Role Center, KPIs and Cues in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Posted on: August 25, 2016 | By: Jarrod Kraemer | Microsoft Dynamics AX/365

Authored by: Craig Leska – Senior Technical Consultant

The whole purpose of an ERP system is to get information out. You and your coworkers work all day entering sales orders, purchase orders and posting journals. Wouldn’t it be nice if you can display all that information in a Dashboard?

If you have deployed SharePoint in your AX infrastructure then you are in luck, if you have not deployed SharePoint, look at what you are missing.

The Dashboard, also known as the Home Page displays a wealth of information and in single glance you can take a peek deep inside your organization, you can also create your own KPIs and cues to make your job easier.

Adding the KPIs and cues are an easy thing to do and can be done by someone without a technical knowledge. To add a KPI go to the Home page in Dynamics AX, select Add KPI to a web part

We select Active Leads in the Sales and Marketing cube, for a complete list of KPIs see below.

On my home page I now have my an Active Leads KPI

You can create Cues from the advance find in any list page. Here is an advance find for “My open invoices from Yesterday.” The key words here are My and Yesterday.

To do the My: Create a relation to the worker and add the Record-ID field with the criteria of (currentWorkerRecId()). For the Yesterday, add the date field with the criteria (DayRange(-1,0)). This cue will only display my records from yesterday.

From the Activity web part we can add a number of cues or create one from an advanced filter on a list page as the example above. Clicking on a cue will bring us right to those records.

Pretty cool, huh!

Available KPIs in a typical AX 2012 R3 instance.

