Synchronizing Project Details To SharePoint Collaboration Workspaces Within Dynamics AX

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© 2014 Murray Fife, All Rights Reserved www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com

MURRAY FIFE

DYNAMICS AX 2012 TIPS & TRICKS

SYNCHRONIZING PROJECT DETAILS TO SHAREPOINT COLLABORATION WORKSPACES


SYNCHRONIZING PROJECT DETAILS TO SHAREPOINT

COLLABORATION WORKSPACES

BY MURRAY FIFE


What You Need For This Guide

All the examples shown in this blueprint were done with the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 virtual machine image that was downloaded from the Microsoft CustomerSource or PartnerSource site. If you don't have your own installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, you can also use the images found on the Microsoft Learning Download Center or deployed through Lifecycle Services. The following list of software from the virtual image was leveraged within this guide:

• Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3

Even though all the preceding software was used during the development and testing of the recipes in this book, they may also work on earlier versions of the software with minor tweaks and adjustments, and should also work on later versions without any changes.

Errata

Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in the text or the code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by emailing [email protected].

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Questions

You can contact us at [email protected] if you are having a problem with any aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.

Preface

mailto:[email protected]



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Synchronizing Project Details To

SharePoint Collaboration

Workspaces

The Project Accounting module within Dynamics AX is great. It includes features like collaboration workspaces that you can share project documents both internally and externally, and also includes integration with Microsoft Project to make it easier to you to plan out projects through a planning tool that everyone is used to using. You probably think that it couldn’t get better then this, but oh yes it can, because you can configure your Collaboration Workspaces so that they will synchronize with your Microsoft Project Plans giving you a way to have an online view of you projects.

Now everyone will be able to track the projects and always be kept in the look with those important tasks.

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TIP & TRICKS FOR DYNAMICS AX 2012


To do this we need to make sure that Dynamics AX is configured correctly. The first thing that we need to check is to make sure that the Collaboration Workspaces are configured to track projects. To do this, click on the Collaboration Workspace Settingsmenu item within the Enterprise Portal folder of the Setup group within the System Administration area page.

Synchronizing Project Details To SharePoint Collaboration Workspaces

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When the Collaboration Workspace Settings maintenance form is opened, check the Template that is configured for the Collaboration Workspaces, and make sure that it is a Team or Project site. This will ensure that you have the task component enabled within the site.


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Also, if you are going to be using this for every project, then you may also want to set the workspace to either be Created Automatically or at the very least Prompt To Create A Workspace by checking the appropriate flag.


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Now click on the Project Management And Accounting Parameters menu item within the Setup group of the Project Management And Accounting area page.


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When the Project Management And Accounting Parameters form is displayed, make sure that the Save Microsoft Project Files To field is set to Collaboration Workspaceso that all of the project information is all stored in one spot.


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Now open up your Project.


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If you haven’t created a Collaboration Workspace yet, click on the Collaboration Workspaces button within the Setup group of the Project ribbon bar and click on the Create Collaboration Workspace menu item.


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When the Create Collaboration Workspace dialog box is displayed, click on the OKbutton.


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Now expand out the Collaboration Workspace fast tab and you should see that the UTL fields have links to the collaboration workspaces. To view them, just click on the web browser icon to the right of the URL’s.


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This will take you over to the Collaboration Workspace.

Part one is now done.


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Now return to your Project and click on the Open in Microsoft Project menu item within the Activities group of the Plan ribbon bar.


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This will open up your Project within Microsoft Project.

Part two is now done.


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Now you want to synchronize the two by clicking on the Files menu item and then selecting the Save As menu item. Then select the Sync with SharePoint option.

Within the Sync with SharePoint Tasks List make the Sync With option an Existing SharePoint Site.


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Then paste in the URL for the Collaboration Workspace into the Site Address field.

Note: If this is the first time that you have done this you may need to click on the Verify Site button to get Project to check that there is actually a Task component there for it to use.

Now click on the Save button.


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Now Project will take all of the data from the project and Synchronize it with SharePoint.


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When you open up the Collaboration Workspace again you will see that the project tasks have all been copied over to there.


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If you are using SharePoint 2013 then it looks even cooler,


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If you update the Project data within Microsoft Project…


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And then save the project…


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The tasks within the Collaboration Workspace will also be updated.

What a great way to keep you customers up to date when you are collaborating with them.


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The Tips & Tricks series is a compilation of all the cool things that I have found that you can do within Dynamics AX, and are also the basis for my Tips & Tricks presentations that I have been giving for the AXUG, and online. Unfortunately book page size restrictions mean that I can only fit 50 tips & tricks per book, but I will create new volumes every time I reach the 50 Tip mark. If you want to view all of the compilations then here are the links.

50 Tips & Tricks For Dynamics AX 2012http://www.amazon.com/dp/1495487776/

Another 50 Tips & Tricks for Dynamics AXhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1497383412/

Want More Tips & Tricks

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1495487776/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1497383412/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J7AG5CG/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J7AG5CG/

http://www.amazon.com/Configuring-Production-Dynamics-Barebones-Configuration/dp/149920633X/

http://www.amazon.com/Configuring-Production-Dynamics-Barebones-Configuration/dp/149920633X/

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Murray Fife is a Microsoft Dynamics AX MVP, and Author with over 20 years of experience in the software industry.

Like most people in this industry he has paid his dues as a developer, an implementation consultant, a trainer, and now spend most of his days working with companies solving their problems with the Microsoft suite of products, specializing in the Dynamics® AX solutions.

EMAIL [email protected]

TWITTER @murrayfife

SKYPE murrayfife

AMAZON www.amazon.com/author/murrayfife

WEB www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com

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Synchronizing Project Details To SharePoint Collaboration Workspaces Within Dynamics AX

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