You can set up and use workflows that connect business-process tasks performed by different users. System tasks, such as automatic posting, can be included as steps in workflows, preceded or followed by user tasks. Requesting and granting approval to create new records are typical workflow steps.

In the Workflow window, you create a workflow by listing the involved steps on the lines. Each step consists of a workflow event, moderated by event conditions, and a workflow response, moderated by response options. You define workflow steps by filling fields on workflow lines from fixed lists of event and response values representing scenarios that are supported by the application code.

The generic version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV includes a number of preconfigured workflows, listed in the Workflow Templates window, that you can copy to create workflows. The codes for workflow templates that are added by Microsoft are prefixed with “MS-“.

If a business scenario requires a workflow event or response that is not supported, a Microsoft partner must implement them by customizing the application code.

Note
The Document Approvals feature that existed in the previous version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV is removed. The standard approvals scenarios that were supported in the previous version are now supported as workflows for sales approvals and purchase approvals respectively. The upgrade tool will recreate document approval data in previous versions as workflow data in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016.

For more information, see Workflow.

As an alternative to emailing as file attachments, you can send and receive business documents electronically. By electronic document is meant a standard-compliant file representing a business document, such as an invoice from a vendor that can be received and converted to a purchase invoice in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The exchange of electronic documents between two trading partners is performed by an external provider of document exchange services. The generic version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV supports sending and receiving electronic invoices and credit memos in the PEPPOL format, which is supported by the largest providers of document exchange services. A major provider of document exchange services is preconfigured and ready to be set up for your company. To provide support for another electronic document format, you must create a new data exchange definition using the Data Exchange Framework and then develop a service setup page.

From PDF or image files representing incoming documents, you can have an external OCR service (Optical Character Recognition) create electronic documents that you can then convert to document records in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, like for electronic PEPPOL documents. For example, when you receive an invoice in PDF format from your vendor, you can send it to the OCR service from the Incoming Documents window. After a few seconds, you receive the file back as an electronic invoice that can be converted to a purchase invoice for the vendor. If you send the file to the OCR service by email, then a new incoming document record is automatically created when you receive the electronic document back. To provide support for another OCR service, you must create a new data exchange definition using the Data Exchange Framework and then develop a service setup page.

For more information, see Data Exchange.

Some business transactions are not recorded in Microsoft Dynamics NAV from the outset. Instead, an external business document comes into your company as an email attachment or a paper copy that you scan to file. This is typical of purchases, where such incoming document files represent payment receipts for expenses or small purchases.

Other examples of incoming document files are electronic documents from trading partners with whom you have agreed to exchange documents electronically or from an OCR service. For more information, see the “Electronic Documents” section.

In the Incoming Documents window, you use different functions to review information, manage OCR tasks, and convert incoming documents to the relevant purchase and sales documents or journal lines in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The external files can be attached to their related document in Microsoft Dynamics NAV at any process stage, including to posted documents and to the resulting vendor, customer, or general ledger entries.

For more information, see Incoming Documents.

You can set each customer up with a preferred method of sending sales documents, so that you do not have to select a sending option every time that you choose the Post and Send button.

In the Document Sending Profiles window, you set up different sending profiles, such as Electronic Document, that you can select from in the Document Sending Profile field on a customer card. In the Document Sending Profile window for a sending profile, you can select the Default check box to specify that the document sending profile is the default profile for all customers, except for customers where the Document Sending Profile field is filled with another sending profile.

For more information, see How to: Set Up Document Sending Profiles.

On every document and journal that can be posted, you can choose the Preview Posting button to review the different types of entries that will be created when you post the document or journal.

For more information, see How to: Preview Posting Results.

Revenues for services or goods delivered over multiple accounting periods are not necessarily recognized in the accounting period in which the sales document is posted and payment is received. To distribute revenues on the involved accounting periods, you can set up a deferral template for the resource, item, or G/L account that the revenues will be posted for. When you post the related sales document, the revenues are deferred to the involved accounting periods, according to a deferral schedule that is governed by settings in the deferral template and the posting date.

