4/18/2019

5 Ways to Tell if You’re Ready for

Connected Field Service

Simple Settings to Help

Your AX Solution to Run Faster

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Presenter Introduction

Steve WalshDirector of Managed Services

HSO North America

Technical/Developer Background

13 years w/Microsoft

MCS

Global Support Prg Mgr

Tech Acct Manager

Premier Field Engineer

7 years in Partner Channel

Managing Managed Services

Working with AX/D365 since 2005

What is Managed Services?

Client Trusted Partner

Post Go Live Consulting Technical & Functional Application Optimization

Performance Topics

➢ Factors that affect Performance

➢ Assumptions

➢ SQL Server Settings

➢ AOS Server Settings

➢ Maintenance

➢ User Features

➢ Resources

Factors that affect performance

▪ There is NO Silver Bullet for performance improvement.

▪ It is like an onion with many layers.

Factors that affect performance

▪ Hardware – Physical layer to the system; includes server box, network

bandwidth, storage devices, and client machines. Should meet the minimal

requirements stated by Microsoft.

▪ Windows Server Configuration – Operating system, firewalls, anti-virus, etc.

▪ SQL Server Configuration – Application layer to the SQL server. Overall

settings within SQL applications.

▪ Database Schema & indexes – within SQL Server; specific settings the

database has setup, the table layouts, and the indexes associated with each

table.

▪ Application Code – Kernel and application code; ISV code, Customizations, and

X++ query calls.

▪ Application Configurations – within AX; Parameters settings, sequence

numbers, and database logging

▪ Users/Business Process – Running a report or specific process multiple times;

running a specific job

Assumptions

▪ Hardware is bigger and better than recommendation from MS

installation documents.

▪ Most of this information is technical.

▪ You have access to SQL and know how to pull up settings.

▪ Information may not apply to your specific system; Consult with

your AX partner or Microsoft.

▪ Always TEST in your Test environments first.

The Process

Settings

• Proper settings

Analyze

• Performance Assessment

Maintain

• DB & Code Tuning

• Maintenance

Repeat Continuous

Improvement

Today’s

Topic

SQL Server Settings

SQL Settings

▪ Production SQL Server – Only production databases should be on the

production servers. Any Dev or Test type activity should be

separated completely.

▪ SQL Server should be configured to run as a background services– Control Panel → Advance System Settings → Advanced Tab → Performance →Settings

→Advanced Tab → Processor scheduling → Background Services.

SQL Settings

▪ Configure max degree of parallelism set to 1

▪ Max Server Memory - Operating System needs to have some memory available to function correctly. Either leave 4 GB or 10%, which ever is greater.

SQL Settings

▪ TempDB

• One file per core & up to 8

• 20% of database size

• Each file should be set to same size

• Set to Simple Recover Model

• Auto growth set to 250-500MB

• Some will recommend setting to 1 Gig to start with

• When SQL is adding size to Temp files… it locks activity down.

SQL Settings

▪ Trace Flags

➢ 1117 – Enabled – This flag grows all file groups simultaneously in the case of

an auto growth event.

➢ 4199 – Enabled – This activates query optimizer fixes from several hotfixes.

➢ 4136 – Disabled – This has parameter sniffing; disabling can improve

performance.

➢ 1224 – Enabled – lock escalations based on the number of locks

➢ 2371 – Enabled – Reduces the threshold for auto-update statistics for large

tables > 25k rows.

SQL Settings

▪ Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) – should be set to True

▪ Auto Create Stats – should be set to True

▪ Disk I/O (storage should be on a RAID system)

– Reads – Less than 10ms

– Writes – Less than 20ms

SQL Settings

▪ Maintenance:

– Periodic indexing▪ Administration > Periodic > SQL Administration

– Statistic rebuilding

– Specific Table Sizes:– INVENTSETTLEMENT

» Run cleanup (inventory management > Periodic > Clean Up > Inventory Settlements

– EVENTCUD

– INVENTSUMLOGTTS

– SYSTRACETABLESQL

– SYSDATABASELOG» Administration > Setup > Database Log

– SALESPARMLINE» Administration > Periodic> SQL Administration

AOS Settings

AOS Settings

▪ Memory - No less than 16 GB

▪ Only 1 instance per server

▪ Breakpoints – Should be disabled

▪ Max buffer size – Set between 24 to 48 (default for 2012 R2 is 48)

▪ Max No. Table to Join – Max is 30

▪ Entire table Cache size = Set to 96

▪ Global object cache elements = 100000

▪ Statement Cache = set to 450

▪ AOS Max Memory Setting = set to 80%

▪ Dedicated AOS for batch = should be 2 AOSes minimum; 1 for users; 1

for everything else. --- Greater than 3, can group batch types to

different servers

Maintenance

Kernel

▪ Check and update the Kernel from Microsoft

– Generally a performance improvement was made

– Make sure your Kernel version match

▪ Client, AOS, SQL Server and all locations

▪ Keep in mind… DEV/TEST/Production should all be the same Kernel

▪ Not necessarily dependent on the application level/version

Monthly Checks

▪ Database Log

– System setting to capture when a record is inserted/deleted/updated

– Select count(recid) from sysdatabaselog

– If >200K, query for records older than a specific date

– Transaction type tables should not have logging turned on

– Clean-up process: Use Export/Import tools to archive data.

