Update (2014-08-06): According to Microsoft, the Solutions Excellence Certification Program is currently on hold and it’s not clear whether it will be restored at all.

You may have already heard about Microsoft Dynamics AX Solutions Excellence Certification Program – a new level of certifications for Dynamics AX. Microsoft already did changes to the Partner Program before to make getting high-level competencies a bit harder. This is one more step in that direction – the new requirements are not trivial.

Individuals will be able to get the Solutions Excellence Certification in three tracks:

• Development
• Technical
• Functional

Details about the functional track are not available yet, but something was released about the other two.

Both development and technical track will contain two exams – one knowledge exam and one lab exam. Furthermore, several other exams are required before going to Solutions Excellence Certification (they’re the same both tracks):

It’s probably not a combination of exams that many people have these days – we’ll have to make some effort. But that’s the point, isn’t it?

It’s important to understand that these certifications are not just for few people to get one more certification logo. Microsoft Partners will actually have to employ people with these certification, if they want to get (or keep) an advanced competency level. MPN: Gold Competency will require one employee with Technical and one with Development Excellence certification and Certified Software Advisors will need even two certified employees for each track.

With some level of simplification, we can say that the new exams will be available next year (2014) and the new competency requirements will be enforced from 2015.

For details, please visit Introducing the Microsoft Dynamics AX Solutions Excellence Certification Program page on Partnersource.