Retail Configuration Setup

Checklist

      Retail

Ø  Setup

Ø  Channel Integration

ü  Working Folder

ü  Channel Data Group

ü  Channel Database

ü  Channel Profiles

ü  Real Time Service Profile

ü  Async Server Profile

ü  AOS Profiles

      Retail

Ø  Setup

Ø  POS Register

      Retail

Ø  Setup

Ø  Parameters

ü  Retail Parameters – Initialize

ü  Retail Scheduler Parameter – Sync Database

Working Folder

1.      Create the shared folders where data packages will be stored. We recommend that you create a folder for data uploads and a folder for data downloads. The service accounts for AOS and Async Server must have permission to read and update these folders.

2.      Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Working folders.

3.      Click New to create a new set of working folders.

4.      Enter a name and description for the set of folders.

5.      Enter the path of the folder where data packages are stored for download to channels.

6.      Enter the path of the folder where data packages are stored for upload to Microsoft Dynamics AX.

7.      After you have created a set of working folders, you must associate it with a channel data group

Channel Data Group

You can group similar channel databases into a data group. For example, you can group the databases for stores that are in the same region or stores that are of the same type. All channel databases in a data group subscribe to the same data. When you run a distribution schedule, a data package is generated for each data group. Use data groups to reduce the number of data packages that are generated from Microsoft Dynamics AX, and therefore help improve performance.

The following illustration shows the relationships between stores, databases, data groups, and data packages.

Use the following procedure to create a new channel data group.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel data group.
2. Enter a name and description for the channel data group.
3. In the Retail channel schema field, select a schema based on the version of Microsoft Dynamics AX that you are using and the type of channel that is included in the data group.
4. Select a configuration of working folders. For more information about how to specify working folders
5. The Channel database FastTab displays the channel databases that are included in the group. You can’t change this information in this form. To change the data group that a database belongs to, use the Channel database form

Channel Database

A channel database profile provides the information that enables Microsoft Dynamics AX to communicate with a retail channel database.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel database.
2. Click New to create a new channel database profile.
3. Enter the following information:
• Channel database ID – Type a name for the profile.
• Channel data group – Select a channel data group for the database. When you run a distribution schedule, a data package is generated for each data group. All channel databases in a data group subscribe to the same data.

A data group can contain one or more databases, but a database can belong to only one data group.

• User name and Password – Enter the user name and password that Async Client uses to communicate with Async Server. The user name is case-sensitive. You must use a unique user name for each channel database profile. The user name and password that you enter are created and used only for the channel database profile. The user is not required to exist in Microsoft Dynamics AX, in Active Directory, or on the local operating system.
• Async Server profile – Select the Async Server profile to use with the database.
3. On the Retail channel FastTab, click Add to select the channels that use this database.
4. If you are using features that require Retail Server, such as Modern POS, enter channel database information in the Retail Server FastTab. Enter the name of the server that hosts the channel database, and enter the name of the channel database.
5. If you are using Synch Service for compatibility with an earlier version of Retail POS, the Synch Service FastTab is displayed. For more information about how to use earlier versions of Retail POS, see the Support for Previous POS Versions white paper.
6. To synchronize all data for the channel database, click Full data sync and then select the distribution schedule that is named Full sync.

Channel Profiles

A channel profile contains properties that must be defined for a retail channel, such as URLs for site collections. The available properties depend on the type of channel.

1.      Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel profiles.

2.      Press CTRL+N to create a new channel profile.

3.      In the Name field, enter a unique name for the profile.

4.      Select the type of online channel that the profile is for.

In AX 2012 R2, only SharePoint online store is available. In AX 2012 R3, you can also set properties for eBay, Amazon, and Retail Server.

5.      Click Add to add a property to the profile. For each property, provide the following information:

o    Property key – Select the type of property to set for the selected channel profile. The available properties depend on the profile type that you selected. For example, for a profile type of SharePoint online store, you can select the Catalog site collection URL property.

o    Property value – Specify a value for the property.

6.      Click Validate profile to confirm that the property information for the profile is correct.

7.      The following properties are available for a profile type of Retail Server:

·         Retail server URL – The URL of the Retail Server that is used by Modern POS devices.

·         Media base URL – The URL where images are located for use by Modern POS devices.

·         Printer URL – The URL of the printer that is used with Modern POS devices.

·         Drawer URL – The URL of the cash drawer that is used with Modern POS devices.

·         Payment terminal URL – The URL of the payment device that is used with Modern POS devices.

