Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Elements in the Data Dictionary

Elements in the Data Dictionary

This section focuses on the application elements located in the Data Dictionary node of the AOT. The other elements in the AOT are discussed in later sections in this course. The following list shows all the element types in the Data Dictionary:
  • Tables store data in the system. They contain fields of various data types, depending on the type of data they hold. Data is entered, edited, and deleted through forms. Tables are discussed in more detail later in the section.
  • Maps are used to link tables. By creating a map, fields can be accessed in different tables if the fields are of similar types but have different names. For example, a class that implements functionality to process data in the tables. If these tables use identical names for the columns, you can reuse data processing classes.
  • Views are read only data representations that combine multiple table objects. Views present a selected set of rows and columns by joining different tables through data sources and relations between them. Frequently views represent a subset of fields from a single table to simplify reporting.
  • Extended Data Types are customized data types based on the primitive MorphX data types including strings, integers, reals, dates, times, enums, or containers.
  • Base Enums are a list of literals that can be used throughout the development environment in MorphX. Enums (enumerable type) are an extended data type that inherits from a base enum. The elements in an enumerable type are created by using the AOT, where the name of the type and the literals can be described in the definition.
  • Configuration keys disable features in the application for all users. Each key controls access to a specific feature, and once it is disabled, the feature is automatically removed from the user view.
  • License codes control which elements can be enabled. If a license code is not purchased for a module, then any element attached to that license code cannot be used.
  • Security keys are a legacy from previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX and will be removed in the next version. Security is covered in detail later in this course.
  • Table collections do not contain any data. Virtual companies are built on table collections. They contain tables shared by more than one company. A table can be a part of more than one table collection.
  • Perspectives organize tables, folders, fields, and roles, in subsets according to application modules in an intuitive way, matching the same concept as Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. Perspectives are also discussed in more detail with the use of OLAP cubes.

How to open AOT


There are four different ways to open the AOT from the Microsoft Dynamics AX application:


  • Navigate to Windows > New Development Workspace. A new development workspace will open with the AOT visible.
  • Press CTRL + SHIFT + W
  • Press CTRL + D
  • Right Click o  Dyanamic AX short cut logo and goto property. Add  - development  text in target path "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics AX\60\Client\Bin\Ax32.exe" –development