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Microsoft Dynamics®

AX 2012

Configure Microsoft Dynamics

AX Connector for Mobile

Applications

White Paper

September 2013

www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax

Send suggestions and comments about this document [email protected]. Please include the title with your

feedback.

http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax


mailto:[email protected]






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CONFIGURE MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX CONNECTOR FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................ 3

Prerequisites ............................................................................................... 4

Creating a new Windows Azure Service Bus namespace ............................. 5

Configuring an Active Directory Federation Service for authentication ....... 8

AD FS management .............................................................................................................. 8

Enable the endpoint ........................................................................................................... 8

Add/Configure the token signing certificate ........................................................................... 9

Claim descriptions ............................................................................................................. 12

Add the trust relationship and claim rule .............................................................................. 13

Save the AD FS FederationMetadata.xml file ........................................................................ 21

Configuring the Access Control Service ..................................................... 21 Add and configure the identity provider ..................................................................................22

Configure the relying party applications ..................................................................................24

Configure rule groups ...........................................................................................................25

Add a claim rule for the identity provider ............................................................................. 26

Update the relying party federation metadata .......................................... 27

Configuring the on-premises server with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2and the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service28

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.............................................................................................28

Hotfixes ........................................................................................................................... 28

Prerequisites .................................................................................................................... 28 Installation ...................................................................................................................... 29

Configuring the Windows 8 or mobile phone applications ......................... 35

Appendix 1: Configuring the Approvals app .............................................. 37

Viewing recent approval items ...............................................................................................37

Configuring the Approvals app ...............................................................................................37

Configuring the tiles .............................................................................................................39

Configuring the Overview tab ................................................................................................40

Adding reports .....................................................................................................................40

Using Microsoft Lync integration ............................................................................................41



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Introduction

This paper describes how to configure an environment that is running Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, so

that users can connect the Microsoft Dynamics AX mobile phone application. The initial version of theMicrosoft Dynamics AX mobile phone application enables mobile expense capture and time reporting.

In order for the mobile phone application to interact with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the followingcomponents need to be configured:

Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) – AD FS works with an organization’ s instanceof Active Directory Domain Services to authenticate users of the mobile phone application. Usersare authenticated based on credentials that are sent by the mobile phone application. Uponsuccessful authentication, AD FS returns a token to the mobile phone application.

Mobile phone application – The mobile phone application enables a user to capture atransaction. It then authenticates the user and sends the message.

Microsoft Windows Azure Service Bus and Access Control Service (ACS) – The Service Busenables the mobile phone application to send a message to Microsoft Dynamics AX (which resides

on-premises). The Access Control Service provides the authentication that is necessary to send amessage via the Service Bus.

Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications – The connector listens formessages sent via the Service Bus, authenticates the sender of the message, and then sends themessage to the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 instance.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 – The Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 instance receives messagesoriginally sent from the mobile phone application. It stores the messages as transactions that areavailable to the user (for example, the user will see expense transactions that are captured via theuser’ s mobile phone in the Dynamics AX system).



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The following diagram shows these components and the flows among them.

Figure 1: Required Microsoft components and configurations for Microsoft Dynamics AXmobile apps

Prerequisites

Before you can configure the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications, you mustcomplete the following prerequisites:

Set up and configure the Active Directory server:

The Active Directory server and domain controller should have been set up during theinstallation and configuration of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Install Active Directory Federation Services. You can download the Active Directory FederationServices 2.0 RTW from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10909.

Configure Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012:

Configure users for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Configure Expense management.

Configure Time management.

Configure Human resources.

Configure a Windows Azure account. For more information, see http://www.windowsazure.com.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10909



http://www.windowsazure.com/







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Creating a new Windows Azure Service Bus namespace

After you have set up a Windows Azure account, open the Windows Azure Management Portal athttps://windows.azure.com/default.aspx.

For more information about the Windows Azure Service Bus, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/ee732537.aspx.

1.

Go to your Windows Azure dashboard.

2. In the left navigation pane, click Service Bus.

Figure 2: Service Bus page on the Windows Azure dashboard

3.

On the Action Pane, click Create to create a new Service Bus namespace.

