Directory views are displayed in the content pane of the Microsoft Dynamics AX workspace.

Each directory view is a hierarchy of nodes that represent records in Microsoft Dynamics AX. For example, the Reporting Relationships View is a hierarchy with companies at the first level, reporting managers at the next level, and employees at the next level.

Note
The Enterprise node represents the whole system and is at the top level of every directory view.

When a large number of nodes are available, only a subset is displayed in the content pane, with an option to add the next subset to the view. If a large amount of data is available for a view, you can use the filtering options to limit the data that is displayed.

When you hold the mouse pointer over a node, a menu appears. If a node has child nodes, you can click the arrow icon in this menu to move the node to the top level of the hierarchy, which lets you view additional levels. To return to the previous view of the hierarchy, click the back button in this menu for the top-level node. Use the information icon in this menu to view a preview of selected properties for a record.

Directory views provide context-sensitive actions for entities such as organizational units, employees, and sites in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Actions are available in the action pane of the Microsoft Dynamics AX workspace.

Use the buttons on the action pane to create new records or to perform common tasks for the selected record. For example, when you click an organizational unit in the Organization View, the action pane displays actions for modifying address and contact information for that organizational unit. You can also use buttons on the action pane to open forms to display more information about the selected record.

The buttons that are displayed on the action pane depend on which view is displayed, your personal settings for the view, the selected entity, and your security permissions.

Actions are performed in the company that the selected record belongs to. If the Enterprise node is selected, actions are performed in the company you are currently logged on to. When you select a record in a view, the company context is set only for the current action. The company context does not change for the rest of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

You cannot right-click records in directory views to perform actions against them. However, you can double-click a record to open the default form associated with the entity. For example, if you double-click a company record, the Company:form opens with that company selected.

To export view information to Visio, use the Export to Visiobutton on the Generaltab of the action pane. Nodes currently displayed in the content pane are exported. Preview information cannot be exported.

To use this feature, Visio 2003 or Visio 2007 must be installed on your computer.