New developments in NAV 2017 strive to allow users to work smarter with improved and intelligent workflows and productivity tools. In previous blogs, we have discussed how Dynamics NAV 2017 improves business productivity with the deeper integration with Microsoft Outlook, and the improved financial functionality and reporting capabilities. In this blog we look at some of the other features in Dynamics NAV 2017…
Faster inventory control with NAV 2017 item cards
Similar to what we have seen in Dynamics 365, inventory in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 has several additional attributes allowing users to add more detail and locate a particular item. Items can also be grouped for improved management. Additional features include:
- Item specifics can be defined e.g. colour, dimensions, place of manufacture etc.
- The ability to filter by defined attributes
- Item categories allow products to automatically inherit information, giving a common set of attributes for related items
- Product layout has changed to allow for tiled images (illustrated below)
Embedded Power BI
With embedded Power BI it is easy to create insightful charts and reports and to make them available in your Dynamics NAV 2017 Role Centre. Users can now get interactive reports without having to leave their NAV client.
The experience of ‘In Office 365’
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 and Office 365 is a winning combination for business. Seamlessly integrating with one another, you can now view your email, calendar and files within your data, reports and business applications, so no more switching from Outlook to NAV, saving the user time. A consistent user experience across all devices now makes it easier than ever to enable your people to complete their everyday tasks whether they are in the office, or on the go. Further features relating to this integration can be found in our previous NAV 2017 blog.
Extending document management with Sales and Purchasing
Users now have the ability to cancel a posted credit memo for both sales and purchasing the same as they always could for invoices. Following user feedback, Package Tracking number and Shipping Agent Codes are now on sales invoices by default.
Chart of Account categories in NAV 2017
Financial reporting capabilities have increased through the introduction of Account categories. Account and sub categories can be produced, so users can group G/L Accounts. For each G/L account you can specify the account category so the ledger entries that are posted to this account are categorised as assets or liabilities, for example. For more information on the new financial capabilities refer to our earlier NAV finance blog.
More flexible and automated Fixed Assets
The set-up of fixed assets allows the standard set up to be modified at any time. You can register fixed asset as cards with complete information, accounting details, and reporting classification. You can also register purchases of fixed assets through special fixed asset G/L journals where you can also dispose of fixed assets. The right accounting entries are created automatically.
Incoming document and OCR improvements
Incoming documents are now easier to process and organise. Documents can be filtered to reduce the amount of entries and show either all documents or any unprocessed documents. Users can now extract line details on incoming documents. For example, users can create purchase invoices with multiple line details. OCR has also been improved to correct errors before receiving the results document. A new Role Centre Queue shows you incoming documents awaiting OCR.
Personalised and speedier management of Jobs / Projects
A “Project Manager” field has been added to the Job card so that users can easily identify the owner. A new “My Jobs” list has been added to the Project Manager Role Centre, this will now display jobs with the status of On Order by default. A new queue has been added to create Job Sales Invoices, so that users have quicker access. The “Reports” tab has been removed and replaced with a drop down list with job reports has been added to the “Actions” Ribbon. A new fact box has been created to show the Job Cost information and a new report called “Job Quote” has been created as a Microsoft Word template that can be amended before sending a quick quote to a customer.
NAV 2017 CRM integration
Microsoft have also made improvements to the CRM integration with NAV:
- Microsoft Dynamics products now have a new assisted setup guide, that takes you through the integration process
- Item availability is now available in CRM integration
- CRM integration components are now automatically uploaded to CRM
- For setup, a new wizard has been created that helps users set up exchange integration such as email logging (default public folders, rules, and job queue setup)
Alerts and Notifications where you need them
With Dynamics NAV 2017, Microsoft introduces a new way to create and send non-intrusive notifications to the user interface. These notifications inform the user of relevant information in a given situation, without interfering they merely highlight important information. For example, you can get notified when you create a sales invoice for a customer that has an overdue balance, or when the amount in the sales document exceeds the credit limit specified for the customer, or a notification can be shown if you try to sell more items than you have in your inventory.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 is designed to empower your people to be more productive, with the ability to scale and accommodate growth, all while delivering the insight you need to respond quickly. To find out more about the additional features in NAV 2017, or to discuss a potential upgrade, contact Prodware.
Leave a reply