·         Hardware station URL – The URL of the shared hardware station that is used with Modern POS devices.

An offline profile defines which data is synchronized between a store database and the offline databases at the registers. Each offline profile consists of several offline scopes. Offline scopes define the order in which data is synchronized, and which database tables are synchronized. Microsoft Dynamics AX includes a default offline profile that is named "Default pr." The offline scopes that are included in the default offline profile reflect the organization of jobs in Retail scheduler.

Set up an offline profile

1. Click Retail > Setup > POS > Profiles > Offline profiles.
2. Press CTRL+N to create a new offline profile, or select an existing profile.
3. In the Name field, type a name for the profile. In the Description field, type a description.
4. On the Line details FastTab, click Add or select an existing offline scope.
5. In the Description field, select an offline scope.

To set up the new or existing offline scope, see the next procedure.

6. For Retail Modern POS, the following settings in the SQLite device configuration FastTab are also required:
• Offline timeout (sec) – specify the time after which Retail Modern POS will switch to the offline database.
• Reconnect attempt interval (min) – specify the interval after which Retail Modern POS will try to reconnect to the Retail server or the channel database.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 for each offline scope that is included in the offline profile.

Real Time Service Profile

1.      Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Real-time Service profiles.

2.      Select an existing profile, or press CTRL+N to create a new profile.

3.      Enter a name and a description for the profile.

4.      On the Connection FastTab, enter the following information:

o    Server – Enter the server name or IP address where Real-time Service is running.

o    Port – Enter the port number that the web service for Real-time Service uses.

A port number is associated with each communication protocol that is bound to the web site. By default, the port number for the net.tcp protocol is 808 and the port number for the https protocol is 9081.

o    Protocol – Select the communication protocol that Real-time Service uses.

By default, the protocol is net.tcp, but the https protocol is also supported. To use the https protocol, you must modify the web.config file for the web site.

o    Web application name – Enter the name of the web application that hosts Real-time Service.

o    Common name – Enter the common name for the certificate that is used to establish an encrypted channel with Real-time Service.

To find the common name, right-click the server certificate in IIS Manager and choose View. The common name for the certificate is displayed on the Details tab, in the Subject field. This is usually the name of the domain for which the certificate was issued. If you’re using a self-signed certificate, the common name is usually the name of the computer for which the certificate was issued.

o    Passphrase – Enter the passphrase that is used to authenticate the connection.

o    Language – Select the language that will be used for error messages. You do not have to select the same language as the AOS uses. However, you must select a language for which you have a Microsoft Dynamics AX license.

o    Real-time Service version – If the service has a different release version than Microsoft Dynamics AX, select the version of this instance of the service.

5.      On the Settings FastTab, select the Commerce Data Exchange: Real-time Service staff check box to enable the POS system to validate the operator logon through the service.

Assign a Real-time Service profile to a retail store

So that point of sale devices can retrieve or update information from Microsoft Dynamics AX in real time, you must assign each retail store a Real-time Service profile.

For more information about how to set up a retail store, see Set up a retail store.

1. Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.
2. Double-click the store to modify, and then click the Maintain button.
3. In the Stores form, click the General FastTab.
4. Under Profiles, in the Real-time Service profile field, select the appropriate Real-time Service profile.
5. To synchronize profile settings with the channel database, run the predefined 1070 job, or run the job that you have set up to synchronize store data.

Assign a Real-time Service profile to an online store

So that online stores can retrieve or update information from Microsoft Dynamics AX in real time, you must assign each online store a Real-time Service profile.

For more information about how to set up an online store, see Set up an online store.

1. Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Online stores.
2. Double-click the online store to modify, and then click the Maintain button.
3. In the Online store form, click the General FastTab.
4. Under Profiles, in the Real-time Service profile field, select the appropriate Real-time Service profile.
5. To synchronize profile settings with the channel database in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, run the predefined 1070 job, or run the job that you have set up to synchronize online channel data.

To synchronize profile settings with the channel database in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, run the predefined A-1075_OC job, or run the job that you have set up to synchronize online channel data.

Assign a Real-time Service profile to a register

So that POS registers can retrieve or update information from Microsoft Dynamics AX in real time, you must assign each POS register a Real-time Service profile.

For more information about how to set up a POS register, see Set up registers.