Figure 3: Create new Service Bus page

https://windows.azure.com/default.aspx


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/ee732537.aspx




https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspace/All/dashboard









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4.

In the Namespace name field, enter a name for your namespace, such as contosomobile, andselect your region, as shown in the following screen shot.

Figure 4: Add new namespace dialog box

This namespace is used to reference the Service Bus and the Access Control Service that is tied tothe Service Bus.

5.

Click OK to create the namespace.

6. Select the Service Bus namespace. Then click Access key on the Action Pane to view the defaultissuer and default key.



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Figure 5: Default issues and default Access key

7. When the Access key form opens, click the Copy button to copy the 256-bit default key.

Figure 6: Access key dialog box

The default issuer and the 256-bit secret default key are used when you configure the MicrosoftDynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service that is deployed on the server. For more



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details, see the Setting up the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service section.

This Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications deploys a listening endpoint thatservices the message coming from the Microsoft Dynamics AX mobile phone application. This endpointaddress is structured around the Windows Azure namespace that you created.

The next step is to set up the Active Directory server as the identity provider that the Service Bus andits Access Control Service require for Federated Authentication.

Configuring an Active Directory Federation Service forauthentication

AD FS management

After the federation server and AD FS 2.0 are installed, as specified in the Prerequisites section, usethe AD FS 2.0 Management tool to configure the service.

For guidance about Active Directory federation servers, how to configure certificates, and how to

install the AD FS 2.0 software by using the setup wizard and server management, seehttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd807089(v=ws.10).aspx.

Next, run the AD FS 2.0 Federation Server Configuration Wizard to configure a new federation serverand a new Federation Service. For more guidance, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/adfs2-help-how-to-configure-a-new-federation-server(v=ws.10).aspx.

The configuration described here is for a Federation Service role for a stand-alone federation server.

1. Enable the endpoint for Windows Authentication.

2.

Establish a trust relationship between the Federation Service and the relying party (the AccessControl Service of the Windows Azure Service Bus—for example, contosomobile-sb).

3. Create rules to pass claims through the Federation Service.

4.

Obtain the X.509 token signing certificate’ s thumbprint that is required when you configure theMicrosoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service.

Enable the endpoint

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > AD FS 2.0 Management to open the AD FS 2.0Management tool.

2. In the left navigation pane, expand the Service node, and then select Endpoints. In the list ofendpoints in the Token Issuance section, find the endpoint that has the URL /adfs/services/trust/13/usernamemixed. Select this endpoint, right-click, and enable the endpoint.

After you enable the service endpoint, the authentication server URL of this Federation Service willbe in the form https://<FederationServiceName>/adfs/services/trust/13/usernamemixed.

Example: https://contosoadfs.com/adfs/services/trust/13/usernamemixed

3.

Click Start > Administrative Tools > Service to open the Windows Services list. Restart the ADFS 2.0 Windows service.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd807089(v=ws.10).aspx


http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/adfs2-help-how-to-configure-a-new-federation-server(v=ws.10).aspx




http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee913579(WS.10).aspx









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4.

In the Endpoints list, ensure that the three endpoints in the Metadata section are enabled, asshown in the following screen shot.

Figure 7: Windows Endpoints list

Add/Configure the token signing certificate

The Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service requires the thumbprint of theX.509 token signing certificate used by the Federation Service.

Both the service communications and token signing certificates are configured when you run the ADFS 2.0 setup wizard. For more about certificate requirements for federation servers, seehttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd807040(v=ws.10).aspx.

You can view the certificates by clicking Certificates under the Services node in the leftnavigation pane. You can also add new token certificates from this management tool by right-

clicking the Certificates node.






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Before you can add any new certificates, you may have to disable the automatic certificate rolloverfeature by using Windows PowerShell commands.

Figure 8: AD FS 2.0 Management Certificate Alert

Ensure that the token signing certificate is linked to a trusted root in the

Federation Service and is issued by an enterprise certification authority

For more information about token signing certificates, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd807039(v=WS.10).aspx.

Set the newly added token signing certificate as the primary certificate.

