1. Product Configurator – A Customer Story

2. Product Configurator – A Customer Story
Rick Pace, CIO - Evans Manufacturing
Jens Seiger, AX Program Manager – Western Computer

3. Agenda Introduction Functional use of the Configurator
End to End Evans Configuration
How to build the Configuration Model
Considerations to make
Sharing our Experience
Approach
Lessons Learned
Tips and Tricks for you
Q&A
Understand the infrastructure of Product configurator
Understand the available functions within the product configurator
Get a real life insight on the challenges and successes of using the product configurator

4. Product Configuration Models
Product configuration models are created to represent a generic product structure.
The Product configuration feature set includes a user interface (UI) that provides a visual overview of the product configuration model structure, and also a declarative constraint syntax that doesn’t have to be compiled. Therefore, companies that want to support a configuration practice can get started more easily.

5. Product Configuration Models
Possibility to setup a generic product structure to build dynamic BOMS, Routes, and defining sales prices
Sales orders
Sales quotations
Purchase orders
Production orders
Intercompany controlled

6. Product Configuration Process

7. Functional use of the Configurator
4/12/2018 1:12 AM
Functional use of the Configurator
© 2016 Dynamic Communities. All rights reserved. DYNAMIC COMMUNITIES MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

8. Demo

9. EVANS MFG – Configure an order
Sales order using standard AX 2012
* Item Quantity 100

11. Sales order after configuration

15. How to build the Configuration Model
4/12/2018 1:12 AM
How to build the Configuration Model
© 2016 Dynamic Communities. All rights reserved. DYNAMIC COMMUNITIES MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

16. Product Configuration Setup
Item lookup control on sales orders and quotations
Document management for sales price break down
Default configuration ID and currency
Cache control for better performance

17. Product Modelling – A few Key Features
Reuse configurations
Deep table constraints
Map and use attributes on all levels
System defined table constrains – include standard D365 tables.
Attributes read-only
Hide subcomponents and user requirements
Expressions editor
Attribute based sales prices

18. Product Modelling Components – Root or sub component
Attributes and attribute types
Constraints – Expression or table
Calculations – Constraints and calculations
User requirements (Phantom BOM’s)
BOM lines with conditions
Route operations with conditions
Attribute based sales prices

19. Product Modelling - Components
Main building blocks of configuration models
One models can consists of one or more components
Will be setup once and can be reused in several models
Example:
Configure a service or warranty plan in a component that can be used in several models.

20. Product Modelling - Attributes and attribute types
Values that can be selected during configuration of product

21. Product Modelling - Constraints
Rule sets for specific product configuration model
Expression constraints
Using the Expression editor
Table constraints
User defined
System defined

22. Product Modelling - Expression Editor
Building the conditional expressions using OML language
Dynamic editor
Check on naming and syntax
us/library/ff524507(v=vs.93).aspx

23. Product Modelling - Calculations
Calculations add to constraints by enabling values to be calculated by using decimal numbers when a product is configured.

24. Product Modelling Subcomponents and User Requirements
Subcomponents represent the nodes in the models. When associated, this subcomponent must be bound to a product master and will create a sub BOM for the bound product master
User requirements act as subcomponent, except from the creation of sub BOM.
Included directly into the main configuration, hence phantom BOM

25. Product Modelling - BOM Lines
Included to dynamically create the production BOM.
Must be referenced to an item, or an attribute containing the value of an item
BOM line setup handled by direct value or mapped to an attribute

26. Product Modelling - Route operations
Included to dynamically create the production routings.
Constraint controlled and values based on attributes
Route operations setup handled by direct value or mapped to an attribute

27. Product Modelling - Attribute Based pricing
Can be applied in all companies and carry multiple currencies
Can be applied for specific order types and selection criteria
Sales order
Quotation – Customer
Quotation - Prospect
Conditions and expressions will follow specified currency, but can be defaulted from the default currency

28. Product Modelling - Attribute based pricing
Price break down structure
Generate Excel spreadsheet with price break down

29. Validate and release Validation User Interface
Templates and Translations
Exporting Models
Activation and Versioning

30. Real Life Lessons Evans manufacturing

31. Evans – What Process did we follow?
Create the 1st configuration
Identify any similar products
Export the configuration
Make changes to the exported file (Find/Replace)
Import the changes back into AX

32. Real Life Lessons - What did we learn?
Configurations most likely will be the pacing item for your project
Don’t rush the 1st Configuration
Define ‘families /groups’ of similar items
Include Accounting to validate your GL
Costing, Costing, Costing!

33. RECAP – What did we go through today
Walkthrough of complete product configuration setup, validation, testing, and activation
Real life use

34. Other Real Life Stories
Medical devices company – Global Implementation project
Sales hubs throughout the world creating configured sales orders and intercompany orders, releasing configurations and variants in manufacturing company.
Manufacturing company of wall art
Extended the functionality to be applied during item creation from external PLM solution, via integration, and automatically create BOM and Route as well

35. Q&A