We want to make sure that you know about the end of support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. For most people, the only immediate impact is that Microsoft will no longer release updates for the operating system. However, for retailers (especially in the United States) the impact can be higher. For example, because the PCI Security Standards Council does not consider systems that use out-of-lifecycle operating systems to be PCI compliant, retailers running Windows XP, regardless of their payment software, could encounter issues with their banks.

The better news is that, as soon as the operating system is upgraded, implementations of Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 and Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 that were running on Windows XP remain PCI compliant. Also, both programs are supported on more recent operating systems, including Windows 8.1.

For more information about Windows XP end-of-support and upgrading to Windows 8.1, see this page:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help

Click the following link for a list of all operating systems that are supported by Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=386583

Click the following link to display the Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 Service Pack 2 download page that contains the system requirements for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/RMSPOS/downloads/service-packs/POS-2009-SP2

Note Windows XP will remain on the lists of supported operating systems for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 and Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 until the end-of-support date for Windows XP. 

(Please visit the site to view this video)

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Gregg and I will be at Convergence in Atlanta on March 4-7.

www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence/atlanta14/

If you are attending Convergence please stop by the RMS help desk in the AX product area of the Microsoft Solutions Experience.

Have a great week!

Todd Berger

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Technical Support Escalation Engineer

I just wanted to give a quick reminder that mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 ends July 8, 2014, per the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy.  Details on the migration path and next generation POS solution for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 customers will be provided prior to the end of mainstream support.

Customers who are current on a service plan can continue to access the following benefits through CustomerSource:

• Previously released upgrades, updates, service packs, fixes, and regulatory/tax updates
• Self-help support through Knowledge Base articles and online content
• Unlimited online training

Paid support (including Premier, Essential, Pay-Per Incident, and Microsoft Dynamics Advantage and Advantage Plus plans or any other paid support plan) will be available through the length of extended support. 

For more information related to Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies and associated product dates for all Microsoft products, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle page.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer

As previously announced, mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 ended July 8, 2014. Extended support will continue through July 9, 2019. Please refer to the Support Lifecycle Policy (http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us) for the details and requirements for support. 

As of June 1, 2015, Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 will no longer be available for purchase by new customers. Microsoft offers a couple of options to current Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 customers. These options are available to customers who have an active Business Ready Enhancement Plan and a Microsoft Dynamics POS license with a first registration date prior to June 1, 2015.

If Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 still meets your needs, you may acquire additional POS 2009 licenses until July 9, 2019. 

If you have outgrown Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009, you may use investment credit toward the purchase of a new Microsoft Dynamics product.  Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 customers may want to consider using their credit for the following Microsoft Dynamics Products:

• Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3. This product is for customers who wish to take full advantage of the omni-channel capabilities of the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail solution. This product is currently available for purchase and has an optional simplified retail configuration referred to as Retail Essentials, which small and medium-sized retailers may find attractive.
• Microsoft Dynamics RMS. This product is available to new customers through July 10, 2016, the date when mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics RMS ends.  Note: Extended support continues through July 13, 2021.

Microsoft is committed to the retail industry. For more information about our future in retail, including our plans to take Microsoft Dynamics AX to the cloud, we invite you to read the Statement of Direction by clicking on the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/readiness-training/readiness-training-news/msd_ax2012launchpagehome

Additional resources

• More information about the end of mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009:
  https://community.dynamics.com/rms/b/rmssupport/archive/2014/03/04/mainstream-support-for-microsoft-dynamics-pos-2009.aspx
• Microsoft Product Support Lifecycle for Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009:
  http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?sort=PN&alpha=Microsoft+Dynamics+POS+2009&Filter=FilterNO
• Watch the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail and RMS Roadmap Update:
  https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/sales-marketing/marketing-collateral/msdretailresource/

Chase Paymentech has asked us to remind our partners and customers that anyone using the Preferred Acquirer Credit/Debit Card Processing (TSYS) payment processing integration must update their credit card processing URL to the one currently supported by TSYS.

