New deployment: Nav 2009 or Classic Client - Which should we train new users on?

We’ve bought Navision and are gearing up to deploy it. I am curious to know what people would think would be better to do.

  1. Deploy the classic client and train everyone on that. After a while (year or so) and after everyone is familiar with the Classic client, graduate them to the new Nav 2009 client. The thinking is here is to get the basics down first, then move onto the more in-depth 2009 client.

OR…

  1. Deploy the Nav 2009 client and train everyone on that initially. Leave Classic Client training to an as-needed. Here the thought would be that we don’t want to train the users on an older client, then have them relearn how to do processes with the client.

Thanks

If you start from scratch and your users haven’t previous experience working with NAV (classic), I would suggest going straight to RTC and bypass Clasic, if you intend to use it in future.
These two Clients differ totally, RTC has completely different aprroach HOW things are done. Besides, as far as I understood, you are only in implementation process now, no Go-Live yet, so you have time to train your users.

These were “pros” for bypasing Classic, but “cons” remain, too - Classic still is easier (read faster) to implement - but it depends in what stage your project is now, how many (if at all) mods will you need etc. etc.

We are doing/have done some mods. Some of them are substancial I believe. I know the RTC is different…but the key is it easier for end users to train on and get up and running efficiently with it?

If we go with Classic first then move to RTC, will it be a big relearning process? Will it require users to essentially unlearn Classic and then learn RTC? Will it cause a lot of confusion and be prohibitive to switch users?

I think that the biggest issue there is with 2009 is to get existing classic client users to accept the RTC. By going Classic now and RTC latter you are just creating more fights and headaches. If the users have never used the Classic client, you wont have to fight with them.

Go straight to the RTC.

Then if you have “power users” that actually need to use the system to its fullest, then let them use the Classic.

How limited is RTC that users cannot use NAV to it’s fullest? Our thinking currently is that only a few power users would be modifying cards and customizing things for general end-users. Would it be safe to say that the end-users utilizing the customizations from the power users be ok with just RTC?

I guess what I’m looking for is if someone does something (modification, etc) in Classic, can RTC users always utilize the customization, etc?

The worst thing on switching is that the keyboard shortcuts are totally different.
If someone wakes me up in the middle of the night and asks how to create a new record I will answer .
You will create a lot of cunfusion when you switch over after a year and your users have learned using NAV with the classic client.

Most users have a hard enough time finding the right thing under a menu let alone remember the keyboard shortcut for it…

Anyone care to comment on if Classic modifcations are usable with RTC? Is there a lot of work in transitioning them?

Hi

I think the End User should use RTC & it’s better to show him RTC rather then Classic client.

it’s basically depend upon the company setup also…(how many Admin & end users etc…)

Yes of course. There is only one set of objects. To provide functionality in the RTC, you need to put it in pages, but everything else works exactly the same (well reports are a bit different). The point is, it doesn’t matter whether you use the classic client or the RTC, when you post an invoice, it posts exactly the same way in both the Classic Client and the RTC.

New implementations should be completely on the RTC, and the only exception would be for mods that depend on matrix forms. Development is done in the Classic Client, regardless of the user implementation.

Users will need to learn to use the application anyway, it doesn’t make a difference whether they learn classic or RTC. If you choose to implement classic now, and move them over to RTC later, you will have to go through this process twice. Do the users a favor and go to RTC right away.

Are you talking about custom mods or add-ons? If you implement custom mods, you develop those for the RTC, so you provide the users with pages instead of forms. If you have add-ons from companies that do not yet have their product transformed to pages, then you will need to either get those companies transform them for you (which they really should, it is their product, they should provide a NAV 2009 RTC version).

From a developer standpoint, other than pages and RDLC report layouts, there is no difference between developing for classic or for the RTC.

This assumes that it is possible to transform each and every addon to RTC - which is not !

As soon as you use other input devices than keyboard/mouse or use and different output devices than printers and screens you are just lost with the RTC - not to talk about touch screen support.

If you choose to read that I was making that assumption you’re right, but I was not making any assumptions. My point is that you should always try to avoid doing the transformation of add-ons yourself. You should always go to your vendor to try get the NAV 2009 version. Chances are that if it is possible that this vendor has already done it and will have the objects for you, and if it is not possible they will have an explanation as to why, and they will have an idea about alternatives.

So just because the RTC does not support touch screen, you are suggesting that the RTC should not be used by anyone? For those installations, indeed, you’re better off with the classic client, but only after evaluating whether it really is not possible to use the RTC. On the whole though, in my opinion, for new implementations, you should always try to go for the RTC as much as possible.

Though there may be strong reasons to use one or the other client, because something (touch screens, etc.) won’t work otherwise, I think you should ask the users, too, which client they would prefer. One of the advantages of the new concept is that you can run NAV in a mixed client environment. One of the disadvantages is that it may be more expensive for the customer to run in a mixed mode, because forms/pages and reports may have to be customized twice.