Microsoft Dynamics NAV News & Tips
Extending the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Solution

Businesses need solutions that reflect the way people really work – the tasks they perform, the information they use, the tools and formats that make sense for their individual jobs and that help them work more productively. Within a typical organization, there will be users who depend on your ERP system heavily, those who never touch it, and many others somewhere in between. Microsoft acknowledges that all of these users need the most appropriate set of tools for their specific job requirements. The guiding principles behind Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions aim to meet those varying needs. They are the foundation for a solution that offers a personalized user experience, and the optimum balance of functionality and ease of use for the myriad of roles within an organization.

This article highlights how Microsoft Dynamics NAV has structured their new licensing offerings to provide you with more choices and flexibility to ensure that you attain the right license and ERP access and functionality for a given situation. When you do so, your organization’s personnel can make a bigger impact via improved personal productivity, collaboration, and enhanced access to vital information.

Microsoft has released two new user licenses to address the situation where less than a standard full access user license is required. These new licenses are referred to as Light User License and the ESS (Employee Self Service) User License. These new licenses will allow everyone to use the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution, extending the benefits across the organization at a fraction of the full user prices. Users who only require limited functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV are now able to gain access to the necessary functionality with the Light User License.

More Knowledge. More Connectivity. More Value.
These access rights provide you with a user interface choice for accessing Microsoft Dynamics NAV by means other than the Rich Client User Interface, whether deploying a web-based experience or taking full advantage of the great interoperability with Microsoft Office®, Microsoft SharePoint® or any other third party applications. These licenses allow users to perform employee self-service processes, operational tasks through multiple devices, and reporting designed for people who are not full ERP users. Using Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint client software with your Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution means your people can work more productively with a familiar experience.

Note: The Light User and the ESS User are client access licenses for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution only and they do not include any license for client software or access rights to other server software other than the Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution.

Extend the Reach
Light User License
Enhance Business Productivity, Business Processes, and Collaboration	Increase your business productivity and collaboration by combining NAV with SharePoint technologies like BI, Search, Workflow, and Document Management. Improve business processes by enabling selected employees to collaborate and interact with Microsoft Dynamics NAV data via Microsoft SharePoint. Make specified information widely available to Light Users by capturing it from Microsoft Dynamics NAV and sharing it through familiar and easy-to-use formats such as Office Visio process diagrams or Office InfoPath forms.
Extend Business Processes	Extend business processes and tasks to employees with web-based applications — covering scenarios such as Time & Expense, Purchase Requisition, and Human Resources Management. Give your sales and marketing teams access to enter and manage opportunities over the web or a mobile device through the Light Access User.
External Lists	Through integrating Microsoft Dynamics NAV with Microsoft SharePoint Business Connectivity Services, allow employees to view or update key business data using a browser. Updates to vendor or customer information take just a few clicks and are reflected in Microsoft Dynamics NAV in real time.
Employee Self-Service User License
Employee Self-Service	Allow employees to view or update their personal data, create and manage their absence requisitions. With the Employee Self-Service User (ESS) license, employees can spend more time focusing on their day-to-day business and worry less about the administrative burdens. The ESS License provides a lower-cost alternative to license employees for access to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV system, through means other than the rich client user interface, for only the following purposes: Employee Administration: Management of the user’s own data and profile residing in the system database. Employee Time and Attendance: Input of time sheets and clock-in/clock-out data corresponding to the user. Employee Travel and Expenses: Input and update user’s data related to expenses and travel requisitions. Employee Requisitions: Submission of user’s requisitions limited to their own purposes, such as personal purchases or services, or leave of absence. Note: The ESS License is only applicable for employee self-service activities on his/her own behalf that impact only the individual’s records. It is not meant to license any employee activity related to projects that are part of the business value chain (i.e. tracking time and attendance for a billable project). This type of activity is licensed with a Light User License or a Full User License (depending on the mode of access and usage scenarios).
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation or Microsoft SharePoint Server required.

Slice and Dice More Easily
You can perform real-time analyses and detailed comparisons using the interoperability capabilities of Microsoft Office and Business Analytics for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. With these tools, you can easily combine data from multiple sources, leverage predictive modeling capabilities to increase sales, and identify trends using Microsoft Excel and add-ins like PowerPivot for Microsoft Office Excel 2010 to gain a more comprehensive view of your business.

Inform
Light User License
Microsoft Office Excel	You can perform deep analysis of data and information created by NAV business logic with free tools, such as PowerPivot for Microsoft Office Excel 2010 or the Data Mining Add-ins for Excel 2007, and create custom reports specific to your business or industry. You can also extract, analyze, and present data from across your business while working within familiar Microsoft Office programs such as Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office Outlook.
SQL Server Reporting Services	Create custom reports, charts and KPI’s. Give employees access to an extensive library of key metrics — from financials to sales and purchasing, and more — to help them identify trends and uncover opportunities. You can also easily customize and extend metrics to personalized dashboards.
Analysis Cubes	Analyze detailed business information across multiple companies using familiar tools such as Microsoft Excel. Gain greater insight into your business and plan for the future with analytical views of sales or expense trends, customer buying patterns, and other values specific to your business.
Business Analytics for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009	Work easily with advanced analytical tools for a 360-degree view of business performance. Set up and review graphical displays and reports. Perform targeted analysis of any detailed information in Microsoft Dynamics NAV for deep insight into areas of your business.

Help People Work Faster and Smarter
Reduce deployment and training time and costs with a solution designed to work like and integrate with applications people already access and know how to use. Give them just what they need with tools and licenses that are right-sized for their specific role.

Connect
Light User License
Leverage your Software Investments	Save on development costs by using your Microsoft Dynamics NAV system as the backbone for new solutions. Integrate with various applications through Web Services to take advantage of your existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 solution in new ways.
Simplify Compliance	Enforce compliance by exposing your employees to the standard business processes and eliminate overhead by giving your employees a view of their day-to-day tasks over the web or through tools they are used to, such as mobile devices or applications they use most often.
Integrate Devices	Allow users to connect through mobile devices and other hardware to your processes. Connect your machines and other handheld devices. Enable your workers to do their tasks effectively without the need of a connected computer.
Consolidate Data	Allow users to connect with external data sources and applications, using Web Services or other type of APIs or tools.

In the face of an increasingly competitive and challenging marketplace, you are constantly forced to do more with less. As a result you are demanding solutions that work smart and lean. Now you can effectively harness the power of your Microsoft Dynamics NAV system and move your business securely into the future — and even gain a competitive advantage. To work smart, you need solutions that reflect how your people work to meet complex challenges, and simplify them. As a Microsoft Dynamics NAV customer, you can respond to these needs through dynamic user licensing that will extend Microsoft Dynamics NAV throughout your entire organization with confidence.

Please contact Mike Packard at Integrated Computer Systems Support at mikep@ics-support.com or 425-284-5426 for more information.

 

Microsoft has released two new user licenses to address the situation where less than a standard full access user license is required. These new licenses are referred to as Light User License and the ESS (Employee Self Service) User License. These new licenses will allow everyone to use the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution, extending the benefits across the organization at a fraction of the full user prices.