Integration patterns and scenarios

  • 18 minutes

Finance and operations apps contain multiple APIs that support integration scenarios:

  • Open Data Protocol (OData)
  • Custom services
  • External web services
  • Office integrations
  • Recurring integrations
  • Data management package API

Recurring integrations API and the Data Management Framework (DMF) API support file-based integration scenarios. The DMF comes out of the box with finance and operations and supports data import and export. Recurring integrations also support data import and export scenarios.

When selecting an integration API, you'll have many considerations. Some of the decision points for the DMF and recurring integrations can help you chose your implementation integration scenario.

For more information, see Data integration scenarios.

These considerations should be evaluated so that you can determine your integration strategy. The following image shows some recommendations for different scenarios.

Table of recommendations for different integration scenarios.

To help you determine your integration strategy, the following sections review some integration scenarios for upgrading from AX 2012.

System services scenario

To support a range of options for customization and programmability, Dynamics AX 2012 provides the following types of services:

  • Query Service, which provides access to data that is returned in AOT queries
  • Metadata for AOT objects such as tables and extended data types (EDTs)
  • Data about the calling user, such as default language and default company

Finance and operations apps uses REST metadata service.

  • Labels – Returns labels from the system. Labels have a dual pair key of language and ID so that you can retrieve the value of the label.
  • Data entities – Returns a JSON-formatted list of all data entities in the system.

Custom service scenario

Dynamics AX 2012 allows the creation of custom services that are exposed through SOAP endpoints. The scenario allows external systems to call Dynamics business logics.

Characteristics of custom service are:

  • Synchronous
  • Customizable
  • Allows passing parameters
  • Requires port handling
  • SOAP-based WCF

Example: External service (front end webpage) sends a command to update the order quantity and confirm it.

Finance and operations apps allow business logics activation from an external system by using different techniques:

  • JSON-based custom service
  • OData entity’s actions
  • SOAP-based custom service

The techniques share the following characteristics:

  • Synchronous
  • Customizable
  • Allow passing parameters
  • Don't require port handling
  • Microsoft Entra ID authentication

Application Integration Framework (AIF) file-based exchange or MSMQ

Documents are pushed in Dynamics AX 2012 by using XML standard format. The messages are enqueued and processed asynchronously.

  • High volume
  • Asynchronous
  • Transformation (optional)

Example: Importing movement data from an automated warehouse, which was sent as .csv files.

In finance and operations apps, you can use Azure Services or the Data Management Framework (DMF):

  • Data Management Framework allows compact enqueuing/dequeuing mechanism and transformations. It requires an external mechanism to send the files to Dynamics 365.
  • Through Azure Services by using an external middleware (for example, Logic Apps), which allows decoupling the ERP business logics from the transformation logics and provides more flexibility.