Dynamics 2013

Business Central/NAV User Forum
1

The company I work for purchased Navision 2009 and recently upgraded to Dynamics 2013.

The purchase is part of a new project that includes a website that will launch very soon. The project was outsourced.

The questions I have so far are;

  1. What programming language is Dynamics 2013 based on?

  2. If the company decides to purchase the developers license, which one do we need?

  3. Do we need the source code as well?

  4. The goal is to later on customize or add features to the program based on specific needs.

Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated.

D

2

Welcome to DUG

NAV uses C/AL Language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/AL

Source code is already available in NAV Development Environment,you can access with proper license

3

I assume that you mean you upgraded from Dynamics NAV 2009 to Dynamics NAV 2013? Microsoft officially stopped using the name Navision in 2005. Since then Microsoft Dynamics has been used for all Microsoft’s ERP/CRM systems. There is also a Dynamics GP 2013 an a Dynamics CRM 2013.

The platform/core of Dynamics NAV is developed using C#. But the code used in the actual application objects (tables, reports, pages etc.) which are developed in the integrated development environment (C/SIDE) is Navision’s own application language called C/AL. This is a development syntax based on Pascal.

NAV 2013 is based on the same language as NAV 2009.

You can buy the Application Builder license, which allows you to develop new modules and change existing. Except the protected tables (posting entry tables etc.). To modify those or any code updating them you also need the Solution Developer license.

All application code for Dynamics NAV is always included. But accessible based on your license.

Ok.

I have worked with NAV for 22+ years. And so far I have only meet a good hand-full of companies who have actually purchased the full development system. And unless you’re also going to hiring multiple NAV developers, then I would not recommend this. The price alone is one important reason. But I have also seen examples on end-users who thought they could easily do their development themselves and how wrong it could go. A company’s ERP system is the heart of the company and if the system suddenly doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, then you could get big problems. Another consequence of in-house development done by none NAV developers, is often that upgrades becomes next to impossible, because they have not followed best practice for how to develop with upgrades in the mind.

Instead find a partner who you trust, or hire an experienced NAV freelancer who can act as your in-house resource.

4

Thank you for your prompt response.

D

5

Erik,

Thanks for your prompt response.

As I stated on my first post I’m new to NAV but I’m actually very interested in becoming a NAV developer.

I have some programming experience and I would like to learn this language to advance my career.

Where should I start? What would be your suggestions as far as training?

Again, thank you for taking the time to reply to this post.

D

6

Hi D,

I would suggest that you start by reading my blog posts on how to become a great NAV developer.

7

Hello,

in the discussion of licencing:

We are a NAV Solution Developper and we have build several verticalisations on 8xxxxxx objects on NAV2009, NAV2013 and NAV2013R2. Some of our clients also have their proper developpers to build custom web services etc…so we sell them an Application Developper licence.

For these clienst, can we order a Application Developper licence from Microsoft, which also alows them access to our 8xxxxxx objects ?

Many thanks.

8

First, to clarify, there is no such thing as a “developer’s license”. Customers can have developer granules added to their license, but they are not given a separate “developer license”.

In terms of access, a customer will have access to those portions of the program for which they are licensed.