1. Click Retail > Setup > POS > POS registers.
2. Double-click the register to modify, and then click the Maintain button.
3. In the POS registers form, click the General FastTab.
4. Under Profiles, in the Real-time Service profile field, select the appropriate Real-time Service profile.
5. To synchronize profile settings with the channel database, run the predefined A-1090 job, or run the job that you have set up to synchronize register data.

Async Server Profile

A profile for Async Server specifies how frequently Async Client checks for data packages to download and creates data packages to upload. You must configure data download and upload intervals for each instance of Async Client in the environment.

Async Client is part of Commerce Data Exchange, the asynchronous system that shares data between the Microsoft Dynamics AX database and retail channel databases. Async Client is installed for each channel, and communicates with the channel database. Commerce Data Exchange also includes Async Server, which is installed at headquarters and communicates with the Microsoft Dynamics AX database. For more information about Commerce Data Exchange, see the Commerce Data Exchange documentation on TechNet.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Async Server profile.
2. Click New to create a new profile.
3. Enter a name and description for the profile.
4. In the Data download interval in minutes field, enter the interval at which Async Client checks for data packages that are ready to be downloaded from Microsoft Dynamics AX to the channel. Data packages are downloaded from the working folder for Commerce Data Exchange.
5. In the Data upload interval in minutes field, enter the interval at which Async Client creates and uploads data from the channel. Data packages are uploaded to the working folder for Commerce Data Exchange.

AOS Profile

An Application Object Server (AOS) profile provides the connection string that enables Commerce Data Exchange: Synch Service to communicate with the Microsoft Dynamics AX database.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > AOS profiles.
2. Press CTRL+N to create a new AOS profile.
3. Complete the following information:
• Name – Enter a unique name for the profile.
• Server name – Enter the name of the server where the AOS instance is installed.
• Instance name – The name of the AOS instance.
• TCP/IP port – Enter the TCP/IP port for the AOS instance.
• Commerce Data Exchange: Synch Service – Select the Synch Service profile to associate with the AOS profile.
4. Click Test connection to confirm that the connection string for the selected AOS profile is correct.

POS Register

The Retail Channel Configuration Utility (formerly named Retail Store Database Utility) can be used to configure database connections for a point of sale (POS) or Retail Modern POS register. This utility can also be used to install both a channel database and a POS register on the same computer, so that the database and register can be used in a development environment.

You must install the Retail Channel Configuration Utility on each computer where you want to use it. Use the Setup wizard for Microsoft Dynamics AX to install the utility. For more information, see Install the Retail Channel Configuration Utility (Retail Store Database Utility).

The procedures in this topic assume that you have installed a supported version of Microsoft SQL Server on the computer where you plan to run the Retail Channel Configuration Utility. For a list of operating systems and SQL Server versions that are supported, see the Microsoft Dynamics AX system requirements.

The Retail Channel Configuration Utility can also be used to install a channel database on a shared database server or an offline database on a POS computer. For more information, see Create a channel database or an offline database (AX 2012 R3) or Create a store database or an offline database (AX 2012 R2 and AX 2012 Feature Pack).

 

 

 

Configure a database connection for a POS register

 

Complete the following procedure to configure the channel database connection for a POS register. To log on to Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS, the register must have access to the channel database.

For information about additional parameters for POS registers, see Set up registers.

1.      On a POS computer, start the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.

2.      Click Configure Retail POS and Retail Offline Sync Service.

3.      In the Identification section of the form, complete the information in the following fields:

o    Store ID – Type the ID of the store that the POS register is associated with. The store must be listed in the Retail stores form. (Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.)

o    Register ID – Type a unique ID for the POS register. The POS register must be listed in the POS registers form. (Click Retail > Setup > POS > POS registers.)

o    Legal entity – Type the applicable company code.

4.      In the Channel database section of the form, complete the information in the following fields:

o    Server name – Select or type the name of the server that hosts the channel database.

o    Database name – Type the name of an existing channel database.

5.      Optional: Test the connection.

6.      Click Apply to configure the POS register.

Configure a POS register without an offline database

 

Complete the following procedure to configure the database connections for a POS register that doesn’t include an offline database. To log on to Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS, the register must have access to the store database.

For information about additional parameters for POS registers, see Set up registers.

1.      On a POS computer, click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Dynamics AX > Retail Database Utility > Retail Database Utility to open the Retail POS configurationform.

2.      In the Database section of the form, select Configure store database. Complete the information in the following fields:

o    Store server name – Select or type the name of the server that hosts the store database.

o    Store database name – Type the name of an existing store database.

