A full ERP system designed by Microsoft. Formerly Navision.
Dynamics NAV is an ERP product developed by Microsoft for small and mid-market companies. The solution offers product functionality covering financial management, supply chain management, manufacturing, project management, and service management.
While Dynamics NAV is still sold and supported by most resellers, Microsoft has been directing new software buyers to consider their Dynamics 365 suite. With the October '18 release, Dynamics NAV transitions to Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises.
Since Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central share the same code base, the transition for customers from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Business Central is as seamless as another Dynamics NAV upgrade.
Dynamics NAV is the most popular solution among the line of Microsoft Dynamics ERP products and has a global install base over 100,000. The product’s strong multi-language and multi-currency capabilities make it a frequent choice for companies conducting business in multiple countries.
Both on-premises and cloud deployment options are available for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The product offers multiple client-side software options including Windows OS, browser-based, and mobile support. Additionally, base program functionality can be extended via custom solution configuration and an extensive network of certified add-on products.
Dynamics NAV is an ERP program that provides financial management, supply chain, project management, service, and CRM capabilities.
For a more detailed view of solution support for typical ERP capabilities, check out the Dynamics NAV functionality checklist.
Dynamics NAV is targeted toward the small to mid-market segment and has costs typical of ERP solutions designed for this market.
The cost of Dynamics NAV can vary significantly and depends on which functionality is licensed, user counts, hosting requirements, active discounts & promotions, implementation requirements, and support needs.
67.6% of software buyers who consider Dynamics NAV will have an estimated targeted 3 year spending range in the tens of thousands of dollars (USD). More.
The primary two licensing options are via Microsoft’s Perpetual Licensing (for purchased, on-premises or 3rd party hosted deployments) or via Subscription Licensing (for SaaS, hosted deployments).
Dynamics NAV can be purchased for variable user counts. Additionally, customers wishing to expand on the functionality provided in the Dynamics NAV Starter Pack have the option to purchase the Extended Pack. More.
Dynamics NAV provides functional support for companies in a wide variety of industries.
The most common industry classification for users of Dynamics NAV include: Manufacturing (20.3%), Distribution (16.2%), and Professional Services (15.7%). More.
Dynamics NAV is designed for small and mid-market companies.
Navision was the original name of the product now known as Dynamics NAV. Microsoft no longer uses the brand name “Navision” in its official marketing material for the solution.
Dynamics 365 Business Edition is powered in large part by Dynamics NAV technology, but is a separate product that has requires independent licensing.
Microsoft offers five separate ERP products in their Dynamics line: Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics SL, Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition, and Dynamics 365 Business Edition.
Dynamics NAV is oriented toward mid-market businesses. Its multi-language and multi-currency capabilities make it a popular choice for companies conducting international business.
Dynamics GP targets mid-market and small businesses. While the product can scale to support larger organizations, it is a frequent choice for growing companies looking to replace an entry-level accounting solution with broader departmental functionality and more advanced features.
Dynamics SL offers extensive project accounting and project management capabilities, making it a strong choice for many professional services and construction/contracting companies.
Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition is a highly customizable, Tier 1 ERP solution designed specifically for enterprise level companies. It includes all functionality formerly available from Microsoft under the Dynamics AX product brand.
Dynamics 365 Business Edition is a cloud-based management software platform designed for companies between 10-250 employees.
Dynamics NAV is available as a cloud-based option, hosted on the Microsoft Azure hosting platform. Remote users can access full Dynamics NAV functionality via Terminal Services, or via An HTML5 web client.
Dynamics NAV is designed to run on Windows based client operating systems. However, the web client can be used by users on any device type (regardless of OS) so long as a supported browser and Internet connection is available.
Dynamics NAV does not run as a Mac native client application. However, Mac workstations set up for Terminal Services or Windows virtualization can run Dynamics NAV. Additionally, Mac users also have the option to use the browser-based web client for Dynamics NAV.
Microsoft offers direct tech support for their products in multiple service level offerings. Additionally, an extensive network of authorized Dynamics NAV providers is available to provide in-depth implementation and solution consulting support. More.
Dynamics NAV offers a variety of default user configuration options throughout the full range of its functional capabilities.
Users seeking to further customize the product can purchase the Application Builder and Solution Developer (both available a la carte).
Additionally, a wide variety of authorized solution providers are available to provide solution customization services.
There is an active community of Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) developing 3rd party applications to augment Dynamics NAV. An extensive table identifying popular add-on applications for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is available below.
Dynamics NAV is an ERP program that provides financial management, supply chain, project management, service, and CRM capabilities.
The following checklist provides an overview of Dynamics NAV support for common functionality typically sought in ERP solutions.
