For some time now, I have been thinking about compiling on a list of new features and subtle tools in the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, typically those which generally do not find their mention in the What’s New documents, because they are probably outshone by the more glittering and heavy weight features. There are almost always some of these less shining ones, which are quite handy and useful, but are not highlighted anywhere. So, I thought to put some of these into my first blog in Canarys..
1. Usability Improvements
- Single click to select all lines in a grid
I really missed this convenient way of selecting all records on a Classic Client grid!
We have it back to the Windows Client (RTC); nice! I recollect one of our NAV 2009 customers needed to select all the lines (over 500 lines) and process them all together. Either the user has to select the lines shown on the screen, process them, and selects another batch of lines shown next to process them again, or he has to hold the Shift key to repeat pressing the page down key till he reaches the last record. Now, in NAV 2013, you just need to click on the left top corner block like in Excel to select all lines in a grid.
- Copy / Paste between Excel and Dynamics NAV
Dynamics NAV had the option to copy rows from NAV to Excel from a long time. Now we have the long waited feature to copy rows from Excel back to NAV forms, which is really handy when you need to copy a few rows of setup data without the need to running a dataport or xmlport. You now find a Paste Rows option on a NAV grid.
- Action Pane changed to Ribbon
The Action Pane has been replaced by Ribbon similar to the Ribbon in Office 2010 which optimizes the utilization of the screen space. The ribbon is organized into tabs and groups, which provides easier access to the commands in context.
- Action Menus in Fact Box:
Actions menu is shown directly on the Fact Box, which makes it easier to access the commands in context.
- Chart in Fact Box:
You can now add charts to a Fact Box in a Page. Other than the cues on the Role Center, Chart Part on a page, you can also add the chart to the Fact Box. You can even hold on the Ctrl key, scroll your mouse wheel to zoom in and out the chart.
I will try to compile some more info on the following areas soon…
2. Development/IDE enhancement
3. Administration Enhancements