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Navision Book Reviews
There aren't very many aftermarket or third party Navision books out there, but the ones that exist are pretty good and useful. Many people have been looking for a 'Dynamics Nav for Dummies' type book, but so far no one has written one. (Update: now there is one, because we wrote it -- or at least the first part of it!)
Here are the books we've found that are worth reading:
Microsoft Dynamics Nav 2009: Professional Reporting
by Steven Renders
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| This is a wonderful book on many aspects of Navision reporting, with sections on both the Classic client and the Nav 2009 Role Tailored Client. The section on reporting in Role Tailored Client is quite strong, with good sections on charts, what they are and how they work, how they are different from reports, types of reports, and the relative strengths and limitations. There is also a very nice, detailed introduction to Visual Studio, and the ins and outs of the role tailored report designer. The section on visualization methods was a bit didactic and overly theoretical, but in general this is a hugely valuable book for designing and working with reports in the RTC. The Classic client reporting section was also nicely done, but much more limited - the real focus of this book is RTC reporting. |
Navision & Dynamics NAV User Guide: Advanced Tips for Accounting and Financial Users
by Ruth Lestina
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| In response to all the requests for a step by step user guide, sort of "Dynamics NAV for Dummies", we have this book. We can't really offer an objective review, since this was written by one of our Navision Depot team members, but obviously we would not have created this book if we didn't find it very useful. This is basically a compilation of some of our most popular mini-manuals in one easy reference book. Topics include: How to create recurring and reversing journal entries, How to reconcile a bank account, How to create and edit financial statements, How to change the layout and look of screens and forms, and How to close the year. The book includes detailed step by step instructions with screen shots for each of these tasks. |
Implementing Microsoft Dynamics Nav 2009
by Vjekoslav Babi and David Roys
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| This is one of the best Navision books out so far that specifically focuses on Dynamics Nav 2009. Very well-written and enjoyable to read, this book provides an excellent, detailed guide to the key new features of Nav 2009, specifically the new role-tailored user interface, the new three-tier architecture, and the resulting dramatically improved ability to interface Nav 2009 with the web and with non-Navision applications. It also has a nice section on implementations and the sure-step methodology. Although the stated target audience is Nav consultants and developers, it is actually a very worthwhile read for anyone who is implementing or considering implementing Nav 2009 in their environment; you don't need to be super 'techie' to get a lot of value from this book. |
Microsoft Dynamics Nav Administration
by Sachdev Amit and Oberoi Sharan
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| A very detailed, solid Nav implementation and administration guidebook. Don't be fooled by the "administration" part of the title -- this book is actually as much or more about installing and implementing Nav as it is about post-deployment administration. This is a "must have" book for the IT manager who has been saddled with a Navision server to manage. It addresses version 5.1 and 2009, and includes 2009 RTC (Role Tailored Client) installation instructions. We especially like the sections on the job queue, stylesheets, permissions, and SOX compliance. There is a section on coding, but it is relatively light, although it includes a few handy tips. A good multi-purpose administration handbook. |
Managing Your Supply Chain Using Microsoft Navision
by Scott Hamilton
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| Although this book was written for version 4.x, the vast majority of the information is still quite accurate and relevant, and there is no later edition available. This Navision book is very business process focused, and does an excellent job of presenting an integrated view of how to leverage Navision to improve your supply chain effectiveness and efficiency. As the name suggests, Managing Your Supply Chain is focused solely on the supply chain related features and functions of Navision, and therefore addresses trade, items, warehouse, purchasing, and so forth, but provides little or no information related to the other functions of Nav such as financials, jobs or service. If you use or intend to use Navision to manage your supply chain, this book is a must-read; if you don't, it's probably not worth your time due to it's laser-like focus on the supply chain. |
Microsoft Navision 4.0: Jump Start to Optimisation
by Paul Diffenderfer and Samir El-Assai
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| Although written for Navision 4.x, the vast majority of the content of this book is still useful and applicable to later versions of Navision. This book has a wide range of information, including a chapter on how to create and edit reports, a section on creating flow fields and other introductory development, and several other interesting topics. While the range of information is very good and the expertise is top-notch and very accurate, the book feels a bit like it jumps around from topic to topic. It is also written by non-native English speakers, so to an American audience the English feels awkward at times. Given Navision's roots as a Danish program, though, the 'Danglish' writing is a small price to pay for the tricks and insights into the software provided by this book. |
Programming Microsoft Dynamics Nav
by David Studebaker
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| Written for experienced programmers who aren't familiar with Navision, this is a top-notch guide if you're trying to learn C/SIDE programming. However, if you're not already a coder, you'll probably find this book very heavy going, and it has little information that is geared towards the non-programmer end user. |
The Nav/SQL Performance Field Guide
by Jorg Stryk
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| Specifically focused on Microsoft Dynamics Nav running on SQL server, this highly detailed, well-written book is packed with useful information for SQL administrators running Navision in their environments. It is written specifically for experienced SQL admins, though, and should be used with extreme care if at all by anyone not already pretty familiar with SQL server. It is specifically written for SQL server version 2000 and 2005, and Navision version 4.x and 5.x. It does not address Dynamics Nav 2009, and due to the new 3-tier structure in that version, it is only partially applicable. Hopefully the author will come out with a revised version that addresses Nav 2009 soon. Meanwhile, though, this is the best (and only) Navision book on optimizing Nav in a SQL environment. |
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