Changing from a One Database/Many Company structure to a One Database/Many Division structure

Hi. First of all we are on NAV2009 R2 using the Classic Client. Our current installation has one database with many separate companies. Each company has its own chart of accounts, but vendors,customers, and items are maintained in a “corporate” company and users in our other companies can “pull” the vendors/customers/items into theirs. We are contemplating moving to a single database where the companies in the old setup would not be divsions controlled by dimensions. We currently are using Jet Enterprise and Essentials and will be using Management Reporter down the road. Can any of you comment on the pitfalls/advantages of this move? Thanks

Welcome to DUG!!!

IS you have created Divisions/department as company in single database ?

Hi Howard,

Not really sure I understand your current setup. Nor what you’re trying to change it to.

You write: “Our current installation has one database with many separate companies. Each company has its own chart of accounts, but vendors,customers, and items are maintained in a “corporate” company and users in our other companies can “pull” the vendors/customers/items into their”

And then “We are contemplating moving to a single database where the companies in the old setup would not be divsions controlled by dimensions.”

So what is the difference?

Thanks Erik and Amol for the replies. Since the time I posted my horrible description of our situation the solution became clearer. We need to remain in our current layout of NAV2009 with one database with multiple companies in it. Our partner pointed out that if we move to a one database/one company layout, we would experience numerous table/record locking that would essentially make our system unusable.

One Database / One Company would make system unusable ?

Its like having one mobile with one SIM in it, so how would the mobile be unusable.

If the mobile was having two SIM then it might be unusable.

Hi Howard,

Your partner is correct! Imagine that each of your companies have e.x. 50 users and that you have 6 companies. That’s a total of 300 users. And if you have 300 users accessing the same tables at the same time then you will start to experience some locking. Whereas if they are accessing NAV through separate companies then there will never be more than 50 uses accessing the same tables.

Now you didn’t say if these companies were in the same country of if they were in different countries. That’s also of some importance. In one company you cannot have different setups for VAT etc. So another reason for not having it as one company/one database.

Finally it’s always best practice to separate legal entities in their own companies in NAV. Even if you separate them with the use of dimensions, then you’ll have to customizations for basically all reports, to be able to e.x. print legal documents.

So in that way your current solution is much better. There are many ways to handle the “master” customer/vendors/items, and there are even add-ons which can do most of it for you.