Comparing AX Cubes to Jet Enterprise
for Corporate Analytics
Introduction
If your organization uses Microsoft Dynamics AX, you have probably wondered about the differences between
using standard AX OLAP cubes and Jet Enterprise as your business intelligence (BI) platform. While standard
OLAP cubes in Dynamics AX 2012 come with functionality that addresses some of the challenges of former
versions, a BI solution based solely on standard AX OLAP cubes presents a number of limitations. With the
exception of AX7, cubes are replaced in-memory with aggregate models. In this paper, we will explore how it’s
possible to create a BI platform for your ERP system that is broader in scope and more easily modified with
versions AX 2012 R3 and below.
Standard OLAP Cubes with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
OLAP cubes are a part of the role-based interface introduced in Dynamics AX 2009, and come with a set of
predefined OLAP cubes and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These OLAP cubes and KPIs are administered from the Dynamics AX 2012 application and integrated with the different role-based screens. The technology used behind the scenes is Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). Therefore, such a solution
can be applied to any front-end that is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server. Maintenance of the OLAP cubes
from within Dynamics AX 2012 has been possible since Axapta version 2.5, and though the functionality has
been improved in Dynamics AX 2012 and provides support for virtual companies, Enum values, and so on,
the functionality is still limited in scope compared to a full-blown BI solution.
There are some advantages offered by using the built-in cube functionality as part of the core Dynamics AX
2012 application. For instance, connecting to these cubes as opposed to using a different direct connection
to the AX database, information about relations, application names on fields, Enum labels and the setup of
virtual companies, is handled by Dynamics AX 2012. This is a great advantage if you have little experience
with Dynamics AX.
However, there are many limitations and complexities in adding data to Dynamics AX built-in cubes. These
limitations range from creating and storing new measures for reporting use, to adding data from simple outside sources, to managing security for data from these outside sources, to actual viewing performance.
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Limitations of Standard AX 2012 OLAP Cubes
When you set up OLAP cubes in Dynamics AX 2012, the system will implement the cubes in SQL Server and
load the cubes with data, including a schedule for loading data regularly. However, the functionality in Dynamics AX for setting up and defining dimensions and measures is limited as illustrated in the following list:
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AX cubes cannot recognize dating on a change and report the old with the info and
the new with the new data
No support for incremental updates of data
No support for data quality issues
No support for slowly changing dimensions
No support for data sources other than Dynamics AX 2012
No way of manipulating data, since the fact tables used in the cubes is the raw table
from Dynamics AX 2012
No support for history
In addition, it is not possible to change the BI solution directly from within Dynamics AX 2012. You are required
to use the Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) tool in SQL Server. However, while you can edit
the solution in SQL Server, the changes will be overwritten if you subsequently make changes to the data
model in Dynamics AX 2012. Therefore, you have to carefully consider any data model changes. As a result,
if your BI solution is based on standard cubes in Dynamics AX, you become dependent on highly skilled Dynamics AX and SQL Server developers to implement changes – and they are a scarce resource.
User Permissions
To access cube data, users must be assigned appropriate roles or user-specific access within Dynamics AX
2012, which directly affects licensing costs. In order to use the built-in AX cubes, users must have a Dynamics AX license, and incur annual enhancement costs for each user. This is not commonly true for customers
using Jet Corporate Analysis data.
In addition, security for analysis cubes is set up independently from security for Microsoft Dynamics AX. To
grant users access to cubes, you must assign the users to database roles in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis
Services. The default roles that are created in Analysis Services are not synchronized with the security roles
in Microsoft Dynamics AX. For example, if you modify the permissions of the Accountant role in Microsoft Dynamics AX, it does not affect the Accountant role in Analysis Services.
Jet Reports | 10450 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite B | Portland, OR | 97223 USA | +1-503-608-3602 | www.jetreports.com | SW 03242017
Why Use Jet Enterprise as Your BI Platform?
In order for the information in your reports to be useful and actionable, the quality and consistency of the
data has to be verified and all relevant data sources have to be included in your BI solution. This is
why the data warehouse and the extract, transform
and load (ETL) process is central to creating a trustworthy platform for your Dynamics AX BI solution.
The result for customers is faster build time for loading changes to existing Data cubes. Jet Reports
foundation study performed while evaluating our
tools measured an 80% reduction in ETL development time over manual ETL tools used in the Microsoft solutions. This is a significant costs savings for
customers and partners alike.
Extracting, Transforming and Loading Data
In Jet Enterprise, the entire process of extracting,
transforming and loading data (ETL), the design of
a data warehouse and the building of cubes takes
place in metadata, while the underlying SQL code
is automatically generated by the tool. This code
is accessible so not ‘black box’, nor is it generating
proprietary scripting language or rules.
The reason such a tool is valuable is that AX data is
highly normalized. This means the data is spread
out into many tables (over 6,400 for Ax2012 R3).
This data needs to be simplified to be reasonably
used for data queries. Additionally, data that is extracted from Dynamics AX 2012 typically has to go
through a cleansing process to ensure that there is
no missing information, data quality standards are
met, and so on. This data cleansing process is often
a surprisingly time-consuming and expensive procedure.
Jet Enterprise however, provides functionality that
can handle any data quality issues that may arise
during the creation of the cubes. This functionality
greatly simplifies the process and ensures that the
final reports are based on consistent and trustworthy
data. The end result is that Jet Reports greatly reduces both implementation time and costs.
