Advice - Navision, Commerce Gateway and Biztalk

Jerry

Hi All, I'm very new to Navision and Biztalk. I'm currently evaluating it, unfortunatly I can't find any solid documentation on these topics except a few installation guides.

We want to use Navision but require that a 3rd party applications be able to interface and manipulate Navision's data and vise versa.

Our thoughts are to use the following combination of application:

Navision <-> Commerce Gateway <-> Biztalk <-> 3rd Party

As I understand it, when Commerce Gateway and Biztalk communicate they can exchange purchase orders, invoices, receipts etc... Unfortunatly I haven't seen anything about being able to access other information.

1) For example can we setup access such that Biztalk can read, write and run queries against an entire table? Is this done through calling different "code unites"?

2) Does anyone have examples or documentation that shows what kinds of things can be done between Biztalk and Navision through the Commerce Gate Way (Please don't say "refer to the install document") ?


Thanks for any help you can provide
Jerry

Shenpen

Err... I'd advise against these stuff. You know they're just suspiciously complicated. I think there is a reason we don't see here many topics about them: I think they just don't work, or not the way you'd expect them to work.

I'd rather create a new table with 50 text 50 fields in Navision, write it right into SQL server with external tools, and write programs in Navision that insert those data with VALIDATE to other tables.

Jerry

Thanks Shenpen.

It may come to that if Navision and Biztalk don't give us the capabilities that we need. Connection Navision directly to a Webservice was another option that we were looking at to synchronize our data.

Regards
Jerry

DenSter

Commerce Gateway is meant to be used as a B2B document exchange. The reason why you don't read much about it in these boards is that it works quite well, and if you do have an issue there is a small number of people who really know it (I am not one of those people by the way). If I were you I would get with a solution center that has implemented this before, or get in touch with Microsoft to get you some reference sites, so you can talk to people who have real world experience with this.

It is not so much meant to be used to run queries against the Navision database, but to send and receive electronic trade documents to and from your partners. You have to think of it as something that you shoot data at, and it will process it for you into whatever lays behind it.

We have used the Commerce Gateway logic to write an interface to MS-CRM, so it is possible to use it as a framework for application integration. However, you will probably be better off using custom development to accomplish that, since each application has its own specific requirements.

For application integration we've used CG logic, a Message Queue monitor to send XML documents back and forth (this works really well by the way), and one that involved a separate SQL Server database that uses views into it from Navision. The last one only works if you use the SQL Server option.

I also have one working where Biztalk sends XML docs into a message queue directly, and Navision monitors the queue. Theoretically you could use this for anything.

Shenpen

Isn't it a bit oversized? Why didn't you just take the simpler approach and glue 'em together the way I mentioned above, or with Perl scripts or whatever, without additional licence costs?

DenSter

Am I supposed to tell my customer, who already has Biztalk running, and an external application with a Biztalk adapter, to go and 'glue them together with Perl'?

You can't just dismiss Biztalk and say that Commerce Gateway doesn't work correctly, that is simply false information.

Shenpen

OK, if they already had it, then you are right. I just did not count on this option - never seen anyone buying such expensive tools. Sorry.