If you’ve been following the Microsoft Dynamics AX evolution, like many others, you might be confused about D365. First, the cloud-only offering, then the on-premise offering that was AX2012 R3 CU8 and now finally D365 On-Premise.

This also had the partners confused, which was evident by the relatively few deals that were singed and the low quality of these early implementations.

​Now that the dust has settled, we are finally begging to see good implementation results. Though many customers still ask me if D365 is a good product.

​Here is what tell them: D365 is a good product; however, customers are much more dependent on Microsoft for many of the functions that were available to local admins in AX2012. In some ways, even some of the Microsoft technicians have recognized this shortcoming.

Here are some specifics to consider:

• ​Access to AOT is no longer an option in Tier 1 environments. You have to create a Dev machine and access AOT that way.
• ​Data tables—Not all the tables and values are fully represented in the data migration utility.
• ​Custom code moves are much more complicated.
• ​Simple troubleshooting and fixes like locked records now require Microsoft’s help.

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But D365 does offer many improvements:

• D365 offers better out of the box workflow templates.
• ​Security setup and custom roles are easier to work with.
• ​You get much more enhanced functionality in several modules.
• ​Azure AD is better integrated and so is the LCS.

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Also, it’s worth mentioning that the tables in D365 have grown considerably, going from about 8,000 in AX2012 to more than 11,000 in D365.

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These are just a few of the observations I have noted about D365.