Functionality | Support | Note |
---|---|---|
Accounts Payable | Yes | Payment prioritization; invoice & PO association; aging reports by due, posting, or document date |
Accounts Receivable | Yes | With or without sale order invoicing; penalty/discount management; batch payment reminders |
Equipment Management | Partial | Basic asset management included; full 3rd party CMMS options available |
Bank Reconciliation | Yes | Bank statement import; automated stement to account ledger entry matching; guided reconciliation |
Benefits Management | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Bill of Materials | Yes | Assembly & production BOMs; material quantity comparison; BOM item exhance support |
Billing | Yes | Electronic invoicing; installment billing; job suggested billing; credit card processing |
Budgeting | Yes | Budget from historical GL entries; budget export/import; multi-period variance reporting |
Business Intelligence | Yes | Budgeting; account schedule KPIs; dimensional data analysis; Excel export/import; analysis templates; XBRL support |
Cash Flow Management | Yes | Automatic payment reconciliation; bank fund withdrawal/deposit; bank transfers |
Commissions Management | Partial | Basic commissions management provided; 3rd party add-ons available for advanced commissions management |
Credit Card Processing | Yes | Enrollment with Payment Services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP required |
Customer Relationship Management | Partial | Service management included; additional CRM available via Microsoft Dynamics 365 offerings |
eCommerce | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
EDI | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Employee Records | Yes | Employee contract management; employee history tracking; absence regiestering |
Estimating | Yes | Estimated usage and costs; estimated invoicing contracts; job usage and estimate comparison |
Field Service Management | Yes | Schedule service calls; track repair parts & supplies; assign personnel based on skill & availability |
Fixed Asset Tracking | Yes | Asset class, department, & location tracking; asset insurance tracking; multiple valuation schedules |
Fund Accounting | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Fundraising Management | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
General Ledger | Yes | Reverse journal postings; multiple-currency; XML file export; reconciliation; intercompany transfers |
Human Resources | Partial | Employee records; absence management; payroll, benefits management, hiring available in 3rd party add-ons |
Inventory Control | Yes | Physical or cycle counting; lot numbers; serial numbers; multiple costing methods |
Job Costing | Yes | Cost definition and allocation management; job cost adjustment accounts |
Manufacturing Execution System | Yes | Production order management; capacity management; material issuing; resource scheduling |
Material Requirements Planning | Yes | Demand prediction and production forecasts; regenerative planning; PO & production action message control |
Payroll | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Point of Sale | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Bank Reconciliation | Yes | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Project Management | Yes | Resource & capacity management; time tracking; task/step definition |
Purchasing | Yes | Blanket purchase orders; receiving & cross-docking; purchase codes; supplier management |
Quotes | Yes | Sales quotes; sales quote to sales order conversion |
Recruitment and Talent Management | No | Microsoft certified 3rd party add-on software available |
Sales Forecasting | Yes | Location, customer, & project sales forecasts |
Sales Order Management | Yes | Quote to sales order conversion; partial shipments; batch posting |
Time Tracking | Yes | Job & order time assignment; time sheet approvals management |
Warehouse Management (Advanced) | Yes | Warehouse set-up; workflow definition; pick & put-away management |
Work Order Management | Yes | Contract integration; service quote to order conversion; service order resource allocation |
Dynamics NAV is a popular ERP option across a variety of company industry types. The following chart details the proportion of Dynamics NAV reviews within individual industry classifications.
The pricing for Dynamics NAV can be highly variable depending on the needs of the individual company licensing the software. Pricing factors include the extent of the licensed functionality, user count, hosting needs, and implementation and on-going support requirements.
The following chart displays a breakdown of estimated maximum spending ranges reported by software buyers who recently reviewed Dynamics NAV as a purchase option.
Dynamics NAV can be purchased and licensed through a network of authorized solution providers.
There are two licensing model options available for Dynamics NAV: Perpetual and Subscription.
Under the Perpetual License model, the software is owned rather than leased. Perpetual License buyers can deploy the software on-premises or choose to host the software with a 3rd party hosting services provider and access it remotely.
The base Perpetual Licensing option allows three users to access the software at the same time. Microsoft refers to these user licenses as “full concurrent client access licenses” or “full concurrent CALs.” It’s important to note that the three licenses provided with the base Perpetual Licensing option are “concurrent” user licenses. What this means is that a business running Dynamics NAV under this licensing arrangement can set up more user accounts than three, but only three users will be allowed to access the software at the same time. Additional “CALs” can be purchased to remove the limitation of three concurrent users.
There are two difference access levels available for licenses, which offer varying levels of user privilege. “Full” user licenses offer unrestricted access to the software. “Limited” user license provide full “read” privileges, but limit “write” access to “self-serve” employee specific information. “Self-serve” users have access only to personalized data. Administrators of the software can additionally choose to limit functionality for any user type.
Perpetual Licensing is available for both the Dynamics NAV Starter Pack and the Dynamics NAV Extended Pack.
Under the Subscription License the software is leased rather than owned. Subscription Licensing entails a cloud-based deployment, where a Microsoft-certified partner hosts the software on their server and provides access via remote access software. The Subscription License is a monthly license.
Microsoft refers to the licenses under the Subscription Licensing option as “Subscriber Access Licenses” or “SALs.” A “Standard User” SAL provides full system access. “Limited User” SALs have decreased system access, primarily providing “read” access to the software. User licenses are purchased on an individual basis. Microsoft provides one additional Full SAL free of cost for a 3rd party accountant/bookkeeper and one for the Microsoft-certified partner hosting the software.
