Axapta 4.0 Release Date and Functionality

Microsoft Business Solutions has decided to delay the previously communicated release date of Q2 CY2005.

The decision has been made after examining the feedback received from the market.

Microsoft Business Solutions considers it more important to include additional functionality and enhancements in the solution's quality and security rather than holding to the Q2 CY2005 release date.

Axapta 4.0 beta is scheduled for October 2005. A full technical beta (implementation) will be undertaken with a limited number of existing customer, about five customers, across multiple geographies and various industries.

Once the beta customers have the beta release operational, the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) date will be established. Expected RTM is the first half of calendar year 2006.

Improvements planned in Microsoft Axapta 4.0:
o Enhanced Web Services Capabilities (APIs)

o Collaboration and Integration Functionality to internal or external applications

- Out of the box support for business processes such as “Order to Cash” and “Procure to Pay”
- Key documents such as sales orders, purchase orders and invoices

o A Software Developer Kit (SDK) that helps ISVs more easily develop their own forms and documents to support their custom business processes and the associated integrations, as follows:

- Send documents from Microsoft Axapta to trading partners or other internal or external systems by using Microsoft Message Queues (MSMQ), Microsoft BizTalk® Server or File System
- Receive documents from trading partners or systems into Microsoft Axapta via .NET Web Services, MSMQ, Microsoft BizTalk Server or File System
- Allow ISVs to include existing Microsoft Axapta documents and tables in their custom business processes

o To facilitate ISV development on Microsoft Axapta, program logic will be moved out of forms and into “classes”.

o Improved Microsoft Axapta performance on Microsoft SQL Server, so that performance will be equal to or better than the current performance of Microsoft Axapta on Oracle-based servers

o Integration with Microsoft SharePoint® Server

o Out of the box support for RFID technology

o Supply chain management enhancements:

- Inventory closing resolution
- Outsourcing improvements such as drop shipments, purchase order quotation, kitting and subcontracting
- Order processing improvements such as multiple ship to addresses and improved back orders
- Service items to include non-inventory items
- Shop floor option pack to include batch updates of production, improved notice board, new time entry, feedback quantity validation
- Advanced intercompany functionality

o Financial management enhancements:

- Powerful extensions to dimensions and new dimension controls such as a new dimensions hierarchy feature, and revised dimensions default inheritance in ledger journals
- New cost accounting solution
- Draft handling
- Voucher improvements
- Support for US-GAAP, IAS and IFRS Accounting Standards
- Support for EU115 – European tax regulations
- Enhanced financial analytics and reporting, such as improved inquiry capability on
dimensions, versatile reporting capabilities on dimensions and accounts,
multilevel aggregation capability and a new Fiscal LIFO inventory report

o Enhancements targeted at supporting professional service-based companies or manufacturing service organizations:

- Project accounting enhancements, such as project estimation and forecasting, improved budget oversight and credit notes
- Support for key service management processes
- New service management functionality, focused on supporting organizations with long or complex sales cycles
- New service management functionality, focused on supporting employee roles such as service manager, dispatcher and service technician or service consultant

o Customer relationship management (CRM) enhancements:

- Repackaged quoting
- Advanced price simulation
- Quotations into forecast
- Improved synchronization to Microsoft Outlook

o Human resource management enhancements:

- Improved support for contractors
- E-recruitment
- Competence mapping
- Archiving for terminated staff
- The ability to publish company policies/ and procedures to on the Web, through Microsoft Axapta Microsoft Axapta

o Enterprise Portal enhancements:

- Internal course invoicing
- Improved absence management

Functionality that will not be in the scope of the release:
o Integration with Microsoft Project

o Time and Expense functionality