Obtain the thumbprint of the X.509 token signing certificate (digital signature)

1. Select the token signing certificate in the Certificates list. Right-click, and then select ViewCertificate.

Figure 9: Certificates list

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd807039(v=WS.10).aspx








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2.

On the Details tab of the Certificate form, copy the Thumbprint value, as shown in thefollowing screen shot, and save it without the spaces between pairs of characters. Thisthumbprint value is used when you configure the connector parameters in the MicrosoftDynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service.

Figure 10: Certificate dialog box

3. Export this token signing certificate, and save it to a location.

This certificate must be installed in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store on theserver machine that hosts the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applicationsservice.

Here are a few more points to keep in mind about these certificates:

Ensure that the Subject Name (CN) or Issued to property of the service communicationscertificate (SSL certificate) matches the Federation Service name.

To view or edit the Federation Service name, right-click Service in the left navigation pane,and then select Edit Federation Service Properties.

In our example, the service communications certificate has its Subject Name(CN) propertyset to contosoadfs.com, which helps define the URL of the Federation Server endpoint—forexample, https:// contosoadfs.com/adfs/ls/.



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You can validate that your service is set up correctly by opening the URLhttps://contosoadfs.com/adfs/fs/federationserverservice.asmx in a browser.

Figure 11: Federation Service Properties dialog box

For additional debugging and troubleshooting, go to the Events tab in the FederationServices Properties form, and turn on logging for error and other events. This can help youdebug any issues by looking at the logged events in Windows Event Viewer.

Claim descriptions

Ensure that the claim named Windows account name exists, and that the Published property isset to Yes. This should be configured by default when AD FS 2.0 is installed.



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Figure 12: Claim descriptions list

Add the trust relationship and claim rule

Active Directory Domain Services is the claim provider trust for issuing claims about an authenticateduser.

Figure 13: Claims Provider Trusts

The relying party is the Windows Azure Access Control Service associated with the Service Bus thatwas set up in the Creating a new Windows Azure Service Bus namespace section.

1.

In the left navigation pane, expand Trust Relationships, right-click Relying Party Trusts, andthen select Add Relying Party Trust.

This will open the Add Relying Party Trust Wizard that you need to follow to add your WindowsAzure Service Bus namespace as a relying party to the AD FS configuration database.



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2.

Click Start.

Figure 14: Add Relying Party Trust Wizard Welcome page

3.

On the Select Data Source page, select one of the options to add data about your relying party.

If you select the first option, Import data about the relying party published online or on alocal network, enter the federation metadata address in the text box in the following format:https://<AzureNamespace>-sb.accesscontrol.windows.net/FederationMetadata/2007-06/FederationMetadata.xml.



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In our example, this address is https://contosomobile-sb.accesscontrol.windows.net/FederationMetadata/2007-06/FederationMetadata.xml, as shown inthe following screen shot.

Figure 15: Add Relying Party Trust Wizard Select Data Source page

To use the second option, Import data about the relying party from a file, because your ADFS server does not have Internet access, you need to do the following:

1. In a browser, open the address https://contosomobile-

sb.accesscontrol.windows.net/FederationMetadata/2007-06/FederationMetadata.xml, forexample, and save the FederationMetadata.xml file to a location.

2.

Select the second option, Import data about the relying party from a file, click Browse,and load the saved FederationMetadata.xml file.

4.

Click Next.



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5.

On the Specify Display Name page, enter a display name or leave the default value, and thenclick Next.

Figure 16: Add Relying Party Trust Wizard Specify Display Name page



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6.

On the Choose Issuance Authorization Rules page, ensure that the Permit all users toaccess this relying party option is selected, and then click Next.

Figure 17: Add Relying Party Trust Wizard Choose Insurance Authorization Rules page



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7.

On the Ready to Add Trust page, click Next, and then finish the setup by clicking Close. TheOpen the Edit Claim Rules dialog for this relying party trust when the wizard closes option is selected by default. When the wizard closes, the Edit Claim Rules form will open.

Figure 18: Edit Claim Rules page

8.

Click Add Rule. You will be guided through the Add Transform Claim Rule Wizard.



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9.

On the Select Rule Template page, in the Claim rule template field, select Pass Through orFilter an Incoming Claim, as shown in the following screen shot, and then click Next.

