1. Constraint-Based Configuration, a New Paradigm Product Configuration

2. Product Configuration Value Proposition  Customer-focused  Visualized multi-level product models  Easy to get started  Reusable components  Constraint-based  Support for multisite and inter-company scenarios  Dedicated Application Programming Interface

3. Customer-Focused  Configure-to-order scenario  Mass-customization philosophy  Tender for unique customer requirements  Manufacture-to-order rather than to-stock  Analyze products to identify product families and generic components  Reduce capital tied to inventory by carrying semi-finished components rather than finished products 3

4. Visualized Multi-Level Product Models 4

5. Easy to Get Started  The visual product configuration model structure makes it easy to keep the overview  Declarative constraints can be written by a product designer without help from a developer  The model including constraints isn’t compiled, thus it doesn’t require a developer license to either build a product configuration model or configure a product variant for a customer. 5

6. Reusable Components  Components are defined once and can be used in many models  A component’s constituents are maintained in the context of the product configuration models that it is included in  Attributes describe the properties of a component and the variability offered to the customers  Constraints limit customer options and provide dependencies  Subcomponents identify the lower component levels 6

7. Constraint-Based Configuration  Shift from rule-based to constraint-based product configuration modeling technology  Write declarative expression constraints using the Optimization Modeling Language rather than imperative rules using X++  Declarative constraints will always be satisfied and don’t impose a flow on the configuration process  Lower TCO as fewer expressions are required to express the same logic  Microsoft Solver Foundation handles the product configuration model at run time

8. Dedicated Application Programming Interface  Provides an opportunity for partners or anybody with a developer license to extend a product configuration model  Is executed when a configuration session is completed  Is implemented through the PCAdaptor class hierarchy, which exposes the product configuration data model  The main purpose is to modify the configured BOM structure, the route, or write back to the order line 8

9. © 2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics, and the Microsoft Dynamics logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION. CCAX2012BV06 8