Components of the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 BI solution

Figure below shows a simplified architecture diagram of the BI solution that is included with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. In the figure, the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 logical architecture has been
simplified to highlight only the components that are relevant to the BI solution.

The solution is divided into three tiers:
■ Data tier Contains sources of data, such as the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 operational database, often referred to as the online transaction processing (OLTP) database.

■ Integration tier Contains the Application Object Server (AOS), programming interfaces, and staged data, such as Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 cubes, that serve as the database for
analytical reporting. (This tier is called also middle tier in from “Architectural overview.” perspective.

■ Presentation tier Contains tools and user interface elements that users can use to interact with data.

Imparted from Inside Dynamics AX 2012 Book