Category: Business Central

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Preparing upgrade from BC 14 to BC 17

This week preparing multiple extensions upgrade from Business Central on prem 14 to 17.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a popular enterprise resource planning (ERP) system used by businesses worldwide. Business Central Extensions are a crucial component of the system as they enable businesses to add new functionality and customize the system to their specific needs. Upgrading Business Central Extensions is an important process that ensures your system is running smoothly and utilizing the latest features. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the steps involved in upgrading Business Central Extensions from version 14 to 17.

Step 1: Review the Upgrade Guide Before starting the upgrade process, it’s essential to review the upgrade guide provided by Microsoft. The upgrade guide outlines the steps involved in upgrading Business Central Extensions and highlights any changes or considerations specific to the upgrade.

Step 2: Take a Backup It’s always a good idea to take a backup of your Business Central environment before proceeding with any upgrades. This ensures that you have a copy of your data in case something goes wrong during the upgrade process.

Step 3: Upgrade the Base Application The first step in upgrading Business Central Extensions is to upgrade the base application to version 17. This is done by importing the new application file into your Business Central environment. Once the application is imported, you will need to compile and synchronize the application.

Step 4: Upgrade the Extensions After upgrading the base application, you can proceed with upgrading the extensions. To do this, you will need to follow these steps:

  1. Identify the extensions that need to be upgraded.
  2. Check if there are any dependencies or conflicts with other extensions or the base application.
  3. Uninstall the old version of the extension.
  4. Install the new version of the extension.
  5. Compile and synchronize the extension.

It’s important to note that some extensions may require additional configuration after the upgrade. For example, you may need to update settings or reconfigure workflows.

Step 5: Test the System After upgrading the extensions, it’s essential to test the system thoroughly to ensure that everything is working correctly. This includes testing the new features and functionality introduced by the upgraded extensions.

Step 6: Go Live Once you have tested the system and confirmed that everything is working as expected, you can go live with the upgraded Business Central Extensions.

Conclusion Upgrading Business Central Extensions is a critical process that ensures your system is utilizing the latest features and functionality. The process involves upgrading the base application to version 17 and upgrading the extensions by uninstalling the old version and installing the new version. It’s essential to review the upgrade guide, take a backup of your data, and test the system thoroughly before going live. By following these steps, you can upgrade your Business Central Extensions with confidence and ensure that your system is running smoothly.

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Dynamics NAV 2015 objects migration to Business Central SaaS

As businesses grow, so do their needs for better and more efficient systems to manage their operations. For many companies, Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 has been the go-to solution for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. However, with the introduction of Business Central SaaS, many businesses are now considering upgrading their existing Dynamics NAV 2015 systems to take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based ERP.

But upgrading a system as complex as an ERP can be a daunting task, especially when it involves migrating existing customizations and objects. In this blog post, we will discuss the continuing upgrade of Dynamics NAV 2015 objects migration to Business Central SaaS.

Step 1: Evaluate Your Current Dynamics NAV 2015 Environment

Before starting the migration process, it’s important to evaluate your current Dynamics NAV 2015 environment. This will help you identify any potential issues that may arise during the migration process and help you plan accordingly.

Step 2: Identify Customizations and Objects

Next, identify any customizations or objects that you have in your current Dynamics NAV 2015 environment. These may include modifications to existing forms and reports, custom code units, or new objects that you have created.

Step 3: Assess Compatibility with Business Central SaaS

Once you have identified your customizations and objects, you will need to assess their compatibility with Business Central SaaS. Some customizations may not be supported in the cloud environment or may require modifications to work properly. It’s important to evaluate each customization or object and determine the level of effort required to make it compatible with Business Central SaaS.

Step 4: Upgrade Your Customizations and Objects

After assessing compatibility, you can begin upgrading your customizations and objects. This may involve making changes to the code or modifying forms and reports to work properly in the cloud environment. It’s important to test each customization thoroughly to ensure that it works as expected.

