Web Replication Using Azure Storage

Setup Service-to-Service (S2S):

To connect to Web Services on SaaS, you must set up Service-to- Service (S2S) authentication. Follow the steps below:
- Refer to How to: Set Up an Entra ID App for detailed instructions on how to set up an Azure Active Directory (AD) app.
- Create the External Application Account in LS Central by following the instructions in How to: Create the External Application Account in LS Central .
- You can also watch the S2S Setup video tutorial.
Configuration Package for SaaS with the required Distribution Location, Jobs, and Subjobs needed to replicate master and setup data for offline POS.
Click here to download the configuration package from the LS Retail Portal (login required).

Note: The package contains example data that should suit most retailers, but some might want to add or remove tables for replication to suit their specific business processes on the POS.
All data required for running an offline POS must be set up on HO in SaaS. This includes publishing of POS Web Services and enabling Send Transaction web service in POS Functionality profile. This setup and master data is then replicated to the offline POS.
Set up Azure Blob Storage account.
Set up Web Replication using Azure Storage in Head Office SaaS. See Setup in Head Office for detailed instructions.

Note:
- We recommend that you create the Storage account in the same region as LS Central for performance reasons (lower latency).
- Other specifications: Type = Block Blob Storage, Access Tier = Hot, Performance = Standard, Storage Account Type = General Purpose V2, Redundancy = LRS, File Structure = Flat Namespace.
- Refer to How to: Set Up an Azure Storage Account for detailed instructions on setting up an Azure Blob Storage account.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites are required before you proceed with the setup:

Tenant in SaaS with BC and LS Central installed.
LS Central v24.1.24 (or later) in the POS. In this version, support was added to automate web services subscription.
Valid Azure subscription:
- To use Azure Storage resources.
- To create an Azure VM, if your customer decides to host the Update Service Server in an Azure VM.
Server to host the Update Service Server.

Hardware requirements

For hardware requirements, refer to the following guidelines:

POS Hardware: Offline POS requirements.
Update Service Server: Update Service Server requirements.
See suggestion on Azure VM family/size in Hosting Update Service Server in an Azure Virtual Machine.

Deployment options

There are two deployment options available for the HCS:

Offline POS Database
- This option ensures optimal POS uptime as it relies on local resources.
- The option is the most complex deployment option, and requires installing all components (includes Business Central platform and SQL Server) on every POS device.
- Maintenance is heavier as you need to keep all databases up-to-date with the latest version.

Offline POS Server Database
- POS devices are connected to the Offline POS Server database using the web client.
- This option requires minimal component installation on the POS devices.
- You only need to keep one database per store up-to-date with the latest version.

Azure Storage cost estimation

How much does LS Central Azure Storage replication cost on Azure Storage?

It costs less than $10 per month for a customer with the following specifications:

Number of Items: 1,000,000
Number of full replications per month: 8
Number of Items per delta replication (changes): 5,000
Number of delta replications (changes) per day: 4
Number of POS: 1,000

This information provides a cost estimate for Azure Storage for the customer.

Hosting Update Service Server in an Azure Virtual Machine

Update Service Server can be conveniently hosted either on-premises or on an Azure Virtual Machine (VM).

For optimal performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, we suggest utilizing the following Azure VM family and sizes:

VM Family: B-Series
Recommended Size: Standard B2S (2 vCPUs, 4 Gb Ram, 1280 Max IOPS)

This flexibility allows you to choose the best environment that meets your operational requirements while ensuring reliable performance and security.

For more information on the B-Series family see B-series burstable - Azure Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn.

The expected cost for this VM family / size is lower than $40-60/month, depending on the Azure region.