Figure 19: Select Rule Template page

10. On the Configure Rule page, enter a name for the claim rule.

11.

In the Incoming claim type field, select Windows account name.



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12.

Select the Pass through all claim values option, as shown in the following screen shot, andthen click Next.

Figure 20: Configure Rule page

13. In the Edit Claim Rules form, you can see the newly created claim rule. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.

Figure 21: Edit Claim Rules form

You can get back to the Edit Claim Rules form by right-clicking the relying party trust that you justadded and then selecting Edit Claim Rules.



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Save the AD FS FederationMetadata.xml file

1. On your federation server, open the following address in a browser:https://<FederationServiceName>/FederationMetadata/2007-06/FederationMetadata.xml

In our example, this address is https://contosoadfs.com/FederationMetadata/2007-

06/FederationMetadata.xml.2. Save the FederationMetadata.xml file to a location.

3. You will need to upload this federation metadata file (if the Federation Service does not have anInternet-facing IP address), or you can use this address directly when you add the WS-FederationIdentity Provider while configuring the Windows Azure ACS as described in the Add and configurethe identity provider section.

This completes the required Active Directory Federation Service configuration.

Configuring the Access Control Service

The Service Bus uses the Access Control Service to implement Federated Authentication. A buddynamespace, contosomobile-sb, is created for the ACS when the Service Bus is created. Use the

following steps to configure the ACS and its relying party–related parameters, the identity provider,and rule groups.

Select the namespace that you want to configure, and then click Access key on the Action Pane.In the form that opens, click the Open ACS Management Portal link.

Figure 22: Access Key dialog box



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The Access Control Service page will open.

Figure 23: Windows Azure Access Control Service page

Add and configure the identity provider

Use the following procedure to add the WS-Federation identity provider. The identity provider is theFederation Service that was configured in the Configuring an Active Directory Federation Service forauthentication section.

Figure 24: Windows Azure Identify Provider page



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1.

Verify that the WS-Federation identity provider (e.g. Microsoft AD FS 2.0) option isselected, and then click Next.

2. On the Edit WS-Federation Identity Provider page, enter a display name for the identityprovider, such as Contoso ADFS.

3.

Under WS-Federation metadata, enter the federation metadata URL or the file that is availablefrom your configured AD FS server, as described in the Configuring an Active Directory FederationService for authentication section.

Figure 25: Identity Provider Settings page

4. In the Used By section, under Relying party applications, ensure that the Service Bus checkbox is selected.

Figure 26: Used By section of the Identity Provider Settings page



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Configure the relying party applications

Because the Service Bus uses this ACS for Federated Authentication, the Service Bus is added as arelying party application.

Figure 27: Windows Azure Relying Party Applications page

1.

Click the ServiceBus link, and then, in the Relying Party Application Settings section, verifythat the settings for the Realm and Token format fields are as shown as in the following screenshot.

Figure 28: Windows Azure Relying Party Application Settings page

2.

In the Authentication Settings section, select the identity provider to use with the relying party.The identity provider was created in the previous section, Add and configure the identity provider.



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3.

Select the Default Rule Group for ServiceBus check box to use the default rule group, asdescribed in the Configure rule groups section.

Figure 29: Windows Azure Authentication Settings page

Configure rule groups

1.

In the left navigation pane, click Rule Groups.2. Select the Default Rule Group for ServiceBus check box to configure the default rule group.

Figure 30: Windows Azure Rule Groups page

3.

You will be able to view the predefined rules that have Access Control Service as the claimissuer value. Click each rule to view the values. These rules have owner as the Input claim value, and Listen, Manage, or Send as the Output claim value.



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4.

Delete the rules that have Output claim values of Manage and Send.

Figure 31: Windows Azure Edit Rule Group page

Add a claim rule for the identity provider

1. After deleting the Manage and Send rules, click Add to add a new claim rule for the identityprovider.

2.

Select the identity provider that was configured in the Add and configure the identity provider section. In our example, this identity provider is Contoso ADFS.

3. Under Input claim type, select the Select type option, and then select the following URI:

http://schemas.microsoft.com/ws/2008/06/identity/claims/windowsaccountname

4. Under Input claim value, leave the fields as-is.

5.

