Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

CHAPTER 6: ENTERPRISE PORTAL FRAMEWORK

Objectives
The objectives are:

Discuss the improvements made for Enterprise Portal setup and

deployment.

Discuss the improvements for Enterprise Portal security.

Learn about the new user experience and additional user control
components in Enterprise Portal.

Learn how the Business Connectivity Services provides an easy way

to integrate Microsoft Dynamics AX business data with SharePoint
to provide solutions for end-users without writing any code.

Introduction
The Enterprise Portal framework has been improved to use several of the
infrastructure features added in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. These include
database features, such as table inheritance, tables with effective dates, and
surrogate keys. Other infrastructure features that Enterprise Portal supports
include the improved proxy support, and the ability to use a service reference to
connect to Microsoft Dynamics AX data. The add-in to support Enterprise Portal
development in Visual Studio has been reworked. Improvements have been made
to the user control components to support the new visual appearance of
Enterprise Portal.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Deployment and Setup

Several improvements have been made for Enterprise Portal setup and
deployment.

Deployment and Upgrade

The following enhancements have been made for Enterprise Portal deployment
and upgrade.

Enhanced initial setup and installation that no longer requires

manually compiling X++ classes.

Ability to deploy changes in Enterprise Portal to a web server using

the AxUpdatePortal utility or PowerShell commands.

Ability to deploy changes from the Application Object Tree (AOT)

on a 32-bit client to a 64-bit Windows Server.

Automatic upgrade from Enterprise Portal on Windows SharePoint

Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation or Microsoft SharePoint Server
2010.

Ability to manage remote Enterprise Portal deployments from a

Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

Scenario: Compare Web Controls

Isaac, a Developer, has made some changes to user controls in Visual Studio and
saved them back to the Application Object Tree (AOT). Some days later he must
make a similar change in one of the other user controls and wants to see the
change he made in the current layer compared to the Sys layer.

Procedure: Compare Web Controls

To compare and review changes made in the current layer compared to the Sys
layer, follow these steps.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

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In the Developer Workspace, open the AOT.

Display the Web > Web Files > Web Controls node.
Select the web control you want to see the differences for.
Right-click the web control and select Compare from the context
menu.
The Compare window prompts you to select the layers that you
want to compare.
Select USR and SYS, and then click Compare.
The system shows line-by-line differences for both the markup and
the code behind.
The system highlights all the difference between the user controls.
You can remove any changes made in the USR layer.

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Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

Security
The Enterprise Portal framework uses the new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
security framework. Enterprise Portal automatically allows and denies access to
data and to web pages, based on settings in the Microsoft Dynamics AX role and
task security framework. The administrators must configure Microsoft Dynamics
AX security roles and tasks before users can view Enterprise Portal pages.

User Authentication
Administrators can configure Enterprise Portal vendor sites to authenticate users
based on their Microsoft Live ID. By using this external authentication,
administrators do not have to manage external users in their Active Directory
configuration.

User Experience
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, multiple improvements are made to the user
components to support the new visual appearance of Enterprise Portal. The goal
is to create a similar experience in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client and
Enterprise Portal. The consistent interface helps simplify the interaction with the
system.
One example of the consistent user experience is the new Action Pane. You
can add an Action Pane to an Enterprise Portal page by using the Action Pane
control. The Enterprise Portal Action Pane resembles the Action Pane in the
Microsoft Dynamics AX client. The Action Pane has multiple tabs that contain
button groups. Each button group contains action buttons to move to other pages,
add records to list pages, or perform common tasks for a selected record, such as
creating a new sales order for a customer.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

List Page Improvements
List Pages are the primary locations in Microsoft Dynamics AX to view lists of
records, find specific records, access record details, perform actions on records,
and move to other forms related to those records. Because of their importance,
List Pages are improved to let the user quickly find the correct information, to
perform complex actions directly from a List Page, and to help developers build
high-quality List Pages. Figure 6.1 shows the parts of a standard List Page.

FIGURE 6.1 LIST PAGE USER CONTROLS

Number

User Control

Action Pane

Secondary List Page

Quick Filter

Advanced Filter

Fact Box

Preview Pane

Filter Capabilities
List Pages are designed to help users find the correct information easily by
providing improved filter capabilities. Users can save and reuse filters. Users can
use List Pages to preview important and related information through Fact Boxes,
the Preview pane, and Cues. Using the Advanced filter option, Enterprise Portal
users can save list items to a cue on their Role Center page.

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Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

Data Sharing and Analysis
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the AXHierarchicalGridView is improved so
that you can move tasks using a drag-and-drop operation, indent or negative
indent tasks, and select multiple rows at one time. You can also export data from
grids into Microsoft Excel, change the data, and then import the data back into
Microsoft Dynamics AX.