Subscription licensing is available for both the Dynamics NAV Starter Pack and Extended Pack.
Microsoft directly offers three support plans: the Enhancement Plan, the Advantage Plan, and the Advantage Plus Plan.
Each Microsoft support plan provides access to product release, service pack, and tax and regulatory updates. Additionally, supported customers can access unlimited online training from predeveloped resources and access to CustomerSource which is a collection of “relevant documentation, videos, solutions to known issues, and links to related resources.”
The Advantage Plan offers an additional level of support beyond the Enhancement Plan, which is the most basic of the support options. The Advantage Plan includes six annual electronic or telephone support incidents.
Customers seeking unlimited unlimited electronic or telephone support can upgrade to the Advantage Plus Plan.
Dynamics NAV is also supported by a network of “value-added resellers” (VARs). VARs offer in-depth support services including consulting, implementation support, and product optimization services.
Dynamics NAV supports a high degree of customization through configuration and personalization options, which do not require programming changes. “Personalization” refers to changes which can be enacted directly by end-users. Configuration refers to changes which can be implemented by system administrators and business managers.
Companies requiring a higher degree of customization can extend the functionality of Dynamics NAV through programming customization and integration with 3rd party add-on products.
Customers seeking the ability to deeply customize the software can gain additional customization capabilities by licensing the “Application Builder” and “Solution Developer” components>
The following is a list of some of the most popular 3rd party add-on products designed to augment the functionality of Dynamics NAV.
Product | Developer | Functionality |
---|---|---|
Absolute Value - Demand Planning and Replenishment | Absolute Value | Supply chain management |
Advanced Job Management for Microsoft Dynamics NAV | To-Increase | Manufacturing management |
Anytime Collect | e2b teknologies | Accounts receivable |
AvaTax | Avalara | Sales Tax Management |
bcEDI | Beck Consulting | EDI |
bcFood | Beck Consulting | Food manufacturing management |
bcPacknShip | Beck Consulting | Shipping management |
ClickBase | ClickBase Corporation | Business intelligence |
EQM Rental Solution | Armada Dynamics | Rental management |
EQM Rental Solution | Armada Dynamics | Rental management |
Full Circle Budget | Full Circle Budget | Budgeting |
HighJump TrueCommerce EDI Solutions | HighJump Software | EDI |
Job Manager | Cost Control Software | Job cost |
Journyx Timesheet | Journyx | Time tracking |
k-eCommerce for Microsoft Dynamics | k-eCommerce | eCommerce |
KwikTag Document Management | ImageTag | Document management |
Manufacturing Integration | To-Increase | Production management |
Manufacturing Plus for Microsoft Dynamics NAV | Cost Control Software | Manufacturing management |
NC Cube | NAVAX | Business intelligence |
Quality Management for Dynamics NAV | To-Increase | Quality management |
RenovoFYI | Renovo Corporation | Business intelligence |
Resource Management | To-Increase | Scheduling |
Sana Commerce for Microsoft Dynamics | Sana Commerce | eCommerce |
Serenic HCM | Serenic | Human resources |
Serenic Navigator | Serenic | Non-profit management |
Sparkrock Manage | Sparkrock | Non-profit, HR, payroll, employee scheduling |
Service Integration | To-Increase | Service management |
Targit Business Intelligence | Targit | Business intelligence |
TRIMIT Fashion | TRIMIT | Business management/eCommerce |
TRIMIT Furniture | TRIMIT | Business management/eCommerce |
Vantage Point Supply Chain EDI | Data Masons | EDI |
Vivid Reports FLEX | Vivid Reports | Business intelligence |
Zap Business Intelligence for Microsoft Dynamics NAV | ZAP | Business intelligence |
One of the strengths of the Dynamics NAV product is its support of a variety of user platforms. Dynamics NAV supports the following clients:
Dynamics NAV began as a multi-user client/server account application called Navision. Navision was originally produced by the Danish software developer PC&C A/S, which was founded in 1987.
In 2002, Microsoft purchased Navision. The product was renamed Microsoft Dynamics NAV in 2005. The current version of Dynamics NAV is Dynamics NAV 2017.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV helps you gain business insight, make faster smarter decisions, and equip your employees to contribute to your growth. Modules include:
Business Analytics Advanced - Advanced windows viewer enables easy analysis and includes a report writer, a web interface, and the possibility of simple data mining.
Business Analytics Base Functionality - Analyze data from different application areas within Microsoft Dynamics NAV. View data measures of your choice across dimensional models. This granule includes a set of forms for configuration of dimensions and measures. A configuration engine configures Data Transformation Services (DTS) packages for data transfer and configures schema for datamart tables and OLAP cubes. You can view and analyze data with Excel by connecting Excel to the OLAP cubes. The Microsoft FRx and Forecaster components are available to Canada and United States customer locations with Canada and United States licenses.
