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Town Hall Blog Transcript & Video

View the Summit 2010 Town Hall video replay and you can follow along by reading the transcript below.



 AXUG Summit 2010 Town Hall Live Blog(10/20/2010) 
12:30
Admin: 
Getting ready to start the Town Hall shortly, the room is almost at capacity with everyone grabbing their lunch and having a chair.
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:30 Admin
12:46
Admin: 
the lights are dimming and we are getting ready to begin
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:46 Admin
12:47
Admin: 
Frank Vukovits, AXUG Director of Programming is welcoming everyone to the session
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:47 Admin
12:50
Admin: 
Microsoft has a 10% license offer for all attendees per Todd Bergeson
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:50 Admin
12:50
Admin: 
AX Tech Conference in Jan 2011 - special offer for AXUG members - $100 discount using reg code: AXUG2011
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:50 Admin
12:51
Admin: 
3 days of deep tech information to help launch AX 6.0
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:51 Admin
12:54
Admin: 
Congrats Dennis from Swift Shift, Dan from Suncor, Mario from Kencore (sp?) to for winning a copy of Office 2011 from the Customer Reference Program giveaway.
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:54 Admin
12:59
Admin: 
Cool offers from AXUG, survey completions have a free pass for Summit 2011 or an AXUG Premium membership
Thursday October 21, 2010 12:59 Admin
1:00
Admin: 
winner of an Xbox from Microsoft Dynamics Community team: Brandon R from Novatec
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:00 Admin
1:00
Admin: 
Winner of a Convergence 2011 pass is Stuart Z from Helmrich & Payne. Congrats!!
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:00 Admin
1:04
Admin: 
Mark Rhodes, from AXUG Academy on stage now. 3 types of learning offered to members: Distance Learning (online training led by experts), Onsite at Summit, & Computer Based (premium members get 700 titles for FREE, additional 1700 titles available for 50% off, basic members can get it at a great value)
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:04 Admin
1:05
Admin: 
recognizing the Board of Advisors: Karen Rhinehardt, Howard Shen, Todd Sain, Cathy Dean, Mike Cook, Mike Dahlem, Paul Davis, Christian Fordham, Garnett Gilchrest, Grant Wilson, Jeff Simon, Jennifer Salinas, Jason Thorpe, Joe Wiley, Gerald Wise, Andrew Gatensby, Paul Sems. Thank you 2010 AXUG Board!
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:05 Admin
1:06
Admin: 
2011 board members will be announced at DayONE of Convergence in April
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:06 Admin
1:07
Admin: 
Andy Hafer will be MCing the Town Hall panel
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:07 Admin
1:08
Admin: 
Welcome Microsoft Town Hall Panelists: Pepijn Richter, Raphael Bres, Greg Goldkamp, Todd Bergeson, Kelly Holwanger, Jeff Hensel, David Runsvold, Tao Wang
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:08 Admin
1:12
Admin: 
first question from ballot box:My company is still on 3.0. I am having a hard time convincing ownership of the cost/benefit of upgrading. They are not “systems” people and want substance in the answer and so far I haven’t seen something to hang my hat on. Can you give me one?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:12 Admin
1:14
Admin: 
Answer: there is a major gap between 3.0 and 2009, there is a document called value of upgrade that you can get sent to you. Contact Pepijn personally and will try to explain the benefits uniquely for each customer. there is an assessment tool available as well so you can see which areas you can excel in if upgraded - it's available on microsoft.com
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:14 Admin
1:15
Admin: 
Both tools are online, links will be shared and we will post on AXUG.com
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:15 Admin
1:15
Admin: 
next question, this one from the floor... has any progress been made on moving of X++ to C#
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:15 Admin
1:17
Admin: 
A: X++ should be there for AX6, but there are technical limitations. Want to protect the X++ investment that partners and customers have made, so it will continue to be supported. But moving foward, you will be able to also develop in C# and .Net technologies.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:17 Admin
1:18
Admin: 
another one from the floor, this time Summit vet Grant Wilson....asking why the team of folks here this week from Microsoft is smaller this year (looking for more PMs at Summit)
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:18 Admin
1:19
Admin: 
A: yes, there is an overlap with convergence, but it's also the last week of coding for the developers for AX6. They would have LOVED to attend. Next year's Summit there will be alot of engineers available to answer your questions.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:19 Admin
1:20
Admin: 
another question from ballot box....We are here evaluating AX and are learning lots from the conference. We are still concerned about performance with our large amounts of batch transactions. What is the experience? What is the realistic volumes that AX wil handle? Are those companies here at summit?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:20 Admin
1:22
Admin: 
Answer: for each release there are specific performance goals and improve each time. Batch processing is new in AX5 and there were improvements made in AX6. High volume also has benchmarks (available whitepapers on CustomerSource) - did tests with 2200 concurrent users, web services, sales orders, workflows, etc. Each company is different depending on functionality you use, would be interested in talking live if the person who answered this question is in the room.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:22 Admin
1:23
Admin: 
Comment from audience: they are having challenges with printing invoices (Union Supply)
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:23 Admin
1:24
Admin: 
Comment from audience: daily batches of 1000 so a day takes 2-3 hours (Megagroup).
