How to implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 in trading companies

The following article is adapted from a portion of one chapter of Mark Brummel's new book Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 Application Design. The full chapter of the book discusses how to integrate sales and purchase documents with the built in Warehouse Management and Reservation processes.

Here we will discuss how to use Microsoft Dynamics NAV to manage sales and purchase documents. The primary focus in this article is how the application is designed and where to go to change or enhance the design. Basic knowledge of how to create and process sales and purchase documents in Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a prerequisite.

The Process

A trading company purchases and sells items without changing them. The main activities are purchase, storage, packaging, sales and shipping.

Managing the inventory is very important in these companies. Having inventory is crucial for delivering on time and not having to sell "no" to customers.

Wholesale vs. Retail

Traditionally, trading companies are divided into Wholesale and Retail companies. Wholesale companies sell to business and Retail companies sell to consumers. Microsoft Dynamics NAV supports both and from the perspective of design (table and posting structure) there is not much difference.

The biggest difference between Wholesale and Retail for the application is the transaction volume. Where the total turnover of a Wholesale company can be much higher compared to a Retailer, the Retailer often has more, smaller transactions. It can be a challenge from an application design perspective to retain a solution that performs well.

...