3.      Optional: Test the connection.

4.      In the Database section of the form, select Configure offline database.

5.      In the Identification section of the form, complete the information in the following fields:

o    Store ID – Type the ID of the store that the POS register is associated with. The store must be listed in the Retail stores form. (Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.)

o    Register ID – Type a unique ID for the POS register. The POS register must be listed in the POS registers form. (Click Retail > Setup > POS > POS registers.)

o    Data area ID – Type the applicable company code.

6.      In the Offline database section of the form, leave the fields blank.

7.      Click Continue to configure the POS register.

 

Configure a channel database and a POS register on a single computer

 

You can install Retail components on a single computer for development. In this case, you must run the Retail Channel Configuration Utility two times, in the following order, to install both a channel database and a POS register.

1.      In AX 2012 R3, create the channel database as described in the topic Create a channel database or an offline database (AX 2012 R3). In AX 2012 R2, create the store database as described in the topic Create a store database or an offline database (AX 2012 R2 and AX 2012 Feature Pack).

2.      Configure the POS register, as described earlier in this topic.

Create a channel database on a database server

Use the following procedure to create a channel database on a shared database server. If you have installed an update, and a channel database already exists, the database will be upgraded.

1. On a SQL Server computer, start the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
2. Select Create channel database.
3. In the Channel database section of the form, select or type the name of the server on which to create the channel database. Typically, you will install on the local computer, or localhost. Type a unique name for the channel database.
4. Optional: Test the connection.
5. Click Apply to create and configure the channel database.
6. On the computer where the channel database is installed, use SQL Server Management Studio to assign the local RetailOfflineSyncUsers group read and write permissions to the database.

Distribute initial data to the channel database

After you create a new channel database, you must populate it with the data for the channel.

1. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
2. If necessary, create a channel data group for the database. (Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel data group.) For more information, see Create a channel data group.
3. Create a profile for the new channel database. (Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel database.) For more information, see Set up a channel database profile.
4. Synchronize all data for the channel database. In the Channel database form, click Full data sync and then select the distribution schedule that is named Full sync.

For more information about how to run jobs to distribute data, see Schedule and run jobs in Retail Scheduler.

Create or provision an offline database

Before you can complete this procedure, you must create a channel database and distribute initial data to the channel database. You must also run the Offline scopes job to at headquarters to synchronize offline scopes with the channel database.

Use the following procedure to create an offline database on a POS device.

1. On a POS register, start the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
2. Select Create or reprovision offline database.
3. In the Identification section of the form, type the store ID. This value must be the same as the value that was entered in the Name field on the Retail stores form. (ClickRetail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.)
4. The store record does not have to be created before you complete this step. However, the ID must match later when the record is created and the profile is linked. For more information
5. In the Channel Database section of the form, select the server where the channel database is installed, and type the name of the channel database.
6. Optional: Test the connection.
7. In the Offline database section of the form, type the name of the computer on which to create the offline database. Typically, you will install on the local computer, or localhost. Type a unique name for the new offline database.
8. Optional: Test the connection.
9. Click Apply to create and configure the offline database.
10. On the POS device, start the Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail Offline Sync Service, so that the offline database can be synchronized with the shared channel database.
11. To confirm that the offline database was created correctly, and that synchronization is working, verify that tracking tables have been added to the channel database. Tracking tables are copies of Retail tables that have the suffix _tracking. If tracking tables have been added, the channel database has been provisioned for synchronization. To make sure that the synchronization service is running, see the RetailOfflineSyncLog table in the channel database.

Synchronize data between the channel database and offline databases

If the channel database becomes unavailable, POS devices can connect to a local offline database, so that transaction entry is not interrupted. Therefore, offline databases on POS devices must be synchronized with the latest data from the channel database.

Offline profiles define which data is synchronized from the channel database to the offline databases on POS devices. Each offline profile consists of several offline scopes. The default scopes are modeled after the Retail Scheduler jobs that are used to synchronize data between Microsoft Dynamics AX and the channel. For example, the 1080 scheduler job pushes tax-related information from Microsoft Dynamics AX to the channel. The tables that are included in the 1080 scheduler job are also included in the offline scope that pushes tax-related information from the channel database to the offline database. For more information about offline scopes and offline profiles, see Set up offline profiles.

Retail Parameter- Intialize

Click Retail > Setup > Parameters > Retail parameters.

Use this form to set up parameters for Retail.

