Workflow with Dynamic Navision

Tantawan

Hi all

I've heard that the new release of Dynamic Navisin 5.0 will come with workflow? Could anyone please give me more details?

Thanks in advance,

ara3n

Where did you hear that?

Marije_Brummel

:-#

ara3n

I saw the demo for MS Speach server at chanel 9 and they were using workflow with it. It's a realy cool technology.

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=208891

Miklos_Hollender

I have seen some ERP systems with a workflow engine, like Compiere for example, and it did not really work out... despite all the BS about "automating business procedures", ERP is basically about entering transactions and it did not really match...

Probably the only thing an ERP needs of workflow is e-mail alerts. I think NAV5 will have e-mail alerts, but it's hard to believe for me to setup stuff like "send an e-mail to a project manager if parts arrive with a Job No." without coding. And if we have to code, then why would we need that? Such an e-mail is about 5 lines with SMTP OCX.

DenSter

Workflow would more be like you enter a sales quote and someone else needs to approve it. When it is approved then someone else needs to take some action. Depending on what happens with that quote there's a number of possible actions. Think of logging into the app and opening your home page. Waiting for you are a number of sales quotes to approve. This is just general stuff that has been presented in Dynamics demos, we really don't know exactly what it's going to look like, unless of course Mark's silence means he saw something he's not supposed to tell .

It's not just sending email reminders. That is oversimplifying it.

Marije_Brummel

I would not even call it workflow, but if I remember correctly it is still under NDA so...

HalMdy

Some add-ons already exists with Workflow (internal messaging inside NAV, no needs to making mails).

As an example, I think about some dev made by Gesway (look at http://www.gesway.com , unfortunatelly presentation is only in french, but send me a personnal msg with your e-mail address if you are interested in, I could give you more info ...)

DenSter

Tectura also has a Workflow product for NAV, and then there's also something called Naviflow, which is not as advanced.

I don't know if the "workflow" part is under NDA. I do know that the word 'workflow' means something completely different to many people, so until there is some definate answers as to how it works, and we are allowed to talk about it, I'm not going to hype it up or speculate. I just wanted to make the point that workflow (the way it would be implemented) would not be simply sending emails out when something happens.

ara3n

when I first heard workflow. I though about MS workflow product, and I'm positive that SDK won't be used. Maybe in when Dynamics ships it will have workflow. I guess just with anything else with 5.0, we have to wait and see.

Sleeper

DenSter wrote:

Tectura also has a Workflow product for NAV, and then there's also something called Naviflow, which is not as advanced.

We use the Tectura Workflow solution and its great. You have exactly what DenSter wrote before: you can enter a sales quote and another user gets a message that says that he has to approve it and so on. Another good thing is the MS Visio integration. You can plan your workflows directly in Visio and transfer it to Navision.

Another feature is the field level security. Its a part of the module and it works fine. It was a good investment.

Miklos_Hollender

Field level security? Once I did such a thing, but it was a mess: generating C/AL code for each bloody form field (IF the configuration says you should be hidden, VISIBLE:=FALSE) in text and copying it... completely unmaintainable. How did they manage to get it right? I thought it was technically impossible.

DenSter

You think I'm going to post that code?

I would be out of a job in about two minutes. :shock:

Tim82

Miklos Hollender wrote:

Field level security? Once I did such a thing, but it was a mess: generating C/AL code for each bloody form field (IF the configuration says you should be hidden, VISIBLE:=FALSE) in text and copying it... completely unmaintainable. How did they manage to get it right? I thought it was technically impossible.

I'm working together with the developer at this solution and I can say: its not that difficult. He said once, that he wonders why MS never implemented it this way. And since we certified the solution we sell it with almost any project.

Marije_Brummel

Tim82 wrote:

I'm working together with the developer at this solution and I can say: its not that difficult. He said once, that he wonders why MS never implemented it this way. And since we certified the solution we sell it with almost any project.

Link please

Miklos_Hollender

Actually, if it's only modification security, then it's truly easy, because it's just checking the difference between rec and xrec with a fieldref. But visibility-level security is not.

ara3n

No I believe it has implemented Visibility security as well.

kine

Yes, Insert, modify or delete is no problem... visibility is bigger problem... may be some solution without editing each object exists, but...

Marije_Brummel

So basicly we are back waiting for the big 5.0 ](*,)

kriki

Actually, field-level security, record-level security, logging, hierarchical role ID's is not so difficult. I had it already in version 2.01!
I have to admit, some code is needed in the objects, but I also created a program to generated the code, so it was only a cut&paste operation.
My fieldlevel had 3 possibilities : editable, not editable, not visible.

Miklos_Hollender

Yep, this is what I called "a complete mess" before. I also generated visibility code with a Perl script and found that adding new fields is a pain, and forms look like complete crap, having 8 tabs with 12 fields in "random" positions. Maybe I could have generated code for moving the X and Y coordinates as well but I felt it as an overkill

girish.joshi

Tectura Workflow, first created in Germany, implements field level security (among many other cool things). It isn't that difficult -- if you already know how to do it.

kriki

[Topic moved from Upcoming version NAV 5.1 forum to Navision forum]