Configure Layer in Dynamics Axapta

A lot of times small mistakes are made with installing layers. The most common example is that code has been adapted in the USR layer of the live/production environment (import of an Xpo). With the next delivery this changed code of the Xpo also exists in the VAR layer. When we don’t remove the Xpo from the USR layer, tables and fields can exist twice in the data dictionary of Dynamics AX. As you know a field in a table has to be unique. When this is not the case Dynamics AX while provide synchronize errors. When the table is a system table of Dynamics AX, The AOS will even not start.

1.  Copy the delivered Xpo or layer and label files to your delivery archive directory. (Note use the delivery date in the folder name)
2. Create in the archive directory a directory backup.  
3. Stop all batch servers.  (task for 2009)
4. Stop all AOS.
5. Remove all cache files (del/s *.aoc).
6. Create a database backup and copy this to the archive backup directory.(point 2)
7. Copy the axVar.aod, axCus.aod and axUsr.aod from your test environment to the archive backup directory and to the “old” directory in your application tree. (So you can do layer compare afterwards).
8. Copy the label files into your application tree.
9. Copy the new delivery Layer in the application tree of Dynamics AX
10. Start an AOS with a different name and/or Port number. This new AOS should only be used for administration purpose.
11. Administrator/Periodic/SQL Administrator use check/synchronize to update the data model. Run it a second time in diagnostic mode only, to be sure it was ok.
12. Administrator/Periodic/Compile application.  (Compiling from the AOT will not work when no developers license is used) 
13.  Stop the administration AOS.
14. Start live/production AOS.
15. Start all Axapta batch servers.