Create a channel database or an offline database (AX 2012 R3)
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3
This topic explains how to create retail channel databases and offline databases by using the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
Note
The information in this topic applies to AX 2012 R3. For information about how to complete these tasks in AX 2012 R2 or AX 2012 Feature Pack, see Create a store database or an offline database (AX 2012 R2 and AX 2012 Feature Pack).
Channel databases hold retail data for one or more retail channels, such as online stores or brick-and-mortar stores. The data for a channel can be included in more than one channel database. Create a channel database on a shared database server. Create an offline database on a point of sale (POS) device so that transactions can continue if the device loses connectivity with the channel database.
On each computer where you want to create a database, you must use the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup wizard to install the Retail Channel Configuration Utility. For more information, see Install the Retail Channel Configuration Utility (Retail Store Database Utility).
Note
You can also use the Setup wizard to create a channel database. For more information, see Install a Retail channel database.
The procedures in this topic assume that you have installed a supported version of Microsoft SQL Server on the computer where you plan to run the Retail Channel Configuration Utility. For a list of supported operating systems and SQL Server versions, see the Microsoft Dynamics AX system requirements. For information about how to configure SQL Server for channel databases and offline databases, see Configure SQL Server for the Retail databases.
The Retail Channel Configuration Utility can also be used to configure database connections for a POS register. For more information, see Configure database connections for a POS register by using the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
This topic contains the following sections:
Create a channel database on a database server
Distribute initial data to the channel database
Create or provision an offline database
Synchronize data between the channel database and offline databases
Create a channel database on a database server
Use the following procedure to create a channel database on a shared database server. If you have installed an update, and a channel database already exists, the database will be upgraded.
On a SQL Server computer, start the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
Select Create channel database.
In the Channel database section of the form, select or type the name of the server on which to create the channel database. Typically, you will install on the local computer, or localhost. Type a unique name for the channel database.
Optional: Test the connection.
Click Apply to create and configure the channel database.
On the computer where the channel database is installed, use SQL Server Management Studio to assign the local RetailOfflineSyncUsers group read and write permissions to the database.
Distribute initial data to the channel database
After you create a new channel database, you must populate it with the data for the channel.
Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
If necessary, create a channel data group for the database. (Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel data group.) For more information, see Create a channel data group.
Create a profile for the new channel database. (Click Retail > Setup > Retail scheduler > Channel integration > Channel database.) For more information, see Set up a channel database profile.
Synchronize all data for the channel database. In the Channel database form, click Full data sync and then select the distribution schedule that is named Full sync.
For more information about how to run jobs to distribute data, see Schedule and run jobs in Retail Scheduler.
Create or provision an offline database
Use the following procedure to create an offline database on a POS device.
Important
Before you can complete this procedure, you must create a channel database and distribute initial data to the channel database. You must also run the Offline scopes job to at headquarters to synchronize offline scopes with the channel database.
On a POS register, start the Retail Channel Configuration Utility.
Select Create or reprovision offline database.
In the Identification section of the form, type the store ID. This value must be the same as the value that was entered in the Name field on the Retail stores form. (Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.)
Note
The store record does not have to be created before you complete this step. However, the ID must match later when the record is created and the profile is linked. For more information, see Setting up retail stores.
In the Channel Database section of the form, select the server where the channel database is installed, and type the name of the channel database.
Optional: Test the connection.
In the Offline database section of the form, type the name of the computer on which to create the offline database. Typically, you will install on the local computer, or localhost. Type a unique name for the new offline database.
Optional: Test the connection.
Click Apply to create and configure the offline database.
On the POS device, start the Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail Offline Sync Service, so that the offline database can be synchronized with the shared channel database.
To confirm that the offline database was created correctly, and that synchronization is working, verify that tracking tables have been added to the channel database. Tracking tables are copies of Retail tables that have the suffix _tracking. If tracking tables have been added, the channel database has been provisioned for synchronization. To make sure that the synchronization service is running, see the RetailOfflineSyncLog table in the channel database.
Tip
When you troubleshoot database synchronization and offline databases, make sure that the user who creates and synchronizes databases has sufficient permissions on the database server and on the SQL Server instance where the offline database is created.
Synchronize data between the channel database and offline databases
If the channel database becomes unavailable, POS devices can connect to a local offline database, so that transaction entry is not interrupted. Therefore, offline databases on POS devices must be synchronized with the latest data from the channel database.
Offline profiles define which data is synchronized from the channel database to the offline databases on POS devices. Each offline profile consists of several offline scopes. The default scopes are modeled after the Retail Scheduler jobs that are used to synchronize data between Microsoft Dynamics AX and the channel. For example, the 1080 scheduler job pushes tax-related information from Microsoft Dynamics AX to the channel. The tables that are included in the 1080 scheduler job are also included in the offline scope that pushes tax-related information from the channel database to the offline database. For more information about offline scopes and offline profiles, see Set up offline profiles.
Note
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Cumulative Update 8, you can no longer switch to offline mode if the offline database has not been synchronized.