FIGURE 6.2 AXHIERARCHICALGRIDVIEW

Performing Actions
List Pages are a focal point within the application, and the display data and you
can use them to apply actions to the selection. Complex actions that need
parameters and options, such as placing a Customer on Hold or posting a journal,
require the user to move to a separate form to perform the action because in
earlier releases you cannot capture those parameters while staying on the List
Page.
Action Panes make it easier to find actions and provide a visually appealing
action presentation mechanism. However, users cannot perform most actions
directly from an Action Pane on a List Page. Quick Path, also known as Drop
Dialog functionality, is added to the Action Pane so that you can perform a larger
number of actions directly from the List Page instead of having to move to other
forms and dialog boxes to provide parameters to those actions. In addition, Info
Part Actions, and Hyperlinks on the grid help you take actions more quickly.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Building List Pages
In earlier releases of Microsoft Dynamics AX you have to create list pages for
the client and create a separate list page for Enterprise Portal. In Microsoft
Dynamics AX 2012 you build a list for the Microsoft Dynamics AX client, and
then select to deploy that same list to Enterprise Portal which decreases the
development time and improves consistency between the client and Enterprise
Portal. Additional changes that help make List Pages easier to build include the
following:

SysListPageHelper capabilities are moved into the kernel to reduce

the code needed in the "init" and "run" method overrides.

The developer can respond to a change in record selection by

overriding a single method.

Providing a metadata property so a developer can indicate whether

an action should be disabled when there is no active record.

Supporting the use of the AOT resource names in the NormalImage

property so you can easily manage image resources.

Guiding how to create custom filters through the provision of a

custom filter group style.

Providing metadata support for Preview Panes together with the Fact
Box feature.

Task Page Improvements

Similar to list pages, multiple improvements have been made to task pages.

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Task pages keep the focus on the current task and open in a modal
window. Data on the page is refreshed when closing the modal
window.

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Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

FastTabs help you find the correct information more easily by

providing important data in a single view.

A consistent layout of the Action Pane, and data arranged in two

columns helps create a consistent look and feel.

FIGURE 6.3 TASK PAGE USER CONTROLS

Number

User Control

All forms open in a Modal Window

Close Button

FastTab

Two-column Layout

Fact Box

New Employee Service Page

The Employee services site in Enterprise Portal is improved to help the user view
all available tasks in one place. Related tasks are grouped under a task heading.
When you click the heading for a task group, a new activity site or list page
opens where you can quickly and easily complete tasks.

Scenario: Create a List Page

Isaac, the Developer, wants to create a simple List Page to view lists of vendor
records, find specific records, access record details, perform actions on records,
and move to other forms related to those records. He must deploy the list page to
the Enterprise Portal.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Procedure: Create a List Page
To create a simple customer list page, follow these steps.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

17.

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Open the AOT and create a project.

Create a new form.
Set the FormTemplate property to ListPage.
Select the Data Source node and select a query for the Query
property.
Right-click the Grid node and set the Data Source property.
Drag-and-drop the fields that you want to display on the list page
under the Grid node.
Right-click the Parts node and select New Part Reference to add a
Preview Pane.
Enter a name into the Name property for the new part reference.
Set the MenuItemName property.
Set the PartLocation property to "PreviewPane".
Set the DataSource property.
Set the DataSourceRelation property to "SelfLink".
Create a menu item that is used to display the list.
Reference the List Page by setting the Object property.
Right-click the menu item and select Deploy to EP.
Select the web module to indicate where in the Enterprise Portal
installation that you want the page for the list to be positioned, and
then click OK.
Open Enterprise Portal and change the URL to open the list page.

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Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

Lab 6.1 - Create a List Page

In this lab you will use some new user control components and create a List Page
for the Enterprise Portal.
Scenario
Isaac, the Developer, wants to create a simple List Page to view lists of customer
records, find specific records, access record details, perform actions on records,
and move to other forms related to those records. He must deploy the list page to
the Enterprise Portal.

Challenge Yourself!
Use what you learned in the user experience lesson to create a simple List Page
and deploy the List Page to the Enterprise Portal.

Need a Little Help?

1. Open the AOT.
2. Create a new List Page called CustTableListPageDemo by setting
the correct FormTemplate property.
3. Right-click the Data Source node and select the List Page query.
4. Right-click the Part node to create a Preview Pane.
5. Create ActionPane Tabs.
6. Create a menu item.
7. Deploy the List Page to the Enterprise Portal.

Step by Step: Create a List Page

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Open the AOT and create a project.

Create a new form named CustTableListPageDemo.
Set the FormTemplate property to ListPage.
Right-click the Data Source node and enter CustTableListPage
into the Query property.
Right-click the Grid node and set the Data Source property to
CustTable.
Drag-and-drop the AccountNumber and CustGroup field from the
CustTable to the Grid node.
Drag-and-drop the Name field from the DirPartyTable to the Grid
node.
Right-click the Part node and select New Part Reference to add a
Preview Pane.
Change the Name property to CustListPagePreviewPane.
Set the MenuItemName property to the already existing menu item
CustListPagePreviewPane.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

11.
12.
13.
14.

Set the PartLocation property to "PreviewPane".

