navision Business notifications not working

vassilis

SQL 2000 SP3a (Ent), Windows 2003 (Ent) SP1, Navision 4.01

at this time i actually believe that is impossible to install and make the business notifications work !!!!

I followed step-by step the only manual that i could find on Business notifications and it refuses to work.
Downloaded and install (not through terminal services, from console as a tech guy told me that it has issues from terminal services) the MSSQLXM 3.0 SP3. Then i install and configure the SQL Server Notification Services 2.0 SP1, and the Navision Client 4.0 (SP1) with the notification services.
Finally the Navision Business Notification server was installed.
All of them are installed on the same machine that has the SQL and the navision database.

On the server i have two new services: The notification service deployment manager which is started and a NS$BusinessNotificationInstance which gives an error on start (service did not respond etc.) and with two errors on the event log:

Event Type:	Error
Event Source:	Business Notification
Event Category:	None
Event ID:	0
Date:		16/4/2007
Time:		10:04:17
User:		N/A

Description:
Could not write configuration to Navision.
Exception: 
System.Exception
Could not start Navision Application Server.
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainDataProvider.AttainPsychicalConnection.Open()
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainDataProvider.AttainConnection.Open()
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.TransactionManagement.ConnectionManager.OpenConnection(String connectionString)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainAdapter.ConnectionFactory.OpenConnection(String companyName)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainAdapter.PropertyStorageProvider.GetSubs(String key)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainAdapter.PropertyStorageProvider.Remove(String key)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainAdapter.PropertyStorageProvider.set_Item(String key, Object value)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.BusinessNotification.NotificationService.NotificationServiceDeploymentManager.InitializeNavision()

----------------------------------------
Inner Exception
----------------------------------------
System.InvalidOperationException
There is an error in XML document (0, 0).
   at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer.Deserialize(XmlReader xmlReader, String encodingStyle, XmlDeserializationEvents events)
   at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer.Deserialize(XmlReader xmlReader, XmlDeserializationEvents events)
   at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer.Deserialize(XmlReader xmlReader)
   at Microsoft.BusinessSolutions.MBN.VIP.AttainDataProvider.AttainPsychicalConnection.Open()

----------------------------------------
Inner Exception
----------------------------------------
System.Xml.XmlException
The root element is missing.
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Read()
   at System.Xml.XmlReader.MoveToContent()
   at Microsoft.Xml.Serialization.GeneratedAssembly.XmlSerializationReaderlogin.Read8_login()

Event Type:	Error
Event Source:	NotificationServices
Event Category:	None
Event ID:	3
Date:		16/4/2007
Time:		11:42:03
User:		N/A
Description:
<NotificationServicesEvent>
	<Description>
		Notification Services encountered an error while starting the service.
	</Description>
	<Context>
<EventParameters>
	<InstanceName>BusinessNotificationInstance</InstanceName>
	<ProblemDescription>Notification Services failed to read the NSVersionInfo table.
InstanceName: BusinessNotificationInstance
ApplicationName: SQL Server Notification Services
StoredProcedureName: NSGetVersionInfo
SqlServerError:
	Source: .Net SqlClient Data Provider 
	Number: 2812 
	State: 62 
	Class: 16 
	Server: 
	Message: Could not find stored procedure 'NSGetVersionInfo'. 
	Procedure:  
	Line Number: 0 
</ProblemDescription>
</EventParameters>

	</Context>
	<Instance>BusinessNotificationInstance</Instance>
	<Component>Other</Component>
	<ComponentDetails>
ComponentName: Service Main Entry Point
	</ComponentDetails>
	<Thread>4</Thread>
</NotificationServicesEvent>

On the SQL server i have the 3 new databases that are installed with the business notification but this thing just doesn't work !!

I'm begging for some help here cause we really need to find a solution on this as its really critical for the company to have mail notifications.

thank you in advance!

kine

1) The Nav BN service must run under account having access into NAV database.
2) There is known issue when more versions of .NET are installed. Search the PartnerSource for the KB.

vassilis

thanks for the reply

1. yes it has, ID Role: SUPER
2. i have the default 1.0 and after the updates i got the 1.1 with service pack. Should i remove a version ? how ? i cannot find the article with the known issue that you are referring to...can you provide a link ??

thanks again

kine

1) You need to have .NET 2.0!
2) Possible KB for your problem:
KB 884255
KB 926826

(you can search for KB there: https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/search.aspx)

vassilis

i installed .net 2.0 and i add the <supportedRuntime version> node on the configuration file but still the service refuses to start.

what else could be wrong ? do i need to tweak/check anything on the registry ?
My iis has the three new business notification application pools which i assume means that is installed correctly.

