Dynamics AX 7 data model vs AX 2012

Hello Axapters,

Last week I spent some time analyzing the differences between AX 7 and AX 2012 R3 CU9 data model, specifically the list of SQL Server tables in both versions.

If you judge by the numbers only the changes are radical: about 740 out of 6250 AX 2012 tables have been deleted or renamed and about 600 tables have been added or renamed in AX 7, not including ~1640 new out of the box staging tables.

One part of the changes is quite reasonable – deleted PBA*, AIF*, Sys* tables were part of deprecated modules / technologies.

The rest of modification is harder to understand and you should pay more attention estimating upgrade, upgrading your code and migrating data. It’s hard to find renaming patterns looking at the tables list only. And SQL backup/restore won’t work for data migration, obviously.

There is a couple of simple spelling corrections that can still make you upgrade your code and data, like:

LogisticsAddresssCity to LogisticsAddressCity

Another example is PSA* tables that are partially renamed to Res* tables, with no visible pattern though.

Superficial analysis uncovers that AX 2012 tables with the following prefixes (not necessarily all, but many) have been deleted or renamed:

• AIF* 
• COS*
• Bank*
• BI*
• BudgetPlanning*
• CustPaymMan* 
• DMF*
• DOCOMMON* 
• Docu*
• EMS*
• HCM*
• Intrastat*
• InventProductGroup*
• Ledger*
• MDM*
• PBA* - all deleted
• Proj*
• PSA*
• Retail*
• SMM*
• SRS*
• SYN*
• Sys*
• Tax*
• Trv*
• WHS*
• XBLR*
• XREF*

As for the added objects, first off there are metadata tables migrated form 2012 modelstore BD (Model*, ModelElement, SQLDictionary, Security* etc.), also WHS* tables for TRAX/WAX, BUDGETPLAN*, AXKPI*, KPI* prefixes, COST (at the first glance does not look like renamed COS*), and other tables:

• DATAEXP*, DMF* – obviously DIXF tables
• DirPartyImage – looks like further normalization of the Directory
• DocumentRouting*
• ER* for electronic reporting
• ESS* - something to do with HR certification
• FORMRUN*
• INTEGRATIONACTIVITY*
• EVENT*
• BR, IN and RU localization tables, a lot
• FORECAST*
• JMG*
• LedgerJournal, LedgerJournalLine – what could it be? No data in demo BD
• LedgerPeriodClose*
• Proj*
• Retail*
• Sys*
• Tax*
• WHSMobile*

I’ve attached an Excel file with two sheets listing AX 2012 and AX 7 tables. Filter by "#N/A" value in "In AX 7" or "In AX 2012 R3 CU9" columns correspondingly to find out differences between the versions.

Classes comparison would also be interesting, that’s a topic for one of my future posts.