Build Interactive Dashboards from Dynamics AX Data in Amazon QuickSight

Amazon QuickSight allows users to build interactive dashboards in the cloud. When paired with CData Connect Server, you get direct access to Dynamics AX data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Dynamics AX in Connect Server and build dashboards in Amazon QuickSight with access to Dynamics AX data.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Dynamics AX, allowing you to easily build reports from live Dynamics AX data in Quicksight — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you build visualizations, Quicksight generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Server pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Dynamics AX, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Dynamics AX data.

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Dynamics AX Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Dynamics AX" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics AX.

   To connect to DynamicsAX, specify User, Domain, and ObjectServer. You can also surface tables for a specific Company; when this property is blank, the default company is used.

   Alternatively, you can use the .NET Business Connector to connect on behalf of DynamicsAX users. You can obtain the ProxyUser and ProxyDomain properties on the System service accounts form: Click System Administration -> Setup -> System -> System Service Accounts. Additionally, set ProxyPassword.

   By default, only transaction data and base information from the TRANSACTION and MAIN table groups is returned. You can specify which groups to return with TableGroups.

   Set Language to use the same language you use in your DynamicsAX labels.

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to connect to Dynamics AX data from Quicksight.

Import Dynamics AX Data into SPICE and Create Interactive Dashboards

The steps below outline creating a new data set based on the virtual Dynamics AX database in Connect Server, importing the dataset into SPICE, and building a simple visualization from the data.

1. Log into Amazon QuickSight and on the left panel click "Datasets"
2. Click "New dataset," select SQL Server as the data source, configure the connection to your Connect Server instance, and click "Create data source"
3. Select a table to visualize (or submit a custom SQL query for your data) and click Select.
4. Select "Import to SPICE for quicker analytics" and click "Visualize."
5. Select fields to visualize as well as a visual type.

Schedule Refreshes for SPICE Data Sets

QuickSight users can schedule refreshes for data sets that are imported into SPICE, ensuring that data being analyzed is only as old as the most recent refresh.

1. Navigate to the QuickSight home page.
2. Click "Manage data."
3. Select the data set you wish to refresh.
4. Click "Schedule refresh."
5. Click Create, configure the refresh settings (time zone, repeat frequency, and starting datetime), and click Create.

SQL Access to Dynamics AX Data from Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to Dynamics AX data from your Amazon QuickSight dashboard. You can create new visualizations, build interactive dashboards, and more. For more information on gaining SQL access to data from more than 250 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources from applications like Amazon QuickSight, refer to our Connect Server page.