user – ARKSD Consultancy Private Limited

AL, BC14, BC15, BC16, BC17, BC18, Business Central, C/AL, Cumulative Updates, Dynamics 365, End of Mainstream, Extension, Information, NAV 2015, NAV 2016, NAV 2017, NAV 2018, Navision, on-premises, Online, Updates, upgrade

Comparison of BUSINESS CENTRAL AND NAV

November 30, 2022 Ashwini Tripathi

First released in 1987, acquired by Microsoft in 2002, now called Business Central, Dynamics NAV is one of Microsoft’s most prolific software packages.

After Dynamics NAV 2018, Microsoft discontinued their popular, but on-premises only, ERP solution Dynamics NAV and replaced it with Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC-13). But what is the difference between the two systems, and why should your business make the switch? Let’s take a look at Business Central vs Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV was rebranded in 2018 to Microsoft Dynamics Business Central for on-premises and private cloud versions, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for the cloud version.

At the time of writing this comparison, BC-21 is available in market.

Since 2018, Dynamics NAV is no longer available for purchase. The only businesses that can use the system are those that already held licenses. Even for those who do still hold licenses, the system no longer receives updates, meaning the software will quickly become outdated and harder to use.

Mainstream Support for Dynamics NAV versions from 2013 to 2017 has already ended, with the 2018 version losing support in January 2023. This deadline is fast approaching, so if you are currently using NAV 2018 you should begin to consider your optimal course of action going forward.

With very little time remaining before the end of Dynamics NAV Mainstream Support in January 2023, the sooner you decide on your course of action, the better.

Microsoft introduced Dynamics 365 Business Central. Business Central is a newer version of Dynamics NAV, offering the same standard functionality in a much more user-friendly way. It’s also SaaS (Software as a Service) meaning it’s accessible from anywhere, with the same security that drives Microsoft 365.

In addition to the functions carried over from Dynamics NAV, the Dynamics 365 Business Central system affords users with access to:

Integration with Microsoft 365 applications for increased productivity and streamlined data

Data connectivity and business intelligence through Microsoft Power Platform

Microsoft Azure architecture for cloud security, presence, and scale

Increased pool of third-party software integrations

Multiple deployment options for on-premises, private server, or cloud hosting

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central helps with day-to-day business processes and operations. Its capabilities include financials, stock management, purchasing and much more, all with real-time data and analytics through Power BI.

Dynamics 365 Business Central is relevant for businesses adopting flexible, hybrid, or remote working models thanks to the scalable, cloud-based architecture and integration with Microsoft 365 and Power BI tools.

It is an all-in-one solution that can be adapted for many industries including software developers, IT services, financial services, healthcare, and educational institutions.

The system also has large user bases in manufacturing, distribution, ecommerce, and retail.

Features and functions are still the same as back in the NAV days, just with a more digital-focused platform. But still differ from old days Dynamics NAV.

Most of the base code of Business Central has been adapted from NAV, and it has enhanced the rich functionality its predecessor offered, with options to deploy as an on-premises or a SaaS cloud solution.

The Dynamics 365 Business Central web client, including its sisters, the tablet and phone clients (by the way, there is no longer a Windows client) has had a makeover!

Features include new and varied fonts to highlight important information such as a headline banner on the Role Centre, a fabulous teal Role Centre with easy navigation, and interestingly capitalised field names on lists!

They are curiously small differences but really nice touches.

Design Tool it’s as good as it used to be! In fact, it’s a very smart design tool. As a ‘non-developer’ you can amend pages, add new fields and save the result as an extension.

When comparing Dynamics NAV to Business Central, you must be aware of the substantial functional upgrades and new capabilities of Dynamics 365 Business Central. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics NAV that offers several notable improvements.

You’ll see numerous benefits in your business, including agility, ability to scale quickly, mobility, lower cost of ownership, and more.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central have many similarities, but there are many differences too that make many users move from NAV to Business Central.

You can also choose to deploy Business Central as an on-premises solution if that is a better fit for your organization. However, you may then miss out on integration and cutting-edge features.

