MODULE 3: POS EXTENSIBILITY TECHNICAL

OVERVIEW
Module Overview
This module discusses the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS extensibility and its
operations.

Objectives
The main objective of this module is to help you understand how to customize
and extend the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS. After you complete this course,
you will know how to customize and extend POS.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 For Retail in Brick and Mortar Stores Development and Customization

Extend Point of Sale

Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS is a fully customizable point of sale (POS)
component of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail. You can use Retail POS to
process sales, operate the cash drawer, and scan bar codes or print customer
receipts, among other business tasks.

Lesson Objectives
How to customize or extend Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS.

POS Extension
To customize business logic in Retail POS, you must install the Retail Software
Development Kit (SDK). The SDK is included with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. It
contains two folders:

POS Plug-ins Contains code that you use to extend and customize
Retail POS. For more information about how to install Retail POS
Plug-ins, refer to Install Retail SDK.

Commerce Runtime Contains services that you use to extend and

customize the online store for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail.
The details of this are not explained in this course.

Retail POS Plug-ins

This topic talks about the Retail POS Plug-ins and how to use the Plug-ins to
extend or customize the business logic, user interface UI and new operations in
POS.

Lesson Objectives
After you complete this lesson, you will know how to customize or extend the
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS.

About POS Plug-ins

Retail POS Plug-ins contains set of services and application triggers. Most of the
functionality in Retail POS is implemented by using services. For example, you use
the Customer service for tracking, adding or deleting customers from the Retail
POS register.

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Module 3: POS Extensibility Technical Overview

These services are a collection of the .NET Framework assemblies that implement
public interfaces. Refer to the POS Extensibility Interface Definition course
document for more information.
Retail POS loads the services at run time and invokes their functionality through
these interfaces. Because Retail POS Plug-ins is included with the C# source code
for these assemblies, you can customize or replace services and triggers to extend
features in Retail POS, such as calculating taxes.
By default, Retail POS Plug-ins is installed in the following directory:
1.

C:\Users\...\Documents\Retail SDK\POS Plug-ins\

The folder contains two Visual Studio solutionsone for services and the other for
triggers. Triggers are used to insert custom code before or after Retail POS
operations, such as issuing a gift certificate, a customer add, a clear, or a payment,
and more. For example: Before you issue a gift card, if you want to do a validation
such as whether the customer is eligible to issue a gift card, you can perform the
validation here.
The Microsoft.Dynamics.Retail.Pos.Contracts.dll assembly exposes all the public
interfaces to be used for implementing extensions and customizations to the
following Retail POS functionality:

Operations

Services

Triggers

Commerce Data Exchange: Real-time Service

FIGURE 3.1: POS PLUG-INS

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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 For Retail in Brick and Mortar Stores Development and Customization
Operations
An operation is an activity that occurs in Retail POS. Operations can be a single
step or a multi-step. Refer to the POS Framework course document for more
information.

Services
Services include one or more operations and implement a single, unique interface.
You can make partial modifications to an existing service and continue to use the
remaining functionality. Or, you can replace the complete service assembly with
your own custom code. For more information about how to implement services,
refer to How to modify a Form at http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/jj937978.aspx

Interface for Services

Features in the Retail POS are services that interact with the program through
interfaces. Services include one or more operations and implement a single,
unique interface. Each service implement an interface. The developer can make
partial or full modifications to the services project. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
ships with a collection of core services that can be customized or replaced using
Retail POS Plug-ins. For descriptions of all the services interfaces that are available
in Retail POS, please refer Interfaces for Services"

Triggers
Triggers are events raised by Retail POS that enable you to insert custom code
before or after operations. There are two types of triggers:

Pre-triggers

Post-triggers

Please refer the POS Framework course document for more information.

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Module 3: POS Extensibility Technical Overview

Interface for Triggers
Triggers are events that are raised by Retail POS that you can use to insert custom
code before or after operations. Similar to services, triggers also implement
unique interfaces. The developer can use triggers to perform pre-validations and
post validations. Each trigger interface has set of methods that can be extended
by the developers for customization. Pre-triggers provide an additional layer of
verification and can return false if the operation should be canceled. Post-triggers
let you respond to an operation after it is finished. Triggers can be extended in the
same manner as services. For descriptions of all the triggers interfaces that are
available in Retail POS, refer to Interfaces for triggers.

Commerce Data Exchange: Real-time Service Calls

Retail POS can make real-time calls to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 using the
Commerce Data Exchange: Real-time Service. This service provides real-time,
synchronous communication between Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and individual
Retail POS terminals.

Lesson Objectives
This lesson helps you understand the real time service functionality of Microsoft
Dynamics AX 2012 POS.

Real-time Service Calls

Retail POS uses real-time service calls to start Retail POS functionality, such as
Issue Gift Card or Create Customer. You can create custom, real-time service
functionality in Retail Headquarters and call it from Retail POS.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 For Retail in Brick and Mortar Stores Development and Customization

Module Review
Module Review and Takeaways

Understand how to extend Retail POS

Retail POS Plug-ins Operations

Services, Triggers and Real-time services

Use Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate or a more recent version to

customize Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS.

To customize the Real-time service use in HQ, use the Morphx

development suite.

Tools

Test Your Knowledge

Test your knowledge with the following questions.

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1.

What is Retail POS Plug-ins?

2.

When do you use POS Plug-ins?

3.

What are the two main components of Retail POS Plug-ins?

4.

When should Real-time services be used?

5.

What is the difference between services and triggers?

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Module 3: POS Extensibility Technical Overview

Test Your Knowledge Solutions

MODEL ANSWER:
1.

Retail POS Plug-ins contain sets of services and application triggers to

extend POS

2.

To extend or customize POS

3.

Services and Triggers

4.

Any real-time, synchronous communication between Microsoft

Dynamics AX 2012 and individual Retail POS terminals like Gift card,
loyalty

5.

Services contains the core business logic whereas triggers are events
raised by Retail POS that enable you to insert custom code before or
after operations.

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