– Clean-up too: Administration -> inquiries -> Database Log -> Clean up Log

Monthly Checks

▪ Temporary Sales Order/Purchase Order Processing Data

– Table stores temporary order lines when orders have been posted.

– Some lines hang out here and never get deleted

– SQL Query:

▪ Select Count(recid) from salesparmline

▪ Select count(recid) from purchparmline

– Clean-up Process:

▪ AR>periodic>Clean Up > Sales Update History Clean up

▪ AP>Periodic>Clean up> Purchase Update History Clean Up

– No Reason to keep data over a month

Monthly Checks

– Temporary Master Planning Data

– Table stores inventory movements caused by master planning

▪ Select count(recid) from InventSumLogtts

– Clean-up Process: AX should purge this data automatically. Should be a small

record count in the table. Check to make sure the data is for production data

versus test company data.

Quarterly Checks

▪ Sales Line

– Select count(recid) from SalesLine

– Clean Up Process: AR > Periodic > Delete Orders

– Depending on your parameter settings; SO may go to voided table

Quarterly Checks

▪ Inventory Settlement

– Stored temporary data during inventory close and other periodic adjustments

▪ Select count(recid) from inventsettlement

– If record count is > 200K, then run clean up job

▪ Inventory Mgt>Periodic>Clean Up>Inventory Settlement Clean Up.

▪ Only run cleanup on previous financial YEARs.

Batch Jobs

▪ No batch jobs with recurrence of every minute

– Will cause Jobs to get stuck in execution state

– Over lapping jobs (not just limited to 1 minute)

▪ Use the Batch Job Groups and time schedule

– Map out and track job processing length

– Be aware of similar processing and their times

▪ Which jobs are hitting Inventory at the same time?

– When does your backups run?

Reports

▪ Reports can have a big impact on the systems.

– Users will see a performance issue on data entry when someone else is

running a big report.

– Performance hits during the morning hours? Good chance someone is

running their morning reports.

▪ Daily Reports can be setup to run in batch over night.

▪ If you have a real-time backup; can you run your reports from there?

Consistency Checks

▪ System Admin > Periodic >Database > Consistency Checks

– Should run these once a quarter.

– It checks for missing data/misaligned data.

– More issues from customizations or imported data.

– If you are finding data popping up a lot, then you need to investigate

– This may cause a data query to take longer or present incorrect data set.

– If you hit the Max or a timeout, get an AX developer to help with a custom

search/dump.

Miscellaneous

▪ GUID

– Check AX Environments Unique GUID

▪ SysSQMSettings SQL Table

▪ If the same GUID is Dev/Test/Production; could have User Usage data issues

▪ Usually happens when refreshing from Prod to Dev/Test

▪ Clear the Dev/Test environments (AX will generate a new GUID)

User Features

Fact Boxes & Preview Panes

▪ Don’t use them? Turn them off!

Fact Boxes & Preview Panes

Fact Boxes & Preview Panes

▪ System Admin > Setup > System > Client Performance Options

– System wide; may not be a great option

▪ Developers can turn it off, system wide per Form

Favorites

▪ Check to see how users are access standard forms.

▪ If using a Favorite, did they create a query that might not be optimal?

User Usage Data

▪ Some Performance issues are caused by Usage Data

▪ Usually when other users can use the form or report without issues

▪ Clear our specific Usage Data components

– You can remove specific settings, if you know the form or report

▪ May lose personal preference settings

▪ Nuclear Option = Clear all of the user’s Usage Data

Resources

What else? It is still slow…

▪ Get a Performance

Assessment

– Check Indexes

– Long running queries

▪ All tests great with 100

records; how about a

few 100,000?

▪ Train your DBA on AX

Performance Tools and

Settings

Resources

▪ Storage Article:

▪ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/dynamics-coe/2013/02/10/storage-requirements-for-microsoft-dynamics-ax/

▪ Performance Page

▪ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/axsupport/2015/09/28/ax-performance-what-information-and-data-to-collect-when-you-want-to-open-a-support-case/

▪ Microsoft Performance Team Blog

▪ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/axperf/

▪ Performance Analyzer

▪ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/axinthefield/cat/dynamicsperf/

Questions?

Learn More

LEARN MORESchedule a virtual assessment with one of our service experts

today.

www.hso.com

(847) 348-0588

swalsh@hso.com

www.hso.com