Accounts Payable	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Accounts Receivable	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Budget Control	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Budget Plan	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Demand Forecast Accuracy	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Demand Forecast	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Environmental Sustainability	Measure Group	Calculation
Direct energy	All	The amount of direct energy (such as gasoline or natural gas) consumed by the organization.
Indirect energy	All	The amount of indirect energy (such as electricity or heating services) consumed by the organization.
Direct and indirect GHGs	All	The mass of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions produced by the organization’s processes.
Other indirect GHGs	All	The mass of other indirect greenhouse gas emissions (such as employee commuting or business travel) produced by the organization’s processes.
Water consumption	All	The volume of water consumed by the organization.
Materials consumption	All	The mass of materials consumed by the organization.
Recycled content	All	The mass of recycled materials consumed by the organization.
Waste water	All	The volume of waste water produced by the organization.
Solid waste	All	The mass of solid waste produced by the organization.
Expense Management	Measure Group	Calculation
Expenses trend	Expense lines	The percentage change in total expense amount.
Policy violations approved per expense report	Policy violations log	The policy violations log count where action taken = 1 (approved by all approvers), 5 (approved by some approvers).
General Ledger	Measure Group	Calculation
Accounts payable turnover*	Ledger transactions	[Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) + (Ending Inventory (Reference ID = 5) for period – Beginning Inventory (Reference ID = 5) for period)] / [Beginning Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Ending Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) / 2]
		Note
		* Only the Inventory and Accounts Payable parts of this KPI are accumulated.
Accounts receivable turnover*	Ledger transactions	[Sales (Reference ID = 33) *-1] – Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34) / [Beginning Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) + Ending Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) / 2]
		Note
		* Only the Accounts Receivable part of this KPI is accumulated.
Average days to pay*	Ledger transactions	Ending Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) balance for the period / [Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) + (Ending Inventory (Reference ID = 5) for the period – Beginning Inventory (Reference ID=5) for the period)] * Number of days in the period
		Note
		* Only the Accounts Payable and Inventory parts of this KPI are accumulated.
Average collection period	Ledger transactions	(Accounts Receivable (Ref ID 4) / ((Sales (ref id = 33) + Sales returns and discounts (ref id 34)-1) number of days in fiscal year to date[
Cash position*	Ledger transactions	Cash (Reference ID = 1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2)
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Cash ratio*	Ledger transactions	Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2) + Cash (Reference ID = 1) / (Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16) + Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Interest Payable (Reference ID = 19) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23))
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Cost of goods sold	Ledger transactions	Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35)
Current ratio*	Ledger transactions	]Cash (Reference ID = 1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2) + Short Term Investments (Reference ID = 3) + Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) + Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Notes Receivables (Reference ID = 6) + Work in Process (Reference ID = 7) + Prepaid Expenses (Reference ID = 8) + Other Current Assets (Reference ID = 9) + Inventory (Reference ID = 5)[ / ]Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16) + Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Interest Payable (Reference ID = 19) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23)[
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Debt to equity*	Ledger transactions	Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16) + Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID=17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Interest Payable (Reference ID = 19) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23) + Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 24) / Common Stock (Reference ID = 25) + Preferred Stock (Reference ID = 26) + Additional Paid in Capital: Common (Reference ID= 27) + Additional Paid in Capital: Preferred (Reference ID = 28) + Retained Earnings (Reference ID = 29) + Treasury Stock (Reference ID = 30) + Common Dividends (Reference ID=31) + Preferred Dividends (Reference ID=32) + Encumbrance (Reference ID = 54) + Pre-encumbrance (Reference ID=55)
