Skype for Business Error: 'The request failed. Please try again. Make sure that you are signed in to Skype for Business'

I was attempting to create and send a meeting invite through Outlook 2016 with a Skype meeting attached to it. The meeting was for one hour. I was inviting one other person not from my company. 

Error:

Sometimes you will get the error 'The request failed. Please try again. Make sure that you are signed in to Skype for Business' when you are trying to add the Skype meeting to the invite, before you send it out. I was getting this message AFTER the call in information was added and when I was trying to send the message.

 

Issue:

I'm not entirely sure what the issue is and I wasn't able to find it online. It was for sure an issue with adding attendees to the meeting. Restarted Outlook, restarted Skype for Business, same old song and dance. Did not restart my computer as I just need to move forward. 

Resolution:

I found I was able to create the Outlook calendar meeting and add the Skype information to the meeting successfully. The issue is with adding a user to the meeting. 

Don't add other attendees to the meeting. Just create the meeting for yourself with the Skype information. Then, once the meeting is created and closed, forward that calendar invite to the attendees. That worked like a charm for me. 

Hope this helps some people out!

Dynamics AX Modern POS New Feature: Welcome to Retail POS introduction screen

When first logging into your Dynamics AX Modern/Cloud POS, you will notice a new 'Welcome to Retail POS' video. This is a great new addition to the Modern POS experience and will allow users who are not familiar with the software to get some navigational overview.

This video has several videos to watch with a voice doing a narrative (Figure 1). The user can then click 'Start Exploring Now' and jump directly into the POS.

From here, there will be a little bubble that pops up with helpful information while the app is fully accessible for the user (Figure 2). The information guide bubbles will sometimes even have arrows to help the users see the features the bubble is describing (Figure 3). When the buttons are clicked on, another will pop up.

This cadence will keep occurring for the users regardless if its their first time logging into the MPOS or not. You will need to navigate to the corner settings button (Figure 4). Here is where you can select one of the two options below:

• Don't show me the app introduction next time
• Don't show me the app tour next time

Just have the users flip these flags. You can also make it so all the MPOS devices to have this not turn on. That's key for when your users are already trained and can start the

As this is a new feature, things may change in the future but, until then, that's it.

Figure 1 - The welcome tour video

Figure 2 - The guide bubbles in the POS

Figure 3 - A guide bubble pointing to a new feature.

Figure 4 - The 'Settings' icon in the upper right corner of the app

Figure 5 - A look inside the MPOS 'settings' view

Dynamics AX Cloud POS (CPOS) activation error: DA1023 - Could not resolve employee's identity

When activating a new Dynamics AX Cloud POS (CPOS) instance, you may encounter the error 'DA1023 - Could not resolve employee's identity. Probably due to the user's external identity is not being mapped to an employee' (Figure 1 below). It fails on Setup 4 of 11. This can also occur in the Modern POS (MPOS).

You don't need to close out of the POS to resolve this issue. Once you fix the issue, which this blog post will explain, you can just hit retry. Assuming the data was pushed to the target retail channel, you should be good to go. 

You need to navigate to your worker in the AX application and edit the record. From there, hit the 'RETAIL' button in the navigation bar (Figure 2). There will be an option under the 'EXTERNAL IDENTITY' called 'Associate existing identity'. What this will do is link your login ID to an AX worker. In this case, I'm 000160. You will have to select the identity (Figure 3)

Once complete, run the 1060 job to push it to the retail channel (Figure 4). You should make it a best practice to click on the job's 'History' tab or navigate to the 'Download' form to make sure the data ran properly.

Navigate back to your 'Activate [Modern/Cloud] POS' screen and click 'Retry'. It should activate successfully as long as you have no other issues!

Figure 1- The error

 

Figure 2 - The 'Associate existing identity' option on the worker

Figure 3 - Associating the existing identity to a worker

Figure 4 - Run the 1060 retail job

Deprecated features in Dynamics AX 7

With the release of the new Dynamics AX (also known as AX 7), there are a number of features that were added as well as deprecated.

To get a full list of deprecated features in the new AX, you can visit this location: https://ax.help.dynamics.com/en/wiki/deprecated-features-in-dynamics-ax-7/

As of Feb 23rd 2016, the list of deprecated features is below. But make sure to use the link above as that will be the most accurate and up to date list. The below is just a historical look at the features.

