Code upgrade checklist - Application object database (AOD) upgrade

Article
05/05/2014

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

This topic describes the process for upgrading code when you upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

For more information about the code upgrade process, see the Code Upgrade Overview white paper at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=215083.

Planning for a code upgrade

Each code upgrade is different. There are three key considerations for a code upgrade:

New features replace existing customizations.

In some cases, new features in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 replace your customizations. When you plan a code upgrade, you must identify these customizations. You do not upgrade these customizations, because they have been replaced by Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 features.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 refactoring affects your customizations.

In some cases, features have changed in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, and these changes affect your customizations. When you plan a code upgrade, you must identify which changes affect your customizations. There are two categories of changes: required changes and optional changes. For more information, see the table in the next section.
Upgrade stand-alone partner code.

In some cases, partners have added code, such as tables, classes, reports, and forms, that does not customize Microsoft code. In these cases, there are no direct dependencies on Microsoft. When you plan a code upgrade, you must make sure that the metadata and code run and compile on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Tasks for a code upgrade

When you plan your code upgrade, you must consider which changes in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 are required, and which are recommended.

The following table presents a high-level overview of the tasks for a code upgrade for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. A code upgrade project may not require all of these tasks. Partners must analyze which tasks affect their upgrade. Later sections of this topic provide details and resources for each task.

Key task for a code upgrade	Component	Importance
Number Sequences	Application Foundation	Required
Address Book Framework	Horizontal Applications	Required
Account and Financial Dimensions	Horizontal Applications	Required
Human Resource Framework	Horizontal Applications	Required
Item-Product Data Management Framework	Horizontal Applications	Required
Budget Control Framework	Horizontal Applications	Required
Table Modifications (Required)	Framework	Required
Code Changes (Required)	Framework	Required
Help Server	Framework	Required
Table Modifications (Recommended)	Framework	Recommended
Code Changes (Recommended)	Framework	Recommended
SSRS Reporting	Framework	Recommended
New UX Patterns	Framework	Recommended
EDT Relations	Framework	Recommended

Setup and configuration

This section describes the steps that you must complete during setup and configuration.

Before you begin

Warning

You must have a valid developer license installed on the system to view the Code upgrade checklist.

Warning

Before you start to upgrade your code to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, create and keep a backup of your Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 system.

Before you start to upgrade your code to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, be aware of the following guidelines:

If you customized any of the hybrid classes, remove the customizations before you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Otherwise, the customizations can destabilize Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 during the upgrade. The hybrid classes are \Classes\Session, \Classes\Application, \Classes\Company, \Classes\Info, \Classes\ClassFactory, and \Classes\VersionControl. To manually import these classes, first export them to an .xpo file on your Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 system. Then import the .xpo file into the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 system by clicking Import on the Application Object Tree (AOT) toolbar.
Tables that support inheritance in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 are not imported. To manually import a table, first export it to an .xpo file on your Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 system. Then import the .xpo file into the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 system. However, you may have to modify the design of the table.
You cannot import deprecated metadata into Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The following metadata is not imported:
- FKEY
- WEBREPORT
- WEBDISPLAYCONTENTITEM
- WEBOUTPUTCONTENTITEM
- WEBLETITEM
- WEBWEBPART
- HELPFILE
- WorkflowProcess
- WebForm
The IDs of application objects may be changed when code is upgraded. Do not attempt to change the IDs back to the values that they had in an earlier version of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Baseline database

When you have finished planning for a code upgrade, you configure a new installation for the code upgrade. The first step is to create a copy of the Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 code in a read-only "baseline" database during setup. This baseline database is used for reference during the code upgrade. The imported layers are the code that is upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Create a baseline database by using setup

If you plan to upgrade code from an earlier version of Microsoft Dynamics AX, create a baseline database during setup.

In the Setup Wizard, on the Select databases page, select Create new databases, and then click Next.
In the Server name box, select the server. Then enter the name of the database and the name of the baseline database. Click Next to continue.

Upgrade checklist

If you select the Register database for Upgrade option when you install Microsoft Dynamics AX, the Upgrade checklist appears when you open Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

The Upgrade checklist presents the steps that are required for a code upgrade. The checklist has two main sections, the Upgrade preparation checklist and the Code upgrade checklist.

Upgrade preparation checklist

The following table describes the steps in the Upgrade preparation checklist.

Task	Description
Provide license information	Provide the license file that your partner provided when you purchased the system.
Import Microsoft AOD files into the baseline model store	Import Microsoft application files, or .aod files, from the source system into the baseline model store.