NAV2013 CFMD Struggle

fred69

Hello world,

For PinkFloyd fans, I would have liked to name my question "Is there anybody out there ?".

I've already spent several months making our solution comply with the CFMD requirements but there is still a lot to do. I've struggled with a lot of stupid requirements, I've written thousands of pages that no-one will never read. Sometimes, I had some questions and I got in touch with a person from the test vendor that always answered my questions. The problem is that his answers usually start with "I guess that..". Am I alone running for CFMD on NAV2013 ?

Let me give an example on how misty some requirements are. One requirement deals with the RapidStart Services (Chapter 6.11 of the requirements).
- They speak about the "Company settings" folder that must include the XML files (one for each company type). This folder was available on Nav2009 and it included files like furniture.xml. On a Nav2013 installation, there is no such a folder, no XML files...
- They say that "for solutions that only use RapidStart Services, the test vendor will:

1. Create a new company, and then import the configuration package provided with the solution.
2. Open the Configuration Worksheet window (page 8615), and then validate that the new company contains the following information:
 Questionnaires
 Setup data
 Master data template header and lines

We have read and watched all the documents and videos that are given to help us understand how we should proceed to comply with this requirement. No example on how to include questionnaires. We know that using RapidStart services leads to a .rapidstart file but we don't know how to bind evertything together (data packages, questionnaires, data templates) in a file. How to deal with the different languages ?

Another requirement is to provide an installation document. I've asked LionBridge if we have to explain in this document how to deal with the problem that we always have to face when restoring a BAK file from a different domain (SQL scripts have to be run in order to delete users and so on). The person had never heard about this problem and gave me an answer after forwarding my question to high-level experts...

My questions are :
- did someone run for CFMD on a NAV2013 ISV-solution (not on a solution that had already been certified on NAV2009) ?
- If yes, how did he proceed to comply with the RapidStart requirements ?
- The questionnaires that are available in a french cronus database haven't been translated into french. A french user that would like to use RapidStart to create a new company would have to answer questionnaires that are written in ENU... Did you provide several packages (one package with your own language and one with ENU) ?

Thanks for any answer. The show must go on.

jglathe

Hi fred69,

I feel with you. When we have done the CfMD testing (in 2011 it was an (unwritten) requirement to even get a granule), I said to my partner "let them rot". We should have. We have done the testing (and passed), and spent 4400 USD and our time for nothing. I wouldn't ever try this again. Not without already having a seven digit sales figure of Microsoft licenses and a direct, non-changing, actually helpful person as contact at Microsoft. And even then I would tell them where they could stick their certification process.

with best regards

Jens

fred69

Hi jglathe,
Thanks for your answer. A good reason for my company to run for CFMD is a nice 5 digits invoice amount MS has sent us without telling us before. We will have to pay this amount each quarter (which will lead to a 6 digits amount per year) if we don't succeed in obtaining this certification.
It's the most annoying work I've ever done day after day, week after week and I feel like you, for nothing. I made a promise some weeks ago. I will print out every document I've written and bring this huge stack of paper to the nearest waste sorting center to make it useful in some manner.

It doesn't bring me further in my dark tunnel but it was nice reading that I'm not the only one feeling the way I do about this "Quality"-driven process...

Thanks.

lvanvugt

Hi Fred,

I have been involved with a couple of CfMD projects. Without going into the justification of all of this. Let me share my experience.

As you know MS has set detailed requirements, but I look at them as goals to be met in the future. For now these requirements are not 100 % mandatory as I experienced. The level is higher as with NAV 2009 certification, but still not strictly meeting these requirements. And of course depending on your solution some might not even apply. However for those that do apply, you could make a division in two.
On one side there are straight forward requirements like providing a listing of all the objects your solutions consists of. On the other side there are requirements that in general "just" need a good reasoning on how you think you do comply with. Like in your case with the RapidStart Services. With one of "my" CfMD projects RapidStart Services wasn't even used. Instead another methodology was used to achieve the same goal. The justification of this was also accepted.
Or like with the Help. A big part of my involvement had to do with this, being one of my specialties. It's a requirement that you need to provide (Online) Help with your solution. But this can be done very efficiently. Providing a very minimum level Help. You could even say: not even complying 100 % with these requirements. you do not even need to build the same kind of Help projects MS delivers with the product. You can do with some other kind of system

Being somewhat cynical you could look at CfMD as being a "wax nose", a Dutch way of saying that it's not much worth. IMHO this applies to some of the requirements.

Note that with all these CfMD projects the choice was made to use the Pass Guarantee Veritest version. You have to pay a little more, but are helped to get the solution passed. This way you have a more or less trial and error way of getting your solution through as the VeriTest.
The Lionbridge resource who is assisting you, will make clear what is accepted or not. I.e. which requirements really need to be met (100%) and which "only" need a good justification.

Hope this helps you somewhat. Be free to contact me directly if you would like to get more details.

fred69

Hi,
When I wrote this post, it was because I felt quite alone in the CFMD process.
We have passed the VeriTest and we are about to fulfill the other requirements to get the CFMD certification. Some kind of 9-months pregnancy after which you finally feel free of something...

This post just in order to give a feedback. We have answered all the requirements. ](*,) We have spent 140 days for that. #-o Our work was so perfect that they didn't even ask a question. =D> It took them 3 days between the day the submission package was delivered and the day we got the result. :-k

I'm safe and killed no-one.

If anyone has to run through this high-quality process, feel free to contact me.

Special Thanks to Luc and Jens for their kind answers.

lvanvugt

You're welcome, Fred and congrats.

Dral

Hello Fred69, i´m about to get into that process myself.
I´ve sent you a PM, maybe you could direct me little further into this matter.

I'm safe and killed no-one.

If anyone has to run through this high-quality process, feel free to contact me.

Special Thanks to Luc and Jens for their kind answers.