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Debt to total assets*	Ledger transactions	]Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16) + Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Interest Payable (Reference ID = 19) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23) + Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 24)[ / ]Cash (Reference ID = 1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2) + Short Term Investments (Reference ID = 3) + Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) + Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Notes Receivables (Reference ID = 6) + Work in Process (Reference ID = 7) + Prepaid Expenses (Reference ID = 8) + Other Current Assets (Reference ID = 9) + Long Term Investments (Reference ID = 10) + Property Plant and Equipment (Reference ID = 11) + Accumulated Depreciation (Reference ID = 12) + Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 13) + Other Assets (Reference ID = 14)[
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Gross profit	Ledger transactions	]Sales (Reference ID = 33)*-1[ – Sales Returns and Discounts Reference ID = 34) – Cost of Goods Sold
Gross profit margin	Ledger transactions	](Sales (Reference ID = 33) *-1[ – Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34) – Cost of Goods Sold
Inventory turnover*	Ledger transactions	Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) / ]Beginning Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Ending Inventory (Reference = 5) / 2[
		Note
		* Only the Inventory part of this KPI is accumulated.
Net income	Ledger transactions	Result A – Result B
		Result A = ]Sales (Reference ID = 33) + Other Income (Reference ID = 48) + Revenues not producing working capital (Reference ID = 50)+ Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34)[ *-1
		Result B = Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) + Selling Expense (Reference ID = 36) + Administrative Expense (Reference ID = 37) + Manufacturing Expense (Reference ID = 38) + Travel and Entertainment Expenses (Reference ID = 39) + Project Operation Expenses (Reference ID = 40) + Salaries Expense (Reference ID = 41 ) + Other Employee Expenses (Reference ID = 42) + Interest Expense (Reference ID = 43) + Tax Expense (Reference ID = 44) + Depreciation Expense (Reference ID = 45) + Income Tax Expense (Reference ID = 46) + Other Expenses (Reference ID = 47) + Charges not using working capital (Reference ID = 49) +Gain or Loss on Asset Disposal (Reference ID = 51) + Amortization of Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 52)
Quick ratio*	Ledger transactions	]Cash (Reference ID =1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2) + Short Term Investments (Reference ID = 3) + Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) + Notes Receivables (Reference ID = 6)[ / (Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15) + Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16) + Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Interest Payable (Reference ID=19) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID=21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23)
		Note
		* Accumulation applies to all calculations.
Return on total assets*	Ledger transactions	(Result A/Result B) X 100
		Result A: Net income + Interest expense (Reference ID =43) + Tax expense (Reference ID = 44) + Income tax expense (Reference ID = 46)
		Result B: Cash (Reference ID = 1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2) + Short Term Investments (Reference ID = 3) + Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4) + Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Notes Receivables (Reference ID = 6) + Work in Process (Reference ID = 7) + Prepaid Expenses (Reference ID = 8) + Other Current Assets (Reference ID = 9) + Long Term Investments (Reference ID = 10) + Property Plant and Equipment (Reference ID = 11) + Accumulated Depreciation (Reference ID = 12) + Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 13) + Other Assets (Reference ID = 14)
Revenue budget variance	Ledger budgets	Sum of budget amounts for the period selected for the accounts / Sum of actual balances for revenue accounts for the same time period = Variance. The result is displayed as a percentage. The following ledger account categories are included in the sum of the budget amounts and in the sum of the actual amounts: Sales (Reference ID = 33) + Other Income (Reference ID = 48) + Revenues not producing working capital (Reference ID =50) + Sales Returns and discounts (Reference ID = 34) + Gain/Loss on Asset Disposal (Reference ID = 51)
		Note
		If necessary, the amounts for each account category are summed by dimension combination to compare the budget versus actual amounts by department, cost center, and so on. Reference ID 51 is included only if the balance of the accounts in that account category is negative. Otherwise it is excluded.
Times interest earned	Ledger transactions	Result A/ Interest Expense (Reference ID = 43)
Times interest earned	Ledger transactions	Result A: Net income + Interest expense (Reference ID =43) + Tax expense (Reference ID = 44) + Income tax expense (Reference ID = 46)
Total expenses	Ledger transactions	Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) + Selling Expense (Reference ID = 36) + Administrative Expense (Reference ID = 37) + Manufacturing Expense (Reference ID = 38) + Travel and Entertainment Expense (Reference ID = 39) + Project Operation Expenses (Reference ID = 40) + Salaries Expense (Reference ID = 41 ) + Other Employee Expense (Reference ID = 42) + Interest Expense (Reference ID = 43) + Tax Expense (Reference ID = 44) + Depreciation Expense (Reference ID = 45) + Income Tax Expense (Reference ID = 46) + Other Expenses (Reference ID = 47) + Charges not using working capital (Reference ID =49) + Amortization of Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 52) + Gain/Loss on Asset Disposal (Reference ID = 51)
		Note
		Reference ID 51 is included only if the balance of the accounts in that account category is positive. Otherwise it is excluded.
