9 Not-So-Obvious Improvements to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013

After working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV for more than seven years now, I was prepared for the latest release - NAV 2013 - to be one of the most important releases in the history of this ERP product. After all, this is a release with a lot of firsts - first time with a powerful web client; first full integration of Office 365 with NAV; first time integrated with Azure, the Microsoft platform for cloud ERP, and more.

What I wasn't expecting, though, were all the less obvious improvements within NAV 2013 for users. Once I got under the hood and starting working with NAV 2013 (which is the technology platform beneath the vertical-specific software we make and implement) I realized just how many smaller features have been enhanced or added to make a big difference in the daily lives of NAV 2013 users. I list some examples of these less obvious improvements here.

Drop-Down for Multiple Values

When using filter operators to allow for multiple values in the same field, you can now use the drop-down selection for each value independently. As an example, for each instance after the ‘OR' symbol ‘|', you can drop-down to select the next filter value. Formerly, you could not use the drop-down selection for any value other than the first value entered. To do so would eliminate anything else you've typed into the filter value thus far.

Example: Using the ‘|' filter to limit the list of customers to those with State of either ‘IN'diana or ‘MI'chigan. Type ‘IN' and select from drill-down, then use ‘|', then type ‘MI' and select again from the drilldown; it's a good thing that drilldown is available, so it's clear I'm selecting Michigan and not Mississippi, Missouri, or Minnesota!