Dynamic Field Management: the fast way to tailor data entry

Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed for fast, single-time data entry that unifies information across your entire business, via standard and add-on forms and tables. It’s often the case that businesses do need to add and modify data entry fields and conditions for end-users, but don’t want the complexity and cost involved in making changes to actual forms and tables.

Here’s the solution to the issue. STAEDEAN Dynamic Field Management (DFM) enables you to quickly and easily add and modify unlimited fields, without changing tables, forms, or program code. Whether users work with standard, ISV, or customer-specific tables and forms, DFM helps any type of business, in any industry, meet precise needs and realize important benefits:

• You’ll reduce costs and avoid downtime with the ability to quickly adapt fields within standard Microsoft Dynamics AX whenever needed.
• Intuitive, built-in tools eliminate the need to call in third-party vendors when you need to make minor adjustments to fields or even add new ones.
• Full integration with AX will ensure that changes to fields fit instantly into your system, even if you’re working with custom windows and tables.
• With field management as part of your integrated solution, your upgrade path works smooth and that minimizes rework.

Below, you’ll find an overview of DFM capabilities, a brief summary of “how it works,” and several examples of how you might use DFM to add or modify fields with new information and conditions. We also encourage you to watch a brief video that shows how you can change and add fields within seconds here.

DFM for AX4 / AX2009 / AX2012 / AX7

Without need for programming or development of physical tables and forms, STAEDEAN DFM equips you to:

• Highlight and emphasize new and modified/conditional fields with different fonts, colors and font sizes
• Determine field height and length
• Underline mandatory fields in red. Offer free choices or formatting and predefine them for additional DFM information
• Work with look-up types per field, including e-mail, URL, and standard fixed values
• Choose from field types that include string, integer, real, date, and check box
• Show dynamic fields for linked tables in one view
• Quickly find and filter dynamic fields using DFM search functionality
• Use translations (language texts) for DFM fields in every available Microsoft Dynamics AX language

How does Dynamic Field Management work?

DFM fields and modifications to current fields live only in your database, not as a physical field in a table. Fields can have different characteristics, types and appearances. Add them to field groups, and incorporate them into field group collections.  Then link field group collections to tables and display them as properties on the associated form. Easily access them via a button. When these dynamic fields are given a value, they can be filtered the same way standard fields are.

 A few example scenarios:

1. Add conditional technical product/item details; for example, specific to a product group. Quickly set up those conditions so they apply automatically to sales and purchase order forms, based on the selected product item.
2. Add conditional measure values for products or items to a work order (service) task—for example, measured decibels. DFM also ensures these values are used when registering actual measurements for a service order task for the specific product/item.

The beauty of DFM is that it can be used in any Dynamics AX module, standard or customized, and any third-party software that’s integrated with Dynamics AX. Because you’re not adding physical tables or changing code, DFM won’t impact upgrades. At the same time, you can use it at any time to continuously fine-tune how users work with data and how your business works with “dynamic” information needs.

Intrigued? Contact us below to learn more and to arrange a personalized demo.