Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly Microsoft Navision) helps you respond profitably to your supply chain partners and customers. It helps you plan and reorganize production to meet new and changing market demands, tighten distribution processes, manage your inventory and warehouses according to your unique requirements, and improve the efficiency of your business relationships with personalized portals and automated business transactions. Streamline operations to benefit both you and your customers. Reducing operational costs saves time and money for your entire organization and allows you to offer more competitive prices. Cost reduction is a worthwhile business goal in itself, but it’s also another way to strengthen your relationships with customers.

Export to Word and Excel

The first time I saw this, I though that this I some how got the impression that it was Table based. But its not, the templates are based on Forms and Reports, (though Reports are not yet active, so that might just be advance prep for 5.1). If there is not template, then Export to Excel creates an Excel Sheet for every Tab, SubForm or Frame on the form. The data copied across respects the layout sorting filtering etc of the form. So even without creating a template (which looks like a nightmare, but lets wait for Kamil to go into the technical side of that), you could create a form that some how represents the Excel spread sheet you want. Word on the other hand creates a table for each Tab, SubForm and Frame, and is not as neat.

Inventory Costing

For long time Navision users this is going to be a “well finally” type thing. You can now create an Inventory Worksheet, something like account schedules, that allow you to view, reconcile, adjust, and post inventory costs to the GL. I have written similar functionality, but specific to clients’ needs, as I am sure many others of you have, but this is nice to finally have a generic solution.

This comes with Inventory periods, which look like a work in progress, since they seem to lack a few critical things, such as : Relation to Normal Accounting periods; Ability to perform true date based Standard costing, Average costing by period by location. And I am sure there are more things as I look deeper.

But I have to say that this is probably the biggest step forward in making inventory costing visible to Navision users ever.

License tracking

This is an odd one. License agreements, and acceptance (the tick box when you install) are now stored in the database. This looks like it is incomplete, but I would not be surprised to see in 5.1 that you need to be logged onto the internet to create a new database.

I also noticed a few things in the license agreement. There is mention of “Named Users”. This is quite separate from the normal concurrent users. This may be a country specific thing, and maybe in some countries you can purchase Named Users instead of concurrent users. The other was Multiplexers. You are not allowed to channel multiple users though one login, or at least if you do, then you need to buy the appropriate number of users. I am not a lawyer, but I guess this will have implications for applications such as : POS, retail and cash register systems; Shipping systems that interface to say FedEx or UPS; Bar coding and scanning servers; and even some web interfaces.

Jobs

This at first impression looks like there are some big changes, but I need to look closer to see if its not just a clean up.

The first thing you notice, is that Phase, Tasks Steps and Budgets are gone, and replaced with Task Planning.

Approvals

This is an enhancement to Sales Release process, and allows you to implement a rudimentary work flow process. At first glance it looks pretty basic, but since it uses 14 new tables, it needs a further look.

Job Scheduler –> Job Queue

The Job Scheduler has gone, and is now replaced with the Job Queue. I guess there could be two reasons for this, first so that it can be sold as a granule without having to purchase Service, and second it was never really finished anyway. The old Job Scheduler simply came in as an Add-On that Microsoft acquired, so I assume they felt it time for a clean up.

Outlook integration

This again is one of the big things. I have not looked at it at all, but I do know that the big news is that you can now do a partial synchronize, rather than having to sync everything every time. If you integrate Outlook to Dynamics NAV, then this alone will probably be the reason that you upgrade.

Item Tracing

This is a new feature that allows you to trace Tracked items through the system. There is no data setup in Cronus, so I will need to post some entries to find out exactly how it works, but it does seem to show where Serial and Lot numbers have been used.

There are also a couple of new tables for tracking in Manufacturing, so I would assume there has been some Tracking clean up done.

Dynamics NAV 2009 contains a new subsystem for dealing with Web Services. This feature has been well received by partners and customers alike. Partners have expressed interest in having web services available for earlier versions of Dynamics NAV. This feedback resulted in a technology talk at Directions2007 in Florida, where the topic was what could be done to day. The conclusion of the talk was that everything we where intending to deliver was already possible today, yes some code is needed but strictly from function/feature perspective all of it is possible, and it is not even all that ugly. Dynamics NAV 2009 will provide out-of-the-box programmatic web service access to the application and will therefore remove the need for this additional technology plumbing described here.

I have to say that the response to my talk has been tremendous. After the response to my talk on Web Services in NAV 5.0 and previous versions I decided to write this blog post and make the source files available.

This post is about how to bridge the gap between the need for web services now and the current platform, it will help you understand how you can provide Web Services directly from Dynamics NAV today, in a “simple” and flexible way, already today.

To work with the samples in this post you will need: Visual Studio 2005, Dynamics NAV 5.0 and .Net 3.0 installed on your system. This sample should work on Dynamics NAV 4.0 to but has not been tested on that version.

Dynamics NAV 5.00 first impressions

Give you a good overview and the ability to dig into details…

Microsoft Navision gives you an instant overview of your business from top to bottom. You stay in the know on everything from production orders and inventory levels to customer status and marketing campaigns. Business and financial information is always up-to-date and fully integrated with information from all other areas in the program.

Every time a transaction is posted — anywhere within the system — all customer, vendor, account, and item totals will be up-to-date. If you make a mistake or want to alter a posting somewhere along the line, you can reverse the posting without it affecting the rest of your accounts. You can zero in on details by filtering information (for example, by date, account or item number) and always rely on the absolute accuracy of the information.

Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision helps you make smart business decisions without wasting time.…and gives you the answers you need. Microsoft Navision also offers Business Analytics. Designed for midsized companies, Business Analytics turns your data into business critical information quickly and simply. It provides you with easy-to-use analytical tools for greater control over your entire business. Using a familiar Microsoft Outlook®-style interface, Business Analytics presents this information to your desk top where easy to use analytical tools allow you to carry out targeted analysis that is tailored by you, for you.

Let’s say you’re in the middle of an accounting period, and you need to present an overview of business at the managers’ meeting that afternoon. You use a filter to see your balance from the beginning of the month to the present day. Then, you create a report comparing budgets to actual profits by region, product and date.

You drill down and explore the details of individual transactions. When you’re satisfied with your answers, you click on the Export button to turn the information into a Microsoft Excel chart, and you’re ready to share the information at the afternoon manager’s meeting.

Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision is an integrated business management solution for small to mid-size companies. With more than 30,000 companies in over 50 countries relying on Microsoft Navision every day to help them run their operations, you can feel confident about building your business with it.

You can use Microsoft Navision to replace as much or as little of your existing system as necessary. You choose from application areas for financial management, manufacturing, distribution, relationship management, service management, e-commerce and analytics.

A local Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partner then tailors the software to meet your exact needs. You only pay for what you use.

Microsoft Navision connects information from every corner of your business. The list on the following page shows the breadth of integrated modules you can choose from. In addition, Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partners around the world have developed a broad variety of industry-specific solutions, which have been proven in their respective markets.

A solution that builds on your strengths…

Microsoft Navision’s open architecture allows Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partners to turn the standard technology platform into a solution for your way of doing business. And we are the only global midmarket software vendor that gives its local partners the full freedom they require to meet your specific needs.

Our partners have access to the entire source code of the business logic.

…Delivered fast and cost effectively

Call us, and you will be matched with a local Microsoft Certified Business

Solutions Partner that has experience in your industry. The partner works closely with you using our proven methodology and tools. Together, you map out your business processes and identify your competitive strengths. The partner then uses this information to design a solution that meets your exact requirements. Before implementation begins, you agree on the project scope, budget and timeframe, and it’s all documented.

Implementation is fast and efficient, and there are no surprises. With one integrated solution, your information is always accurate, and you no longer have to waste time reconciling numbers that you used to pull out of various systems.

Start with core business and financial information, such as invoicing, cost control, bookkeeping and inventory. Add more financial, relationship management, manufacturing, distribution, e-business and analytics applications as your business grows. You can also start up with just one user and ad on more when it’s right for you. Microsoft Navision is easy to maintain, and our partners provide ongoing support, including excellent training and upgrade programs.

Easy Implementation

Because Microsoft Navision Standard consists of a base package that covers your essential business processes, it does not require costly and time-consuming tailoring and customization. Minor adjustments or additions to the base functionality can make the system suit your specific needs. This means that implementation is easier and less disruptive to your daily business. You and your employees will be able to keep your attention focused where it should be—on running and growing your business.

The modest size of the package and the intuitive and familiar Microsoft Windows®-based interface makes it possible for you and your employees to be up and running from day one with minimal training.

An Affordable Investment for Now and the Future

Microsoft Navision Standard will fit your business today and tomorrow. You can license the functionality you need now, and, if your business needs change, simply add the functionality your business demands – at a price you can afford. And if you ever need to expand your solution to accommodate more than ten employees, you can easily step up to Microsoft Navision Professional.

See the attached data sheet for a list of all features available for Microsoft Navision Standard.

Integrated Base Solution

With Microsoft Navision Standard, you know the status of your business at any given moment. Business and financial information is always up-to-date and fully integrated with information and input from all other areas in the program.

You can drill down on the fly to investigate a specific transaction, or you can use highly specific filtering criteria to find the exact information you want. You can find core details about financial information relating to customers, vendors, items, fixed assets, and general ledger accounts. Transactions leave a complete audit trail, so that even complex transactions become transparent.

Microsoft Office Integration

Microsoft Navision Standard lets you easily integrate your business data with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook®. Collaborative, Excel-based budgeting tools integrate business data across applications. You can export data to Excel to perform advanced analysis or create graphical presentations. Integration with Microsoft Outlook facilitates easy collaboration and communication via e-mail and efficient contact management. You can even create custom letters to customers, vendors, and employees using integrated mail merge features.

Powerful collaboration, networking, and data management capabilities

When you combine Microsoft Navision Standard and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, you get the tools you need to share information and processes with your employees, customers, and partners—no matter where they’re located. Without straining limited IT resources, you can provide powerful networking and collaboration capabilities that let you connect effectively with customers and suppliers and share files, schedules, and other critical business information.

For more robust data management needs, combine Microsoft Navision Standard and Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium and step up to Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000, an established database leader for small and mid-market segment businesses. Microsoft SQL Server 2000 provides sophisticated data management tools, optimal levels of server performance and reliability, and the ability to make full use of your existing software and hardware investments.

Microsoft Dynamics-Navision: Standard Version Info

Microsoft Navision Standard version consists of a subset of the functionality found in Microsoft Navision Professional and addresses core needs at a very competitive price.

It includes financial management, banking, sales, purchasing, human resources, inventory, and reporting tools. It’s for between one and ten program users, but you can always upgrade to the extended Microsoft Navision product, which can accommodate as many users as you need.

Microsoft Dynamics–Navision Standard is made for small organizations and growing companies that don’t have a lot of time to spend on their business management software.

Now your company can benefit from technology usually reserved for larger businesses. Microsoft Navision Standard frees you to focus on business. It’s a sound investment that’s fast to implement and simple to use and maintain.

Microsoft Business Solutions ‘ Navision

Brent Dirks
The CPA Technology Advisor