Total revenue	Ledger transactions	]Sales (Reference ID = 33) + Other Income (Reference ID = 48) + Revenues not producing working capital (Reference ID =50) +Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34) + Gain/Loss on Asset Disposal (Reference ID = 51)[ *-1
		Note
		Reference ID 51 is included only if the balance of the accounts in that account category is negative. Otherwise it is excluded.
Earnings before income tax	Ledger transactions	( Sales (ref_id = 33) + Other Income (ref id = 48) + Sales Returns and Discounts (ref id = 34)) *-1 ) – ( COGS (ref id =35) + Selling Expense (ref id = 36) + Admin Expense (ref id = 37) + Manuf Expense (ref id = 38) + T& E Expense (ref id = 39) + Project and Operation Expense (ref id = 40) + Saleries Expense (ref id = 41) + Other Employee Expenses (ref id = 42) + Interst Expense (ref id = 43) + Tax Expense (ref id = 44) + Depreciation Expense (ref id = 45) + Other Expenses (ref id = 47) + Charges not using working capital (ref ID = 49) ) + Revenues not producing working capital (Reference ID=50) + Amortization of intangible assets (ref id = 52) + Gain/loss on asset disposal (refid = 51)
Expense budget variance	Ledger budgets	Sum budget amounts for the: Cost of Goods Sold (refid = 35)+Selling expense (ref id = 36) + Admin exp (refid = 37) + Manu exp (ref id = 38) + Travel and Enter exp (ref id = 39) + Project expenses (ref id = 40) + Salaries exp (ref id = 41 ) + Other emp exp (ref id = 42) + Interest exp (ref id = 43) + Tax exp (ref id = 44) + Depr exp (ref id = 45) + Income tax exp (ref id = 46) + Other expenses (ref id = 47) + Charges not using working capital (Reference ID = 49) + Amortization of intangible assets (ref id = 52) + Gain/loss on asset disposal (refid = 51) / Sum of actual balances for expense accounts for the same time period : Cost of Goods Sold (refid = 35)+Selling expense (ref id = 36) + Admin exp (refid = 37) + Manu exp (ref id = 38) + Travel and Enter exp (ref id = 39) + Project expenses (ref id = 40) + Salaries exp (ref id = 41 ) + Other emp exp (ref id = 42) + Interest exp (ref id = 43) + Tax exp (ref id = 44) + Depr exp (ref id = 45) + Income tax exp (ref id = 46) + Other expenses (ref id = 47) + Charges not using working capital (Reference ID = 49) +Amortization of intangible assets (ref id = 52) + Gain/loss on asset disposal (refid = 51) Note: If necessary, the amounts for each account category are summed by dimension combinationto compare the budget versus actual amounts by department, cost center, and so on. Reference ID51 is included only if the balance of the accounts in that account category is positive. Otherwise it isexcluded.
		Note
		Reference ID 51 is included only if the balance of the accounts in that account category is positive. Otherwise it is excluded.
Accounts payable	Ledger transactions	Accounts Payable (Reference ID = 15)
Notes payable	Ledger transactions	Notes Payable (Reference ID = 16)
Interest payable	Ledger transactions	Interest Payable (Reference ID = 19)
Other liabilities	Ledger transactions	Current Maturities on Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 17) + Taxes Payable (Reference ID = 18) + Leases Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 21) + Sinking Fund Payable (Current) (Reference ID = 22) + Other Current Liabilities (Reference ID = 23) + Dividends Payable (Reference ID = 20)
Long-term debt	Ledger transactions	Long Term Debt (Reference ID = 24)
Cash and cash equivalents	Ledger transactions	Cash (Reference ID = 1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2)
Short-term investment	Ledger transactions	Short Term Investments (Reference ID = 3)
Accounts receivable	Ledger transactions	Accounts Receivable (Reference ID = 4)
Notes receivable	Ledger transactions	Notes Receivable (Reference ID = 6)
Long-term investment	Ledger transactions	Long Term Investments (Reference ID = 10)
Inventory and WIP	Ledger transactions	Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Work in progress (Reference ID = 7)
Other org assets	Ledger transactions	Prepaid Expenses (Reference ID = 8) + Other Current Assets (Reference ID = 9) + Property Plant and Equipment (Reference ID = 11) + Accumulated Depreciation (Reference ID = 12) + Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 13) + Other Assets (Reference ID = 14)
Days cash on hand	Ledger transactions	Cash (Reference ID =1) + Cash Equivalents (Reference ID = 2)/]Operating expense – Depreciation expense (Reference ID = 45)/Number of days in period[
		Note
		The KPI needs to calculate from the start of the fiscal year through the last completed fiscal time span.
Days working capital	Ledger transactions	]Working capital X number of days in period[/](Sales (Reference ID = 33) * -1) – Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34)
		Note
		The KPI needs to calculate from the start of the fiscal year through the last completed fiscal time span.
Days inventory on hand	Ledger transactions	Number of days in period/Inventory turnover
		Note
		The KPI needs to calculate from the start of the fiscal year through the last completed fiscal time span.
		Note
		Inventory turnover is defined as: Cost of Goods Sold (Reference ID = 35) / [Beginning Inventory (Reference ID = 5) + Ending Inventory (Reference = 5) / 2]. Inventory turnover needs to likewise calculate from the start of FY thru last completed fiscal time span.
Fixed asset turnover	Ledger transactions	[Sales (Reference ID = 33) *-1) – Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34)/Property Plant and Equipment (Reference ID = 11) +Accumulated Depreciation (Reference ID = 12)
