professional online presence

• A website navigation scheme that is linked to the navigation hierarchy in Microsoft Dynamics AX

• A default category landing page that can display products in response to navigation actions

• Automatic product refinement on category landing pages that are linked to category attributes that are managed in Microsoft Dynamics AX

• A local search service for searching the site

• Search engine optimization for searching the web

• A product details page that displays product enhancements that are managed in Microsoft Dynamics AX, such as images, extended descriptions, features, and specifications

• A store locator service that includes “pick-up-in-store” functionality that is integrated with Bing maps

• Order shipping and line-by-line shipping controls

• Payment processing that is integrated with the Microsoft Dynamics AX online payment service (available only in the U.S.)

• A complete shopping cart interface that includes mini-cart, full cart, and order summary views

• A default order confirmation page

• Online account management, which includes Facebook integration, order history, and address management

Categorize retail products

Retail products can now be categorized through the category management feature in AX 2012. You can categorize products by using a category hierarchy that is n levels deep. Multiple category hierarchies are supported for special circumstances.

You can more efficiently categorize your retail products. For example, you can create one main category hierarchy for all your retail products, and one or more supplemental category hierarchies for product promotions, vendor products, and so on.

Attributes that are assigned at the category level can be applied to all products in the category. Values that are assigned to a parent category can be inherited by a child category.

Retail channels

A retail channel includes the retail brick-and-mortar store, online store, and online marketplace. Retail channels are a subtype of operating units.

Use the organization hierarchy to model your store relationships and retail channels.

Periodic discounts

AX 2012 Feature Pack includes the following enhancements:

• Concurrency rules let you apply multiple discounts, such as exclusive, best price, and compounded discounts.

• You can define periodic discounts by category, product, or product variant.

• You can use discount codes (coupons) for online promotions in campaigns.

Inventory

The Add products form has been improved to support multiple product hierarchies and a new dialog box for selecting a variant matrix. You can also enter quantity and dimension values. Additionally, you can use a new “mass update worksheet” to make bulk updates to product properties.

Store inventory

Retail store inventory has had major architectural changes to better suit native document support and to create a foundation for stronger retail store inventory functionality in the future. Retail store inventory (RSI) was originally a third-party handheld solution. The solution was then adapted into a module that was included in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail. RSI supported basic picking, receiving, and inventory counting, but was not optimized for Microsoft Dynamics AX. RSI required steps that made the solution less streamlined than other features of Retail.

For AX 2012, RSI is no longer a stand-alone module. The solution is now more intuitive, efficient, and adaptable, and provides a stronger foundation for developing end-to-end store inventory management. Additionally, functional improvements that have been made in Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX and Retail POS make data entry more intuitive and faster.

Global address book

Addresses and contact information for retail entities have been migrated to addresses and contact information for parties.

The global address book significantly changes the data structures and relationships of the underlying data for addresses and contact information. For example, when a customer is created in Retail POS, the customer and party are both created, as are the associated addresses and contact information (party locations).

Sites Services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP

Microsoft Dynamics AX includes five Sites Services solutions that can streamline and speed business processes:

• Advertise promotions

• Online case request

• Human resources recruitment

• Request for quotation

• Unsolicited vendor registration

Commerce Services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP

Enhancements have been made to Commerce Services:

• Retail channels

• Assortments

• Categories

• Buy online and pick up in store

• Sales tax on shipping

• Retail security roles

Retail Store Connect

The operation and configuration of scheduler jobs have been separated. Therefore, it is easier to configure different batch schedules or multiple instances of Retail Store Connect for scalability. The scheduler configuration is now global and can be used for multiple legal entities. Performance has also been improved.

Reports

The following new reports have been added to Retail modern point-of-sale and Retail enterprise point-of-sale:

• Store return transactions

• Store sales by discount

• Store sales by tender type

• Store voided transactions

• Offline sync status overview

• Register offline sync status