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:24 Admin
1:25
Admin: 
On 4.0 SP1 - some users can print, but others can't - why? Taking the question offline to follow up after town hall
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:25 Admin
1:25
[Comment From Jeff Weber/ProSource Jeff Weber/ProSource : ] 
Any changes in GAB (Global Address Book) framework in AX6.0?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:25 Jeff Weber/ProSource
1:27
Admin: 
A: GAB does have some changes, nothing significant. Virtual company restriction will go away in AX6. Update of GAB throughout the system in AX6.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:27 Admin
1:27
Admin: 
Why was Managment reporter released first for gp and now the rtm date for ax pushed out to june 2011? There is very little support left for frx and we are suffering.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:27 Admin
1:29
Admin: 
Answer: it was released for GP first b/c GP had more pain that needed a solution out the door quicker. AX2009 Mgmt reporter has a TAP program now, been in production for a couple of weeks with good feedback. Potentially looking at Q4 (Mar-April 2011) release date (really pushing for quicker than June 2011)
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:29 Admin
1:30
Admin: 
next question from the floor: distribution MRP in AX2009 isn't great, will AX6 be more tailored towards distribution
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:30 Admin
1:30
Twitter
robsters79: 
Listening to the Microsoft folks answer questions on Dynamics at #AXUG town hall. [via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:30 robsters79
1:31
Admin: 
Answer: focusing on 5 industries, Manufacturing, Retail, Professional Services, and Distribution (adding public with AX6). Should see major improvement in AX6 for Distribution. The Microsoft marketing is also focusing on getting great ISV solutions for this space.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:31 Admin
1:32
Admin: 
follow up, when will a list of features in AX6.0 be published
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:32 Admin
1:32
Admin: 
Answer: some information is available but more will be available at Convergence 2011
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:32 Admin
1:33
Admin: 
next question from ballot box, needed more detail in AX6.0 sneak peak session
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:33 Admin
1:35
Admin: 
Answer: the dev teams are still coding, still about a year out from release, and want to disclose information in an appropriate way - we don't want to make a mistake of overpromising, but do have the Statement of Direction to help you make some high level decisions. Then time is needed to get MSFT field and partners ready to give help that is deserved. The Tech Conference is the moment when details will be released. The AX6 session at Summit wanted to disclose as much as we could - this was the 1st time that MSFT disclosed anything to anycustomer because they value the user group.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:35 Admin
1:35
Admin: 
? when will AX6 be released? Answer: Q3 in 2011
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:35 Admin
1:37
Admin: 
good question from floor about how to balance upgrades and the release schedule of AX and the need to have information, not yet available to allow for planning an upgrade timeline
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:37 Admin
1:38
Admin: 
Answer: MSFT is pointing users to Statement of Direction. If users REALLY need to make a decision to wait for AX6, then Pepijn indicated they could disclose information for certain situations if absolutely necessary.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:38 Admin
1:38
Admin: 

Can we get an update on the status of the new payroll module?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:38 Admin
1:39
Admin: 
Answer: 1st release is for US only, it is scheduled for release in Calendar year Q1 of 2011, internal training is taking place shortly, then will train partners.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:39 Admin
1:39
Admin: 
Are there plans to develop comprehensive documentation for AX that explain every field on every screen as well as processes, similar to what’s available for some of the other dynamics Applications?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:39 Admin
1:41
Admin: 
Answer: no documentation expert on the panel, but there are different documentation available. Do have documentation inside Help of AX, developer documentation available on MSDN, CustomerSource and PartnerSource also has additional white papers and documentation. There are also many blogs and communities which serves as the fastest way to get out to you.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:41 Admin
1:42
Admin: 
question about how microsoft reviews/evaluates partners
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:42 Admin
1:42
Admin: 
