How to access data from external application

Hi

I’ve the following requirement: One of my customers wants to have a PHP driven webshop. All the sold items are currently managed by navision.
I need to read the items and customer data on regualer bases (let’s say once an hour) and update the changes in the PHP driven webshop. No write access is required.
Myself I’ve no idea about navition I’m a PHP/Java developer and currently I don’t even have access to a navision system.

What would be the best/easiest way of reading this data?

TIA for your answers.
Betaride

There is a lot more involved that that, especially regarding prices etc.

You should ask your customers NAV partner what they prefer since you will need them to do some of the work.

Yes that would of course be the easiest solution, but they are competitors of us and the deal isn’t signed jet. Once the deal is fixed I’ll contact them to sort out all the tecnical details. I don’t want to do the Navision part myself. But for now I have to get an idea about how I can read this data.

Actually I really only need a list of customers and a list of all sold items with some properties. I don’t have to write back to Navision.

TIA
BetaRide

As long as you have no need to write back to the database, the most basic way would be to use a SQL Query, or ODBC for Native.

It can get a little more complex though when you add in the Pricing/Dscount Structures etc (as already said).

Please note though this is not recommened for WRITE transactions, just read.

You realy only have two options:

1/ Is to team up with a Navision analyst and developer that can handle the Navision side.
2/ Is to learn Navision.

Its very important to understand that the Navision database is a structured system of linked tables. Most of the information that you want will not be in one table. You will have to go to a number fo tables to build this data. So the decision is do you learn where all this data is, of do you work with an analyst familiar with Navision.

The best solution will be to join with someone, but I can see already that you wont want to do this.

Are you wanting the initiate this “read” of Navision data from outside Navision? If so, you’ll have to use C/FRONT, which will require your customer to purchase the license if they don’t have it already. If you want to setup a timed export from within Navision, you can use NAS. As for the data format, that’s really up to you. A Navision developer will be able to use xmlports, dataports, a standard report writing out to a text file, code that creates a text file and reads thru records writing out the data… Some of these can’t be used with NAS, but your Navision developer should be able to do whatever you need done with this data one way or another. If you want to get heavy timed export of data, look into ExpandIT Launch Utility (http://www.expandit.us/templates/expandit.asp?catalog_id=935). It uses the windows scheduler and configuration files to automate just about anything.

Any way this goes though… you are going to have to find a Navision developer to assist you.