Overview of Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Microsoft Dynamics AX provides a set of web sites that give you access to data. On these sites, you can also participate in business processes by using web-based forms. These sites are collectively called Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX. Enterprise Portal requires one of the following SharePoint products.

• Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010

• Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

• Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013

• Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

Enterprise Portal can be configured to display role-specific home pages that are called Role Centers. Role Centers provide an overview of information that pertains to a user's job function in the business or organization. This information includes transaction data, alerts, links, and common tasks that are associated with the user's role in the company. Role Centers also include reports that are generated by Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services or Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 includes more than two dozen predefined Role Centers, which users can access from Enterprise Portal or the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

Enterprise Portal security

As you read about Enterprise Portal sites and features in this topic, know that Enterprise Portal uses multiple security features to restrict information and data access. Only users who have been granted permissions by the Microsoft Dynamics AX administrator can view information, data, or sites. Users who lack appropriate permissions receive an error when they try to view information or data, or they are presented with an empty Web page. For more information, see Checklist: Configure Enterprise Portal security.

Supported languages

If you want to deploy Enterprise Portal in multiple languages, you must download and deploy SharePoint language packs onto the web server before you install Enterprise Portal. You can download SharePoint language packs from Microsoft.com. Enterprise Portal is currently supported in the following languages:

To deploy Enterprise Portal in one of the languages list here, you must create a Web application in SharePoint and specify the new language. For more information, see Create an Enterprise Portal site.

You do not have to create portals for specific languages. You just have to install SharePoint language packs, and then create a site as described in Create an Enterprise Portal site. Portals are then displayed in the language that is specified for each user in the Options form in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Enterprise Portal search

Enterprise Portal search is provided by a product-wide feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX that is named Enterprise Search. Enterprise Search lets users search through data, metadata, and documents that are attached to records. Users can search for common nouns, such as 'customer' and 'cash flow report.' Users can also search for specific data, such as a customer name, product ID, or telephone number.

All aspects of crawling, indexing, and retrieving Microsoft Dynamics AX data and metadata for Search are performed by one of the following products:

• Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

• Microsoft Search Server 2010 or Microsoft Search Server Express 2010

• Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010

• Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

One of these products must be available in the computing environment before you can install Enterprise Search. For more information about Enterprise Search, see Enterprise Search.

Enterprise Portal sites and features

This section describes the sites and features of Enterprise Portal. You can access most of these sites and features from either Enterprise Portal or the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. However, the following features are exclusive to Enterprise Portal:

• Employee self-service portal – By default, the URL is http://<server_name>/sites/DynamicsAx/EmployeeServices.

• Customer self-service portal – By default, the URL is http://<server_name>/sites/DynamicsAx/CSS.

• Vendor self-service portal – By default, the URL is http://<server_name>/sites/DynamicsAx/VendorPortal.

The sites and features that are described here are available after you install Enterprise Portal by using the internal template. Enterprise Portal includes a public template if your business or organization intends to set up a public-facing Web site for anonymous Web access, so that users can browse a product catalog or request to sign up as a vendor.

The Home Page / Role Center site

Enterprise Portal can be configured to display role-specific home pages that are called Role Centers. Role Centers provide an overview of information that pertains to a user’s job function in the business or organization. This information includes transaction data, alerts, links, and common tasks that are associated with a user's role in the company. Role Centers also include reports that are generated by Reporting Services or Analysis Services. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 includes more than two dozen predefined Role Centers, which users can access from Enterprise Portal or the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. You can add Web parts to Role Centers, and customize the Web parts to fit your needs.

Role Centers can contain the following types of Web parts to display business data from Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Alerts

Alerts are generated as part of a notification system that helps you track events in Microsoft Dynamics AX. The system generates alerts based on the alert rules that are created for you in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. When alert rules are created, they are associated with a predefined event that occurs for a field. For example, a date value becomes overdue, or a field value is changed. Alternatively, alert rules can be associated with an event that occurs for a record in a particular form. For example, a record is created or deleted. When the selected event occurs for the specified field, or for a record in the specified form, you receive an alert. You can use Enterprise Portal to view the alert rules that have been set up for you. However, you must use the Microsoft Dynamics AX client to create or modify alert rules.

Cues

Cues display a visual representation of your workload. Cues also provide an overview of your remaining work items, such as sales leads, overdue activities, and other tasks that you must finish. You can create and modify cues, which are saved filtered views of the information in a form or on a list page. When you click a cue, the associated form or list page opens, and the filtered view is displayed.

Work lists

Work lists display alerts, work items from a workflow, and activities that you can act on or must be notified about. You can use work lists to view the status of items and see when action is required. When you click a link in a work list, information about the list item is displayed.

Reports and KPI lists

Reports Web parts display Reporting Services reports from the Microsoft Dynamics AX database or from online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes that are set up in Analysis Services. You can also use these Web parts to display lists of key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are business metrics that can be summarized by a comparison, goal, value, or status. For example, you can use KPIs to compare actual expenditures with budgeted amounts.

Business overviews

You can use business overview Web parts to display measures, or calculations, from the OLAP cubes, and compare those measures for various periods. You can also display KPIs that include information about period comparisons. For example, you can display information about this month’s sales versus last month’s sales.

Quick links

Quick links provide access to forms, reports, list pages, and other Web pages that you frequently use. You can modify these links to meet your needs.

The Connect Web part

The Connect Web part displays links to online resources, such as training, support, product updates, and information from the Microsoft Dynamics Community. The resources that are displayed in the Connect Web part are managed by Microsoft Connect. The resources vary, depending on your role in Microsoft Dynamics AX. The Connect Web part displays information on slides that automatically rotate. When the computer is offline, the Connect Web part displays information about CustomerSource, the Microsoft Dynamics Community, and online services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP.

Enterprise Portal module sites

Enterprise Portal includes the following module sites, where users can access data and participate in business processes. Click a link to learn more about the common tasks and the type of data that is available on each module site.

• The Procurement site

• The Sales site

• The Compliance site

• The Project management site

• The Service management site

• The Employee Services site

• The Vendor self-service site

• The Customer self-service site

See also

Enterprise Portal architecture

What's New: Enterprise Portal in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Checklists for deploying Enterprise Portal sites