Why Navision??

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roshan2010 Posted: 03-20-2007 4:59

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We have a number of tools that can be used for developing ERP. What r the biggest advantages of using Navision rather than the other products, what makes it unique and why one should use navision to develop ERP?? 

-Roshan

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Nuno Maia replied on 03-20-2007 5:21

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I think you are viewing the problem from a wrong angle. Assuming that you are an end user, you should find an ERP that fits your needs.

Navision it’s a great ERP, one of the strongest point are the numerous add-ons for vertical areas and its great customization tool.

"Tools that can be used for developing ERP" - You are not talking about building a custom ERP?

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Erik P. Ernst replied on 03-21-2007 7:13

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roshan2010:

We have a number of tools that can be used for developing ERP. What r the biggest advantages of using Navision rather than the other products, what makes it unique and why one should use navision to develop ERP?? 

It's an interesting question you ask. But I will start asking you a few questions in reply:

• What are you planning to "develop"?
• You say you have a number of tools you can use to develop ERP?
• Which tools?
• What ERP solution is used by your company today?
• Are you planning to put in a new ERP solution? Or just new development tools?

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roshan2010 replied on 03-23-2007 3:22

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I have just started a training for Navision. I mean I am completely new to Navision. What I see is all we do in Navision is simply programming (maybe 'coz 'm at the surface level). The same kind of programming can be done in other languages and the same kind of application(ERP) can be build in other languages too, I suppose. Could you please enlighten me, why we use Navision for building ERP though the same kind of ERP can be built with other languages like Visual Basic, vb.net etc. Please show me a right path if I've made any mistake in understanding Navision.

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David Singleton replied on 03-23-2007 5:49

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roshan2010:

I have just started a training for Navision. I mean I am completely new to Navision. What I see is all we do in Navision is simply programming (maybe 'coz 'm at the surface level). The same kind of programming can be done in other languages and the same kind of application(ERP) can be build in other languages too, I suppose. Could you please enlighten me, why we use Navision for building ERP though the same kind of ERP can be built with other languages like Visual Basic, vb.net etc. Please show me a right path if I've made any mistake in understanding Navision.

I think you have missed the concept completely. VB, C++, Pascal, these are programming languages, they define the structure of code you write to create a computer program. Visual Studio is a development environment that allows you to develop projects using the languages, plus many other tools.

But ERP is an actual product that you use to manage your business. When you talk about ERP, you talk about Items and Customers, and Invoices and Production Schedules. It has nothing to do with programming and development. As ERP goes, Navision is a finished product, that also has a number of tools to allow you to customize the actual product it self to "personalize" it to your specific needs. This is done with a tool called C/SIDE. This is not really a programming language as such.

 
 I am not sure if you are a computer programmer that wants to understand ERP, or if you are a company that needs to use an ERP system to run your company. Compare it to the job of a motor mechanic that fixes your car, and a racing car driver that drives the car. They work in similar areas, but they are not the same job.

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Erik P. Ernst replied on 03-23-2007 12:41

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Very good answer David. But I think have a little different situation here. I think Roshan is asking a different question. I think he is working in a company already using Navision (Dynamics NAV) and now they have asked him to use Navision to solve an issue in the business that requires a new "application". And he's now asking why he should use Navision C/AL in a to him rather unknown development environment C/SIDE. When instead he could use Visual Studio with ex VB or C++ in a development environment he knows and master completely. And since he knows that Navision is also build upon a standard database  like SQL Server, which he easily could write an application to. So why should he use Navision?

So I will try to answer that question. 

I think the answer is rather easy, if you list the pro's and con's of the two options:

Visual Studio Pro's:

• Well known and a IDE he knows and masters
• No licensing fees (except SQL client access license and a Navision web client session if his application interfaces directly with the Navision SQL database or he's using a commercial add-in to his VS application)

Visual Studio Con's:

• Rather proprietary code. If he's no longer in the company and company no longer has an internal developer, then it would very difficult for another company to support.
  
• Compiled code, needs to be installed on all client PC's. And every time he is modifying his solution it means reinstallation on the client PC's. And that means higher costs.
  
• If not using the Navision SQL database to save licensing fees, then he must also remember to backup this additional database
  

Navision Pro's:

• Solution fully integrated with other ERP / business management solutions in the company.
• One database to backup and administer (lower costs)
• No requirement for extra interfaces (lower cost not to developer and adminster)
• A C/SIDE not requirering him to install additional applications on the client PC's, except the users who are not already using Navision. But even in that case it would be easier, as the company most likely already have a well described and well known policy for. And that means lower costs in administering updates in the future.
• Open code written with C/SIDE means a large pool of freelance developers and resellers who easily "take-over" his application and continue to support and maintain it if he's no longer in the company. And that means a lot in security for the business.
• Once he's the gets familiar with C/SIDE it's quick and very easy to create new "applications" within. He get a ton of build-in functionality which he would have to do "manually" in VS, like user administration, directly integrated with the rest of the company's business management applications (ERP) and no need for additional backups. And it's even easier to do modifications as he doesn't have to install the application directly on the client pc's as they are automatically updated.
• If the users are already familiar with Navision and using it for other "applications", then the learning curve will be very little. And even if they are not using Navision, then they will learn it very quickly do to the simplicity in the design of the GUI in Navision.
  

Navision Con's:

• A to him unknown environment
  
• The licensing cost (rather last costs unless the users of his new application are already users of Navision in which case he only needs to buy the additional objects (tables, forms, codeunits, reports, dataports and xmlports).
  

And properly there are even more pro's and cons' (it would be funny to hear them though).

But I think that the picture is very clear. In the long term there is no doubt in my mind. Of cause he should use Navision.  

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mfeirman replied on 06-25-2007 7:25

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I am new to Navision and am asking a similar question - Why Navision??? My company merged with another 2 years ago and currently both are working on Navison, but different versions (one is on 3.01b an done is on 3.6). So I want to bring everyone on to the same system andupgrade versions. well, if that is the case, why stay with Navision.

From my research, it seems that Navision is great for manufacturing and distribution companies, where inventory is a big concern. My company is a financila services firm, and we really only need a strong g/l, A/P, Fixed assets package. from what I have seen, Navision is lacking here. One of my biggest complaints is the intercompany functionality. I do not want to "sell" goods between comapnies. I just want to pay a bill from a central bill paying entity and allocate costs across multiple companies.

What are people's opinions about the core g/l fuinctionality with NAV? If you were only to use the g/l piece of the system, would you still use NAV or look elsewhere (Oracle, SAP, etc???).

I appreciate any and all comments.

Thanks,

Mark