While the two systems are similar, there are key differences that make Business Central the preferred option for many businesses:

	Business Central	Dynamics Navision
	Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based ERP solution. With Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can access your data and applications anytime, anywhere, and on any device. D365 Business Central includes a comprehensive set of features and functionality. Business Central is licensed on a per-user basis. With Business Central, you only need to pay for the users who will be using the system.	Dynamics NAV is an on-premises ERP solution. Dynamics NAV requires some customization and third-party add-ons to achieve the same level of functionality. Dynamics NAV is licensed on a per-server basis. Dynamics NAV, you need to pay for the server regardless of how many users are accessing the system.
Integration	Full (All Microsoft Products)	Limited, Version Dependent
Objects	49,999 objects are free to use on cloud	Objects need to be purchased for customizations
Search Interface	Advanced, with automatic categorization, smart search (search for misspellings or imprecise terms)	Basic, possibility of data duplication
Reporting	Power BI	Limited
Deployment	Cloud (No need to maintain servers and backups) although On-Premises option also available.	On-Premises, Cost for Server maintenance and backup management.
USER INTERFACE	Web-based app Improved design Much easier to navigate. More productive platform.	Desktop-based
	Business Central interface uses AL language in the code. Offers more customization than before and helps to make extensions and upgrades much easier to manage in the long term.	Dynamics NAV using C/AL coding
	Better integration with other Microsoft products already used by many businesses, including all applications within the Microsoft Dynamics suite, like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales (CRM) and Office 365 products, such as Outlook and Excel.
	Offers more automated operations to improve productivity. Native connectivity to Microsoft’s Power Platform (e.g., Power Automate) and powerful workflows and integrations can be created, by end-users without complex coding, sometimes almost no code.
HOSTING	Business Central is a SaaS solution – sitting on Microsoft’s Azure cloud, which enables you to specify the region where your data is stored and processed. There are many benefits to SaaS solutions, * Greater security * Less risk of data loss and * Better accessibility for your team. * Cloud hosting also works alongside the new coding to make upgrades and extensions much easier to carry out.	Only On-Premises capability. Need to invest in and manage your own in-house servers.
UPGRADES	Bi-annual release Sequential upgrades, Which happen automatically. Your systems are always up to date. With the on-premises or private cloud version of Business Central, upgrades are not automatic but are still relatively simpler compared to NAV. Plus, any third-party apps or customizations you have are also designed to be compatible with each new Business Central update.	No Automatic Upgrades.
	Your business is always using the most optimised version of Business Central.	Fuss and cost of manually updating the software.
	If you are apprehensive about an update, there is an option to delay its installation for up to 90 days. However, it’s good idea to staying as up to date as possible. Updates are introduced to improve overall user experience and security.	Hotfixes & Cumulative updates to be handled on own cost.
	Business Central, the modifications are made using AL language that creates extensions – leaving the core system untouched and making upgrades a lot easier.	NAV customization was written in C/AL language and was integral to the core system. This meant upgrades were a major undertaking as the whole system needed to be reviewed and potentially redeveloped.
USER LICENSES	Dynamics 365 Business Central uses a monthly/annual subscription model and is available in either (‘Essentials’ or ‘Premium’). Charges per user, meaning fees are based on the number of simultaneous users each month. You also get an option to pay a perpetual license fee. That means you can now Business Central as an operational expense or a capital expense, whichever makes more sense for your business. It also moves from a concurrent user to a named user licensing model.	Perpetual with yearly AMC 16% in license cost. Dynamics NAV is available in Starter Pack & Extended Pack.
	Business Central users can also benefit from Single Sign On and usability across multiple devices, and across iOS, Android, and PC.
	Remote working much easier, especially as the landscape of working life is becoming a blend of office-based and home working. Flexible and cost-effective for businesses.
	Now your staff can simply log into the web app from any device to get their job done. This makes the ERP solution much more cost-effective and flexible for your business.

