Introduction

When Navision was introduced, the database option was a proprietary engine. Everything was stored in an FDB (Financial Database) file. The newer versions of the product added a second option: SQL Server. Unfortunately for some of these older customers, NAV 2009 is the last version to support the proprietary database; in the next version, SQL Server will be the only option.

SQL Server is becoming an integral part of the software. NAV partners must be certified in SQL Server Implementation and Maintenance to maintain their partnership. Even the NAV Installation and Configuration exams ask many questions about Windows and database servers. As NAV evolves, so must the people who work with it.

In this chapter, we will explore everything from writing a basic SQL query to some of the inner-workings of the NAV client. For those developers who have been resistant to change, or those who don't know from where to start, the recipes in this chapter will help "bring you out of your NAV shell...