Microsoft today released Dynamics AX 2009, a major update that adds Role Centers, increased business intelligence, and myriad other new features to what many consider to be the best of Microsoft's four products in the ERP space.

AX 2009, also known to some as Axapta 5.0, represents the latest edition of enterprise resource planning software originally acquired by Microsoft through its Axapta acquisition.

"Dynamics AX is Microsoft's enterprise play for the future," according to a recent report from the Forrester Research analyst firm. "Microsoft is off to a good start."

The new Role Centers in AX 2009 use a dashboard interface to provide information from internal and external sources that is specifically tailored to the needs of particular types of employees within an organization. End users can drill down into the data by clicking on items in the dashboard.

The enhanced business intelligence (BI) functionality in AX 2009 ranges from predefined KPI (key performance indicator) cubes to the ability to generate analytical and ad hoc reports using Microsoft's SQL Server Analysis Server.

Later in June, Microsoft will hold classes for ISVs around SQL Server integration and other aspects of AX 2009 development, said Sanjay Jain, a Microsoft evangelist. Dates and places for the classes are listed in Jain's blog.

AX 2009 also includes new multi-site functionality, embedded workflows, and support for Microsoft's Unified Communications platform.

"Multi-site companies should consider Dynamics AX. AX remains the only Dynamics product that has sufficient network scalability to be deployed in companies operating across multiple locations via a single instance," according to Forrester's report. "Though not ready for [very] large enterprises, AX can be a cost-effective alternative to big-ticket ERP systems in companies up to $1 billion, and has extensive international language and localizations."

AX 2009 also represents the start of Microsoft's new strategy of ERP software "harmonization," adopted after the failure of Microsoft's Project Green, an initiative to move components from its various enterprise resource management products to a single Web services-based environment.

Instead, Microsoft now plans to "harmonize" its broader enterprise offerings (which include CRM) through increased adoption of SQL Server and the .NET Framework across AX and its other enterprise resource product line-ups: Dynamics CRM, GP, NAV, and SL.

[EP'S NOTE: After we verified the name of the product in this piece as "Dynamics AX 9000" with Microsoft Monday, another Microsoft spokesperson contacted us on Tuesday to correct that verification; the product will be referred to as "Dynamics AX 2009." The product was widely reported yesterday as not only having either name, but also other permutations whose origins we haven't been able to track down. Today's spokesperson also pointed out that Dynamics AX 2009 is not a customer relationship management (CRM) program, and is not to be confused with Dynamics CRM, which is. This is contrary to earlier characterizations of Dynamics AX 2009, Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics SL, and Dynamics CRM as falling under a broader CRM category. We hope everyone has it straight now.]