I'm begging for some assistant ](*,)

thanks

kine

1) You needs to be sure, that you selected correct Nav DB version when installing the Navision BN Server (Native or SQL).
2) You needs to be sure, that you entered correct DB Name when Nav SQL option is used.
3) You needs to be sure, that the service is running under windows account having SUPER access to the NAV (check it once again on the services - If my memory is correct, there are two services)
4) If all is correctly set, NAS started by the service must be able to write the connection parameters into NAV db into Property storage table.

And of course, if you can, use newest client as possible. But take into account, that latest BN versions for NAV are working with MS SQL 2005 NS and not with SQL 2000... (in your case NAV 4.00SP2 will be the last one, SP3 is working just with SQL 2005 NS).

vassilis

1) the versions using are : SQL 2000 (ent edition), Nav 4.0 SP1 for both navision and navision business notification (installed from the same cd), SQL server business notification services 2.0 SP1 (ent edition). is there a compatibility problem with these versions ?
2) 100% positive of this
3) 1000% positive of this. triple-checked both services log-on information and navision id roles

which versions are not compatible with sql 2000 ? i'm using the versions listed on 1) and on my first post.

quick and dirty question: is language an issue ?? i installed the greek version of navision client and the GR version of navision business notification but the sql server notification services are in english

kine

I think that it is not language problems. The installations are different just in used templates and .stx files.

By the "correct version" of server I mean the selection when installing BN services - when the installation process is asking you if you are using Native or SQL DB server (step 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 in Business Notification Installation Guide.doc)

vassilis

i finally managed to install successfully and have all the services start but know i cannot get the damn thing to send the actual emails.

I connect successfully to the notification server, i create some templates from the navision business notification application, i subscribe to the actual notification via the web interface but no emails are delivered..

can someone provide some instructions or a link to a document on how to actual and simple test this thing ? i think that I'm missing something from the navision interface and i do not test correctly the notifications.

I'm not a navision expert but i create scheme from the navision business notification program and then from the navision form 8000 i enable the "send notification" check-box and then from form 8004 i try to find matching lines in order to send. Is this correct approach ?

shouldn't i be able to see my newly creates scheme on the form 8004 ? i only see the Microsoft default ones.

any guideline would be helpful.

Thank you in advance!

Sarahkingswell

Business Notification is an absolute nightmare to get working. I wrote my own instructions and follow them step by step every time. I am pleased to say that following my instructions instead of Microsoft's works everytime. you must make sure you only have .net 1x installed. Business notification is not compatible with .net 2 in nav 4.x

If you send me a private email, I will send you my instructions. It applies to the GB version but hopefully it shouldn't be any different

Sarah

vassilis

nightmare is an underestimated word to describe the mess with the BN installation !!!

the thing is that i have installed .net 2.0 as per other people guidelines and Microsoft(!!) and i think that was the start of my mess...i tried to uninstall, re-install .1, reboot and all that stuff but nothing is happening (no files are created on the isolatedstorage folder) so I'm 100% sure that is a .net issue and my main problem is that i was trying this on a productive navision server and i just didn't wanna mess with it.

I finally tried to work with a different approach. Install only the BN on a brand new server and try to use the "another server" option and it actually worked! I had some problems with the email authentication but at least i had some errors/points that actually stated that this thing was working and i managed to send my first mail notification =D>

Thank you for your reply and i will send you a pm cause i really want to see how you manage to do it.

Sarahkingswell

Oh yes if you have installed the software several times then it gets into a horrible mess! After removing the application from Add\Remove Programs I would delete the program folder and remove the Buiness Notification Databases from the SQL Server. Also there is a queue folder somewhere in the user's profile. I think it was somewhere under local settings > isolated storage. I also cleared out this folder to ensure there were no dodgy emails on the local client.

Once you have mastered the install it actually isn't too bad to get working. Unfortunately once you have it working what you get is a little disappointing!