Microsoft Navision Customization Upgrade - Tips For Programmer/IT Specialist

Currently Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way of creating so-called suites: Microsoft Financials, Microsoft Distributions, Microsoft HR, Microsoft Manufacturing. It is very difficult to say which product will be the core of which suite, but the best guess is this: Microsoft Great Plains - Microsoft Financials and probably Distribution/Supply Chain Management and HR, Solomon - Microsoft Project or Professional Services, Navision - Microsoft Manufacturing. If you have Microsoft Business Solutions Navision and support it for your company then you need to know some technical details about Navision version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of C/SIDE customization or Jet Reports.

The challenge of Navision Upgrade This should be understood by both: software developer and company executive.

• One Dictionary - in contract to such product as Microsoft Great Plains, where customization goes into separate dictionary - Navision customization sits in the same dictionary. This means that when new version is out there - the customization should be re-analyzed and moved from the old dictionary to the new. If you remember the history - Navision actually merged several dictionaries couple of versions back - this was very tough time for customization upgrade
• SQL Server side - from this side upgrade is smooth, because Navision doesn't use complex SQL functionality and SQL Server itself is rather data storage.

Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases

• You have C/SIDE customization or any customization for your Navision
• You have a lot of custom Jet Reports
• Your Navision has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
• You don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade