Localization basics: How to prepare Microsoft Dynamics NAV extensions for multi-language support

If your Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers operate in a number of countries, you must ensure that the software complies with country-specific laws, regulations, and common business practices to meet legal obligations for activities conducted in each country.

The process of adapting software to meet local laws or requirements is called localization.

Microsoft has adapted specific commercial requirements, language, national, and international functionality to address specific tax, accounting, and financial reporting requirements for countries where Dynamics NAV is generally available. NAV is also multi-language enabled and allows users to work in the language of their choice.

However, Microsoft does not provide localization, translations or technical support for Dynamics NAV software in all countries. In that case, developers must create the localization themselves.

Current Dynamics NAV localizations

Although this might sound like a time-consuming task, the good news is that localization is now a simpler process using Dynamics NAV extensions to handle the customization.

Dynamics NAV extensions are packages that contain additional functionality, report layouts, permissions, and more. The packages can be easily installed, uninstalled, and upgraded, enabling developers to extend the functionality of the software without modifying Microsoft's original source code.

Extensions are the runtime application of objects and object deltas for a specific combination of an extension package and a tenant. When an extension is published to a Dynamics NAV deployment, it compiles the objects in it against the current application database. When the extension installs for a tenant, it stores the association, and builds the relevant database schema.

At runtime, ...