Under Output claim type, select the Enter type option, and then enter the valuenet.windows.servicebus.action.

6.

Under Output claim value, select the Enter value option, and then enter Send.



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7.

Optionally, add a description.

Figure 32: Windows Azure Edit Claim Rule page

This completes the required Access Control Service configuration.

Update the relying party federation metadata

1.

On the Federation Service server, open the AD FS 2.0 Management tool.

2. In the left navigation pane, expand Trust Relationships, and then select Relying Party Trusts.



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3.

Right-click the relying party that was added in the Add the trust relationship and claim rule section, and then select Update from Federation Metadata.

4. Click Update.

Figure 33: Relying Party Trusts page

Configuring the on-premises server with MicrosoftDynamics AX 2012 R2 and the Microsoft Dynamics AXConnector for Mobile Applications service

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2

Hotfixes

To use of Windows 8 or phone applications, the following hotfixes are required:

1. If you are using the Windows 8 Expense apps, the following hotfix, which must be installed priorto installing the next hotfix) is required: KB2867017, which can be found athttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322082&clcid=0x409.

2.

To enable the services that the apps communicate with, the following hotfix must be installed:KB2877944, which can be found at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=286321&clcid=0x409.

Prerequisites

1. The .Net Business Connector proxy account must be created. In a later the step, the Dynamics AXConnector for Mobile Applications service should be deployed and run using this same account. Formore information about how to create and set up the .Net Business Connector (BC) proxy account,see Specify the .NET Business Connector proxy account [AX 2012]

* If EP is deployed on the Server, it will be using the BC proxy account.

Also it is very important that the .Net BC proxy user account is added as anAdministrator on the machine running the AX Connector service

Also note the following guidance for the .Net BC proxy account

Must be a Windows domain account

Must be a dedicated account (used only by Business Connector)

Must have a password that does not expire

Must not have interactive logon rights

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa496652.aspx






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Must not be a Microsoft Dynamics AX user

You can check which BC Proxy user account has been configured by going to AX> SystemAdministration> System Service Accounts

2.

Only one instance of the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications can be deployed

to run on a machine.

Installation

1. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications,and start the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications Setup Wizard.

Figure 34: Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications Setup Wizard Welcome page

2.

Select the I accept the terms in the License Agreement check box, and then click Next.

Figure 35: Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications Setup End-User License Agreement



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3.

On the Destination Folder page, accept the default folder location for the connector, or clickChange to select another location. Then click Next.

Figure 36: Destination Folder page

4.

On the Service account page, in the Account name and Password fields, enter the name andpassword for the BC Proxy user account that was previously created, and then click Next.

Figure 37: Service account page



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5.

Click Install.

Figure 38: Ready to install page

6. Click Finish.

Figure 39: Finish page

7. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Service to open the Windows Services list.



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8.

Click Start to start the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service. Theservice will run under the context of the service user account.

Figure 40: Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service page

9.

On the Start menu, click the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications shortcut. The GUI for configuring the connector parameters will open.

10.

Use the information in the following table to configure the connector parameters.

Parameter Configuration

Azure service namespace Enter the service namespace that you set up in the Creating a newWindows Azure Service Bus namespace section, and then click Save.

Azure service identity name Enter the service identity name that you set up in the Creating a newWindows Azure Service Bus namespace section.

Azure service identity password Enter the 256-bit symmetric key for the service identity that wasgenerated in the Creating a new Windows Azure Service Busnamespace section.

Thumbprint of X.509 certificate usedto sign SAML token

Information about the thumbprint value can be found in theAdd/Configure the token signing certificate section.

Endpoint URI of ExpenseServices (ifusing Expenses applications)

The following text is preconfigured in this field:

net.tcp://<AOS_MACHINE_NAME>:8201/DynamicsAx/Services/ExpenseServices

Replace <AOS_MACHINE_NAME> with the name of the machinethat hosts Microsoft Dynamics AX Application Object Server (AOS).

Replace the default AOS port number, 8201, if a different port is used.