Step 5: Test Your Upgraded System

Once all customizations and objects have been upgraded, it’s important to thoroughly test your upgraded system to ensure that it works as expected. This may involve testing business processes, running reports, and verifying data integrity.

Step 6: Deploy Your Upgraded System

Finally, when you are confident that your upgraded system is ready to go, it’s time to deploy it. This may involve migrating data from your old system to the new one, configuring settings, and training users on the new system.

In conclusion, upgrading from Dynamics NAV 2015 to Business Central SaaS can be a complex process, especially when it involves migrating customizations and objects. However, by following the steps outlined in this blog post and working with a qualified partner, you can successfully upgrade your system and take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based ERP.

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Preparing release of Progress Reporting Management app

General

o Introduction of “Sync on Sign out” if an app user is being signed out with unsynced data.

o Visual updates and introduction of new colour schemes across app

Measure

o Introduction of Horizontal scrolling in Measure sheets. (user based permission, can be set based on app user preference in app user setup)

o Introduction of “Company Scope” on Column setup to allow narrowing of companies from drop down lists eg on Cable schedules

Allocation Module

o User based permission to allow exceed clocked values (NAV app user setup)

o Introduction of Data limits for types of resource eg Operatives, 24 and Company, 5000 per day.

o On WBS selection, Introduction of Tree like function to enable user quickly find value. User can search this also

o On System/Asset selection, the system list has a search function aswell as select from list function.

o Both WBS and System Asset also have a feature that shows last selected entry on top of list for repetitive data entry tasks

o The “Company Scope” of Measure columns list will obey the same setup, ie help narrow the list of systems under a resource

o Introduction of cross device sync, all app users can see previous entries from different app users for same Resource

o Introduction of complex entries, app user can add additional entries for same Resource & system, but with different WBS and System/Asset allocations

o Clock value for current day now comes into allocation view, app user can exceed this value, but not for previous days

Diary

o On WBS selection, Introduction of Tree like function to enable user quickly find value. User can search this also

o On System/Asset selection, the system list has a search function aswell as select from list function

o Both WBS and System Asset also have a feature that shows last selected entry on top of list for repetitive data entry tasks

Testing

o Bug fix on rejected test sheet where user could not see rejected sheet on device from which previous test sheet was completed, but could see from different device

Snags

o On WBS selection, Introduction of Tree like function to enable user quickly find value. User can search this also

o On System/Asset selection, the system list has a search function aswell as select from list function

o Both WBS and System Asset also have a feature that shows last selected entry on top of list for repetitive data entry tasks

o Changes to Mandatory fields in snag card inline with QA dept requirements

o Draft Snags (incomplete mandatory fields) will not transfer to NAV and assigned app users

o Search bar now can handle multiple search requests, so for example you can search a Discipline, an Assigned Company and System/Asset by placing a space between key words eg ELEC YR

o New Power BI visual to allow BI users interact with project layouts using assigned WBS for snag locations

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Improving Timesheet Portal: New MVC Actions, CSS Changes, and Integration with Backoffice Project Management

Keeping track of employee hours and project tasks is critical for any business, and a timesheet portal is a great way to simplify this process. In this article, we’ll explore some recent improvements to a timesheet portal, including new model-view-controller actions, CSS changes, and integration with a backoffice project management system.

New actions: Model-view-controller (MVC) is a design pattern that separates an application into three interconnected components: the model (which represents data), the view (which displays data to the user), and the controller (which handles user input). The timesheet portal has been updated with several new MVC actions, such as the ability to add a new timesheet entry or edit an existing one. These actions improve the user experience by making it easier to enter and update timesheet data.

CSS : Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a language used to describe the look and formatting of a document written in HTML. The timesheet portal has undergone some CSS changes to make it more visually appealing and easier to use. For example, font styles have been updated to be more legible and a new color scheme has been introduced to provide a more modern look.

Integration : A backoffice project management system is used to manage projects and tasks for a business. Integrating the timesheet portal with this system provides several benefits, such as centralizing project-related information and reducing data entry errors. An employee can now submit a timesheet for a project directly through the integrated portal, which eliminates the need to manually enter data into multiple systems.

