What database?

JTPro

Hello all!!!

I'm going to make integration of Navision and Microsoft CRM. I need to make possible to see some information in CRM, that were input using Navision, and vice versa.
CRM is based on Microsoft SQL Server. I know that Navision has possibility to work with SQL Server, but as I heard it is not optimal choice. I heard that Navision works better with Navision Database.
I'm wonderign what will be better: making integration SQL and SQL or Navition database and SQL?
What do you think?
:-k

Best regards!!!

IHateLinux

Hi,

IMHO it should never be considered to select the database on integration tasks!

The primary tasks are:
a.) Security (user)
b.) Sizing
c.) Desaster recovery

As far as your customer is able to run half a day without working and the database is not too big, then Navision native db offers a good solution with hotcopy.
But if the database is getting really big and the customer wants to have a failure downtime and lost of work úntil the last transaction, then SQL server offers the better solution.

It is true, that SQL server is not that fast as native.
But there is plenty of space for improving the performance by setting the right SIFT levels, deactivating keys, propper programing,...

I have not seen many large customers chosing the native version when it comes to the decission to restore a 40GB database.

HTH,
Rainer

awarn

Another point of view...

If the customer is going to be doing lots of integration themselves (external report writers, etc...) then they will most likely find the SQL version of the database much easier to use.

Whether the eventual ease of use of the customer's tasks is of concern to you or not when choosing a database - I would leave that up the the CUSTOMER. As long as they understand all of the pros and cons of choosing either options, it is their decision. I would put this up on the board as one of the pros to choosing the SQL version, it may not be the most important, but I have had customers who have literally dozens of subsystems reading the database (3.6 with ODBC), I dare say if we had used the native version and not told them that it might be harder to run their reports they may have been annoyed.

-a

kine

And another point of view: Navision Native DB is dead end. How long, nobody knows, but you can be sure, that once the day will be there... after that only MS SQL... :-$

DenSter

You do not want to simply write an integration between navision and MS CRM using SQL Server. You will miss crucial business logic in both applications.

You should investigate the MS CRM SDK and use the post callout functionality to access MS CRM from an outside app. Then you can use your own logic in a NAS to do the Navision part. We wrote such an integration using the Commerce Gateway functionality as a model (with Biztalk to translate the messages), but it can also be done in a less complex model without Biztalk.

awarn

DFenster,

That is of course a great point - when we have users read from our database we normally create views for them, and when they want to write there are many ways, from dumping to a table and having a batch routine create whatever (journal lines, etc), (easy for any tech guy on the customers end to figure out what to do)and many other ways.

A good example of why the database should be a consideration.

-a