		Note
		The KPI needs to calculate from the start of the fiscal year through the last completed fiscal time span.
EBITDA margin	Ledger transactions	(EBITDA/](Sales (Reference ID = 33) -1) – Sales Returns and Discounts (Reference ID = 34))100
		Note
		EBITDA is defined as Net income – Interest Expense(Reference ID = 43) – Tax Expense (Reference ID = 44) -Depreciation Expense (Reference ID = 45) – Income TaxExpense (Reference ID = 46) -Amortization of Intangible Assets (Reference ID = 52)
Human Resources	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Inventroy Value	Measure Group	Calculation
Days of inventory quantity	All	Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / Days to date)
Weeks of inventory quantity	All	Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / (Days to date / 7))
Months of inventory quantity	All	Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / (Days to date / 30))
Inventory turn quantity	All	Net issues quantity / ((Beginning quantity + Ending quantity) / 2)
Days of inventory amount	All	Ending amount / (Net issues amount / Days to date)
Weeks of inventory amount	All	Ending amount / (Net issues amount / (Days to date / 7))
Months of inventory amount	All	Ending amount / (Net issues amount / (Days to date / 30))
Inventory turn amount	All	Net issues amount / ((Beginning amount + Ending amount) / 2)
Payroll	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Production	Measure Group	Calculation
Production cost	Cost calculation	This KPI is bound to the Actual vs. planned consumption calculated measure.
Production efficiency	Production order	This KPI is bound to the Production efficiency calculated measure.
Profit Tax	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Project Accounting	Measure Group	Calculation
Revenue deviation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast revenue.
Gross margin deviation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast gross margin.
Net WIP deviation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast net work in progress.
Cash inflow devation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast cash inflows.
Cash outflow deviation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast cash outflows.
Net cashflow deviation	Actuals	The difference between actual and forecast cash inflows less cash outflows.
Purchase	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Retail	Measure Group	Calculation
Days of inventory quantity	All	This value is calculated as: Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / Days to date)
Weeks of inventory quantity	All	This value is calculated as: Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / (Days to date / 7))
Months of inventory quantity	All	This value is calculated as: Ending quantity / (Net issues quantity / (Days to date / 30 ))
Inventory turn quantity	All	This value is calculated as: Net issues quantity / ((Beginning quantity + Ending quantity) / 2)
Days of inventory amount	All	This value is calculated as: Ending amount / (Net issues amount / Days to date)
Weeks of inventory amount	All	This value is calculated as: Ending amount / (Net issues amount / (Days to date / 7 ))
Months of inventory amount	All	This value is calculated as: Ending amount / (Net issues amount / (Days to date / 30))
Inventory turn amount	All	This value is calculated as: Net issues amount / ((Beginning amount + Ending amount) / 2)
Total sales	All	The total net amount.
Total returns	Retail transaction	The amount of total returns.
Average ticket size	Retail transaction	This value is calculated as: Gross amount / Retail transactions count
COGS	Customer invoice lines	The cost of goods sold (COGS) for the particular invoiced item. The COGS value is based on the corresponding inventory transaction. This measure may need an inventory closing where a potential adjustment may occur.
Gross margin	Customer invoice lines	The amount remaining after the cost of goods sold (COGS) has been deducted from the total sales for an item or a given quantity of inventory.
Gross margin percentage	Customer invoice lines	The gross profit margin divided by the total sales revenue, expressed as a percentage. The gross profit margin represents the percent of total sales revenue that a retailer retains after incurring the direct costs associated with producing the goods and services sold. The higher the percentage, the more the retailer retains on each dollar of sales to service its other costs and obligations.
Sales by hour	Retail transaction lines	The average net amount of sales revenue by hour.
Inventory turnover	Inventory value	This value is calculated as: Net issues amount / ((Beginning amount + Ending amount) / 2)
GMROII	Inventory value	Indicates how much gross margin a retailer gets back for each dollar invested in inventory. This value is calculated as: (Sales / Average inventory at cost) * Gross margin percentage
Sales per unit area	Retail transaction lines	The amount of sales per square foot or square meter.
Total customers	Retail transactions	The number of customers.
Sales and Marketing	Measure Group	Calculation
Active leads	Lead	Lead count where Lead Status = 0 (Open).
Active opportunities	Opportunity	Opportunity count where Opportunity Status = 1 (None).
New leads	Lead	Lead count in the past 7 days.
New opportunities	Opportunity	Opportunity count in the past 7 days.
Sales	Sales order	Project and customer invoice sales total.
Average sales order amount	Sales order	Total sales orders (including project) divided by the number of sales orders.
Sales	Measure Group	Calculation
None
Workflow	Measure Group	Calculation
None