Additionally, it was announced at the 2016 Microsoft Dynamics Technical Conference that WMII will be deprecated and replaced with the Advanced WHS module and the Enterprise POS (ePOS) will be replaced with the Modern POS (mPOS) and Cloud POS (cPOS) in AX 7. These deprecated features will still be supported in pre-AX 7 releases but will not be supported in AX 7.

Business Analyzer

AIF, AxD, and AxBC integrations

Connector for Microsoft Dynamics

GL SSRS reports

X++ financial statements

eBilanz (XBRL for Germany)

Compliance Center

Environmental sustainability

Shipping carrier interface

Warehouse management II

Bills of materials without BOM versions

Product builder

Payroll information in Human Resources

Worker reminders in Human Resources

Enterprise Portal client

Role Center pages

Desktop client

Form ActiveX and Managed Host controls

InfoPart and FormPart metadata

Cue metadata

Cue group metadata

Danish check format

German DTAUS payment export and account statement import (totals and transactions)

ClieOp03 payment format for the Netherlands

German XML EU Sales list

German DTAZV payment format

Dutch SWIFT MT940

Business statistics

Main account list page

Generate prenotes by using a batch

Malaysia and Singapore bank cash flow report

Mexican CFD electronic invoice

Mexico realized and unrealized VAT

Rename product dimension

Private blocking of inventory and warehouse management journals

Travel requisitions

Vendor invoice pool excluding posting details

Ability to cancel changes to a vendor invoice

Change document date function in Invoice approval journal

Virtual company accounts

Microsoft Outlook integration

Dynamics AX Tech Conference 2016

As a lot of people know, I'm a huge proponent of attending the Microsoft Technical Conference every year. There is too much that is presented that you should know for success to not attend. This is for both end users and partners. I would even suggest sending people who are not heavily technical. Just make sure they are experienced to get the most out of it. It's a GREAT time to network and gain valuable insight on topics that you can't find online or in blogs.

And with AX 7 (now called Dynamics AX [version-less]) coming up, everyone should really get themselves educated on what it is even if you're not planning on upgrading or implementing it for a while.

Come out and say hi! Drop me a comment if you have questions about the event, too.

REGISTER HERE: Dynamics Technical Conference 2016

There are also some deep dive workshops after the conference, specifically focused in three areas: Retail, Presales, and Budget Planning. I've been to retail ones in the past and they're definitely worth it as well!

They deep dive into topics covered in the tech conference so I would recommend attending the sessions at the tech conference that are supplementary with the deep dive workshop you're choosing.

REGISTER HERE: Deep Dive Workshops

Here is some more information regarding these deep dive sessions:

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Conference 2016 – 2 days of L300 learning from the R&D Retail Team on the new Microsoft Dynamics AX (‘AX 7’):

• The deep dive includes presentations across the entire Retail solution (Modern POS/Cloud POS, Retail Server, Hardware station, eCommerce, Catalog & Call Center sales, Merchandising, BI/Reporting), as well as presentations highlighting solution architecture, they complete retail application lifecycle with Lifecycle Services (LCS), customization and extensibility, performance and scalability, troubleshooting, and best practices.
• Hands-on lab experiences will include omni-channel scenarios, retail application configuration, setup, and deployment, as well as extensibility, monitoring, troubleshooting, and reporting.
• Please note that content presented at the Dynamics Technical Conference is considered a prerequisite and will not be repeated during the Retail Conference. Attendance at the Dynamics Technical Conference is a mandatory prerequisite for the Retail Conference.
• You can register here for the Retail Conference 2016: http://msdynamicsttt.msnlevents.net/Content/Trainings.aspx?rsvp=25424

Advanced Presales Workshop for Microsoft Dynamics AX (‘AX 7’) – 3 days of going deep on presales

• This workshop provides presales consultants with solid grounding for demonstrating Microsoft Dynamics AX as a solution that is superior to competitive products. Participants learn through typical business scenarios, starting with foundational knowledge and persona scenarios along with exercises and case discussions by using real-world examples. The workshop covers the range of capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics AX – the learnings provide a basis for future work in vertical industries.
• The workshop is designed for consultants who have led or had a strong supporting role in previous AX projects.
• You can register here for the Advanced Presales Workshop: http://msdynamicsttt.msnlevents.net/Content/Trainings.aspx?rsvp=25398

