The news just came in. Lars Strøm Valsted was right. The new name of Navision Financials will be: Navision Attain. Navision US has announced that they will release the product that used to be know as Navision Solutions in September 2001. Here is what they write about it (for the first official): What’s New in Navision AttainMultilanguage Multilanguage for Navision Attain 3.00 taps into Microsoft Windows languages, allowing a company to access virtually any language in the world. Multilanguage functionality includes:
Import language module
Select language
Print multilanguage-enabled documents Costing Navision Attain 3.00 has improved posting and tracking as a result of enhancements in these areas:
Cost structures and components
Item charges
Cost traceability and rollback
Cost allocations
Cost revaluation Technology The following new capabilities have been built into C/SIDE:
Record level security
Application Hyperlinking
Improved Help Supply Chain Manufacturing and distribution have been integrated on two levels: Planning level - multi-site planning functionality allows customers to plan the distribution and manufacturing of product Execution level - picking to manufacturing is done through the warehouse solution Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been divided into two application areas: CRM – Marketing & Sales and CRM – Service. CRM – Marketing & Sales The CRM – Marketing & Sales application area offers complete, accurate and real-time information to improve the quality of every business interaction by helping you to make better business decisions about your contacts, improve the success of your sales and marketing efforts, and increase employee and customer satisfaction.
Improve contact, task, and campaign management
Integrate with Microsoft TAPI
Manage sales opportunities and perform pipeline analyses
Perform mail merges using built-in template-based capabilities
Log and store all interactions, including e-mail, phone calls, invoices or other documents CRM – Service The CRM – Service application area helps a company profit from their existing customers by providing better service levels, placing tighter controls on costs and organizing your resources for maximum efficiency.
Manage service contracts and items
Schedule and manage personnel based on service task prioritization, service loads and task escalations
Automate service-oriented tasks and job scheduling Financials A number of specific accounting issues have been addressed relating to VAT accounting, traceability and fixed assets management. However, the main financial management release is a totally new, comprehensive dimensions solution that enables responsibility accounting and far greater possibilities in analytics and reporting. e Functionality User Portal, Commerce Portal and Commerce Gateway will be available in the next integrated version of Navision Attain. Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group
Regarding Multilanguage: Does this mean Navision will switch to Unicode? Because Windows 2000 onwards use unicode to facilitate Multilanguage, if I am not mistaken. Right now you have to install ASCII codepages to implement, e.g. Korean or Japanese in Windows 2000 clients and I really do not see the convenience of this.
I like the name in English. It relates well to the idea that you can get what you want with Navision Attain. What does “attain” mean in Danish or German where Navision Attain is popular? Is it a good choice for those countries too? Or does it work because nearly everyone there can understand a word borrowed from English? How about in the many other countries where Navision exists? Is Navision Attain a good name there too? I am frankly so happy to have a word to use to differentiate Attain from Axapta. In the past few months, whenever I said “Navision” I felt like I was being unclear. I didn’t like saying “Financials” or “Solutions” because really Axapta is both too. Now we can say Attain or Axapta and clearly refer to one product or the other. Jim HollcraftNCSD, NCSP, MCSE, CNE, MCP, MST aka Skater http://drilldot.com Unauthorized Navision News
First thing I did after having read the frontpage message was to grab my english-german dictionary to reveal the meaning of “attain”. I think that most of the NSC’s and customers outside of the english speaking world will seek for a translation. It’s not a very frequently used english word. I don’t know yet, whether I like it or not. ------- With best regards from Switzerland Marcus Fabian
The “funny” thing about this name change is that Navision on the world conference announced that they would rename Financials to a name that “didn’t mean anything - just like Axapta”. Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group
I know a name like “Axapta” was the original intent when choosing a new name for Attain. To me the name is so good because it means something. Could this be a coincidence? It sure would be interesting to read the report that recommended the new name. Anybody read the report want to share the rationale? Perhaps we could position the product more effectively if we understood the thinking that went into choosing the name for Attain. Jim HollcraftNCSD, NCSP, MCSE, CNE, MCP, MST aka Skater http://drilldot.com Unauthorized Navision News