HOW TO TRANSITION TO BUSINESS CENTRAL

Many companies have been using Dynamics NAV for years, so Nav users may be a little wary about making the switch to Business Central. But with even more functionality than the NAV solution and with better usability, you won’t regret taking the first step.

While some Microsoft products, like Office 365, can be bought directly from Microsoft, this is not the case for Business Central. Due to the complexity of the product, Microsoft Business Central must be purchased through an approved Microsoft partner.

The Business Central trial takes a few minutes to load, and you can start using the app.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Licensing

There are two main subscription licensing options:

Business Central Essentials

Business Central Premium.

To use this ERP software, you must license one of these plans. Both plans are licensed by user and are fast to implement as well as easy to configure. There’s also a ‘Team Members‘ licensing option to add on additional users.

The difference between a full user vs. an additional user:

A full user is someone who will be working heavily within Business Central on a daily basis. These will typically be your customer service employees, sales and marketing staff, finance employees, and supply chain managers.

An additional user or team member is a ‘light user’ or users who do not require the full capabilities of Business Central. For instance, they may need to view data reports, log their expenses or time, and other such activities.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials consists of several modules that are considered essential for any business.

Modules included within Essentials:

Financial Management
Supply Chain Management
Customer Relationship Management
Project Management
Warehouse Management
Human Resources Management

Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium

The Premium license has everything in the Essentials license plus service management and manufacturing.

Modules included within Premium:

Service Management
Manufacturing
Financial Management
Supply Chain Management
Customer Relationship Management
Project Management
Warehouse Management
Human Resources Management

Corfu Navision 2016, Development Tips, How To, Information, Report, Tip & Tricks

Controlling User wise Report Print & Save As… Permission

August 18, 2016 Ashwini Tripathi

It is always asked from several users to have a control on Printing of reports from Preview.

Normally you have two options to print the Report in Navision.

From Request Page

From Print Preview

If you check document Reports you will notice that you don’t have option to Print the Report from Preview, but you can print from Request Page.

Why it doesn’t allow in such Reports?

It is because these report uses statement like:

IF NOT CurrReport.PREVIEW THEN

If the C/AL code for the report uses the PREVIEW function to disable printing from the preview, then users cannot change the display mode to print layout.

Using these option I have tried to disable Printing of Report from Request Page and Print Preview.

Add a Boolean type Field in User Setup Table & Page as shown above.

Now the report which we want to restrict from printing we will add piece of code.

Although there are other ways to do this but to keep it simple I have followed this approach. Once you are ok with logic you can implement the same in your way, in fact more better way than this sample demo.

If I run the report by setting Allow Report Printing to FALSE, it will not show me the Print & Save as Option on Preview.

Also if I Try to Print or Save As… from Request Page it will Flag me an error as above.

So now you know the logic behind it, what you are waiting for. Give your user to control the Printing & Save As… option.

Now in last Cumulative Updates also Microsoft added option to control this, but it is at Service Level, if you want to control at user Level this is one option, wait for any further Cumulative Update in which Microsoft may add this capability or explore and find any other option and share with others.

That’s all for this post. I will come up with more details in my upcoming posts.

Till then keep exploring & learning.

How To, Information, Maderia, Tip & Tricks

User Experience Settings – Madeira

April 22, 2016April 22, 2016 Ashwini Tripathi

Based on the needs of your company you can change the way all your employees experience Project “Madeira”.

Open the Company Information Page:

Experience-1

In the Company Information window, you can set the application experience that your users will have on User Experience FastTab as shown in the following screen:

Experience-2

The following table describes the impact of the experience setting:

Experience setting	Description
Basic	This is the setting to choose if you only want the bare essentials to do the bookkeeping for a smaller company. You’ll have sales quotes, order, invoices and purchase invoices for your business transactions with customers and vendors, and journals to do the finance. You’ll be able to use Project “Madeira” as your business inbox in Outlook, and you can also use services such as PayPal and Yodlee.
Basic + Relationship Management	This is the default setting for the demonstration version. It has the essential features (Basic) for you to get an idea of how Project “Madeira” works – you can do bookkeeping for a smaller company as well as doing common tasks in customer relationship management.
Suite	This is Project “Madeira” in full. You’ll have all the features offered in Project “Madeira”, in addition to Basic + Relationship Management you will get the following features: Multiple Currencies Dimensions Workflows (incl. Document Approvals) Budgets OCR service (Incoming Documents) Deferrals Recurring Journals Electronic Documents Analysis reports (G/L, Sales, Purchase, Items)

Will come up with more details in my upcoming posts.