The credit card gateway currently supported by TSYS is listed below:
ssl1.tsysacquiring.net/scripts/gateway.dll?transact

You can update to this URL in one of two ways. We strongly recommend the first approach, since this is required in the United States for continued PCI compliance:

1.  Install Cumulative Update 5. This will automatically update the credit card processing URL in your Preferred Acquirer settings.
2. Manually update the credit card processing URL by completing the following steps:
   1. In Store Operations Administrator, click File, and then click Configuration.
   2. On the EDC tab, click Advanced Options, and then click the Advanced button.
   3. Click the Edit button next to the Credit Gateway URL box.
   4. Remove the current URL, and then replace with the following URL:

      ssl1.tsysacquiring.net/scripts/gateway.dll?transact

   5. Click OK three times to save and close the configuration window.
   6. Restart Store Operations POS and verify that you can still process credit cards successfully.
   7. Repeat steps a-f for every computer that is used to process electronic draft capture (EDC) payments or settle EDC batches.
   8. After all computers have been updated verify that the EDC settlement process goes through successfully.

Thanks for your assistance with ensuring that this is corrected on your systems.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer 

Hello everyone,

This is just a quick note that mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 ends July 10, 2016.  For additional details, please visit the Support Lifecycle Policy website:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle?p1=12218

In addition, effective July 10, 2016 Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 will no longer be available for new customers to purchase licenses.  However, in order to support our existing customers, those with active Microsoft Dynamics RMS licenses on their account prior to July 10, 2016 will be able to acquire additional licenses as their business expands and new stores open until July 13, 2021.

Existing RMS 2.0 customers active on a plan are also eligible to transition to Microsoft Dynamics AX or Retail Realm Essentials Powered by Microsoft.

If you are wanting to verify you are active on a plan, transition to a new system, or have any questions, please contact your partner.

Todd Berger
Microsoft Dynamics RMS Technical Support Escalation Engineer

Hello everyone,

Today we are excited to announce the release of Hotfix Rollup 2784931!

This hotfix rollup corrects 5 issues in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Store Operations 2.0 and in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Headquarters 2.0. The build number of this hotfix rollup is 2.0.1003.

This hotfix rollup resolves the following issues:

• The POS task pad is not displayed in Terminal Offline mode in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS.
• When the Must enter price at the POS check box is enabled for multiple items in a transaction in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS, mix and match discounts do not work as expected for the items.
• When you try to open the Cashier list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager, you receive the following error message:
  Runtime Error 381: Invalid Array Property Index
• When you try to open the Tender Type list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager, you receive the following error message:
  Runtime Error 381: Invalid Array Property Index
• When you try to tender multiple concurrent transactions at the same time in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS, you receive the following error message:
  Error #-2147467529
  Transaction (Process ID xx) was deadlocked on lock resources with another process and has been chosen as the deadlock victim. Rerun the transaction.
  
  To resolve this issue, you must run SQL scripts to update three database triggers after you apply this hotfix. To download the SQL scripts and instructions for the SQL scripts, click the following link:
  https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/RMS/Hotfixes/SQL_Scripts_for_HF_2791653.zip
  
  If you have any problems running the scripts, or if you have any questions about the process, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services.
  
  Note You do not have to run the SQL scripts if you do not experience this issue.

This is a cumulative hotfix that includes all the hotfixes that were released since Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 Feature Pack 2. The following hotfix includes additional steps that must be followed if you experience particular issues that are described in the corresponding Knowledge Base (KB) articles:

2735491  Hotfix rollup 2735491 is available for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations 2.0 and for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Headquarters 2.0

Note If you have not installed this hotfix or you have not followed the additional steps, view the KB articles to see whether you experience any of the issues that require additional steps to be followed.

You can download Hotfix 2784931 (#34) via the following Knowledge Base Link:
https://mbs2.microsoft.com/Knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;2784931

For a list of all previously released Feature Packs, Service Packs, and Hotfixes for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0, click the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/downloads/hotfixes/20sphf-v2.htm?printpage=false

As always, we recommend that you contact your Microsoft Dynamics® Partner before installing feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes. It is important to verify that your environment is compatible with the feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes being installed. A feature pack, service pack, hot fix, or download may cause interoperability issues with customizations, and third-party products that work with your Microsoft Dynamics® solution.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer 

Hello everyone,

Before you call into Microsoft Dynamics Retail Technical Support, I would encourage you to contact your Acquiring Bank and TSYS to make sure that your Electronic Draft Capture (EDC) configuration is correct. This is typically the first step we in Technical Support will try. Having you contact the bank and processor first can frequently prevent you from having to open up a Support Request.

When you first signed up with your bank, you should have received a "Welcome Letter" that included a list of numbers to use for your EDC configuration. This sheet frequently referred to as a VAR sheet or a V-Sheet.

Occasionally, these numbers may change or update without notice at the bank or processor and sometimes within the register itself.