I sort of didn’t care when I first heard the new name. My initial though was “so what”. I didn’t think the name was especially good or bad. However, unconsiously, my perception of the name has changed over the last week or so, and now I agree with Jim, that the name sound “good” and I like it very much. Lars Strøm Valsted Head of Project and Analysis Columbus IT Partner A/S www.columbusitpartner.com
Personally I like the name, but I’m happy that I’m not in marketing! If you are just to market the names then they look somehow alike - ATTAIN / AXAPTA. Both starts with an A and has six characters. It’s hard enough suddenly to have to tell people that "we have two systems for the mid-market and they are both good for 5 users and up to 250 users. But if you have more users then you should take AXAPTA. And btw. AXAPTA’s technology is much newer than ATTAIN’s and that they cost almost the same. What would you do? I know this is a different debate - but I couldn’t leave it. Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group
In my company, the new name “Attain” has already caused confusion with the existing product Authorware, now owned by Macromedia; previously owned by Attain… Joeri Poesen Junior Consultant
Externally we should probably make an effort to call the product “Navision Attain”. Just like Microsoft labels everything “Microsoft Excel”, “Microsoft Outlook”, etc. If you use a word from the dictionary, it is nearly impossible to find one that has never been used for another product. In fact, in 2001, I’ll bet it is nearly impossible to find a dictionary word that has not been used for another SOFTWARE product. Does anyone have more comments about the multilingual impact of “Attain?” How about the inside scoop on how/why the name was chosen? Jim HollcraftNCSD, NCSP, MCSE, CNE, MCP, MST aka Skater http://drilldot.com Unauthorized Navision News
Latest on the name change apparently attain is a registered trade name in some country and Navision will not be able to use the name in that country. So at the moment there is a rethink about the name. Paul Baxter
I don’t believe, that it is important, what we think abbout Attain, but how will be the reaction of our future clients, when the first question will be: What does this mean - Well, nothing. I nice first step to get into contacts.
Michael, Assuming we keep the name “Attain” I think I’d answer the question “What does it mean?” at least to an English speaker as follows: Business software is about facilitating business goals. We what to help our customer reach their goals, so the software is called “Attain” to remind us what we are doing. We’d like you to attain the software to better help you attain your goals. Some variation of that… Navision Attain helps YOU get what you want by flexibility built into the very core of the product. Attain is about helping your business do what you want. Perhaps in your case, you’d just explain what the English word means in German? Jim HollcraftNCSD, NCSP, MCSE, CNE, MCP, MST aka Skater http://drilldot. Edited by - Jim Hollcraft on 2001 Jun 20 19:42:09
I think there is too much being read into this name…well it is understandable that name is very important but i feel more importance must be stressed on the additional features and ideas that have been added in this new look Navision Attain. Even from the customers view point i think it is the brand name Navision which is more magnetic than the name of the product. So I feel it really doesnt matter if it is Navision Attain or anything else as long as they do not decide to change the name of Navision… I would also like to know if there is difference between the Navision Solutions 3 and Navision attain. Has any user manual been released for this… Cheers Rohith Kamath Senior Consultant The Naviworld Group
Old Name: Navision Solutions 3.0 New Name: Navision Attain 3.0 As you said, a rose by any other name… It is the same product. Jim HollcraftNCSD, NCSP, MCSE, CNE, MCP, MST aka Skater http://drilldot.com Unauthorized Navision News
The latest information from our NTR is that Navision have canceled the name Attain. I don’t know if this only is for the swedish market? The Pressrelease on navision.com is allso gone… Per.Bay@navigera.com Product Manager www.navigera.com Edited by - per bay on 2001 Jun 25 16:05:45
Very interesting. Has anyone else information about the new name? Has it been announced in any other countries than in the USA? Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group
From what I understand the name has not been announced anywhere yet. Navision are very embrassed that the name was leaked to this group. The name is a registered trade mark in one of the countries that navision is big in. That means that Navision can not use the name Attain in that country. It does not make sense for navision to call the product one name in one country and another name in the others. It does not leave much time to get a new name for September (more likly Jan). Paul Baxter Edited by - triff on 2001 Jun 25 16:51:50
What can I say? It wouldn’t surprise me. We got the announcement by email from Navision US and it’s on their partner website (partner.navision-us.com). And there is no mention that this information is confidential or for your eyes only! Best regards, Erik P. Ernst, webmaster Navision Online User Group