Till Then keep exploring and Learning.

Corfu Navision 2016, How To, Information, Permission, User Group

Record Permissions and Apply Permissions Sets to User Groups in Navision 2016

October 7, 2015October 7, 2015 Ashwini Tripathi

Administrators can record new permission sets in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016.

Recording permissions is based on the code coverage functionality.

You can access the various windows and activities in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client that you want users with this permission set to access.

You must carry out the tasks that you want to record permissions for. Then, you can apply the new permission set to a group of users.

A user group is a combination of roles and users. If you want to change permissions for the user group, the changes are automatically applied to the users who are members of the group.

To help you manage permissions in Microsoft Dynamics NAV for your company, you can set up one or more user groups, add permissions sets to the groups, and then add users to the groups. You can add more than one permission set to a user group.

In the User Groups window, you can set up user groups, add and remove permissions, and you can apply changes to all or specific user groups.

If the default permission sets that are provided with Microsoft Dynamics NAV are not sufficient or not appropriate for your organization, then you can create new permission sets. If the individual object permissions that define a permission set are not adequate, then you can modify a permission set.

You can create a permission set manually, or you can record permissions by navigating in the application.

This starts a recording process that is based on the code coverage functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. You can now access the various windows and activities in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client that you want users with this permission set to access. You must carry out the tasks that you want to record permissions for.

When you want to finish the recording, return to the Permissions window, and then, on the Actions tab, choose Stop.

Choose Yes to add the recorded permissions to the new permission set, or choose No to cancel.

If you choose Yes, the objects that you accessed are added to the window. In Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016, only the objects are recorded, so you must specify if users must be able to insert, modify, or delete records in the recorded tables.

Development Tips

AccessByPermission Property – in Navision 2015

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 Ashwini Tripathi

Sets a value for a table field or UI element that determines the permission mask for an object that a user must have to see and access the related page fields or UI element in the client. The UI element will be removed at runtime if the user does not have permissions to a certain object as specified in the Access by Permission window.

Depending on the setting in the UI Elements Removal field in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration tool, only user interface (UI) elements on objects in the license or on objects that the user has permissions to will appear in the user interface.

To make full use of the LicenseFileAndUserPermissions option in the UI Elements Removal field, it is recommended that you assign the special permission set, FOUNDATION, along with the relevant permission sets that define which application objects the user will access.

The majority of the permission sets that are provided with the CRONUS demonstration database cannot be combined with the FOUNDATION permission set to fully use the UI Elements Removal feature. You must first create or edit the relevant permission sets to avoid that the user is blocked from performing the involved tasks. You must first create or edit the relevant permission sets to avoid that the user is blocked from performing the involved tasks.

If you only use the LicenseFile option in the UI Elements Removal field, then you do not have to edit any permission sets as they will not affect which UI elements are removed.

To specify when UI elements are removed

Open the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration
In the UI Elements Removal field, choose the relevant option as described in the following table.

Option	Description
None	All UI elements are displayed, even if the license file does not include the related object and the user does not have permissions to the related object.
LicenseFile	A UI element is removed if the related object is not included in the license file.
LicenseFileAndUserPermissions	A UI element is removed if the related object is not included in the license file and the user does not have permissions to the object as defined in the AccessByPermission property for the related UI element. By default, this option is selected.

When you configure user interfaces in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, you should make sure that the UI Elements Removal field is set to its default, LicenseFileAndUserPermissions, so that you only see the relevant UI elements in the Customize window.