Answer: 3 different pieces: 1) education with customers around Surestep methodoligies, 2) intense partner programs which do a better job of monitoring certifications, and 3) enabling partners more and treating them more like virtual employees including V6 training
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:42 Admin
1:44
Admin: 
cont. answer: have done enhancements with regards to marketing better and investing differently in partners. Will be looking for less, bigger partners with more verticalization. There are big changes in the Microsoft Partner Program. If you haven't felt the changes MSFT hope you do.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:44 Admin
1:44
Admin: 
Follow up question: will people need to change partners?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:44 Admin
1:44
Twitter
robsters79: 
#AXUG I heard of lots of new tools, but often heard to contact premier support to get them. Why not make them available on CustSource? [via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:44 robsters79
1:45
Admin: 
Answer from previous question: don't beleive it's necessary, there is a partner referral program, which helps partners partner with each other to provide a full suite of services.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:45 Admin
1:47
Admin: 
Answer: assuming US based, there are regional connection points where you can connect directly with Microsoft if you running into a roadblock with your partner. Email greg@microsoft.com and he will help you to route to those connection points.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:47 Admin
1:50
Admin: 
Answer for robsters79: not sure which tool you are looking for. Clarification from audience: one of the tools looking for was Deluxe Modified Object Report - has been key to helping us. Have mentioned it and others have been excited about it - can it be incorporated?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:50 Admin
1:53
Admin: 
Answer: there are some accelerators that are available, and reports are available in the product. Interested in learning more about what MSFT assets you are looking for so MSFT can make them available. There are a couple of troubleshooting tools available through CustomerSource. AXUG would be happy to share things that are publically available.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:53 Admin
1:54
Twitter
GeoffFaulkner: 
#AXUG Microsoft Town Hall Panel
 
[via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:54 GeoffFaulkner
1:54
Admin: 
best practice/advice for migrating AX 4.0 to a different server
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:54 Admin
1:54
Admin: 
Andy wanted to make sure everyone knows that the panel does go home busy, previous Summit Town Halls have had several issues brought up and the following year those issues were not brought up. Frank reminded people there is a Chapter that has been sharing code and such with other AXUG members.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:54 Admin
1:55
Expand
Live Blog Team
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:55 
1:56
Admin: 
Answer re: advice for migrating to 4.0 - there is a tool available on the Microsoft operation manager, believes it is available. There is a support engineer in the audience which offered the documentation and help.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:56 Admin
1:56
Admin: 
another question from the audience, when can microsoft provide manuals to customers, and when can't the be provided
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:56 Admin
1:56
Admin: 
Answer: the panelists seem stumped!
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:56 Admin
1:58
Admin: 
it is available on CustomerSource, including a learning map, as well as on MSDN, there is some documentation on Microsoft.com (under "How to Use") as well
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:58 Admin
1:59
Admin: 
follow up on doc question, standard out of box documention work well, can it be edittable?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:59 Admin
1:59
Admin: 
Answer: will take it into consideration, but there are copywrite issues available.
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:59 Admin
1:59
Admin: 
another question: There is a lack of good, trained AX professionals to hire. What is Microsoft doing to change this?
Thursday October 21, 2010 1:59 Admin
2:00
Admin: 
Answer: have created Acadmies around readiness, engaged in universities, working with partners to think through their business model to get talented folks within the partner organizations. But will take the feedback and need to come up with more ways.
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:00 Admin
2:01
Twitter
GeoffFaulkner: 
Thank you to #AXUG and the team from Microsoft for taking the time to answer our questions live in this forum! [via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:01 GeoffFaulkner
2:02
Expand
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:02 
2:02
Admin: 
another question: I hear a lot about the cloud. What are the plans for AX and the cloud?