If you start to notice credit/debit card failures unexpectedly, it is always a good idea to contact your bank or processor and have them compare your numbers to theirs to make sure that everything matches up. This will also give your bank or processor an opportunity to make sure that everything else in the account is set up correctly.

It is very important to compare every character from the VAR sheet to the Configuration setup. The following are two examples of actual causes that we have seen in recent support requests:

Incorrect Credit Gateway:   ssl1.tsysacquiring.net/scripts/gateway.dll?transact
Correct Credit Gateway:      ssl1.tsysacquiring.net/scripts/gateway.dll?transac

Incorrect Merchant Number:           888001234901
correct Merchant Number:              888001243901

Do you see the difference? You can probably see how this can easily be overlooked.

For more information about how to configure your EDC setup in Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0, please see the following KB article (CustomerSource access is required to access this article):

How to set up the Preferred Acquirer Credit/Debit Card Processing feature in Microsoft RMS Store Operations for credit and debit cards
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/howtodocuments/preferred_acquirer_setup_so

For more information about how to configure your EDC setup in Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009, please see the following CustomerSource How To article (CustomerSource access is required to access this article):

How to Set Up the Preferred Acquirer Credit/Debit Card Processing Feature in Microsoft Point of Sale https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/howtodocuments/msposcreditdebit.htm

I hope that the suggestions in this article will help you resolve your issue more quickly and possibly prevent you from having to create a Support Request.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer

Hello everyone,

Today we are excited to announce the release of Hotfix Rollup 2761529!

This hotfix rollup corrects 12 issues in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Store Operations 2.0 and in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Headquarters 2.0. The build number of this hotfix rollup is 2.0.1002.

This hotfix rollup resolves the following issues:

• Error message when you try to edit or save a Purchase Order in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager:Run-time error ‘91’:
  Object variable or With Block variable not set
• The Totals section is truncated in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS when you switch between “Classic View” and “TaskPad View” or when you adjust the size of the Custom POS Buttons, TaskPad, or Function Keys.
• TaskPads do not function correctly when you change the Language.dat file in Microsoft Dynamics RMS POS.
• You experience an issue in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS where the Upper and Lower Bound warning message no longer reverts the price back to the original price when you click “No.”
• Error message when you try to start Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager or Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS applications:
  Run-time error ‘430’:
  Class does not support Automation or does not support expected interface
• Error message when you try to process a worksheet in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Headquarters Client when you use a Windows locale that uses a day/month/year date format:
  <<OpenRsRead>> Error -2147217913: The conversion of a char data type to a datetime data type resulted in an out-of-range datetime value.
• Error message when you click Properties to open a TaskPad in Microsoft Dynamics Store Operations Manager:
  Run-time error ‘94’:
  Invalid use of Null
• The Password Policy Settings, New Encryption Key, and Delete Audit Logs are greyed out in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Administrator.
• The item list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager refreshes and the focus is moved to the first item in the list when a sale is processed on another computer.
• The item list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Headquarters Manager refreshes and the focus is moved to the first item in the list when a store connects and processes worksheets.
• All item quantities in an Inter-Store Transfer out in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager are zero in the issuing store.
• Error message when you try to drill into a purchase order from the Purchase Orders report in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Headquarters Manager:
  Run-time error ‘383’:
  ‘Text’ property is read-only

You can download Hotfix 2761529 (#33) via the following Knowledge Base Link:
https://mbs2.microsoft.com/Knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;2761529

For a list of all previously released Feature Packs, Service Packs, and Hotfixes for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0, click the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/downloads/hotfixes/20sphf-v2.htm?printpage=false

As always, we recommend that you contact your Microsoft Dynamics® Partner before installing feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes. It is important to verify that your environment is compatible with the feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes being installed. A feature pack, service pack, hot fix, or download may cause interoperability issues with customizations, and third-party products that work with your Microsoft Dynamics® solution.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer 

The RMS and POS Technical Support team does not have direct access to product keys. 

If you have a need to access new or existing product keys please try the following options:

1. CustomerSource

• If you purchased your product after April 2011, and are currently enrolled in an active Service Agreement with Microsoft Dynamics, you should be able to sign in to CustomerSource and view your product key.

http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/customer/en-US/access-customersource/default.aspx

• In CustomerSource point to Select My Account; and then click Product and Service Summary. On the Product and Services summary page locate the product you are needing keys for and click Registration Keys. Once you select the Version click Display License Keys. The product keys should be displayed at the bottom of the page.
  