Dynamics AX Adapter
Jet Enterprise comes with an adapter that is specially designed for Dynamics AX 2012. The Jet Dynamics AX Adapter is directly imported into Dynamics AX
and creates a series of new tables in the Dynamics
AX structure which allows Jet Enterprise to extract
the data. Using this adapter, Jet Enterprise extracts
data from the Dynamics AX 2012 production systems into the data warehouse where the data can be
queried and used for building OLAP cubes without
affecting the production system. The adapter provides access to all the information in the Dynamics AX 2012 database, including hidden information
such as help text on each field and Enum values.
Learn more about Jet Enterprise
Jet Reports | 10450 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite B | Portland, OR | 97223 USA | +1-503-608-3602 | www.jetreports.com | SW 03242017
Business Functions
Jet Enterprise furthermore contains an embedded formula model and a Business Function library that allows
business specialists to add advanced calculations to their data cubes without having to know or learn the
complicated MDX language. The calculation formulas are automatically translated into the MDX language
needed by Analysis Services. This provides a simple manner to add Measures to improve accuracy and ease
of use to the data.
Jet data warehouse and the OLAP cubes are 100% compatible with the role-centers in Dynamics AX 2012.
This allows customers to more easily build and maintain their data, without losing the Role Center compatibility.
Data Sources
While standard AX cubes only allow access to one data source, namely Dynamics AX, Jet Enterprise allows
access to multiple data sources. Customers typically store their information in more than one place, so in addition to the Dynamics AX system, you may also have other ERP systems, Excel spreadsheets, or databases.
To meet this need, Jet Enterprise enables customers to capture data from a string of data sources in the same
project. Jet Enterprise follows the industry de facto standards for building staging databases, data warehouses and OLAP architecture, and it supports enterprise data warehouses and data marts as well as multiple
servers. This data may be merged into a common data library, so data coming from multiple sources can be
joined into a single field for use in reporting and analytics. By using the best practice data staging, the source
and path for data is easy to view and manage.
The support for different data sources is quite wide. Some data sources from outside AX, such as Dynamics
CRM, Sales-Force, Navision and SAP have predefined Data Adapters. Other data sources are accessible
under support for open data. These sources include such as Oracle, SQL, Excel, ADO, Text, DB2, and more.
Overview of Differences
The following tables give you an overview of the main differences in approach and technical differences between a solution based purely on standard AX cubes and a solution based on Jet Enterprise.
Jet Reports | 10450 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite B | Portland, OR | 97223 USA | +1-503-608-3602 | www.jetreports.com | SW 03242017
Differences in Approach
Jet Enterprise
Standard OLAP Cubes in Dynamics AX 2012
Tools Used
Jet Data Manager
• AX environment
• BI Development Studio (BIDS)
User Profiles
• Business Analysts
• IT Staff
• BI Specialists
• AX Specialists
• SQL Server Specialists
Skills Required for Configuring and Changing OLAP Cubes
• Knowledge of the AX data Model
• Knowledge of the Jet Data Manager
• Code is auto-generated
• Knowledge of the AX data Model
• Knowledge of the MorphX Development Suite
• Knowledge of SQL Development in Visual Studio
• Requires hand-coding
Technical Foundation
SQL Server-based data warehouse and OLAP
Cubes
OLAP cubes updated directly from AX database
Standard Cubes
•Pre-built cubes for AX
•Open for other data sources than AX 2012
– no problems with combining the AX and
non-AX data
Implementation Time
Standard out-of-the-box cubes are de- ployed
in 2 hours or less
More than 5 weeks
(based on input from the AX channel)
Solution Documentation
Fully automated documentation ensures continuity and knowledge transfer. In accordance
with SOX.
Limited
Overall Architecture
•Staging area
•Data warehouse
•OLAP cubes
Standard cubes are populated directly from AX2012
Supported data Sources
•Dynamics AX from version 4
•Dynamics NAV
•Dynamics GP
•Dynamics CRM
•Excel
•Text files
•SQL
•mySQL
•Oracle
•Generic ODBC, Informix
•Application specific ODBC
AX2012
Support for slowly changing dimensions
Yes
No (generation time always increasing)
Support for data quality
Yes
No
Support for other types of data manipulation
Yes
No
Security Model
SQL Server
Limited to AX
Tracing
Graphical tracing of data, dimensions, measures, etc. within the application
Limited
Automated switch between multiple environments
Solution can be configured to automati- cally
switch from development, test and production
environment. Includes envi- ronment specific
versioning, and allows you to perform roll-back.
No
Manual Transfer
Through import export of projects
No
SQL Server Enterprise Feature Support
Yes
Only through BI Development Studio
• AX Specialists
• SQL Server Specialists
•OLAP cubes updated directly from AX database
•Not open for other data sources
To learn more about AX Cubes
and Jet Enterprise for Corporate Analytics
visit us online at www.jetreports.com
Jet Reports delivers unparalleled access to data through fast and flexible reporting and business
analytics solutions that are cost effective, provide rapid time-to-value and are built specifically for the
needs of Microsoft ERP users.
Embedded within the familiar Excel environment, Jet Reports leverages the existing skillsets of users
and offers out-of-the-box reports and dashboards so companies can immediately eliminate all expensive, time consuming and error-prone manual tasks to get the accurate business information they
need, when and where they need it.
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