Endpoint URI of TimesheetServices(if using Timesheets applications)


net.tcp://<AOS_MACHINE_NAME>:8201/DynamicsAx/Services/TimesheetServices

Replace <AOS_MACHINE_NAME> with the name of the machinethat hosts Microsoft Dynamics AX Application Object Server (AOS).


Endpoint URI of ApprovalsServices(if using the Approvals application)


net.tcp://<AOS_MACHINE_NAME>:8201/DynamicsAx/Services/ApprovalServices

Replace <AOS_MACHINE_NAME> with the name of the machinethat hosts AOS.


The Approvals app can be configured to support various types ofapprovals. For details, see Appendix 1: Configuring the Approvals app.



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Parameter Configuration

Endpoint URI ofEmailApprovalsServices (if usingEmail approvals)


net.tcp://<AOS_MACHINE_NAME>:8201/DynamicsAx/Services/EmailApproalsServices

Replace <AOS_MACHINE_NAME> with the name of the machinethat hosts AOS.


ADFS URL An authentication server URL. This is the endpoint URL of the AD FSserver that was set up in the Enable the endpoint section.

In our example, this URL is in the formhttps://contosoadfs.com/adfs/services/trust/13/usernamemixed

Support Email An email address the mobile user will see to contact in case of anyissues. For example, [email protected]

11.

Note that the Endpoint URI parameters for the following services are optional:

Expense

Timesheet Approvals

Email Approvals

If you choose not to configure one of the services, leave that field blank, and then click Save.When the Microsoft Dynamics AX Connector for Mobile Applications service is started, you willnotice that the URL for that service does not appear, and the phone applications will not displaythe corresponding feature.

Note: Windows 8 applications will fail to connect to Microsoft Dynamics AX if the correspondingURI entry does not exist. For example, the Windows 8 Expenses app will fail to connect toMicrosoft Dynamics AX if the Endpoint URI of ExpenseServices parameter is blank or notcorrect.

https://contosoadfs.com/adfs/services/trust/13/usernamemixed





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Figure 41: RapidStart Services parameters setting form

12. Enter values for each parameter, and then click Save.



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13.

After the connector parameters are saved, click Start in the form. You can see that the status haschanged to Started, and that the Mobile Application Connector service is now running andlistening on the Service Bus.

Figure 42: RapidStart Services parameters setting form

Configuring the Windows 8 or mobile phone applications

When you notify users that the solution is available, they will have to provide their domain credentialsand the service connection name to use any of the Microsoft Dynamics AX applications for Windows 8or mobile phones.

When users open the application for the first time, they are directed to a sign in page with thefollowing fields:

User name

Password

Service connection name. This is the name of the Service Bus namespace that was set up in theCreating a new Windows Azure Service Bus namespace section.

When the information is entered, the user presses sign in, the data is synced from the server, andthey can then begin using the application.



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Appendix 1: Configuring the Approvals app

Viewing recent approval items

The Approvals app provides a way for users to view all the workflow approval items assigned to them,and to approve or reject them. After the workflow generates the approval, the approver will be able toview the details, attachments, comments, and other information for that approval. For example, if anapprover rejects a particular version of a timesheet, and that approval is later re-routed by workflowand assigned to a different employee, the timesheet document, including the subsequent changes, willstill be visible to the original approver.

Configuring the Approvals app

The Approvals app provides a way for users to view all the workflow approval items assigned to them,and to approve or reject them. To help users determine which action to take, basic information aboutthe approval is shown on the tiles, and more detailed information is shown when one of the tiles isopened. Even more information about the approval item can be shown by using attachments. Forapprovals of timesheets and expenses, the app also includes extended context, such as the list ofexpenses or time entries, receipts, and visual breakdowns of the impact of the expenditures oncurrent project budgets. The following illustrations show each of these approaches.

Contextual information shown on tiles

Figure 43: Screen capture of the contextual information shown on tiles

Contextual information shown on the Overview tab

Figure 44: Screen capture of the contextual information shown on the Overview tab



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Contextual information shown as an attachment

Figure 45: Screen capture of the contextual information shown as an attachment

Extended context for a timesheet (Time details, Time summary, and Project impact tabs)

Figure 46: Screen capture of a timesheet and other contextual information



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Although the extended context for timesheets and expenses is built into the app and can’ t be providedfor other approval types, all the other contextual information, such as context on a tile, context on theOverview tab, and attachments, can be customized to meet the requirements of your organization bymaking configurations on the server. All customizations are performed in the following form, which isaccessible in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client under System Administration > Setup > Windows

Store > Windows application store setup.