Expenses incurred over multiple accounting periods are not necessarily recognized in the accounting period in which the purchase document is posted and payment is made. To distribute expenses on the involved accounting periods, you can set up a deferral template for the item, resource, or G/L account that the expense will be posted for. When you post the related purchase document, the expense is deferred to the involved accounting periods, according to a deferral schedule that is governed by settings in the deferral template and the posting date.

For more information, see Defer Revenues and Expenses.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 introduces a new and improved integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The new Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration provides an optimal and seamless experience in the lead-to-cash process for customers who are utilizing Microsoft Dynamics CRM for customer engagement and Microsoft Dynamics NAV for order processing and financials.

For more information, see Integrating Microsoft Dynamics CRM in Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

On every document and journal that can be posted, you can choose the Preview Posting button to review the different types of entries that will be created when you post the document or journal.

For more information, see How to: Preview Posting Results.

With Microsoft Dynamics NAV it is possible to hide and show columns on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client, in the same way as on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client. Columns are added based on the same order, as they are specified on the page; they cannot be reordered. Use Hide Column to hide the current column, and use Choose Columns… to select which columns to display. The setting is saved for the next time you use Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV now supports freeze panes on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client. The freeze pane is set up in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client through configuration, or in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment using the FreezeColumnID property. Both on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client the first column is always frozen even if this is not specified. For more information, see How to: Add Freeze Panes and FreezeColumnID Property.

With this release the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client offers an inline lookup experience on fields as well as the ability to do cross column search as you type in the lookup and selecting data in the lookup using the keyboard.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV integrates with Microsoft Social Engagement and can be made available on customers, vendors, and items. You set up Microsoft Social Engagement for a specific record to monitor and collect data based on specific search criteria on different types of social media. For more information, see Social Engagement.

In Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client it is now possible to search across columns in a list. This search is activated by choosing the Search icon, and entering the search criteria. The search offers filter-as-you-type functionality, and will look for records that contain the search criteria. Symbols can also be used in the search criteria, and the search criteria are then interpreted exactly as you entered it. For more information, see How to: Use Quick Filter on Pages

Previously the navigation pane contained list places that were auto generated based on the available cues in the Role Center. These list places no longer get auto generated by default. Only if there is a relevant entity in the navigation pane, a list place will be created. For example, a Cue displaying Ongoing Sales Invoices will only be added if there is a Sales Invoices entry in the Navigation Pane that it can fit under.

In Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client you can now use the date lookup functionality on lists instead of typing dates in manually.

On Microsoft Dynamics NAV Phone client you tap on control add-ins to zoom. In zoom mode, any related actions are shown in the blue area under the control add-in.

With the new My Settings page, it is now possible to dynamically switch the UI language, region, time zone, company, and work date of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client, and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Phone client. You need to sign out and sign in again to have the change take effect, except for changing work date that takes effect immediately.

The number of available languages is based on the installed language modules. All settings are based on the selection in My Settings.

Important
With the introduction of the My Settings page, the settings in the Web.config file for Company, Time Zone, Region, and Language have been removed. Using an old link that contains a specific company to open, for example, the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client will overwrite the choice in My Settings.

For more information, see Managing Language, Regional Settings, and Time Zone in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client and My Settings.

You select multiple lines in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client by activating the context menu on a line, and then choosing Select More. When you choose Select More, a checkbox for selecting all rows is placed right above all the rows.

Instead of updating custom report layouts to dataset changes one layout at a time, you can now perform an update of all custom layouts at once.

You also have the option to test updates without applying the required changes to the custom report layouts. This enables you to see what changes will be applied to the report layout and identify possible issues in the process. From the test results, you can open the custom report layouts directly for editing to fix any issues. We recommend that you test the report layout update before you apply the updates.

For more information, see Updating Report Layouts.