If you want to start learning Navision at a technical level, then the first step is to learn two things. 1/ The data structure, 2/ The functionality. Although you will be tempted, aviod looking at or taouching code at all costs. Programming/coding is a trivial part of Navsion, but still, its very easy to get caught up in it at the begining, and many potential developers do so, and thus never learn Navision, and never become great developers. Be prepared to open the Table designer, and just start scanning through tables, looking at links (preferably do this with F6, NOT by looking at field properties), and reviewing data. Functioanlity, you should make the effort to run every function you can find. Start at the sales menu, and one by one, open each and every form, and try each and every function. If the function does not work, find out what you need to setup to make it work, but try everything. To start with, concentrate on GL, Inventory, Sales and Purchasing, get those understood first. Once you have a good idea of how Navision works, test your self. I suggest the following test for all those that think they know Navision, and be honest, don’t cheat. Open or Create a new Navision Database from the Install CD. In this database, delete all companies. Yes delete all company data. And for the rest of the test, DON’T open Cronus on another DB, thats just cheating. Now in this new completely empty Database, create a new company, and in that company do the following. Create 10 or so Items, Customer and Vendors. Purchase a few of each item from various vendors, Sell Items to various customers, Purchase Office supplies and pay salaries using Purchasing and GL Journals, Receive Payments from customers, Pay Vendors, Also throw in some vendor and customer credits or returns, Spread all the transactions over a year, Close the financial year Create and Print out a Trial Balance, Balance Sheet, and Profit Loss statements, and an inventory valuation report. If you get this far, then you willl really understand Navision. You would have had to create GL accounts, and setup all the posting groups and posting accounts. It will be a true though mini exercise in implementing Navision. The next test is to introduce Dimensions, Reservations, Lot Numbers, Item Charges, Transfers, Locations, Manufacturing, Expected cost posting, Resources, and Jobs. Once you have that worked out, then its time for Warehouse RM, Fixed Assets, Service management etc. In summary, if you really want to learn Navision, then learn the tables, then learn the functions, the rest will folllow.
And don’t forget the programming part as well.
Actually Ahmed, that’s the point I am trying to make. The programming part really is not important. If you want to learn Navision, then you MUST forget the programming part. I know we have already had this discussion some years ago, and you do know its true. I know you were very disappointed that our first “developers class” was based on posting sales orders, and reviewing posted entries, and that we didn’t even touch code. But really it is critical to understand Navision first. If you start off learning Navision programming before you know the application, then you will never enter that group of the top Navision Developers. Yes you will be able to write code if you have a very detailed spec, but you will never be able to sit with the client, and analyse the need, and then design the spec. I know its all relative, and each has their own opinion, but I think most long term Navision developers will agree that knowing Navision comes first.
Totally agree with you David. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen programmers reinventing some functionality in Navision that is standard simply because they didnt understand how Navision works and did not understand the setup. I’ve never understood how you can program if you do not understand the full implications of what you are doing. At my present company we had a beautiful Stock Adjustment function that the previous IT manager had written that wrote off stock from the Item Ledger, only problem was it didnt write to the GL. Consequently they could never reconcile their inventory! That to me was a perfect example of knowing how to program but not knowing Navision
While I agree that a very good understanding of the mechanisms within the application is essential (the difference between Card forms and List forms, standard navigation, how are journals structured, etc.), I do not agree that a good developer has to be a functional expert first. What a good developer DOES need though is to have a functional expert at their disposal, that knows how to tie in custom new development, and where/how to extend existing functionality.
1/ The data structure,
Dear Sir:
Can you get a list of tables and list of fields on each table with explanation about table job? (only important table likes: sales, stock, finance)
Also if I have one Database and few company how can I make a report using Crystal Report showing results sorted by Company?
Thanks in advance for all answers.