Overhaul for Dynamics NAV

Dynamics NAV 2009, which shipped in Dec. 2008, delivers a technical overhaul and new user interface (UI) for Microsoft’s most popular enterprise resource planning (ERP) application. Although the release is short on new business functionality, customers get a major UI and architecture overhaul, which improve the product’s usability and make it more secure and stable. However, the scope of changes introduced in the release could complicate upgrades—at the very least, customers and partners will need to transform custom Dynamics NAV forms, code, and reports to work with the new versions, and retrain workers on the new UI.

Lead ERP Application for Midsize Companies

Dynamics NAV is the most widely deployed of Microsoft’s ERP products, which also include Dynamics AX, GP, and SL. The product has about 70,000 customers, most of which are midsize manufacturing or distribution companies.

Functionally, the product supports common back-office operations, including financial accounting and reporting, supply chain management, human resources management, and project management and accounting. It also supports front office operations such as sales, marketing, and customer service with features that overlap with those of Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM customer relationship management application.