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:02 Admin
2:02
Admin: 
Andy indicated that AXUG Academy is looking to create some kind of certification based upon more non-technical roles and are also working with Microsoft on their learning curriculum
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:02 Admin
2:03
Expand
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:03 
2:04
Twitter
AvalaraSalesTax: 
#AXUG ISV Partner tax shoot out in Labrid at 4pm...prepare for a show!!! [via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:04 AvalaraSalesTax
2:04
Admin: 
Answer: there is a cloud (previously SaaS) strategy. There are some cloud applications available. Some customers host for other customers today. Azure is used by solution providers and ISVs today and allows for their functionality to be used "in the cloud" today
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:04 Admin
2:05
Admin: 
last question??? “I am part of an AXUG regional chapter. We have difficulty in knowing the other companies in our area who are using AX to tell them about the great chapter meetings we are having. What is Microsoft doing to help promote AXUG to your customers
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:05 Admin
2:06
Admin: 
Answer: do continue to help partners get to know about the RC meetings and asking them to tell their customers to attend the user group. The 10% offer available now is also a way for partners to get the word out. There are a lot of prospects out there that ask "is there a user group?" and MSFT does ensure that sales field is aware there is a user group and refer them to AXUG. Promoting it through websites, tech conference, Convergence.
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:06 Admin
2:08
Admin: 
Follow up from Andy: Convergence is a great way - quick plug, if you are interested in speaking at Convergence, please let Frank V know! There is also a Dynamics customer portal for brand new customers, AXUG has been asked to provide an invitation to join AXUG on this site.
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:08 Admin
2:10
Admin: 
Thanks to our Premier, Platinum, and Gold Sponsors!!!
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:10 Admin
2:11
Admin: 
Don't forget AXUG Summit 2011 is in Las Vegas - there is a special offer THIS WEEK ONLY! $399 to register for Summit 2011 available to Premium members
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:11 Admin
2:12
Admin: 
Summit Materials & Presentations are available for download from axug.com/summit-2010/agenda/resources
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:12 Admin
2:12
Admin: 
Popular Summit sessions will be re-run as encore sessions as webinars in the coming weeks
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:12 Admin
2:14
Admin: 
Thanks for attending the AXUG Summit 2010 Closing & Town Hall!
Thursday October 21, 2010 2:14 Admin
3:33
Twitter
paulcharris: 
What a great photo & facial expressions of 8 Microsoft execs. RT @GeoffFaulkner #AXUG Microsoft Town Hall Panel
 
[via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 3:33 paulcharris
3:56
Twitter
AvalaraSalesTax: 
#AXUG ISV sales & use tax shoot out is only minutes away....we are in Labrid. And we are ready...let's go team! [via Twitter]
Thursday October 21, 2010 3:56 AvalaraSalesTax
9:12
Twitter
dynamicserp: 
#AXUG Session 'AX and the iPad' - detailed coverage by MSDynamicsWorld.com: http://tinyurl.com/2dcg275 Thanks MSDW! [via Twitter]
Friday October 22, 2010 9:12 dynamicserp
10:58
Twitter
msdynamicsworld: 
Here Comes the iPad for Microsoft Dynamics AX: More Microsoft Users Seeking Sales and Demo Applets - http://bit.ly/acmiyu #axug [via Twitter]
Friday October 22, 2010 10:58 msdynamicsworld
9:43
Twitter
EvangelistaDan: 
#AXUG A big thanks To Andy, Frank & the team for putting on a great conference. @ahafer @fvukovits #Microsoft #dynamics [via Twitter]
Friday October 22, 2010 9:43 EvangelistaDan
9:58
Twitter
targitus: 
RT @EvangelistaDan: #AXUG A big thanks To Andy, Frank & the team for putting on a great conference. @ahafer @fvukovits #Microsoft #dynamics [via Twitter]
Friday October 22, 2010 9:58 targitus
11:20
Twitter
dynamicserp: 
RT @msdynamicsworld: Here Comes the iPad for Microsoft Dynamics AX: More Microsoft Users Seeking Sales and Demo Applets - http://bit.ly/acmiyu #axug [via Twitter]
Friday October 22, 2010 11:20 dynamicserp
12:05
Twitter
pontemonti: 
RT @msdynamicsworld: Here Comes the iPad for Microsoft Dynamics AX: More Microsoft Users Seeking Sales and Demo Applets - http://bit.ly/acmiyu #axug [via Twitter]
Saturday October 23, 2010 12:05 pontemonti
2:03
Twitter
4mcadam: 
RT @EvangelistaDan: #AXUG A big thanks To Andy, Frank & the team for putting on a great conference. @ahafer @fvukovits #Microsoft #dynamics [via Twitter]
Saturday October 23, 2010 2:03 4mcadam
5:40