I’m happy to announce greater availability for a set of training videos that I created for Commerce Data Exchange (CDX) Async Server and Async Client. The content clocks in at around three hours and is a fairly comprehensive walkthrough of the technology. It is primarily focused on the IT Pro audience, but developers and end users may find it useful as well.
Head over to Channel 9 and check them out: https://channel9.msdn.com/blogs/Microsoft-Dynamics-AX-for-Retail-Technical-Tips
Even if you’ve worked with the Async architecture for a while, there may be some tips you can pick up in them. You may want to download them and watch them at higher than 1x speed, though!
AX for Retail R3 Commerce Data Exchange Async: Install Async Server (episode 1 of 4, 27 minutes)
- Overview of the CDX Async architecture, contrasting with Store Connect / CDX Sync Service
- Tips for generating and installing a SSL certificate for Async Server
- Installation and configuration of Async Server (IIS Web Service)
- Overview and installation of the Async Server message database
AX for Retail R3 Commerce Data Exchange Async: Configure Async Server (episode 2 of 4, 33 minutes)
- Cleaning up the demo environment
- Setting up the Working Folders profile
- Introduction to how data packets are generated in AX and communicated to the Async Server
- Discussion of UNC naming conventions for working folders
- Setting up Channel Data Groups
- Introduction to the relationship between Channel Data Group and Channel Database
- Introduction to sharing and segregation of data for channel databases
- Setting up Async Server profile
- Introduction to concept of data pull vs. data push
- Setting up the Channel Databases
- Introduction to Async Client authentication
- Introduction to the Full data sync and SQL change tracking
- Configuring Async Server with Retail Scheduler Parameters
- More on the Async Server Message Database
- Discussion how AX (X++) communicates to message database via pass-through SQL commands
- More on SQL change tracking
- Introduction to the Sync Metadata concept
- Creating the staging tables for P-job (incoming data)
AX for Retail R3 Commerce Data Exchange Async: Install Async Client (episode 3 of 4, 19 minutes)
- Introduction to the Async Client architecture
- More on the Async Client initiating all communication to Async Server (contrasting with previous versions)
- Installation of Async Client via AX Setup
- Validation of the SSL certificate
- More on the three pieces information needed to identify an Async Client
- Async Client Windows service credentials
- Creation of the message database
- Pointing to the channel database
- Validation of the Async Client installation
AX for Retail R3 Commerce Data Exchange Async: Scheduler Jobs and Troubleshooting (episode 4 of 4, 1 hour, 30 minutes)
- Retail Channel Schema form
- Retail table distribution
- Introduction to how download data is generate via X++ classes
- Generate classes process
- More on SQL change tracking for CDX Async
- Location tables
- Scheduler jobs and subjobs forms
- Discussion of how A- and N- jobs have been combined to Download jobs
- Determination of whether a full data sync or incremental sync will happen
- More on segregation of data
- More on disconnected system: AX is responsible for generating data, Async Clients are responsible for pulling down the data
- Running a full data sync from Channel data group form
- How running jobs manually affect the AX client
- More on where the package (RPF) files are created
- Viewing package files with DDPackView
- Examining the tables in the Message Database
- Monitoring of Async jobs
- Download sessions form
- Process status messages
- Async Server connection status form
- Note on how to force data to immediately be sent from AX to channel databases
- Distribution schedule form
- Scheduling distribution jobs for batch processing
- More on SQL change tracking
- Determination of whether an incremental job will be run or if a full sync is needed
- Pushing transaction data from channel database to Headquarters
- More on Async Client being the master of which data gets sent to HQ
- How a P- job pulls information from Async Server
- Discussion of two sets of timers: batch job intervals, Async Client intervals
- Determination of what transactions get sent to AX from the Async Client. TableReplicationLog table in channel database
- Async Client and Async Server logging
- More on segregation of data