1. James Crowter MVP for Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Upgrade Best Practise (Or at least things to think about)
James Crowter
MVP for Microsoft Dynamics

2. Agenda
Microsoft’s Release Strategy Should you Upgrade? What benefits will you get? What has to happen? Handling Customisations Extensions & Scripts Testing, Deployment and Training Data Migration Summary
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3. Microsoft’s Release Strategy
Consistently releasing new versions every October
2013
2013R2
2015
2016
Codename Madeira (2017?)
Consistently releasing new updates every month
Cumulative Update 1 to 24
Only for current version and last version
Support question for partners is ‘which CU are you on?’
Agile Development producing consistent results
3 week development cycles
We have v13 of Madeira to preview already
Its why the roadmap is so short – they only know the next three weeks for definate
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4. What does this mean for customers?
You need to either to be able to upgrade frequently and easily or stay exactly where you are and wait till you have to
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5. Why should you upgrade Latest and best capability & functionality
From Microsoft and the ISV add on partners
Better Support
Recourse to Microsoft
More skills at a higher level
Speed of releases means its difficult to keep track
Protection against Regulatory Change
Mandatory changes might force a ‘Year 2000’ situation
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6. BREXIT – which way will it go?
But if we did vote to leave?
Sudden introduction of tariffs/duties/export & import documentation?
Would the EC VAT list be the same?
What extra reporting would be introduced?
Electronic VAT Reporting
You’ve had RTI around payroll
When will we get detailed electronic VAT submissions?
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7. How do you know what you will get extra?
Great tool at
compare/nav/default.html
V4 to 2016
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8. The bonus from Microsoft
New licencing from 2013 means you get ‘everything’
Forced to upgrade you licence to new ‘Perpetual Licence’
Only option other than users is Extended Pack
You get this if you have any granules which it included
Must have had the granule for 12 months +
Review your licence now to remove what you don’t need
Saves you annual fees forever!
Especially remove what’s obsolete
Must have removed it 12 months before you upgrade to perpetual
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9. Where you are now affects what it will take
Effort to Upgrade
Reports & Documents 4 5
2009 Classic
2009 RTC
2013
2013 R2
2015
2016
2017
Dynamics NAV Version
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10. Reports have changed Change from Navision’s report writer to Microsoft
Start report layouts again in either
Report Definition Language Clientside (RDLC)
Word Layout
Most reports need RDLC to work effectively
Word has issues with batch production e.g. page numbers & breaks
Rewriting reports and document layouts can be significant proportion
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11. Report upgrade strategy
Work out the one’s you actually use/need
Add a report production tracker to your current system
Use enquiries/role centres/mobile clients rather than reports
See if tools like PowerBI are more flexible and accessible
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12. START AGAIN or SIMPLY UpGRADE
Do you take all your customisations or do you start from standard
Upgrade – transition your object set to NAV.Next
Reimplement – decide what to want to take and what you want to lose
For rapid annual upgrade you need to get to a ‘Upgradeable’ state rather than having ‘technical debt’ in your system
Tidy up now – review what you use and delete what you don’t
Be strategic rather than reactive – don’t customise for the short term
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13. Identify what else you have customised
Object manager modified ‘should’ give you a start point
What do you still use?
What was a one-off report/backup/use that’s still in there?
What can you simply export and import?
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14. Understanding your object set
CFMD Solutions
Export/Update & Import
99,000,000 to
99,009,999
Standard Objects
Merge
CFMD Solutions
ISV Solutions
Export/Update & Import
Company Specifics
50,000 to 99,999
1 to 49,999
Standard Objects
Merge
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15. Buy don’t build Using a CFMD solution means there is an upgrade path
Upgrading a CFMD solution should be minutes & pain free
Significant user base means you share the costs & benefits
This is what you pay your annual maintenance for!
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16. 2016 has changed the game again
Not all CFMD solutions are same!
New Extensions capability mean zero changes to standard objects
In 2016 not all add-ons can be extensions
In Madeira much less excuse
You should strongly preference CFMD Extension solutions
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17. Why are Extensions a game changer?
Just what each company needs
Less complication
Install & Uninstall quickly
Standard NAV 1
Company A 2
Company B 3
Company C 4
Company D
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18. Script Compliant Upgrades
You need to be able to upgrade with a script rather than a developer
If your modifications are done in the right way we can
Make as little changes to standard code as possible
Call a function rather than insert lots of code
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19. Not like this
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20. More like this
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21. Script Upgrade Process Part 1
Your Current Version with no Modifications
Object
Sets
Your Modified Objects
Difference Delta
No Modifications
Your Modifications
Just the Changes
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22. Script Upgrade Process Part 2
Difference Delta
Object
Sets
New Version
Your New NAV
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23. Automated Testing
How can Microsoft produce a new version every three weeks?
17,000 automated ‘unit tests’
Setup the data, run the process and check the result
Via a script, no user interaction needed
Useful after customisation to check what been broken
Set it going and forget (about 2 hours)
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24. Training Much less for users that are experienced in NAV
The ‘grumble zone’ – three to eight weeks
Three months and they will prefer
Its much easier to learn & use
Consider creating online training for ongoing use
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25. Deployment Web client verses Full Client
Mostly web client but watch for flowfilters
Make sure you setup SSL certificate protected external URL
Phone client (you will not live without after a week)
PowerBI content pack
Convenience
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26. Data Migration Don’t confuse data clean up with upgrade
Space is cheap – easiest policy is to keep it and filter it out
If you want to clean up then do it now
The standard process for migrating data are excessively slow (poor design)
The V2009 to NAV.Now process will need at least one test
The 2015 to 2016 process is easier, the CU process in non-existant
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27. Summary You need an update not a upgrade!
Get to a position where you can update
At least annually
With a few hours effort
Treat it like a tax return
Buy don’t build
Extensions are your friend
Ask your existing ISV’s when they will be an extension?
Don’t buy new solutions unless they at least commit to an extension roadmap
If you have to build
Make sure its done in an easily upgradable way, ask at build design time
Do you really need things which get in the way of updating
Ask for a fixed annual cost to deliver upgrade
Welcome to the new world of Dynamics NAV
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28. Any more questions please?
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