Conclusion: Improving your timesheet portal can have a significant impact on your business by making it easier to track employee hours and project tasks. The recent updates to this timesheet portal, including new MVC actions, CSS changes, and integration with a backoffice project management system, provide a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.

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Time

“Timesheet Entry Journal” is a great tool that simply gets the job done. Full Stop. 

However.

Our PRINCE-2 methodology PM system is not for just time recording – for that we have used Excel spreadsheets from years ago and could have used them now. The purpose of any management system is to attempt as better planning as possible and record the history of such planning, which then should be used to improve on new tasks. 

That is why we are creating Programmes, Projects, Products and Actions for granular control, management and reporting. And as with any planning, a glance into the future is always quite difficult, because you have to budget time and then adjust it as the project progresses, which is not always applicable and much depends on specific needs.

The correct way in my mind is when I can create a plan for at least two weeks ahead and then update my planned actions as I progress through them. Not only this simplify my goal of tracking my own time, but it also gives the management an overview of what each resource is going to do and allows allocation scheduling onto correct tasks.

Analogy from the standard system is General Journal Line of type Invoice, which when posted produces a General Ledger Entry with amount and date. If you try invoicing either of them to a customer, it won’t go well, because you must have supporting documentation and that’s where sales documents come into play, which also in the end produce General Ledger Entry.

I believe, if you are doing a simple registering of past events and it works for you, it’s good only for you, but if you can plan ahead in a sustainable manner, it’s better for everyone.

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Kicking off a Dynamics Nav migration this week

Introduction

Migrating from an on-premises installation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 to the cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) offering of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can be a challenging project. However, the benefits of the cloud-based platform, such as ease of scalability, accessibility, and security, make it an attractive option for many businesses. In this blog post, I will discuss the key considerations and steps involved in a successful migration project from Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 to Business Central in the cloud.

Step 1: Plan and Prepare The first step in any migration project is to plan and prepare thoroughly. This includes conducting a thorough assessment of the existing on-premises infrastructure, identifying any customizations or integrations that may need to be migrated or replaced, and selecting the appropriate cloud infrastructure and service provider.

It is also important to identify the key stakeholders and their roles in the project, define the timeline and budget, and establish a clear communication plan to keep everyone informed throughout the migration process.

Step 2: Data Migration The next step is to migrate the existing data from the on-premises Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 installation to Business Central in the cloud. This can be done using a variety of tools and methods, such as the Data Migration Wizard in Business Central, Microsoft’s Data Migration Service, or third-party migration tools.

It is important to ensure that the data is accurately migrated and validated, and that any necessary data transformations or mapping are performed to ensure that the data is compatible with the new cloud environment.

Step 3: Application Migration Once the data migration is complete, the next step is to migrate the customizations, integrations, and extensions from the on-premises Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 installation to Business Central in the cloud.

This can involve updating or replacing existing customizations and integrations to ensure compatibility with the cloud-based platform, and testing and validating the migrated applications to ensure they are working correctly.

Step 4: User Acceptance Testing and Training After the application migration is complete, it is important to conduct user acceptance testing to ensure that the new cloud-based system meets the needs of the business and users.

Training and support should also be provided to ensure that users are familiar with the new system and can effectively use it to perform their daily tasks.

Step 5: Go-Live and Post-Migration Support Once user acceptance testing and training are complete, the final step is to go-live with the new cloud-based system. It is important to ensure that any remaining issues are addressed promptly and that the system is stable and functioning correctly.

Ongoing post-migration support should also be provided to ensure that any issues or questions that arise are promptly addressed, and that users are able to fully leverage the benefits of the new cloud-based platform.

Conclusion

Migrating from an on-premises installation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 to the cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) offering of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can be a complex and challenging project. However, with careful planning, thorough preparation, and a well-executed migration plan, businesses can successfully migrate to the cloud-based platform and enjoy the benefits of scalability, accessibility, and security.