Finance and operations applications offer an upgrade pathway for current Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 users to transition their data and code to these new apps. Presently, upgrades from Dynamics AX 2012 R3 and AX 2012 R2 are supported, focusing on the following key elements:

Tools aiding the transition of existing custom application code from AX 2012.

A data upgrade process facilitating the transfer of databases, allowing for the migration of full transactional history. The Analyze phase activities assist in estimating the effort required for the upgrade and project planning. These steps can be taken prior to purchasing finance and operations, providing essential insights into the resources and effort needed.

As part of the upgrade process, the pre-upgrade checklist needs installation in the AX 2012 environment to facilitate data upgrade. For instance, one task involves providing Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) sign-in information for each current AX 2012 user who will sign into Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps.

The code upgrade estimation tools convert AX 2012 code to the new format, highlighting conflicts that developers must address later. Exporting code as a model store export from AX 2012 and uploading it to the LCS Code upgrade tool generates an upgraded code version and a report on remaining conflicts. Developers then assess both the upgraded code and the report to determine the effort needed for the code upgrade.

Deploying a demo environment—containing demonstration data and standard code—is recommended for evaluating new features and analyzing changes in standard processes between AX 2012 and finance and operations. This can be deployed in Azure or downloaded as a virtual machine (VM).

Creating a project plan using the upgrade methodology template incorporates outputs from the Analyze phase to detail testing, resource assignments, and tasks for the upgrade project. During the Execute phase, tasks planned in the Analyze phase are executed post-purchase of finance and operations apps.

Transitioning to the LCS implementation project marks the end of the public preview project and the utilization of the project plan from the Analyze phase for subsequent steps.

Upon purchasing a finance and operations subscription, instructions for signing up for a new LCS implementation project, specifically for AX 2012 upgrades, are provided. The Project Onboarding wizard guides initial steps, including AX 2012 preparation tasks and the code upgrade process, with code changes in AX 2012 frozen after this point. Any necessary changes must be manually ported to the new code base.