Microsoft Navision and Crystal Reports - An Overview

Microsoft Business Solutions ? Navision is an integrated solution for small and midsize companies looking to expand their business operations without much interruption to its existing processes. Microsoft Navision enables businesses to alter as much or as little of its existing system, integrate add-ons and vertical segments of its development. It integrates every aspect of your organization, from customers to suppliers, from accounting to supply chain, increasing your productivity and competitive edge. Microsoft Navision has an open environment architecture making it fully customizable and easy to use and maintain. It can also be implemented rapidly so that there is only a minimal disruption to business operations.

Microsoft Navision was originally written by Denmark-based Navision Software in its own proprietary language C/SIDE (Client/Server Integrated Development Environment). Both European and North American markets have benefited from its use. Its launch in the global market will help organizations scale up their development and add value to their business.

One of the primary reporting tools used today is Crystal Reports. With its ability to call up information from SQL commands, using Crystal Reports adds extensive functionality in your reporting procedure. The following is an overview of Crystal Reports as it relates to Microsoft Navision:

C/SIDE

C/SIDE is Microsoft Navision's graphical integrated development environment that provides customization tools for developing customer specific solutions to be applied to a business process.

Inside Crystal Reports, use C/ODBC to create a connection to the database needed for report generation. Links are done inside Crystal Reports. However, this connection technique tends to be inflexible if you want to modify your database mapping or links inside the report. You may want to redo the database mapping of that report or use a Crystal Report query.

Microsoft SQL Server

Using Microsoft SQL Server in Microsoft Navision will help a great deal since SQL has the ability to integrate Navision to third-party products. SQL Server has a virtual table that you can access to minimize the complexity of looking at links in Crystal Reports itself. By referencing the view name in a Transact-SQL statement, a user can access this virtual table and retrieve the data for future selection to be applied into Crystal Reports. You also have the option of creating Stored Procedures to execute a number of Transact-SQL statements into a single command. Furthermore, SQL Query Analyzer can copy existing database objects and locate, view or work with these objects within the database.

Reports on Heterogeneous Database

If Microsoft Navision sits in an SQL Server, you have the ability to create a link from your database server to another third party database (Oracle, DB2, Unidata, Ingress, Sybase, Pervasive, Ctree, MS Access) for report creation in Crystal Reports. For example, if you are on a C/SIDE Database, create a link server to it with C/ODBC. You then create additional linked servers to your legacy database. These links will serve as your pool for creating one Crystal Report using a number of databases. Knowledge about OPENROWSET keyword in SQL Server is useful for this kind of execution.

Microsoft Navision is a powerful analytical tool for your business performance. Adding Crystal Reports to its functionalities will provide a more systematic way of measuring your organization's competence.

Need more information?

Contact us: 1-866-528-0577 help@albaspectrum.com

For customization work and advice, please contact Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Chief Technology Officer. His works include development of applications with the use of Dexterity, SQL, C# .NET, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK.

© Feb 2005 Alba Spectrum Technologies USA. All rights reserved.

Divine Rigor is the Technical Writer for Alba Spectrum Technologies USA ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), a Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company. We are based in Chicago with locations in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York and contacts in international markets.

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


C++ Function Templates

C++ Function templates are those functions which can handle different... Read More

Microsoft CRM Development

Microsoft CRM is CRM answer from Microsoft Business Solutions.The whole... Read More

Programming Language Migration Path

While I was preparing some personal background information for a... Read More

Microsoft CRM for Corporate Business ? Working Offline

If your company has regional and worldwide operations, you might... Read More

Protect Your Computer...and Your Business!

We all take the computer for granted. I mean, all... Read More

10 Things You Can Do With Photoshop CS2 That You Couldnt Do Before Now

Is Photoshop CS2 worth the upgrade? You bet it is!... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Inventory Control ? Overview For Consultant

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More

15 Questions to Ask Your Software Vendor

When making a decision to buy any piece of software... Read More

Navision Customization: C/SIDE, C/ODBC, C/FRONT, XBRL ? Development Options

Microsoft bought Navision, Denmark based software development company, along with... Read More

Most Dangerous Types of Spyware are on the Rise: How to Choose the Weapon

Bad News - the Threat is Bigger than it SeemedHow... Read More

Easy Guide to RAID Recovery

What is RAID RECOVERY?RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive... Read More

How to Upgrade Dexterity Customization ? Tips for IT Manager

If you have Microsoft Great Plains and support it... Read More

Falling in Love With More Than One Screensaver: The Fun Part

Having from five to ten and more favorite screensavers is... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains implementation: Restaurants Supply Chain Management Example

Microsoft Great Plains serves majority of US based horizontal and... Read More

Professional XP Style Icons in Software and Website Development

Using professional icons in your application or website can bring... Read More

Great Plains Accounting Migration to Microsoft Great Plains - Overview for IT Specialist

This is a short article, written in question/answer/FAQ style to... Read More

Save Your Resources - Combine Your IM Clients

There are so many different programs that clutter up your... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Implementation for Midsize & Large Corporation: Lockbox Processing

Microsoft Great Plains is now targeting large and midsize businesses... Read More

Two Reasons to Use Timesheet Software

This short paper will expand on two key reasons to... Read More

Microsoft Small Business Manager Customization Options - Overview

Microsoft Business Solutions Small Business Manager is Great Plains Dexterity... Read More

Microsoft CRM for Large Corporation ? Security

Microsoft Business Solutions CRM proved to be reliable solution in... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Integration with Legacy Systems ? Overview For Developer

Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular,... Read More

10 Things You Could be Using Photoshop For, But Probably Arent

Most people don't use Photoshop to its fullest capabilities. Here... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains: Customization Upgrade & Recovery ? Visual Studio VB 6.0

Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics, eEnterprise has... Read More

Microsoft CRM Customization

Microsoft CRM customization techniques are very diversified and based on... Read More

Free Software: How Not To Get More Than You Bargained For!

I completed an experiment recently. I wanted to find out... Read More

Constructionalist Parsing - Deciphering Natural Language

The research in the field of Natural Language Processing usually... Read More

Business Planning Software

Once a business idea is selected, it is highly recommended... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Integration Manager ? Working With Text File

Microsoft Business Solutions main middle market ERP application - Microsoft... Read More

Fundraising Software ? How Can That Help Me?

Fundraising software lets you connect with donors in a way... Read More

How to Make Attractive and Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint has dramatically changed the way in which academic... Read More

It?s Back!! WordPerfect?s Amazing Comeback

Have you noticed WordPerfect is gearing up for a comeback... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains customization ? Freight Forwarding/Transportation industry example

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains version 8.5, 8.0, 7.5, Great... Read More