About

Microsoft Dynamics NAV is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software product from Microsoft.

The product is part of the Microsoft Dynamics family, and intended to assist with finance, manufacturing, customer relationship management, supply chains, analytics and electronic commerce for small and medium-sized enterprises. VARs can have full access to the business logic source code, and it has a reputation as being easy to customize.

The company was founded in 1984 in Denmark as PC&C ApS (Personal Computing and Consulting).

In 2000, Navision Software A/S merged with fellow Danish firm Damgaard A/S (founded 1983) to form NavisionDamgard A/S. Later the name was changed to Navision A/S.

On 11 July 2002 Microsoft bought Navision A/S to go with its previous acquisition of Great Plains. The new division in Microsoft was named Microsoft Business Solutions and also included Microsoft CRM.

In September 2005 Microsoft rebranded the product and re-released it as Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

The product itself has gone through several name changes as the original Navision company or Microsoft has tried to decide on how it should be marketed. The names "Navision Financials", "Navision Attain", "Microsoft Business Solutions Navision Edition", and the current (2007) "Microsoft Dynamics NAV" have all been used to refer to this product.

Features

As of 2006, NAV is licensed using the "Business Ready License" (BRL) model. The customer purchases user sessions, which have access to certain parts of the system included. There are two types of user - Business Essentials (BE) and Advanced Management (AM); AM provides access to more functionality than BE. Under the previous licensing model, "Module Based License" (MBL), users came with no functionality - this all had to be bought separately. Microsoft offers a path for customers to transition from MBL to BRL licensing.

The product gives administrators the option of using either a native database server (now called 'Classic') or Microsoft SQL Server, as the DBMS. SQL is better able to cope with large database sizes, but requires more maintenance than the classic database.

Future

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, with new role-based GUI, is currently expected to be released around November 2008. Microsoft originally planned to develop an entirely new ERP system (Project green), but has decided to continue development of all ERP systems (Dynamics AX, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP and Dynamics SL). All four ERP systems will be launched with the same new role based user interface, SQL based reporting and analysis, SharePoint based portal, Pocket PC based mobile clients and integration with Microsoft Office.

5 Ways Microsoft Dynamics NAV Helps You Focus on Your Business

1) Microsoft Navision connects your entire business.
You can use Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision to replace as much or as little of your existing system as necessary. You choose from application areas for financial management, manufacturing, distribution, customer relationship management, and e-business. You only pay for what you use.

2) It lets you run your business the way you want.
Microsoft Business Systems Solutions will tailor the software to meet your exact needs. Navision Info a Microsoft Certified Navision Solution Center works closely with you using our proven methodology and tools. Together, you map out your business processes and identify your competitive strengths.

3) You get quick answers about your business.
Every time a transaction is posted—anywhere within the system—all customer, vendor, account, and item totals are given in real time. 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.Watch a Demo that shows how Microsoft Navision helps you discover financial opportunities you didn't know existed.

4) You get more out of customer relationships.
All your business information—customer, product, inventory, sales—is integrated, so you can make better decisions. You know which accounts need your immediate attention, and which can wait. And you can target your sales and marketing campaigns based on specific criteria, such as sales, contact profiles, and previous interactions.

5) It helps you master change.
Information is transparent, whether you use Microsoft Navision to manage the back office, the warehouse, or the shop floor. If a customer calls to change his order in the last minute, for example, you can check the production status, and adjust plans immediately from the sales order.

Links

• Microsoft Dynamics NAV homepage
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly Microsoft Navision) - Product Overview
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV - Product Demos
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV edition and licensing information
• Microsoft Dynamics products presentation
• Dynamics User Group
• Mibuso.com
• Navision Freak's Blog
  

Downloads

• Microsoft Business Solutions Navision Overview Brochure
• Microsoft Business Solutions Navision Standard Overall Factsheet