What impact will One Version have on your company?
Februar 2020 // 7 MIN
When you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, this will be your last big ERP update. Minor cumulative updates on a regular basis will ensure that your ERP system is always updated to the latest version.
Normally, upgrading your AX system has been expensive both in terms of time and resources. It could take anything from a few months to several years to upgrade the system, and many companies have therefore shelved their upgrading for this very reason.
Now, companies who upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management get their single biggest upgrade “ever”. Minor updates on a regular basis will ensure that your ERP system is always updated to the latest version You may already be familiar with this method as it is the same one Microsoft Windows uses to update its management system and Microsoft Office solutions: The systems either update to the latest version automatically or with a single click.
This easy and simplified method of updating software is the brilliant idea behind Microsoft´s One Version concept which they introduced in Unified Operations, including Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management in April 2019. That is how the first so-called evergreen ERP solution was born.
With this concept, Microsoft has significantly changed the whole approach to how ERP systems can and should be updated. And, not least of all, how often.
Eight updates a year
The vision behind One Version is to make the upgrading process much more manageable, so instead of updating your ERP system every five or ten years, eight smaller updates spread out over the year, ensure that the company is always using the most updated, latest version of the ERP system.
These scheduled, cumulativ[1] e updates and system improvements make it easier for the company to plan their updates, ensures that performance is always optimal and that the system is always operationally secure.
You can choose to postpone an update, although never more than three updates at a time. After three postponements, an update will be forced through, and then you will have to update yourself on the last three updates. You must accept a minimum of two updates a year.
At Bredana Axcite, we generally recommend our clients to update their business system regularly in order to get the full benefit of the improvements Microsoft rolls out on a continual basis.
Farewell large-scale, heavy implementations. Hello, small regular implementations!
Where companies have previously used a huge number of man hours on cumbersome, time-consuming, complex system upgrades every five to ten years, they will now find they can manage with a relatively modest allocation of resources for regular maintenance.
Naturally, the company will need to adapt its processes a little, especially in the IT department, where they will need to devote a little more of their time to regular testing, and will need to ensure that their customized solutions and third-party integrations are working as they should before an update is rolled out.
A number of really good tools that are able to automate a large part of the testing are available, so the amount of resources used on maintenance is limited and kept to a minimum.
Read more about how to handle the cumulative updates in Dynamics 365
We do the testing for our clients
At Bredana Axcite, we help our clients to develop test scenarios for automated test flows and regularly test that all customizations and third-party integrations are working as they should before each Microsoft update is carried out.
Rolling out a customized client solution is now easier than ever
Earlier Microsoft Dynamics AX versions, including the most recent AX2012, included the client customization directly in the source code in what was known as the overlaying code, which often caused problems when Microsoft rolled out new system updates. The procedure is different in Dynamics 365.
All client customizations in the Dynamics 365 solution are coded in what they call extensions that have a separate code that does not interfere directly with the source code. This means, among other things, that not only will it be easier to access and maintain the customer adaptation that is needed, it will also be easier to do the cumulative updates for it.
Updating needs to be tested before it is rolled out
You need to actively approve an update before it is automatically rolled out in the system. Before an update is approved, it is a good idea to test each update thoroughly in the test environment in advance.
Naturally, Microsoft tests that the platform and the standard functions work as they should before they release the updates. But it is up to the company itself to test whether it works on its own business system.
You should test both integrations and your own customizations across Dynamics 365. If you do not test that all integrations and customizations work as they should before the update is rolled out in the operating solution, you run the risk that critical business processes may fail. And that could potentially be very expensive indeed.
Always geared to growth
By giving companies continual access to the newest features and tools, Microsoft aims to provide businesses with the best prerequisites they can have systems-wise to support digitalization and the continual commercial development of their clients' business.
Thus the rationale behind their thinking is that the ERP system should never be the factor that limits a company's potential for growth.
We are the experts in Microsoft Dynamics 365
We are certified as a Microsoft Partner Gold in Enterprise Resource Planning. This is your guarantee that, when you choose us as your partner, you will get professional, high quality ERP solutions that have been thoroughly-tested and are secure.
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