Set the DataSource property to Custtable.
Set the DataSourceRelation property to "SelfLink".
Copy and paste the ActionPane Tabs from the existing
CusttableListPage form into your new CustTableListPageDemo
List Page.

Step by Step: Deploy a List Page

1. Create a menu item called CustTableListPageDemo.
2. Reference the CustTableListPageDemo form by setting the Object
property to CustTableListPageDemo.
3. Right-click the menu item and select Deploy to EP.
4. Select Home\Sales and then click OK.
5. The system prompts you with an informational message that states
that the form is deployed.
6. Open Enterprise Portal and change the URL to open the
CustTableListPageDemo List Page.
NOTE: Sample URL:
http://server/sites/DynamicsAx/Sales/Enterprise%20Portal/CustTableListPageDe
mo.aspx?WMI=CustomersList&WCMP=CEU&WCIV=634266669113693374

Enterprise Search and Business Data Connectivity Service

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is improved to include Enterprise Search and the
SharePoint Foundation 2010 Business Connectivity Services. The Business
Connectivity Services provides an easy way to integrate Microsoft Dynamics AX
business data with Enterprise Portal to provide solutions for end-users without
writing any code. You register business data exposed in databases, in Microsoft
Dynamics AX services, or through web services in the Business Data Catalog by
creating metadata that describes the database or service. The Business Data
Catalog then uses the metadata to connect with the data source and retrieve the
relevant data.

Business Data Features

After you register a data source in the Business Data Connectivity server, the
business data entities are available for use by any of the following business data
features:

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Business Data Web Parts: Generic Web Parts that display any
entity from the Business Data Connectivity server, without deploying
new code. The Web Parts provide customization, Web Part
connections, and the standard Microsoft Windows SharePoint
Services interface capabilities, such as paging, filtering, and style.

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Business Data in Lists: New field type you can use to add any entity
defined in the Business Data Connectivity server to a SharePoint list
or to a document library.

Business Data Actions: Business Data Actions bridge the gap

between SharePoint Server and a native application user interface by
providing a link back to the back-end data source. You can use
Business Data Actions to build applications that have write-back
scenarios, such as a Customer Profile view which you can use to
update profile information directly in a back-end server application.
Actions are implemented as links so you can use actions to complete
simple tasks, such as sending an email message.

Business Data Search: Offers full-text search of the data sources

registered in the Business Data Connectivity server.

Business Data in User Profiles: You can augment SharePoint

Server 2010 user profiles from any external data source registered in
the Business Data Connectivity server.

Summary
In this chapter you learned how the improvements to the Enterprise Portal
framework support and use several of the infrastructure features added in
Microsoft Dynamics AX. These include database features, such as table
inheritance, tables with effective dates, and surrogate keys. In addition
improvements have been made to the user control components to support the new
visual appearance of Enterprise Portal.
Some new features include the following:

User authentication according to his or her Microsoft Live ID.

User permission based on the new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

security framework.

Improved user productivity by using the new filter capabilities and

preview information by using Fact Boxes, Preview pane, and Cue
parts.

Performing actions on list pages by using the Action Pane, Info Part
Actions, and Hyperlink.

Data Sharing and Analysis by exporting data to Microsoft Excel.

Improved grid capabilities such as indent or negative indent tasks

and select multiple rows at one time.

Support for the integration of Microsoft Dynamics AX business data

with SharePoint to provide solutions for end-users without writing
any code.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Test Your Knowledge

1. True of False Enterprise Portal automatically activates and denies access to
data and to web pages, based on settings in the Microsoft Dynamics AX role
and task security framework.
( ) False Enterprise Portal uses its own security framework developed
specifically for web users.
( ) True Enterprise Portal takes advantage of the new Microsoft
Dynamics AX 2012 security framework.
2. What are some of the new user controls on List Pages that help find the
correct information more easily? (Select all that apply)
( ) Fact Boxes
( ) Preview pane
( ) Cue parts
( ) Advanced Filter
3. Which of the following business data features are available after you register
a data source in the Business Data Connectivity server? (Select all that apply)
( ) Business Data in Lists
( ) Business Data Actions
( ) Business Data Search
( ) Business Data in User Profiles

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Chapter 6: Enterprise Portal Framework

Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned

Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this
chapter
1.

2.

3.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Solutions
Test Your Knowledge
1. True of False Enterprise Portal automatically activates and denies access to
data and to web pages, based on settings in the Microsoft Dynamics AX role
and task security framework.
( ) False Enterprise Portal uses its own security framework developed
specifically for web users.
() True Enterprise Portal takes advantage of the new Microsoft
Dynamics AX 2012 security framework.
2. What are some of the new user controls on List Pages that help find the
correct information more easily? (Select all that apply)
() Fact Boxes
() Preview pane
() Cue parts
() Advanced Filter
3. Which of the following business data features are available after you register
a data source in the Business Data Connectivity server? (Select all that apply)
() Business Data in Lists
() Business Data Actions
() Business Data Search
() Business Data in User Profiles

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