Does anyone have suggestions on how to do remote online AND remote offline order entry, customer maintenance, inventory checking, etc? Does anyone know of an Workflow addon that is available? Thanks, Simon
Online order entry is not a problem. The current solutions Citrix Metaframe and PCAnywhere have been discussed quite deeply in this Forum and with Version 3.0 and the user portal a remote working user can access his office database also via Userportal providing he has Internet access. Offline order entry is close to impossible. There is no replication function which allows to synchronize tables on a laptop-db with the server. Lots of organizational problems would have to be solved as well. What about the number series if many offline salespeople enter orders? What information does the salesperson need? I assume he requires information about what his customer had ordered in the past, how he paied his bills etc. In a similar project we came to the conclusion that it would be much cheaper to equip every salesperson with a modem or data-capeable cellphone and let them work online. ------- With best regards from Switzerland Marcus Fabian
Actually www.kloster-import.dk has a very good replication tool for Navision Financials database. And if you’re using the SQL database, then you should be able to use the SQL Replication tool. But then again, this is a full replication, where you have a standard Navision client installed at the remote site. Another solution would be to use Business Application Server (BAS) from www.expandit.com - then your client can be a WAP interface, Pocket PC or CE/W98/ME/NT/W2K based. Finally you can use Navision’s own Commerce Portal (Navision’s new name for the enhanced Web Shop). Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group
Online is not problem, I can say it too. Offline is more intresting thing. We have done replication with 11 departments and number series is the least problem. How many problems cover this solution, depends on that you need. This is very long story … Another offline solution is done by using Portable Data Terminals (PDT). There are stored info about inventory and customer. Orders are written by using PDT. Then salesperson returns he uploads all data to NF. About costs. So in our country online connections are very expencive. Now our customer using 11 x 9.6…14.4 kbps connections for data plus chanels for voice. In 11 departments are about 30 NF users. In the online solution they need 4 times wider connection. But in offline solution you need person for control of replication. In our country it cheeper to have this person.
quote:
Originally posted by db: About costs. So in our country online connections are very expencive. […] In our country it cheeper to have this person.
I agree with you. Cost is a mayor concern. As SimonMc doesn’t state in his profile where he comes from, we cannot determine whether telecom costs or programming power are higher in his country. ------- With best regards from Switzerland Marcus Fabian
If you look at the NaviPlus Point of Sale solution from and NSC in Iceland, it covers a wide variety of POS needs, and also supports offline sales, with replication at end of day type functions. And - you dont need a database licence for each client., apparently they have a special deal with Navision for this. Craig Bradney Project Manager - Technical Navision Solutions & Services Deloitte Growth Solutions Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu P:+61-2-9322-7796 F:+61-2-9322-7502 E:craig_bradney@deloitte.com.au