Microsoft Dynamics AX
Application Upgrade Overview: How it Works  

When you upgrade an Microsoft Dynamics AX installation, you must create an upgrade project by activating Create upgrade project.

Using the files in the Standard and in the Standard\Old folders, Create upgrade project analyzes the installation, deletes duplicate objects, and creates a project with application objects that must be upgraded manually.

The files in the Standard\Old folder are not modified during the upgrade process.

When the application object changes have thus been identified, they must be evaluated and may be ported to the new version. To make this easier, the following tools are available:

• Code compare tool

• Code upgrade tool

As an alternative to the Create upgrade project tool, the Compare layers tool can be used. The Compare layers tool compares any two layers and creates a project with the objects that differ. As opposed to the Create upgrade project tool, it compares only two layers and not all existing layers. Additionally, duplicate objects are not per default deleted when creating an upgrade project. Consequently compare layers may also be useful as a general tool, such as to give an overview of modifications made in a certain layer.

The comparison reveals that a number of application objects have been deleted (see the Status column) since the previous version. If the list comprises objects that you have added X++ code to, you must manually port your modifications from the previous version to the current one.

Note

If you have modifications in more than one layer, upgrade one layer at a time. The lowest layer that you have access to should be upgraded first. For example, if you have a VAR layer and a USR layer, upgrade the VAR layer first and then the USR layer.

Creating an upgrade project:  Process Flow

The modification of Microsoft Dynamics AX consists of creating new application objects and modifying existing application objects. When an existing application object is modified, a copy of the original object is moved to the layer in which the modifications are saved. Conflicts appear when the underlying standard application is updated to another version or with a new service pack. Some application objects that have been copied to a layer may be changed in the update, but they will not come into effect because they are shadowed by your modification.

The first task is to detect the application objects that have been modified and also have been changed by the upgrade of the standard application. This process flow is portrayed in the following graphic.