Budget Planning Workshop for Microsoft Dynamics AX (‘AX 7’) – 3 days of intensive learning on budget planning

• This workshop helps senior consultants to plan configure,  and implement advanced budgeting scenarios. The workshop engages with organizational hierarchies, security models, workflows, and integration to Excel for working with budget plans. The workshop is based on typical business scenarios and covers planning and setup, templates, and simulation as well as budget functions and tools with real-world examples.
• The training is intended for architects and senior consultants with proven experience on AX implementation and solid knowledge of AX financials, as well as pre-sales consultants focused on financials
• You can register here for the Budget Planning Workshop: http://msdynamicsttt.msnlevents.net/Content/Trainings.aspx?rsvp=25427

Top 24 Dynamics AX 7 search suggestions with comments

I think that harvesting social data to see what people are searching for in regards to a specific topic (e.g. Dynamics AX 7) can be very telling for what is going on and what people are interested in. One of the best ways IMO is to look at search engine suggestions with things like Bing and Google search suggestions. For those that don't know, search suggestions are the things that show up when you start typing in the search window of a search engine (Figure 1 below).

Figure 1 - Example Bing search suggestions

Below is a raw list of the search suggestions that I've compiled from various sources  in bold and added some commentary as to why people may be searching for them. Its obviously not THE reason for the searches but I'll try to add some insight into why I would be interested in that.

Top 24 search engine suggestions for 'Dynamics AX 7'

1. dynamics ax 7
• Its new. Its what I searched for...
2. dynamics ax 7 release date
• The release date has been speculated during 2014 and 2015 as well as who can implement it and its changed a bit over time as new features are added. We generally say 'Generally Available' (eg. GA'ed) instead of 'released'.
3. dynamics ax 7 preview
• Often new releases are available for people to preview before they upgrade or if an organization wants to get up to speed on what is changing so they can prepare for those changes in their current implementation. Or partners want to start getting ready. They're probably adding to this.
4. dynamics ax 7 release
• See 'release date at #2
5. dynamics ax 7 wiki
• Microsoft recently launched a new 'wiki' for AX 7 Dynamics 'AX 7' Technical Preview Help Wiki. A lot has changed in AX 7 so something like this was needed. We usually use things like TechNet or MSDN but back in the day, Axaptapedia was awesome!
6. dynamics ax 7 training
• Yeah... People will need training on this. Even the people who know current versions of AX.
7. dynamics ax 7 visual studio
• In pre-AX7, MorphX, the integrated development environment (IDE), was used for all AX development. In AX 7, you will be using Visual Studio. Big change!! Check out this video on YouTube for more information: AX7 Development with Visual Studio
8. dynamics ax 7 hr
• AX 7 will introduce new functionality around 'Human Capital Management' (more info here: What’s new or changed in Dynamics AX 7). There might be more around HR but I'm not aware of it...
9. dynamics ax 7 blog
• There are a lot of AX blogs out there (see mine and all my friends blogs in the right panel of my blog), but there is also an official Microsoft blog which has official information around AX. Check it out for the latest statements from Microsoft about Dynamics AX: Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX: The Microsoft Dynamics AX product team blog. It's different from other blogs in that its from Microsoft. 
10. dynamics ax 7 saas
• SaaS = software as a service. Its a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. Basically, you could have and use AX like you would Office 365or another online software where you don't have to manage hardware or installations. You don't have to go this route with AX 7, but software in general is trending that direction.
11. dynamics ax 7 news
• Who doesn't want to know what is going on with AX 7? There are a lot of things that are changing day to day so you should keep checking your news feed!
12. dynamics ax 7 reporting
• Some new enhancements in the SSRS reporting in the headers and footers
13. dynamics ax 7 x++
• AX's coding language which is now an official .NET language
14. dynamics ax 7 mdla 
• Model Driven Layer Architecture. This is big. Check out the benefits of this on the official MSDN blog site: The Benefits of a Model Driven Layered Architecture
15. dynamics ax 7 public preview
• This means users can log into AX 7 and preview the program. Spin it up in Lifecycle Services (LCS) and give it a try! Microsoft uses these to get feedback from end users to help shape the future of the product. Help Shape the Future of ERP: Join the Microsoft Dynamics ‘AX 7’ Preview Program
16. dynamics ax 7 features
• There are a bunch of features in AX but ppl are generally searching for new features in a release. more info here: What’s new or changed in Dynamics AX 7. Or the searches are new or potentially future users of AX. There might be giant lists of AX functionality but I can't think of one giant sheet of features as ERPs are loaded with features. So its a good search!
17. dynamics ax 7.0
• 7 or 7.0... same thing
18. dynamics ax 7 RTM
• RTM=Release To Manufacturer. There are multiple builds and iterations of software and hardware (e.g AX CTP builds) but the 'RTM' build is the final build that will be released when the product goes Generally Available (GA'ed). ADDED 1/22/2016: Updates for things like LCS use the acronym RTW or Release To Web. A lot of software that is in a SaaS model have RTWs
19. dynamics ax 7 roadmap
• 'Roadmaps' are plans of direction for Microsoft. They typically tell high level where things are going with the software and there are announcements about them usually premiering at conferences like Convergence. The existing 'Long term commitment' diagram goes out to AX 8 but not past that.
20. dynamics ax 7 preview technical conference
• The annual Microsoft technical conference held in Seattle. Register here. Its the best conference to go to IMO as there is so much information there with presentations by various Microsoft people. Come hang out with me there :-) It is held in Feb and used to have a bad habit of starting on the super bowl sunday so I'd fly in early so I wouldn't miss it. This year its not thankfully!
21. dynamics ax 7 infrastructure
• The infrastructure has changed significantly in AX 7 from previous versions. Its web-based. The AX end user experience is totally different. And with that, obviously the backend has changed too.
22. dynamics ax 7 azure apps
• you can leverage Azure apps to build cross-platform scalable enterprise-level applications that connect to data both in the cloud as well as on-premise systems. More information here Everyone loves apps :-)
23. dynamics ax 7 cloud
• AX 7 is really the first step in AX being a true cloud leveraged platform in a SaaS model. The 'cloud' is normally Azure but doesn't have to be. It can be Amazon or a private hosted cloud solution as well. I recommend Azure.
24. dynamics ax 7 upgrade
• Currently Microsoft is generally not allowing upgrades to AX 7; only new implementations of AX.