Create bills of materials (BOMs). Break down finished goods into BOMs, which describe constructions, packaging details, and other products always sold together. Set up BOMs in the item table with a BOM description specifying items, resources, quantities, and so on.
You can batch jobs for calculating the direct unit cost of the BOM. This granule also supports the building of kits, individual items that are grouped or packaged together to create a special, single item. BOMs for kits can be defined and assigned to items. Kits can be built and disassembled using the BOM Journal.
Bank Account Management Manage an unlimited number of bank accounts in both local and foreign currencies.
Bank Reconciliation Reconcile your bank accounts in Microsoft Dynamics NAV with your statements. Apply amounts from your bank account ledger to the reconciliation form and keep track of all bank statements.
Check Writing Generate printed checks with unique number series for each bank account. You can also void or reprint an already printed check, and specify on the journal line whether you want this payment to be made with a computer or a manual check.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV gives you the power to improve your customer relationship success to increase your productivity, make well-informed decisions; and sharpen your competitive edge. Modules include:
Campaign Management - Organize campaigns based on segments of your contacts that you define. Define segments based on specific criteria, such as sales, contact profiles, and interactions, and reuse existing segments or segmentation criteria. Use the Merge feature in Word (or send other file formats) to communicate with the contacts in your segment. To send a document to people of different nationalities in their nativelanguage, use Campaign Management with Interaction/Document Management.
Contact Classification - Sort your contacts into categories, and automatically classify your customers based on criteria you specify. For example, you can see the program group contacts in terms of revenue. Use this information to target contacts for your campaigns. Divide your customers into ABC segments and even use this granule for rating (assign the weights of two questions to identify the value of a third question).
Contact Management - Maintain an overview of your contacts, and personalize your approach to them. Record your contact information for all business relationships. This granule is tightly integrated with the Sales and Receivables application area. You can also:
"Specify the individual people related to each contact. " Get an automatic alert if you enter contact information that already exists with the duplicate check function. " Get a precise view of prospects and customers by categorizing your contacts based on profiling questions. " Issue quotes to prospects or create sales documents for specific contacts if you have Sales Order Management.
Content Search - Search for all information related to a specific contact–for example, an opportunity, an address, or comments about this contact. Find information even when you don’t know the correct spelling of a contact’s name.
Interaction/Document Management - Record all the interactions that you have with your contacts–for example, telephone calls, meetings, or letters. Attach documents to interactions (Word, Excel, or .txt files). You can also automatically record other interactions–for example, all Microsoft Dynamics NAV documents that you send to your contacts, like sales orders or quotes, can be logged and retrieved at a later time. By using TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface) compliant telecom devices, you can call a contact by clicking a button on the electronic contact card.
Mail Logging for Microsoft Exchange Server - Log all email correspondence. Log inbound and outbound email sent through Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Microsoft Outlook®, and set up the program to log automatically or manually in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The solution is server-based and requires Microsoft Exchange Server (version 5.5, SP 4 or later) in order for you to keep email messages in their natural environment to ease administration.
Opportunity Management - Keep track of sales opportunities. Section your sales processes into different stages, and use this information to get an overview of and manage your sales opportunities.
Task Management - Organize the tasks related to your sales and marketing activities. Create to-do lists for yourself and assign tasks to other users or teams of users. Automatically create recurring to-do items and activities consisting of several to-do items.
Basic Fixed Assets - Keep track of fixed assets such as buildings, machinery, and equipment. You can also post various fixed-asset transactions: acquisitions, depreciation, write-downs, appreciation, and disposal. For each fixed asset, you set up depreciation books in which the methods and other conditions used for calculating depreciation are defined. You can set up an unlimited number of depreciation books to satisfy legal requirements, and for tax and internal accounting purposes. This granule is well suited for international companies that need to use many depreciation methods.
Fixed Asset Allocations - Allocate different percentages of fixed asset transactions, such as acquisition cost and depreciation, to different departments or projects by using allocation keys. Useful for when several departments share a fixed asset.
Reclassification - Reclassify a fixed asset or part of a fixed asset–for example, from one department to another. You can split one fixed asset into several fixed assets, or combine several fixed assets into one fixed asset. When you need to dispose of one part of a fixed asset, you can split it into two assets and then dispose of the appropriate one.
Centralize your company’s accounting information, posting specifications, and other core data efficiently. Work efficiently in a multiple-user environment, explore the most up-to-date financial data, and work according to your needs–for example, by choosing whether an amount is shown per day, week, month, quarter, year, or accounting period.
Discover opportunities and motivate employees to do more and to learn more. You can access the financial information you need to spot trends and gain insight into your business activities. You can capitalize on your knowledge of how your business works by discovering opportunities, which otherwise might have been difficult to spot.
Create all the necessary documents (including sales and purchase documents and general ledger entries) for the entire workflow of intercompany transactions between any two companies within a group controlled by the same legal entity.
