I have a question about creating companies for the global dimension 1 code (Department) in a customer database. The global dimension 1 (Department) are the different companies of this customer. Instead of different companies in the database the customer uses Global dimension 1 code (Department) as filter on every form. Due to the high maintenance regarding upgrade’s the customer wants to split the department’s to different companies. What is the best way to do this? For example : Is it possible to temporalily change de datapercompany to dataperglobaldimension1 make backup’s and import these backup’s in the different companies?
I have done this a couple of times, the good news it can be done. The bad news is that it is a big job. Yes there are tricks to getting th edataout, like setting the common to all flag etc. But in reality that is the least of your worries. The biggest issue comes in balancing entries. If you have a situation where a check comes in from a customer, but is used to pay invoices in multiple “companies”, i.e. departments, then you are going to have a lot of work in sorting out all the balances.The first time I did it, it was for a company whose original NSC did it with Departments, as they really did not know how to use multi company functionality (i.e. they didn’t know simple things like getting consolidated inventroy screens across companies). Also in the payments, they allowed the check to post with no departments, and the applications with departments. So there wa a lot of work to pull the entries apart, and get everythign balanced. You need to really investigate this and get it right, since it will be very hard after wards. Another case I did was where a company bought a series of other companies, and for various reasons some of the companies were in unique Navision companies, some were departments, and was all over the place. In the end we exported data from each, and rebuilt the data that way, we lost some history, but it was stuff they didn’t need. In the end this worked well, as everything was consistant, and balanced. In summary, its a tough but doable job, but make sure to investigatge ALL the different options before deciding on the path.
I’d like to add to this that merging the filter you mention into a new Navision version is a 4 hour job for a junior level programmer, and I would personally not put upgrades into the ‘high maintenance’ category, since you only do them once every so many versions.
Hi Daniel, I guess one of us read the question as wanting to “SPLIT” the dimensisons, the other as merge them. Not sure why you understood it as merge, but I don’t see that a “junior” programmer would be able to split multiple dimensions into multiple companies in 4 hours. Maybe I just read it wrong. If it is Splitting, then that “junior” programmer is really earning their salary in that 4 hours. [:D]
I think when Daniel mentions “merging” he reads it this way: 1) “the customer uses Global dimension 1 code (Department) as filter on every form” - Daniel thinks the filters are coded OnOpen Form or something like that; 2) Merging is simply reapplying this filtering on a new version either using the Developer’s Toolkit or manually. But maybe I’m just guessing too much. [:)] And I’m not sure how to interpret the statement in 1). It can be coded (as I think Daniel read it) or it can be that the users are defining the filters themselves and there is no automation logic behind it.
Well Sander said:
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Instead of different companies in the database the customer uses Global dimension 1 code (Department) as filter on every form.
What I mean by ‘merge’ is to merge the filter customization into a new Navision version. I can teach any junior level programmer to set a filter on a form in about 5 minutes. Take 30 seconds per form to add the filter, and in 4 hours you can modify the filter on 480 forms. Maybe you’ll need 8 hours, or even two days, that is still a heck of a lot less time than splitting a company. I know he says he wants to split the dimensions, I do know how to read :). I just don’t see how that is because of maintenance reasons related to upgrades. People don’t upgrade all that often, and if they do, setting that filter doesn’t take as much time as doing the whole splitting companies project. What I am saying is that if you want to do this ONLY because of upgrade issues, then it is not the right decision. Of course if there are other business reasons that we don’t know about…
Daniel, I am pretty sure that currently the client is using dimensions as a substitute for companies, and has decided they want to SPLIT the data into seperate companies. I see that now you meant merge as in merge code. In that case yes, 4 hours would be 3.5 hours to have coffee, and 30 minutes to code. I believe that Sander has analyzed this client correctly, has come up with a good solution, and now just needs help in how to do the data conversion. Nelson, I think your guess of what Danial guessed is correct [:D] [^] [:D]
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4 hours would be 3.5 hours to have coffee, and 30 minutes to code.
Superman style… [8D]
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Nelson, I think your guess of what Danial guessed is correct
You think? Does that mean you’re sure or are you just guessing?.. [:D]
The customer is indeed using dimensions as a substitute for companies. And has several reasons to use companies instead of dimensions. Just two of them: * Tablelocking (customer uses Navision Native Server) * New solutions from Navision/Solution Partners have to be custimized. More information of this customer. * Uses Navison from 1999 * Dabase size approx. 20 gb * 20 companies (now as dimensions) One solution as David Singleton mentioned, is to export data and import this into a new company. A good solution, do you have some pointers. Are there more solutions (by praxis).