Note: As I'm a musician, I have to thrown this in bc I think of it everytime someone says AX 7. In your search results, if you don't say Dynamics, you may see references to Roland's AX-7 Keytar. (Figure 2) Its a keyboard that is held like a guitar, hence keytar. Its a popular one and the only one I've ever played. Yeah. Enjoy that.

Figure 2 - Roland's AX-7 keytar

Helpful tip: Strategy on how to debug an AX form/report when you're at your last straw...

Here is a helpful tip for debugging an AX form or report (and sometimes other objects):

Sometimes when I'm at my wits end with a form or report that I can't seem to debug, I have a little strategy that allows me to quickly 'sledgehammer' out the problematic area. It also is helpful if people are testing a certain form or report and I want to debug at the same time without interfering with their operations.

I duplicate the object (Figure 1 below) and do my testing on the 'CopyOf[OBJECTNAME]' object that is created. Sometimes doing this allows me to make major changes like just deleting a datasource(s) outright if I feel it can help me get to the root cause.

For example, there was a situation where there was a very highly complex form with 25 datasources and complex joins and one of the grids wasn't showing data someone was expecting. We felt it was a query issue so I was looking around in the code a bit but nothing jumped out at me. I had a hunch a something was wrong with one of the datasources whether it was a join, missing data, wrong relationships, etc. From there, you can usually hack away at that sucker until you find an indicator that a change worked. This allows you to delete that copyof object, recopy the original and then go in and more strategically look in that area for what is wrong.

In the even you get close again, you can make a copy of the CopyOf object and keep the cycle going :-) Just delete all your objects when you are done!!!!!

It won't always work but it will a majority of the time and is a good way to jar you from being stuck on something.

Hope that helps!!!!

Figure 1 - Duplicate the AOT object