Efficiently manage your company’s human resources. Group and track relevant employee information and organize employee data according to different types of information, such as experience, skills, education, training, and union membership. Store personal information, track job openings in your organization, and extract a list of candidates for these positions. Keep track of benefits and company items such as keys, credit cards, computers, and cars. Easily record all types of absences in units of measure that you define, and attach alternative addresses and relatives’ names to employees
Analysis Reports Provide company decision-makers, especially those with overall responsibility for sales, purchases, and product portfolio management, with an efficient and flexible way to get meaningful information out of the system to inform day-to-day decisions. Built on item entries, this granule provides a customizable, analytic view that enables people to add and combine analysis objects–customers, items, and vendors–according to their needs. You can:
Alternative Vendors Manage purchase of the same items from several different vendors. Create alternative vendors and price information for inventory items. Useful for when a company has several possible vendors for the same items.
Basic Inventory Keep track of items and prices. Set up each item and post item transactions in journals. This granule includes the Microsoft Dynamics NAV item tables, item entries, and item journals. Integrated with General Ledger and with the posting processes in Sales and Receivables and Purchase and Payables, this granule is required for the configuration of all other Inventory granules.
Bill of Materials Create bills of materials (BOMs). Break down finished goods into BOMs, which describe constructions, packaging details, and other products always sold together. Set up BOMs in the item table with a BOM description specifying items, resources, quantities, and so on. You can batch jobs for calculating the direct unit cost of the BOM. This granule also supports the building of kits, individual items that are grouped or packaged together to create a special, single item. BOMs for kits can be defined and assigned to items. Kits can be built and disassembled using the BOM Journal.
Bin Organize your warehouse by assigning items to bins, the smallest unit in the warehouse logical structure. Bin assignment is done as the item journals or directly on the document lines (does not apply to order lines).
Cycle Counting Manage cycle counting, a basic method of verifying inventory record data used to maintain and increase inventory accuracy. Set up cycle counting on the item or SKU level.
Item Budgets Make sales and purchase budgets on the customer, vendor, and item levels, and in both amounts and quantities. Prepare and record a sales budget that can serve as input to decision-makers in other operational areas, such as purchasing and logistics. Decision-makers gain information about future expected demand they can use for business discussions with the customers. After budgets are made, track the actual sales performance by means of calculating the variance. The ability to move budgeted figures between the system and Excel provides additional flexibility to the budgeting process.
Item Cross References Quickly and precisely identify the items a customer is ordering on the basis of item numbers other than your own. Cross-reference information from customers, vendors, and manufacturers, as well as generic numbers, universal product codes (UPCs), and European article numbers (EANs) that can be stored and easily accessed.
Kitting In addition to the kitting features included in the Bills of Materials granule, kits can be added to sales orders, managed using item tracking, reserved, and created using instant production. Orders, pick tickets, packing slips, and invoices can display kit details. Additional reporting is also provided for kit margins and availability calculations.
Standard Cost Worksheet Efficiently review and update standard costs with this worksheet. The standard cost worksheet provides a company’s controllers with a reliable and efficient way to maintain accurate and up-to-date inventory costs. Work with standard cost updates the same way you work with an Excel spreadsheet but within the framework of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Because it provides an overview of the current standard costs, the worksheet is a convenient place to prepare for a cost update without the changes having an immediate effect in the system. Using the worksheet, you can:
Production of Bill of Materials Create bills of materials and calculate standard cost. Required for configuration of all other Manufacturing granules.
Production Orders Create and manage production orders, and post consumption and output to the production orders. After you have created a production order, you can calculate net requirements based on that production order. Production Orders includes a manual supply planning tool as an alternative to automatic planning. The Order Planning window provides the visibility and tools you need to manually plan for demand from sales lines and then to create different types of supply orders directly.
Agile manufacturing functionality is only available with the Advanced Management edition.
Agile Manufacturing This granule enables you to run Agile Manufacturing, Supply Planning, and Capacity Planning granules.
Version Management Create and manage different versions of the manufacturing bill of materials and routings. You must purchase the Basic Capacity Planning granule before you can set up multiple versions of routings.
Basic Supply Planning Plan material requirements based on demand with support for master production scheduling and materials requirements planning. Includes:
Basic Capacity Planning Add capacities (work centers) to the manufacturing process. Set up routings and use these routings on production orders and in material requirements planning. View loads and the task list for the capacities.
Finite Loading (only available with Advanced Management edition) - Manage finite loading of capacity-constraint resources. Make more reliable plans by taking capacity constraints into account so that no more work is assigned to a work center than the capacities can be expected to execute during a given time period. Used with the Order Promising granule, Finite Loading also enables the system to calculate capable-to-promise (CTP).
Machine Centers (only available with Advanced Management edition) - Add machine centers as capacities to the manufacturing process.
Production Schedule View production orders and capacity loading in an integrated, graphical Gantt chart. Reschedule operations by dragging and dropping in a graphical interface to update the related production order data. This granule does not provide new scheduling functionality. Instead, it enables you to use a graphical interface for tasks otherwise done in tabular form in routings, task lists, load windows, and so on. By consolidating existing data and functions for capacity planning and scheduling in one graphical interface, this granule provides an improved overview and simplifies use for different user roles. This granule is targeted at smaller manufacturing companies, so it does not support the more advanced capacity planning features such as Finite Loading, and it is best suited for a limited amount of concurrent production orders.
