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Connector

Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Connector

Read and update your Finance and Operations data without writing code. The same system family goes back through Dynamics AX 2012, 2009 and 4.0, and Rapidi still connects to all of them.

Rapidi connects to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations through its OData connection, which reads records and inserts and updates them. Dynamics 365 Finance in the cloud, hosted by Microsoft or on your own servers uses it. Older Dynamics AX 4.0, 2009 and 2012 installations connect at database level or through AX web services.

What it connects to
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (AX 2018), and the older Dynamics AX versions before it.
Which way the data moves
Both ways. Rapidi reads records, and over OData it inserts new ones and updates existing ones.
What you need
An Azure admin to register an app for Rapidi, and a Finance and Operations admin to allow that app in.

What does this connector actually do?

The short version: Finance and Operations publishes its data entities over OData, and Rapidi reads and writes them over that channel, one company at a time. Nothing is installed inside Finance and Operations itself.

The Finance and Operations connector at a glance.
Records it movesThe data entities Finance and Operations publishes over OData. The setup guide uses the Customers entity as its first example.
DirectionBoth ways. Reading is supported, and so is writing, which over OData covers inserting and updating records.
CompaniesOne connection per company. Rapidi adds the company filter to every request itself, so nobody has to set the dataAreaId by hand.
How often it runsOn a schedule you set. The shortest interval depends on your plan, from one hour on Entry down to one minute on Unlimited.
Versions supportedMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (AX 2018) over OData. Dynamics AX 2012, 2009 and 4.0 through the older AX connections below.
Where it can runMicrosoft-hosted Dynamics 365 online deployments, Azure-based installations, and installations on your own servers.
How it signs inOAuth2 through Azure Active Directory, using the application ID and client secret of an app you register for Rapidi, plus your tenant ID.
What you set up onceRegister the app in Azure with the AX.FullAccess and Odata.FullAccess permissions, grant admin consent, add the app in Finance and Operations under Azure Active Directory Applications, then paste the environment URL into MyRapidi.

How does Rapidi reach your Finance and Operations or AX?

Which connection you use depends on the version you run. Current Finance and Operations goes through OData. Older AX installations have two routes of their own.

One system family, three connections.
What you are comparingOData connectionAX database connectionAX web services connection
VersionsDynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (AX 2018)Dynamics AX 2012 R1, R2 and R3, AX 2009, AX 4.0Dynamics AX 2009, AX 2012 R1, R2 and R3, and custom objects in Finance and Operations
How Rapidi reaches itStraight to the OData endpoint, or through RapidiConnectorThrough RapidiConnector, reading the SQL Server or Oracle databaseThrough the AIF web services AX exposes
Installed on your sideNothing for Microsoft-hosted online. RapidiConnector for your own servers or an Azure instance you controlRapidiConnector, plus the SQL Server or Oracle client on the same machineRapidiConnector, with AIF Web Services installed and available in AX
Direction of the dataRead, insert and updateRead and write, in the correct AX formatThe service operations you enable, such as create and delete
How it signs inOAuth2 through Azure Active DirectoryDatabase user, or the Windows account RapidiConnector runs underNTLM, over SSL on port 443

A new OData connection arrives with a RapidiConnector already attached. If your Finance and Operations is hosted by Microsoft and you want Rapidi to reach it directly, that connector is removed from the connection in one click. Where RapidiConnector is used, it opens a connection out to the Rapidi service and keeps it open, so nothing on your network has to accept connections in.

Running something older still? Rapidi also connects to XAL, the system that came before Axapta, on SQL Server or its native database. Ask us about it.

In their own words

Has anyone done this before?

“After implementing Rapidi’s solution for our ERP and CRM data synchronization, we especially enjoyed the short turnaround time of the project and a single, economical tool for multiple endpoints.”

Mohammed Tabrez Ansari, Head of IT, Dutco Tennant

Dutco Tennant runs Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations as its ERP and Salesforce as its CRM, with more than 100 orders a day between them. Customer, vendor and product data go from Finance and Operations to Salesforce, sales orders come back, and the whole exchange runs every 30 minutes. Integration tasks that took four to five days with custom APIs now finish in half a day.

Frequently asked questions

Can Rapidi connect to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?

Yes. Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations are reached through the OData connection, and the transfers are configured on screen rather than written as code.

Can Rapidi write back into Finance and Operations, or only read?

Both. Over the OData connection Rapidi reads records, inserts new ones and updates existing ones.

We still run Dynamics AX 2012. Is that covered?

Yes. The AX database connection covers Dynamics AX 2012 R1, R2 and R3, AX 2009 and AX 4.0 on SQL Server or Oracle. AX 2009 and 2012 can also be reached through AX web services.

Does anything get installed inside Finance and Operations?

No. You register an app for Rapidi in Azure and allow it in Finance and Operations. For a Microsoft-hosted online deployment nothing else is needed. For your own servers, or an Azure instance you control, a small piece of software called RapidiConnector runs on a machine that can see the system and calls out to Rapidi.

How do we sign the connection in?

With OAuth2 through Azure Active Directory. The user ID is the application ID of the app you register, the password is its client secret, and the domain is your tenant ID. The app needs the AX.FullAccess and Odata.FullAccess permissions with admin consent.

We have several legal entities. How does that work?

You create one connection for each company you want to read from or write to. Rapidi applies the company to every request itself, so the dataAreaId never has to be set by hand.

How often does the data move?

On a schedule you set. The shortest interval comes from your plan, from one hour on Entry down to one minute on Unlimited.

What does the Finance and Operations connector cost?

It is not priced on its own. Rapidi is priced per subscription plan rather than per connector.

Is your Finance and Operations or AX on the list?

Tell us the version and where it runs, and we will tell you plainly which connection covers it and what the setup involves.

Find out if this fits your setup

Tell us which systems you run and we will tell you plainly whether Rapidi is the right tool.

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How the integration is built, what the RapidiConnector secures, the pre-configured templates, and the eight transfers most customers start with.