Microsoft Dynamics NAV Team Blog

We have released the source files for Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 Help to PartnerSource. This release includes 8 different languages across 16 countries/regions, approximately 1 million files, and about 2.5 GB of content. If it were in book format, that would stack up to about 10 meters of books. That's a lot of help for a lot of users!

With these source files and the previously released Help Toolkit for SP1 (also on PartnerSource), you can modify the Help files to match customizations that you create. Go ahead, add to the stack of content and customize the Help that you provide to your users!

And as always, let us know what you think about the Help, the customization process, the tools, what's missing, and what would be more helpful.

We are proud to announce that Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.

We support the following versions of Microsoft Dynamics NAV with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows 7: Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1. Please note though that tests are currently taking place on the compatibility of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1 with Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2. Furthermore, the compatibility for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 does not cover Business Notification for Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Commerce Gateway.

For more information about requirements, please go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd301054.aspx.

-Christian Baek

If you're going to blog as infrequently as I have, it's a good policy to make sure that when you do, you focus on very important subjects. Since this is my first post since last fall's "Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Ships!" entry, I'm happy to say I'm following my own policy. Today, we are releasing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 to customers and partners, and my enthusiasm for what we've done for you, with you, is just as immense as it was when we shipped Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. Of course this time, I'm excited about different things.

Let's rewind for a moment to set the stage: Last November, we released what I called a landmark release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. We transformed the user experience, revolutionizing and modernizing the rich client with a RoleTailored approach to design. We also significantly refactored the product's architecture introducing three tiers, Web services, a .NET runtime, and RDL reports for SQL. It was a mountain of a release, and we hit the summit.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 was a release of courage. We made big bets. We wanted nothing short of transformation. And we accomplished our goal, shipping what is arguably the most significant release in Microsoft Dynamics NAV history.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1, by contrast, is a release of precision. We listened and collaborated with you, our partners and customers. We refined. We executed predictably. And, less than 12 months after the release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, we are giving you a service pack that extends the value of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 and meets our joint goal of making Microsoft Dynamics NAV simply the most productive middle-market ERP product on the planet. In this way, it is as just as big as the release it is built upon.

Here's how we did it and what we're giving you.

When Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 shipped, we had a number of customers in our Technical Adoption Program (TAP) already live on the product. These customers and the partners providing them solutions together gave us a tremendous amount of feedback on the product. Much of this feedback influenced what we shipped in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. But we couldn't respond to all of the feedback in our timeline for shipping. In addition, we wanted to add productivity improvements for both customers and partners, and features that took advantage of our new client architecture. So we decided to release this service pack and invest a fair bit in it.

The features we have added to increase customer productivity follow the six dimensions of productivity I discussed originally in my Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 blog - usability, familiarity, flexibility, transactional efficiency, business insight, and collaboration. For example, the new Search box will be instantly familiar to users of Internet Explorer and will reduce the time it takes to find list places not already available in one's Role Center. In addition, users can now persist filtered views of list places, filter-as-you-type columns, and the default number of lines in a document page grid. We have provided transactional efficiency increases with some refactored matrix forms, a large increase in keyboard enablement, and the addition of many Classic client keyboard combinations. Reporting drill-down enhancements further improve business insight, and the Online Connect part gives users access to communities, knowledge base articles, and learning directly from the Role Center, and promotes collaboration with the Microsoft Dynamics NAV community.

The features we have added to increase partner productivity are equally extensive. We improved the efficiency of page design by adding a page wizard and providing edit-and-run capabilities for pages directly from within the C/SIDE environment. We added data zoom (About This Page) to pages, which provides helpful page information and is similar to how partners have historically worked with forms. We added fixed IDs to page transformation, which should help ISVs manage their implementations better. Finally, we increased our documentation for partners, for example, adding walkthroughs for installation.

But probably the most intriguing feature we have added for partners is client extensibility. We have exposed the client API and provided a very simple model for adding managed code controls to pages from C/SIDE, so that partners can now develop custom user experience parts that take advantage of powerful Microsoft technologies like Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and Windows Forms. The opportunity for partners to differentiate their solutions from the competition through user experience innovation is limitless, and builds on the thought leadership we've provided in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. We're looking forward to an explosion of creativity!

None of this would have been possible without the unmatched support we've received from our partners and customers, especially through (but certainly not limited to) our TAP and ISV Beta Access Program (BAP).Whether through surveys, group meetings, informal e-mails, or short conversations at events, we've received a tremendous amount of feedback on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.We've taken this feedback, incorporated it, worked with our TAP customers and partners to evaluate the results of this service pack, and now we're shipping it. Thanks many times over for your incredible support, devotion, and passion for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Together, we've made a great product even greater.

