The Ins and Outs of Microsoft Dynamics NAV Licensing: User types, locales, and license mobility

One of the hot button topics - not to mention a source of confusion - when it comes to Microsoft Dynamics NAV is product licensing.

That's according to feedback from members of NAVUG speaking at a recent webcast. To help clear things up, several partners offered their input on licensing basics. Customers should understand their options, partners advised, because the optimal approach to licensing your Dynamics NAV solution may not be the most obvious.

Microsoft has worked to simplify the approach to licensing Dynamics NAV, the panelists explained. One partner described NAV licensing in three basic parts. First is the division between the Starter Pack and the Extended Pack. The two user access levels - limited and full users - is the second part. And third, users must choose between perpetual and subscription licensing models. And as panelists explained, licensing decisions can become more complicated in situations like multiple localizations or multiple user locations.

Deciding between Limited and Full User

"When it comes to licensing user access, in NAV 2013 and NAV 2015, there are the full user and the limited user at a higher level," one partner explained. "They both have full read ability. The difference is in their write ability."

For customers upgrading to Dynamics NAV 2013 or NAV 2015, there is a transition model based on how you're moving or what licensing model you're moving from.

"The whole transition from a module based or BRL-based to perpetual is really about what you currently own today, and how that maps to the Starter or Extended Pack," another partner said. "It's taking a look at the granules and functionality you ...