Microsoft Dynamics NAV and AX May Look Similar, But Here's Why They Are Likely to Retain Different Architectures

The fact that the user interfaces of  Microsoft Dynamics NAV and AX have come to look so similar had lots of media reps and analysts at Convergence Copenhagen 2008 asking Mike Ehrenberg, the chief architect for Dynamics products, whether the two will soon be merged into a single ERP application.

It's a question that comes up every few years in the annals of NAV and AX history, and it always stirs controversy and angst among users of both products, who fear they'll be forced out of a product they are comfortable with, and into something that may not fit their needs as well.  

But according to Ehrenberg, users of both Dynamics NAV and AX should breathe easy, since not only are the products not merging, but they will continue with different architectures for the foreseeable future. "Our orders are not to make them the same," he said.  "We don't win if we make them the same. The order has come (from top management) to stop talking about" combining the two applications into one.

"We work on the user experience being the same," says Ehrenberg. "But at a different level, the products are not the same."

The reasoning behind keeping the products different architecturally is based on Microsoft's concusion that the philosophy of "one size fits all...is the wrong thing" for ERP software like Dynamics NAV and AX. The products should be "based on the users, not the product."

He notes that while the products look similar, in fact, the role-tailored user interface means, "Each user gets a user experience particular to their needs."

But Dynamics NAV and AX are each designed to serve fundamentally different customers, he said. The typical NAV customer has up to 1,000 employees and "...