Before I finish this blog post, I want to mention something I ended my Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Ships blog entry with: quality. At that time, I said, "Perhaps the thing I'm most proud about in this release is that we've substantially improved quality." That's true again with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1.We've continued to increase the bar on quality. In our customer satisfaction surveys, the reliability of Microsoft Dynamics NAV has always received high marks. And we're making it better and better. I simply can't emphasize enough how important quality is to us. And we know it's important to you.

I hope you're as excited about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 as I am. Download a copy from CustomerSource or PartnerSource, or try out the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 VPC and let us know what you think!

-Dan

P.S. A final thought: For those of you who are intrigued by Microsoft codenames, Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 was once called Corsica. Indeed, the mountains of Corsica are tall, and the highest summit is Monte Cinto at 2700 meters, or just shy of 9000 feet. The view from this summit is unique because the mountain's island location in the Mediterranean gives it a wide panorama and views of other mountains that are quite distant. As we said when we released Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, "The view from the top rocks!"

The Supply Planning white paper for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 has been updated on both PartnerSource and CustomerSource. The Supply Planning white paper is intended for planning experts who are involved in the implementation or support of supply planning functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV installations and for those who need to make modifications within the area. It gives an overview of the concepts and principles that are used within the supply planning area of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1.

In this version, the following issue is addressed:

When using reorder policies Maximum Qty and Fixed Reorder Qty, the planning system focuses on the projected inventory in the given time-bucket only. This means that the planning system may suggest superfluous supply when negative demand or positive supply changes occur outside of the given time bucket.

The issue is fixed as follows:

A warning is displayed when superfluous supply causes the projected inventory to exceed the highest projected inventory in an ideal supply plan, defined as the "overflow level". The warning message displays the overflow level that the planner must adjust to if he wants to avoid the superfluous supply.

To download the white paper, see the following links.

PartnerSource:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/deployment/documentation/whitepapers/supplyplanninginmicrosoftdynamicsnav2009.htm

CustomerSource

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/whitepapers/supplyplanninginmicrosoftdynamicsnav2009.htm

The Planning Rollup Update for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1 has been released! Take a look at the following links on PartnerSource and CustomerSource for information about what's included in the update and for download and installation details.

PartnerSource: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/support/selfsupport/hotfixes/MSD_NAV5SP1RollupUpdateJune09

CustomerSource: https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/downloads/hotfixes/MSD_NAV5SP1RollupUpdateJune09

Doug Kennedy, Vice President Dynamics Partner Team, announced the availability of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step today to all Dynamics partners - as part of the Worldwide Partner Conference Dynamics Keynote in New Orleans. Starting July 13, 2009, Sure Step is available to all Dynamics partners  to help drive increased partner productivity, better partner collaboration and improved customer satisfaction. For more information, see the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step page on PartnerSource.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Developer and IT Pro Help has been updated to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 and is now available on MSDN and the Microsoft Download Center. In addition to new content for SP1, this release expands on existing content and addresses some important support call issues, such as Outlook integration.

Some of the highlights of the updated help include:

• Outlook Integration and Synchronization
• Expanded content on setting up Outlook synchronization and addressed some common problems that can arise when using the Microsoft Office Outlook add-in.
• Walkthrough: Setting Up Outlook Synchronization
• Troubleshooting: Microsoft Outlook Integration and Synchronization
• Extending the RoleTailored client using control add-ins
• As part of client extensibility, there are several topics that explain how to develop control add-ins and use them on RoleTailored client pages; includes a class library.
• Extending the RoleTailored Client Using Control Add-ins
• Client Extensibility Reference
• Security in the RoleTailored Environment
• Added guidance and information on roles, permissions, profiles, and Role Centers-and on how to make them all work together.
• Security in the RoleTailored Environment
• Installation Walkthroughs
• Updated and expanded information on different configurations and how to get them working.
• Installation Walkthroughs
• Multiple Time Zones
• Added a topic about how Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server can work with RoleTailored clients in multiple time zones.
• Communicating with RoleTailored Clients in Different Time Zones
• Report-to-report links
• Adding new walkthrough about linking from a report to a report
• Walkthrough: Creating a Link from a Report to a Report
• Control and menu IDs on transformed pages
• Updated existing topics and added new topics about how to specify control and menu IDs in the transformation input.
• Transforming Control and Menu IDs
• About This Page and About This Report
• Added topics about the About This Page and About This Report features in the RoleTailored client
• Using About This Page and About This Report
• Page Designer
• Added topics that describe the new Page Designer features for SP1, including the page wizard, promoted action categories, and running a page
• How to: Create a Page using the Page Wizard
• How to: Define Promoted Action Categories Captions for the Action Pane
• How to: Run a Page

If you have any questions or comments, contact the NAV UE Platform team.

You can get the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 SP1 Community Technical Preview release on PartnerSource.

- Bob, Jill, and John (the NAV UE Platform writers)