Modeling language / tehnique for Navision?

Archy

Hi All!

Which modeling languages / techniques / tools for modeling is more comfortable using for Navision concepts? May be the UML is good for Navision description? Or there is some special tool / just a language for Navision from microsoft? Actually I don't need something like code generation, just easy way to describe Navision functionality for programmers.

Thank you a lot for help!

kine

You can use what you want - UML is good example. Because C/AL is Event-driven language, you have states and events and data flow and...

Miklos_Hollender

Good ol' OnTarget Modeler? That was specifically build for Navision but in the last couple of years Microsoft is very silent about the whole OnTarget stuff. Still might worth to check out (ask for a CD from MS or stuff like that).

Waldo

I investigated that modeler a few years ago. Keep in mind that is was only built for designing Business Processes ... to design verticals. Only the Use Case diagram was used from UML, so it was hardly a methodology.

Actually, I was not in favour of using UML as the modelling language. UML is a based on Object Oriented solutions. Als you know ... C/AL isn't object oreinted at all. Zo forget your Class Diagrams, Object Diagrams, Collaboration Diagrams, blablabla .. forget Rational Rose, forget ... . You just can't translate it to C/AL code ... .

I'm not an expert, and I don't want to give the impression that I am.

During Convergence in San Diego, I saw a new tool Microsoft is working in: the Business Modeler. It was presented under Sure Step. It was still a concept, but at least they are working on some kind of visual tool to "model" a business. I'm sure this is will be more suitable to design business processes that the OnTarget UML Modeler they developed a few years ago. Time will tell .

So Kine is right: UML is good (for now), as long as you only use it to design the business process (high level). But the good news is that there might we something more to come... natively Microsoft.