When you develop in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, you should make sure that the UI Elements Removal field is set to its default, None, to make sure that all UI elements are visible when you review your development in the UI.

All types of UI elements will be removed if they relate to objects that are not included in the license or the user does not have the required permission to the objects:

Fields
Actions
Page parts

UI elements that are directly related to an object through the TableRelation or the CalcFormula property can be removed automatically according to the license file and/or user permissions.

For UI elements that are not directly related to an object, you can use the AccessByPermission property to remove the element according to the user’s permission to a related object

All types of UI elements will be removed if they relate to an object to which the user does not have the required permissions:

Fields on pages, including FactBoxes

Actions on pages, including toolbars and navigation panes

Page parts, such as Lines FastTabs

Note

To use this property, the UI Elements Removal field in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration tool must be set to LicenseFile or LicenseFileAndUserPermissions.

This Property Applies To

Fields in tables (affecting all related fields on pages)

Fields on pages

Actions on pages

MenuSuite items

Page parts, such as a Lines FastTab

Property Value

When you choose the AssistEdit button, the Access By Permission window opens. Fill the fields as described in the following table.

Field	Description
Object Type	Specify the type of object to which permission is required to display the UI element.
Object ID	Specify the object to which permission is required to display the UI element.
Read	Specify if Read permission is required to display the UI element.
or Insert	Specify if Insert permission is required to display the UI element.
or Modify	Specify if Modify permission is required to display the UI element.
or Delete	Specify if Delete permission is required to display the UI element.
or Execute	Specify if Execute permission is required to display the UI element.

Note

If multiple permissions are selected, then one or the other applies.

Example: Remove the Unit Price field if the user does not have permission to the Sales Price table

Open table 27, Item Card, with the Table Designer.

View the properties of field 18, Unit Price.

For the AccessByPermission property, choose the AssistEdit button in the Value field.

In the Access By Permission window, fill the fields as described in the following table.

Field	Description
Object Type	TableData
Object ID	Sales Price
Read	Select
Insert	Select
Modify	Leave blank
Delete	Leave blank
Execute	Leave blank

Close the Access By Permission window and save the changes on table 27.

All instances of the Unit Price field on pages are now removed if the user does have Read or Insert permission to the Sales Price table.

Important

If you defined the property for a table field, then all instances of the field on pages are removed. To override the property on an individual page field, delete the permission value after the = sign in the Value field. Do NOT delete the whole string as that will be replicated on the property of the table field.

Note

To use the LicenseFileAndUserPermissions option in the UI Elements Removal field, you must assign the special FOUNDATION permission set to the user along with the relevant application permission sets that define which application objects the user will access. Unlike the BASIC permission set, the FOUNDATION permission set only grants access to application setup and system tables and requires that other assigned permission sets define which specific application objects can be accessed.

Not all of the 167 default permission sets that are provided with Microsoft Dynamics NAV are ready to support the FOUNDATION permission set to remove UI elements according to user permissions. You must therefore edit the relevant permission sets as explained in the following procedures.

To experience how UI elements are removed for a user performing the task to create and edit a new customer, you can create a sample user interface based on default permission sets provided with Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Special Permission Sets

The following permission sets have special definitions that you should be aware of as you implement permissions and security for Microsoft Dynamics NAV users.

Permission set	Definition
SUPER	Can read, use, update, and delete all data and all application objects in the scope of your license. Microsoft Dynamics NAV requires that at least one user be assigned this permission set in each database. You cannot modify permissions for the SUPER permission set.
SUPER (DATA)	Can read, use, update, and delete all data. You typically assign this permission set to an accounting manager who needs to work with all data but does not need to change Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This permission set does not give access to the Object Designer.
SECURITY	Can create new users and assign them the same permission sets. Must be able to access the User, User Property, Permission Set, and Access Control tables. For example, you can create a SECURITY permission set that includes the four required tables and any additional permissions that you want to include. You can then assign this permission set to a user who is a department administrator. This user can then administer permissions for other users in their department. Only a user who has the SUPER permission set can create and modify a SECURITY permission set. Users who have this permission set can assign the same permissions to other users, but they cannot assign themselves the SUPER permission set.
BASIC	Grants Read access to almost all application tables and all system tables. The main purpose of this permission set is to enable the client to open and show all pages. When you create a new database, you must import the BASIC permission set from an XML file.
FOUNDATION	A prerequisite for all other permission sets. The FOUNDATION permission set grants access to system tables and application setup tables that are required for most application features to work. Note This permission set is recommended when using the UI Elements Removal feature to automatically remove UI elements according to user permissions.