Manage multiple currencies throughout the system, including payables and receivables, general ledger reports, resource and inventory items, and bank accounts (when integrated with the Cash Management granules). With Multiple Currencies, you can:
At payment, gains/losses are realized, and corresponding postings are made in the general ledger. If you use an additional reporting currency in the general ledger, the Exchange Rate Adjustment option also adjusts the general ledger according to your setup for each general ledger account.
Post and print vendor invoices and purchase credit memos with Purchase Invoicing, which is fully integrated with General Ledger and Inventory.
Standard Purchases - Set up standard purchase document lines for a vendor, including quantities, to minimize the data entry required for those vendors with whom you make standard repetitive purchases, orders, invoices, and more. These standard lines can be automatically inserted into a new order or invoice and then edited as needed.
You can set up any number of invoice discount terms, for which you define a certain minimum amount, discount percentage and/or a service charge depending on the size of the invoice. You can do this in both local currency and in foreign currencies. The discount is calculated on the individual purchase document lines and becomes part of the net sum of the invoice.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV helps you profitably manage resources, budgets and jobs or projects. Modules include:
Keep track of usage on jobs and data for invoicing the customer. Manage both fixed-price jobs and time-and-materials jobs.
You can also:
Keep track of resources and prices. Register and sell resources, combine related resources into one resource group, or track individual resources. Divide resources into labor and equipment and allocate resources to a specific job in a time schedule.
Capacity Management Plan capacity and sales, and manage usage statistics and profitability of resources. Create your plan in a calendar system with the level of detail and for the period of time that you need. Also monitor resource usage and get a complete overview of your capacity for each resource with information about availability and planned costs on orders and quotes.
Multiple Costs Manage alternative costs for resources and resource groups. The costs can be fixed or based on an additional percentage or an additional fixed charge. Define as many work types as you need.
Set up, post, and print purchase invoices and purchase credit memos. This granule is integrated with General Ledger and Inventory.
Calculate invoice discounts automatically. The discount can differ from vendor to vendor with different minimum amounts (also in different currencies) and different rates, depending on the size of the invoice. The discount is calculated on the individual item lines and becomes part of the net sum of the invoice.
Work with vendor-specific purchase discounts (the percentage that the vendor will give as a discount). With a line discount, you negotiate the percentage discount that the vendor will give.
Work with purchase prices that are vendor-specific (the prices negotiated with the vendor). With a purchase price, you negotiate the actual prices with the vendor.
Manage purchase quotes, blanket orders, and purchase order processes. Creating a purchase order differs from creating a purchase invoice directly. The quantity available is adjusted as soon as an amount is entered on a purchase order line, but it is not affected by a purchase invoice until the invoice is posted. Use this granule to:
Create a purchase return order in order to compensate your own company for wrong or damaged items. Items can then be picked from the purchase return order. You can set up partial return shipments or combine return shipments in one credit memo and link purchase return orders with replacement purchase orders.
Automate the requisition process. Generate suggested purchases based on a variety of data, such as minimum and maximum quantities and reorder quantities.
Sales Invoicing is fully integrated with General Ledger and Inventory, so you can post and print customer invoices and sales credit memos.
You can set up any number of invoice discount terms, for which you define a certain minimum amount, discount percentage and/or a service charge depending on the size of the invoice. You can do this in both local currency and in foreign currencies. The discount is calculated on the individual sales document lines and becomes part of the net sum of the invoice.
Send statements or reminders to customers with overdue balances. You can specify a range of criteria, for example, when to send reminders to customers, how many reminders should be sent and whether they should vary in character, interest and additional fee amounts, and which currency should be used. Reminders can be created manually or by the program.
Define an unlimited number of finance charge terms, for example, interest rates, grace periods, minimum amounts, currency and so on. Finance charge memos can be created manually or by the program.
Calculate availability and delivery dates. Find out if it is possible to deliver on a particular date, or calculate a possible delivery date based on lead time or production time if you have no inventory available.
Set up, post, and print customer invoices and sales credit memos. This granule is fully integrated with General Ledger and Inventory.
Calculate invoice discounts automatically. Set up any number of invoice discount terms, including a certain minimum amount, discount percentage, and/or a service charge. The discount is calculated on the individual item lines and becomes part of the net sum of theinvoice. Calculations can be done in both local and foreign currencies.
Work with customer discounts that are either customer-specific or customer-group-specific so you can share a discount among several customers. Negotiate the discount percentage for each customer or customer discount group.
Work with sales prices that are either customer-specific or customer-group-specific so that you can share a price among several customers. Negotiate the actual prices with the customer or customer price group.
Work with sales prices and sales line discounts connected with specific campaigns. After you have activated the prices/discounts, any customer or contact related to a company currently in a segment associated with a given campaign can access the price/discount associated with that campaign. Prices are valid for the life of the campaign or until you decide to deactivate them. When you create a sales document or service order, the campaign price/discount is included among the pricing reductions available when Microsoft Dynamics NAV chooses the price to retrieve on the line.
