Upgrading Microsoft Dynamics NAV: How Planning and Automation Can Save the Day

In 2002 Nissin Foods USA realized that its 20-year-old accounting and business management system was beginning to be a liability rather than an asset. In addition to being outdated, the system was not integrated. The legacy accounting software and homegrown sales, manufacturing, and distribution systems weren't talking to each other making the company prone to errors and inefficiencies.

After much consideration, the company turned to Microsoft Dynamics NAV and went live in February 2005, realizing immediate benefits over their legacy system.  But by 2009 it became clear that the successful migration to Dynamics NAV was not the end of the story, according Ruben Haritoonian, MIS/IT Director at Nissin Foods USA, speaking at a recent online meeting of the Dynamics NAV User Group. 

Over time, new challenges arose that stood in the way of a needed upgrade to the latest release, as well as the addition of a modern warehouse management system.  The original Dynamics NAV solution now had a growing list of customizations and a quickly growing database.  A successful upgrade would require lots of good planning, execution, and the use of automated tools to work through the mountain of data in a single weekend.

"One of the things Nissin did, which is a best practice, is before going through the technical function of upgrading is really looking at the business to find out what has changed, or if it was merely a matter of bringing forward existing customizations and processes," said Greg Kaupp, Partner, ArcherPoint LLC, a Microsoft Dynamics NAV and CRM partner.  Nissin selected ArcherPoint for the upgrade.

"We interviewed people in our various departments and figured out who does what and how often they do it. Then ...