 

Link	Description
General	Specify store-wide parameters, such as the default item type and the European Article Number (EAN) license number.
Posting	Specify parameters that are used to post discounts, inventory updates, settlements, and other retail operations.
Product creation	Specify default warehouse and price settings that are used to create items.
Customer orders	Specify parameters for quotations and sales orders.
Replenishment	Specify parameters that are used to replenish inventory through cross-docking and inventory allocation.
Number sequences	Specify parameters for number sequences.
Password strength	Specify parameters for the strength of passwords that are used to log in to Retail POS.

Buttons

Button	Description
Initialize	After installation, create jobs and subjobs, distribution locations, and other records that are required to replicate data to stores. For more information, see thisTechNet article.

Fields

Field	Description
EAN license number	The license number that is used to create bar codes that are based on the EAN standard.
Default inventory journal	Select the type of inventory journal that is used by default when an inventory journal is created in the point of sale (POS) system.
Email notification profile	Select the email notification profile to use to automatically generate email messages to recipients based on user configured parameters. The email notification profile generates email messages based on a specific event by using an email template that you define. This control is available only if AX 2012 R2 or AX 2012 R3 is installed. In AX 2012 R2, this control applies to the online store only. In AX 2012 R3, this control applies to the online store, brick-and-mortar stores, and call centers. Note Before you can generate email notifications, you must configure email functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX. For more information, seeConfigure email functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX.
Kit journal name	Specify the name of the journal to use to generate trade agreements for product variants that are included in a retail product kit. Note This control is available only if Retail in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Category journal name	Specify the name of the journal to use to generate trade agreements for products that are included in a retail category. Note This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Post periodic discount	Select this check box to enable periodic offers to be posted to the ledger accounts. Periodic discounts include mix and match discounts, quantity discounts, and discount offers.
Ledger account type	Select that type of ledger account that Retail uses to post periodic discounts. ·         Standard – Retail does not use the discount-related fields in this form. Instead, Retail uses the ledger account that is defined for inventory posting in Microsoft Dynamics AX. ·         Periodic – Retail uses the discount-related fields in this form. If you select this option, you must specify a general ledger account for each type of offer: discount, mix and match discount, and quantity discount.
Discount	Select the general ledger account that is used to post discounts.
Quantity discount	Select the general ledger account that is used to post quantity discounts.
Mix and match number	Select the general ledger account that is used to post mix and match discounts.
Post infocode discount	This feature is not implemented in this release and might be removed from future releases.
Gift card product	Select the product that represents the gift cards that you sell. For more information, see Set up gift cards.
Gift card company	The company that holds the liability for gift card sales. If it is different from the current company, additional intercompany posting journals are generated for gift card sales and payments. This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Journal	The name of the journal to use during statement posting to create intercompany journal entries. This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Void journal name	The name of the journal to use when creating a journal entry to void gift cards. This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Serial number templates	Enter the parameters to use when generating electronic gift cards. Enter the following information: ·         Start date – The date that gift cards that are assigned to this sequence become valid. ·         End date – The last date that gift cards that are assigned to this sequence are valid. Leave this field blank if the gift cards do not expire. ·         Gift card number – Enter the number sequence to use when generating electronic gift cards. For example, GC#######. The gift card number is generated when the gift card is invoiced. Note This field applies only to electronic gift cards that are issued from the online store or the call center. This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Receipt option	Select how receipts are delivered in Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS. You can send receipts by email, print them, or both.
Subject	Type a subject line for email receipts.
File name	Type a name for the receipt attachment.
Detail level	Select the level of detail for inventory updates: Summary or Details.
Post journals when invoicing purchase	Select this check box to post all journals that are related to replenishment or cross-docking when a purchase order or a packing slip is posted.
Automatic settlement	Select this check box to automatically settle open invoices when a payment or credit note is updated. If the check box is cleared, you must settle accounts manually, either when you enter payments or later, by using open transaction editing.
Safe drop	Select this check box to aggregate safe drops.
Bank drop	Select this check box to aggregate bank drops.
Voucher transactions	Select this check box to aggregate voucher transactions.
Purchase order	Select the default warehouse that is used when purchase orders are created.
Inventory	Select the default warehouse that is used for inventory journals or orders when retail products are created.
Sales order	Select the default warehouse that is used for sales orders when retail products are created.
Always create trade agreements for variants	Select this check box to create trade agreements by default when product variants are created.
Default order type	Select the type of order that is created by default.
Default deposit percentage	Type the default minimum deposit as a percentage of the order's total.
Pickup mode of delivery	Select the default delivery method.
Disposition code	The disposition code for returned items.
Days quotation expires	Type the default number of days until the quotation expires.
Cancellation charge percentage	Type the default cancellation charge as a percentage of the order's total.
Shipping charge code	Select the default shipping charge.
Cancellation charge code	Select the default cancellation charge.
Terms of payment	Select the terms of payment for customer orders in Retail POS. For example, you must select a credit card terms of payment to be able to record credit card information at the time of sale and then charge the card later when you ship the merchandise. Note This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 or AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Method of payment	Select a method of payment if you want customer orders to be posted to a different account than the one that is specified in the Credit cardsection of the Accounts receivable parameters form. Note This control is available only if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 or AX 2012 R3 is installed.
Cross docking	Select when assortments are respected during cross-docking: ·         Never ·         Always ·         Manual
Buyer's push	Select when assortments are respected during inventory allocation: ·         Never ·         Always ·         Manual
Coverage days	Type the number of coverage days.
Reference	The name of the number sequence.
Number sequence code	The ID number of the number sequence.
Reuse numbers	Select this check box to reuse numbers in the sequence that are no longer used.
Use same number as	The name of another number sequence that uses the same numbers.
Minimum password length	Enter the minimum number of characters in a password.
Require uppercase	Select this check box to require that passwords contain at least one uppercase letter.
Require special character	Select this check box to require that passwords contain at least one special character.
Require numeric character	Select this check box to require that passwords contain at least one numeric character.

