Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 introduces a lot of new features that are related to the Application Integration Framework (AIF) and services in general. Many of the existing concepts have been radically changed. This chapter unveils these new features and enhancements made to the services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.
At the end of this chapter, you will have a clear picture of what services mean in the context of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This should enable you to identify where and when to use services in your solution and what type of service to use.
The following topics are covered in this chapter:
Introducing services and SOA: We will start by defining what services are and what SOA has to offer, and derive from that the scenarios in which they can be used.
Architecture overview: We will look at an overview of the services and AIF architecture and familiarize ourselves with the key components of the architecture.
New and enhanced features: We will discuss the new features and enhancements that have been made compared to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. This is also an opportunity to find out why some of these changes were made.
Types of services and comparison: There are several types of services available to choose from when implementing your solution. Therefore, it is important to be able to distinguish between these different types and choose the type that suits your needs best.