  NOTE: If the PID (Product ID) Key column states "Please refer to PID card for key." the keys are not stored in the system.

2. Contact Sales Operations

• The Sales Operations Team may be able to issue a new product key if necessary; and may also be able to view existing product keys depending on when you purchased the product. If you purchased the Product key before April 2011 you will have to refer to the PID (Product ID) card that was provided.  If you do not have a copy of the PID card you can check with your partner, see below, or Sales Operations may be able to issue you a replacement.

3. Contact your Microsoft Partner.

• It is possible that if you had a Microsoft Partner install your system that they kept a copy of the PID (Product ID) card.

If you experience any problems with activating your RMS or POS product over the Internet please try to activate the product over the telephone. These are the only 2 ways to activate the RMS / POS product.

Hopefully this blog will help you resolve any issues you may encounter. 

Have a great week!

Todd Berger
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer

Hello everyone,

Today we are excited to announce the release of Hotfix Rollup 2784931!

This hotfix rollup corrects 5 issues in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Store Operations 2.0 and in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) Headquarters 2.0. The build number of this hotfix rollup is 2.0.1003.

This hotfix rollup resolves the following issues:

• The POS task pad is not displayed in Terminal Offline mode in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS.
• When the Must enter price at the POS check box is enabled for multiple items in a transaction in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS, mix and match discounts do not work as expected for the items.
• When you try to open the Cashier list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager, you receive the following error message:
  Runtime Error 381: Invalid Array Property Index
• When you try to open the Tender Type list in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Manager, you receive the following error message:
  Runtime Error 381: Invalid Array Property Index
• When you try to tender multiple concurrent transactions at the same time in Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations POS, you receive the following error message:
  Error #-2147467529
  Transaction (Process ID xx) was deadlocked on lock resources with another process and has been chosen as the deadlock victim. Rerun the transaction.
  
  To resolve this issue, you must run SQL scripts to update three database triggers after you apply this hotfix. To download the SQL scripts and instructions for the SQL scripts, click the following link:
  https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/RMS/Hotfixes/SQL_Scripts_for_HF_2791653.zip
  
  If you have any problems running the scripts, or if you have any questions about the process, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services.
  
  Note You do not have to run the SQL scripts if you do not experience this issue.

This is a cumulative hotfix that includes all the hotfixes that were released since Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 Feature Pack 2. The following hotfix includes additional steps that must be followed if you experience particular issues that are described in the corresponding Knowledge Base (KB) articles:

2735491  Hotfix rollup 2735491 is available for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations 2.0 and for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Headquarters 2.0

Note If you have not installed this hotfix or you have not followed the additional steps, view the KB articles to see whether you experience any of the issues that require additional steps to be followed.

You can download Hotfix 2784931 (#34) via the following Knowledge Base Link:
https://mbs2.microsoft.com/Knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;2784931

For a list of all previously released Feature Packs, Service Packs, and Hotfixes for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0, click the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/downloads/hotfixes/20sphf-v2.htm?printpage=false

As always, we recommend that you contact your Microsoft Dynamics® Partner before installing feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes. It is important to verify that your environment is compatible with the feature packs, service packs, or hotfixes being installed. A feature pack, service pack, hot fix, or download may cause interoperability issues with customizations, and third-party products that work with your Microsoft Dynamics® solution.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer 

In releases before Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 Feature Pack 2 (FP2), foreign supplier currencies were not displayed correctly in the Headquarters PO Planner worksheet, Purchase Order Details form, or printed purchase orders. Instead, the currency symbol for the default Windows Currency would be displayed.

Starting with FP2, the PO Planner, Purchase Order Details form, and printed purchase orders now display the correct symbols for supplier with foreign currencies.

To verify that the new functionality added as part of FP2 is working correctly, you can follow these reproduction steps:

1. Create a currency (Database | Currencies) that uses a symbol ($, ¥, £, €, etc) other than what is configured in Windows in your Region and Language Settings.
2. Assign this currency to a supplier as its "Accepted Currency".
3. Create a "Style 340: PO Planner" worksheet to create a purchase order with items from the supplier (from step 2) with a foreign currency assigned as is "Accepted Currency".
4. Note that the currency is correct in the PO Planner worksheet, Purchase Order Details form, and the printed purchase order.

Have a great week!

Gregg Kosel
Microsoft Dynamics RMS/POS Technical Support Escalation Engineer