Figure 47: Screen capture Approvals page and Tile information tab

Configuring the tiles

Tiles can be rendered in two different formats, as specified by the Tile style field. When this field isset to Value, unit, and description, three fields can be chosen and will be shown on the tile. This

style communicates a quantity and unit, such as USD 233, on an expense report or timesheet, andthen provide additional information, such as the summary Team Lunch. If your approval does nothave a value overview, you can use the Title and description format, which has just two options.

Developers can extend the set of fields and values that is available for inclusion on tiles. The set ofavailable fields is determined by the corresponding workflow template’s class. For example, thefollowing steps show how to add the quotation amount to the quotation approval, because this is likely

the value that you would want to show in the app:

1.

In the Application Object Tree (AOT), click Workflows > Approvals > PSAQuotationApproval.Note the value of the Document property, which in this case is PSAProjQuotationDocument.

2. In the AOT, click Classes > PSAPRojQuotationDocument.

3.

Add the following code to the class. This code will return the value of a display method that isalready on the class and that contains the value that we want to show the user:

public AmountCur parmInvoiceAmount(

CompanyId _companyId,

tableId _tableId,



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RecId _recId)

{

SalesQuotationTable t;

if(_tableId == tableNum (SalesQuotationTable))

{

t = SalesQuotationTable::findRec(_recId);

return t.invoiceAmount();

}

return 0;

}

4. Complete an Incremental CIL compilation.

5. Return to the Windows Store App configuration screen, and select Value as the new field to showon the tile.

6. To customize the tile color, double-click the example tile, and then select the color from the colorpalette.

Configuring the Overview tab

The list of fields that shown on the Overview tab of a specific approval is determined by the fieldsthat selected on the Overview fields tab of the Windows Store App configuration screen. By default,this list is populated with the fields that are typically shown in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client, whichare determined by the field group specified on the workflow approval item in the AOT. To modify thislist, click on the Overview tab and use the same process described earlier for customizing theinformation on the Tile information tab.

Adding reports

You can build reports to customize the information that an approver will receive in the Approval app,and then associate the reports with the workflow template. For example, a new report might show all

the details of the quotation that is being approved. When an approval work item is generated, thereport that displays the quotation information is rendered and included as an attachment in the email

message to the approver. The approver can then open and view the report. The following steps mustbe completed if you want to include a custom report:

1. Author a new report: The new report must use a query-based data source whose root is thesame table as the workflow template’s document. Continuing the example withPSASalesQuotation from the previous sections, the new report must be based on a query whoseroot table is SalesQuotationTable. This enables the context of the quotation that is being approvedto be passed to the report when it is executed.

2.

Create a menu item: Create a new display menu item that references your new report. In orderto associate the report with the workflow template, you must complete these steps:

1. Verify that the configuration key matches the configuration key of the workflow template.

2.

Use the same prefix for the menu item and the report. The prefix refers to the first threeletters of the element name in the AOT.

3.

Pick the menu item: On the Report association tab of the Windows Store App configuration

screen, select the newly created menu item.

After you have completed these steps, the report will be rendered when an approver clicks view onthe approval item in the attachments section of the application.



41


Using Microsoft Lync integration

If your organization uses Lync for communications and collaboration, the Approvals app can showpictures of submitters and indicate their availability. This will help the approver know whether theycan contact a submitter by using Lync. If Lync is not available, pictures will be retrieved from Microsoft

Dynamics AX, but no presence indicators will be included. Lync integration in the Approvals apputilizes the new UCWA protocol and therefore can be used only with on-premises deployments of Lync2013 CU1. Additionally, the domain of your users will need to be added to the “Allowed List,” asdescribed in this document: http://ucwa.lync.com/documentation/ITAdmin-Configuration.

http://ucwa.lync.com/documentation/ITAdmin-Configuration





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