INTEGRATE

Microsoft Dynamics AX

Consuming external web services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

White Paper

Date: April, 2009 www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................ 3 Connecting Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to the web service....................... 3
Creating a new service reference in AOT .................................................................................. 3 Create a new class in AOT ...................................................................................................... 4

Using the web service in the application ..................................................... 5

How to add a new button to the currency form. ........................................................................ 5 Using the newly created currency button to get the currency conversion rate for the selected currency .............................................................................................................................. 7

Additional information ................................................................................ 8

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Introduction
With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, external web services usage has been made easier for developers. By using external web services, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 can be made open to a broader range of applications as well as leveraging existing functionality that is provided by hundreds of suppliers and vendors. Some of the web services may be used free of charge, whereas other web services have different licensing models. This white paper shows the usage of a free web service that enables the automation of getting currency exchange rates. The web service is free of charge and hosted by a German vendor.

Connecting Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to the web service

Creating a new service reference in AOT
The first step when integrating external web services is to add a new service reference in the Application Object Tree (AOT). 1. Logon as a user that has access to the development environment. Make sure you have a connection to the internet and then do as follows. 2. Open the AOT and navigate to the References node. 3. Right click on References node and select Add service reference.

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4. In the window that opens, specify the URL location of the web service. 5. In the Add service reference window, enter the following values: WSDL URL: http://www.currencyserver.de/webservice .NET code namespace: daeNetCurrencyService Reference name: daeNetCurrencyService

For more information about adding a service reference in AOT, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc636424.aspx

Create a new class in AOT

1. Open the AOT and navigate to the Classes node. 2. Right click on Classes and select New class. The editor window will open. 3. Name the class: daenetCurrencyConverterTest. 4. Create a new method called getRate in the class and enter the following code:
public static server Exchrate getRate( { daeNetCurrencyService.CurrencyServerWebServiceSoapClient soapClient; ExchRate ; try { new InteropPermission(InteropKind::ClrInterop).assert(); // Create the search request. soapClient = new daeNetCurrencyService.CurrencyServerWebServiceSoapClient("CurrencyServerWebServiceSoap"); // If the currency is triangulated, the from and to currencies must be switched if (_EUROTriangulation) conversionrate = soapClient.getCurrencyValue("4",_toCurrency,_fromCurrency); else 4 CONSUMING EXTERNAL WEB SERVICES IN DYNAMICS AX 2009 conversionrate; str _fromCurrency, str _toCurrency, EUROTriangulation _EUROTriangulation = NoYes::No)

conversionrate = soapClient.getCurrencyValue("4",_fromCurrency,_toCurrency); CodeAccessPermission::revertAssert(); // return the found currency conversion rate return conversionrate; } catch(Exception::CLRError) { throw error(AifUtil::getClrErrorMessage()); } }

5. Create a new method in the class called main and enter the following code:
public static void main(Args _args) { Exchrate searchResults; int i; ; // Replace the currencies with the currencies you want to search for searchResults = daenetCurrencyConverterTest::getRate("USD","EUR",NoYes::Yes); // Display the search results. info(strfmt("%1",searchResults * LedgerParameters::find().ExpressExchRate)); }

Using the web service in the application

The newly created class and service reference can now be used in the application. However, a new button must be created in the currency form. This button will use the new class to get the currency conversion rate for a selected currency. How to add a new button to the currency form. 1. Open the AOT and navigate to the Forms node, locate the form named Currency and expand the following node: Designs/Design/[Group:GroupCurrency]/[ButtonGroup:Upper] 2. Right click on [ButtonGroup:Upper],select New control/MenuButton, and open the properties window for the new button.

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3. Name the new button GetExchrateWebService. 4. Change the text property to Get current exchange rate. 5. Right-click on the methods node of the newly created button, and select Override method/clicked. 6. Modify the clicked method as follows:
void clicked() { ExchRate ExchRates EUROTriangulation ; super(); // only if the selected currency is not equal company currency if (Currency.CurrencyCode != CompanyInfo::find().CurrencyCode) { // Cannot use a find method from ExchRates, as they never search on the exact date select forupdate localExchRates where localExchRates.CurrencyCode == currency.CurrencyCode && localExchRates.FromDate == systemdateget(); // Check if the company uses a triangulation currency. If yes, exchange rates should be inserted using triangulation flag euroTriangulation = (CompanyInfo::find().EuroCurrencyCode!="" ? NoYes::Yes : NoYes::No); // Check for update/insert if (localExchRates.RecId) { if (Box::yesNo(strfmt("Exchange rate for %1 already exists. Overwrite?",systemdateget()),DialogButton::Yes) == DialogButton::Yes) 6 CONSUMING EXTERNAL WEB SERVICES IN DYNAMICS AX 2009 exchRate; localExchRates; euroTriangulation;

{ ttsbegin; // Get the current Exchange rate via web service exchRate = daenetCurrencyConverterTest::getRate(Currency.CurrencyCode, CompanyInfo::find().CurrencyCode,euroTriangulation); localExchRates.ExchRate = exchrate * LedgerParameters::find().ExpressExchRate; localExchRates.Triangulation = euroTriangulation; localExchrates.update(); ExchRates_ds.research(); ttscommit; } } else { // Get the current Exchange rate via web service exchRate = daenetCurrencyConverterTest::getRate(Currency.CurrencyCode, CompanyInfo::find().CurrencyCode,euroTriangulation); localExchRates.initValue(); localExchRates.CurrencyCode = Currency.CurrencyCode; localExchRates.FromDate = systemdateget(); localExchRates.ExchRate = exchrate * LedgerParameters::find().ExpressExchRate; localExchRates.Triangulation = euroTriangulation; localExchrates.insert(); ExchRates_ds.research(); } } }

7. Close the editor window, save and compile the changed form.

Using the newly created currency button to get the currency conversion rate for the selected currency
1. Open the modified currency form. It now displays the new button Get current exchange rate

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2. Click on the Get current exchange rate button. If there is already an exchange rate defined for the selected currency and system date, you will be prompted if you want to overwrite the existing exchange rate. The currency conversion rate that is fetched by the web service will be inserted with the current system date.

Additional information
For more information about consuming web services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, see MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc654149.aspx The following internet sites provide a search interface for web services and are examples of search providers that will enable you to search for web services: http://seekda.com/browse (University of Innsbruck Spin-Off) http://demo.service-finder.eu/search (Consortium including seekda site from above and University of Sheffield)
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