March 2009

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Developer and IT Pro Help

by Vjekoslav Babic on March 31, 2009

image I’m not sure about you, but I’ve missed last week’s update to this free download from Microsoft Download Center: Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Developer and IT Pro Help.

Published in December 2008, this set of help files and guidelines contains valuable information for developers and IT professionals about development, debugging, installation, security and similar best practices.

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Tip: Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 code page validation

by Vjekoslav Babic on March 31, 2009

image This is bazillionth time that I’ve encountered this issue, so I’ve decided to post a solution to it. If you live in a country which doesn’t have Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 localized version yet, you might have tried installing the W1 (worldwide, English, non-localized) version. Did it work out?

If you install the NAV 2009 W1 version on a system with regional settings not matching the demo database code page (in W1 it’s Latin_1_General_CS_AS) the installation goes smoothly, but the attempt at running the RoleTailored client fails.

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Interview: Zoran Šegić, MBS Lead, Croatia

by Vjekoslav Babic on March 31, 2009

Zoran Šegić, MBS Lead, Microsoft CroatiaUsually I do not write about local Croatian affairs, but this particular occasion and this particular topic deserve an exception.

As a part of Microsoft Dynamics promotion campaign in Croatia, Zoran Šegić, Microsoft Business Solution Lead in Microsoft’s Croatian subsidiary, has given an interview for eBizMags, a Croatian e-business blog/portal.

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Liquidity, Cost Accounting and Kitting

by Vjekoslav Babic on March 30, 2009

It’s hardly any news for the lucky 21 countries which have had them by default for about two years, but for other 18 which haven’t, there is an alarmingly low awareness about three interesting NAV functionalities: Liquidity, Cost Accounting and Kitting.

These three have been named Local Functionality, which means they are a part of a localized version in some of the countries. For other countries, this functionality is not available by default, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be licensed or implemented for customers in other countries as well.

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Natural selection: death of dataports

by Vjekoslav Babic on March 26, 2009

image It’s the survival of the fittest game, that stuff that happened to the dataports. You know dataports? That class of NAV objects that’s used to move data back and forth in text format?

It’s really funny what has been going on with them lately. They evolved, then degenerated. Today, they are an endangered species. A release or two, and they might be gone for good. Just like dinosaurs.

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My book on Safari Books Online

March 24, 2009

Yesterday, my and my friend Dave’s book Implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 has been made available on Safari Books Online. Safari Books Online is the world’s premier on-demand digital library for technology and business professionals, and it delivers the books in digital form on subscription basis from most renowned publishers, including O’Reilly, Prentice Hall, Addison-Wesley, [...]

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History of Microsoft Dynamics NAV

March 24, 2009

This was a part of Chapter 1 in the first draft of my book Implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. It was cut to keep page count down and preserve the environment, but I figure that a few electrons pushed through the optical labyrinths of The Internet won’t hurt anyone, so here you get it, in [...]

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5th rule of agile ERP: interface where possible

March 23, 2009

One of the biggest absurdities about ERP systems springs from the very word we use so often when describing ERP: integrated. ERP is an integrated system: it integrates all data and processes into a single application. Different modules look over different aspects of data and processes, but a change in one module automatically reflects in [...]

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4th rule of agile ERP: avoid heavy customizations

March 20, 2009

You can’t avoid customizations. Vanilla ERP is a great first step, and a valuable tool for establishing common language between the customer and the consultant. But in the long run? Probably not. Pristine uncustomized ERP won’t be sufficient, because of the gaps between your way and ERP’s way. Sooner or later, gaps will have to [...]

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3rd rule of agile ERP: focus on value

March 19, 2009

- “We need a report which groups our sales by product components.” – “And we need it broken down by cost centers.” – “And it must show comparison with last month, quarter and year, and with budget and forecast, with indexes and trends. In linear regression.” – “And it must let you choose if it [...]

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2nd rule of agile ERP: deploy gradually

March 18, 2009

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Swallowing it all at once might be tempting as it has all the potential you need to get into the next edition of Guinness World Records. Likewise, trying it with an ERP implementation has all the potential you need to get into to the [...]

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