Manage sales quotes, blanket sales orders, and sales order processes. Setting up an invoice directly differs from setting up a sales order in which the quantity available is adjusted as soon as an amount is entered on a sales order line. Quantity available is not affected by an invoice until the invoice is posted. Use the Sales Order Management granule to:
This granule enables you to create a sales return order, so you can compensate a customer for wrong or damaged items. Items can be received against the sales return order. Create a partial return receipt or combine return receipts on one credit memo. Link sales return orders with replacement sales orders.
Set up multiple shipping agents (for example, UPS, DHL, external carriers, or your own carrier) and relate their services (express, overnight, standard) with shipping time. Use this granule with sales orders and transfer orders.
The following functionality is only available in the Advanced Management edition:
BRL Service Management This provides all the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Service Management granules in one package at a very attractive price for easy configuration with new Business Ready Licensing packages only. It includes Service Order Management, Service Price Management, Service Item Management, Service Contract Management, and Planning and Dispatching.
Planning and Dispatching Assign personnel to work orders. Log details such as work order handling and work order status. For dispatching, manage service personnel and field technician information and filter according to availability, skills, and stock items. Gain an overview of service task prioritization, service loads, and task escalations.
Service Contract Management Set up an agreement with the customer concerning the service level to be delivered. With this granule, you can:
Service Item Management Record and keep track of all your service items, including contract information, component management, and BOM reference and warranty information. Use the Trendscape Analysis feature to view key performance indicators on the service item in a given time frame.
Service Order Management Register your after-sales issues including service requests, services due, service orders, and repair requests. Service requests can be initiated by the customer or created automatically according to the terms in your service agreement. Data can be entered in the service orders by a call center employee or by your repair shop. You can also use this granule to register impromptu or one-off service orders. Register and manage equipment loaned to customers. Get a complete history of your service orders and service order quotes through the Service Order Log.
Service Price Management Set up, maintain, and monitor your service prices. Set up price groups based on different criteria–such as the service item (or several item groups), the service task involved, or the type of fault–for a limited period of time, or for a specific customer or currency. Define price calculation structures that include all parameters involved in providing service–for example, the parts used, the different work types, and the service charges. The system automatically assigns the correct price structure to the service orders that match the service price group criteria. You can also assign fixed prices, minimum prices, or maximum prices to service price groups and view statistics about the profitability of each service price group.
Alternate Ship-Tos Set up ship-to addresses for a specific customer when the customer has multiple invoicing and ship-to addresses.
Basic Receivables Set up and maintain the customer table. Post sales transactions in journals and manage receivables; register customers and manage receivables using general journals. Together with Multiple Currencies, this granule can post sales transactions and manage receivables in multiple currencies for each customer. Basic Receivables is integrated with Basic General Ledger and Inventory and is required for the configuration of all other Sales and Receivables granules. Sales Invoicing is also frequently used with this granule. Always use this granule when your solution requires a customer table.
Calendars Set up calendars with working and non-working days. Assign a base calendar to customers, vendors, locations, companies, shipping agent services, and the service management setup–and make changes to each as necessary. Calendar entries will be used in date calculations on sales orders, purchase orders, transfer orders, production orders, service orders, and requisition and planning worksheets.
Campaign Pricing Work with sales prices and sales line discounts connected with specific campaigns. After you have activated the prices/discounts, any customer or contact related to a company currently in a segment associated with a given campaign can access the price/discount associated with that campaign. Prices are valid for the life of the campaign or until you decide to deactivate them. When you create a sales document or service order, the campaign price/discount is included among the pricing reductions available when Microsoft Dynamics NAV chooses the price to retrieve on the line.
Order Promising Calculate availability and delivery dates. Find out if it is possible to deliver on a particular date, or calculate a possible delivery date based on lead time or production time if you have no inventory available.
Sales Invoicing Set up, post, and print customer invoices and sales credit memos. This granule is fully integrated with General Ledger and Inventory.
Sales Invoice Discounts Calculate invoice discounts automatically. Set up any number of invoice discount terms, including a certain minimum amount, discount percentage, and/or a service charge. The discount is calculated on the individual item lines and becomes part of the net sum of the invoice. Calculations can be done in both local and foreign currencies.
Sales Order Management Manage sales quotes, blanket sales orders, and sales order processes. Setting up an invoice directly differs from setting up a sales order in which the quantity available is adjusted as soon as an amount is entered on a sales order line. Quantity available is not affected by an invoice until the invoice is posted. Use the Sales Order Management granule to:
This application is only available with the Advanced Management edition and includes:
Automated Data Capture System Capture data automatically. Keep data accurate, even in a hectic environment. Uses Application Server and supports some of the workflows in Warehouse Management Systems that enables warehouse automation.
Bin Setup Easily set up and maintain your bins by defining both the layout of your warehouse and dimensions of your racks, columns, and shelves; set up and maintain your planning parameters by defining the limitations and characteristics of each bin.