Retail Scheduler Parameters

If you are using AX 2012 R3, use the following procedure to set up parameters for Retail scheduler.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Parameters > Retail scheduler parameters.
2. On the General FastTab, enter the following information:
• Server name –The name of the computer that hosts the message database for Async Server.
• Database server instance – The name of the SQL Server instance that hosts the message database for Async Server.

Note

If you’re using the default instance in Microsoft SQL Server Express, you must leave this field blank. If you’re using a subsequent instance in SQL Server Express, enter the instance name.

• Database name—The name of the message database for Async Server.
• Try count – The number of times that a failed stage of the data transfer will be retried. If you enter zero, the number of retries is unlimited.

The SQL Change tracking field indicates whether SQL Server change tracking is enabled on the Microsoft Dynamics AX database. Change tracking must be enabled to use data distribution features in Retail. Contact the database administrator if change tracking is not enabled.

3. On the Monitoring FastTab, enter the number of days that upload session history, download session history, and data packages in the working folders will be retained.

For more information about upload sessions and download sessions, see View or cancel retail data distribution sessions. For more information about working folders, seeSpecify working folders for Commerce Data Exchange.

4. Click Sync metadata to synchronize configuration data for Commerce Data Exchange with the message database at headquarters.

This process happens automatically every time a job is run. However, if you make configuration changes to Async Server that must take effect immediately, you can run the process manually by clicking this button.

5. Click Close to close the form.

Enter parameters for Retail scheduler  

If you are using AX 2012 R2 or AX 2012 Feature Pack, use the following procedure to set up parameters for Retail scheduler

1. Click Retail > Setup > Parameters > Retail scheduler parameters.
2. On the General tab, select System in use to turn on the distribution system. If you clear this option, preactions are not generated.
3. In the Number of documents in batch task field, enter the largest number of documents that can be processed in a single batch job.
4. On the Data deletion tab, enter a number of days in the following fields:
• Days actions exist – Enter the number of days until an action is automatically deleted. Enter 0 (zero) to prevent automatic deletion. To delete actions immediately, enter -1.

Deleting actions regularly can help improve performance. However, after actions are deleted, you cannot rerun a failed A job. Make sure that you monitor and correct jobs within the number of days that you select.

• Days scheduler logs exist – Enter the number of days until a log file for Retail Scheduler is automatically deleted. Enter 0 (zero) to prevent automatic deletion. To delete log files immediately, enter -1.
• Days messages exist – Enter the number of days until a message for Commerce Data Exchange: Synch Service is automatically deleted. Enter 0 (zero) to prevent automatic deletion. To delete messages immediately, enter -1.

You can also delete messages manually by running the Delete messages batch job. (Click Retail > Periodic > Data distribution > Delete messages.) The batch job deletes only the messages that have been uploaded to Microsoft Dynamics AX. (Click Retail > Inquiries > Commerce Data Exchange > Async Server (previous version) status messages.). The batch job does not delete messages from the message databases for Synch Service.

5. Click Close to close the form.