Report

The New Report Scheduling feature for end users running reports in Microsoft Dynamics Navision 2015

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015 Ashwini Tripathi

The new Report Scheduling feature for end users running reports:

End user can schedule reports for later execution.
User can get to his next task quicker.
User has an inbox part for viewing the scheduled reports.

A. Setting up the job queue to run a report

My Customer needs to run a number of long running reports and does not want to wait for them to complete.

The scenario is simplified because a typical customer setup would involve setting up a NAS instance to process the reports.

* Open the Job Queues page.

* On the Home tab, in the New group, choose New to set up a new job queue

* In the Code field, type Reports.

* Fill in the Description field My Report Schedule.

* Leave the Job Queue Category Filter field blank.

* On the Home tab, in the Process group, choose Start Job Queue.

* Close the Job Queue Card

A job queue with no filter runs the reports.

In many customer installations, the reports will be picked up by the DEFAULT job queue

B. Adding the Report Inbox to the Role Center

My Customer wants easy access to the reports that he has scheduled, so he adds the Report Inbox part to the Role Center page.

* To open the Role Center page that you want to customize, in the navigation pane, choose the Home button, then choose the Role Center menu item.

* On the Application menu , choose Customize, and then Customize This Page.

* In the Available Parts pane, select Report Inbox, and then choose the Add button.

* To move the Report Inbox part to top of the second column in the Role Center layout pane, select it and then use the Move buttons.

* (Optional) To add the My Job Queue to the Role Center, in the Available Parts pane, select My Job Queue, and then choose the Add button.

* (Optional) To move the My Job Queue part below the Report Inbox in the Role Center layout pane, select it and then use the Move buttons.

* Verify that the Report Inbox appears in the Role Center.

C.Scheduling a report and viewing the result

* On the Role Center, on the Report tab, choose Customer Order – Summary.

* On the report request window, choose the Print button, and then choose Schedule

* In the Schedule a Report window that appears, in the Description field type a different text.

* In the Report Output Type field, select the down arrow, and choose PDF.

* Choose the OK button.

* Go to the Report Inbox on the Role Center and show that the report appears when it is finished running.

* To view the report, select it in the Report Inbox, and then choose Show.

D. When a scheduled report fails

* Open the Role Center.

* On the Application menu , choose Customize, and then Customize This Page.

* In the Available Parts pane, select My Job Queue, and then choose the Add button.

* To move the My Job Queue part below the Report Inbox in the Role Center layout pane, select it and then use the Move buttons

* In the Role Center, go to the My Job Queue part.

We have already done above step in above steps. Let’s continue with next step. If not already done follow the steps as defined above.

* On the Role Center, on the Reports tab, choose Price List.

* In the Sales Type field select Customer.

* To schedule the report to run later, choose the Print button, then select Schedule.

* In the Schedule a Report window, leave the default values in fields and choose the OK button.

* When the error shows up in the My Job Queue part, select the error, and then choose Show Error.

* Read the error message, and then choose the OK button to close it.

* Open the Job Queue Log Entries page.

* Filter the list to display entries whose Status is Error.

* To view the error message, point to the Error message field for the entry, or, select the entry, and then on the Home tab, choose Show Error Message.

* Return to the Role Center, and then run the Price List report again.

* On the report request window, set the Sales Type field to All Customers, choose Print, and then choose Schedule.

* In the Schedule a Report window, leave the default values in fields and choose the OK button.

* In the Report Inbox on the Role Center, view the completed report.

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To specify when UI elements are removed

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