Internal Picks and Put-aways Create pick and put-away orders for internal purposes, without using a source document (such as a purchase order or a sales order). For example, pick items for testing or put away production output.
Warehouse Management Systems Manage items on a bin level. Receive and put away items in a bin; pick items from a bin according to a put-away template; and pick items based on the zone and bin ranking. Move items between bins using a report for optimizing the space usage and the picking process or move items manually. Warehouse instruction documents are created for the pick and put-away process, which can be carried out for sales, purchase, transfers, returns, and production orders. Service Orders is not included. To effectively use this granule, it is recommended that you also purchase the Put Away, Warehouse Receipt, Pick, and Warehouse Shipment granules.
I don’t like the lack of reporting capabilities, my people have issues with it on a daily basis
So far we are blown away with the system’s ability and hope for big things with it.
It does a lot of stuff. We are still learning. It is somewhat flexible.
It’s modern compared to our old software. It’s somewhat customizable which kind of helps.
The contacts are not as smooth as we would have liked. It’s a bit cumbersome.
It is a very very complicated software tool. Laymen will have a hard time understanding its modules. We have been using the system for 5 years already and until now still not familiar with it. At times, processing and posting of data takes forever. Support for this system is very expensive.
Consolidated reports.
I think navigation of this system should be simplified, i believe most people using this system are not IT experts.
NAV is a very good product that does all the basics very well but is not the most feature rich software you will find. Depending on the industry you are in you may need to find additional add-on solutions or customize the software to meet all of your requirements. Don’t make assumptions about what it will do. Don’t be fooled by other software that does seem to have all the features but can’t actually do the basics (accounting) well. Be very careful about believing that you can implement it on your own, or with very little help. Most organizations can’t and even if you can, there is no substitute for experience with the software.
It is logically and consistently designed throughout all functional areas. It does most things very well. It is a very good system that has been getting even better the past few years. If you take the time to learn it well, you will be rewarded.
Microsoft has spent a lot of time in the last few years modernizing the technology and creating the RTC (role tailored client). Their RTC attempt with NAV2009 was an epic fail but NAV2013R2 and NAV2015 are much, much better. They need to focus more on adding functionality that is currently missing as well as fixing bugs that were fixed in the past and then re-introduced with a new version.
We have used Navision since 2002 and our old version was at the end of its life and needed to be replaced. In the naive belief that upgrading to Nav 2103 was likely to be simpler, quicker, cheaper and easier for existing users to convert to than installing a brand new system, we chose Nav 2013. It was a BIG MISTAKE. The software is so much more complicated (unnecessarily). It lacks many of the features of the old system that made it flexible and easy to use. It is not intuitive and screens and menus are poorly laid out and cluttered. Information is very difficult to find. There are many more key strokes required for most actitivies with the result that productivity has gone backwards after a significant investment of time and money.
Very little
Search functionality needs to revert back to the simplicity and power of ‘old Navision’. There needs to be the option of old style menus that were so much easier to use than the role tailored ones. The main window should be made different from all subsequent windows so that it’s difficult to accidentally close it and the rest of the Nav 2013 session. (Thick client programmes take ages to re-load). Some useful out of the box reports would be good too although this has been a long standing criticism of Navision not just Nav2013.
It is a great tool for SMUs because it is so flexible, inexpensive, and easy to get started with. Once you realize how it works you get ideas how you could improve your efficiency with it continuously. It saves so much time for us that we find it is worth every dollar.
flexible inexpensive full company solution easy implementation improvement tool intuitive user interface full MS Office integration
for the setup of some more advanced functions you need a service provider to help you. Licensing and Servicing models are cumbersome in some areas.
We just basically use the general ledger feature.
We had a local reseller who is helping with implementation. The reporting was much better than some of the others that we have seen. I would say the overall package had a very good look and feel to it. We also liked it’s built in interface with other solutions.
Right now we are at the configuration of it so it’s proving to be difficult to do that but I think that just goes along with the complexity of it.
it has taken us a lot of time to understand the program but now we are more confident in it
we have found the detail provided in reports very useful especially using dimensions.
Setting up our documents such as invoices and statements has been really difficult and we are still not happy with them
Integrates easily with Excel. Takes a LOT of programming to make it work in the traditional GL accounting system approach. It wants to be one size fits all.
Easy to export or copy to Excel. Good drill down capability.
Missing a lot of expected abilities. It doesn’t import canceled checks for the bank recon module. Although the “dimensions” aspect is sold as a plus, it actually causes a lot of pitfalls for the unwary. Bank recons couldn’t be done because of dimensions.
Financial statements are awful. Even after you know how to program financial statements, underlines print even though there are no numbers to underline. Incredible amount of custom programming is required to get useful reports.
It’s a sophisticated accounting system geared to the small or large corporation that has complex accounting needs.
It’s flexible and adaptable.
Very poor documentation
Very difficult to use. A guide on how to use would help
Once set up it is great and complete
Need a lot of tech help at 150 per hour in addition to purchase price. Est extra cost at $100,000