When Do You Need to Upgrade Microsoft Dynamics NAV?
As time passes by, everything gets upgraded. Do you remember the old computers running Windows 98, with 256 MB of Ram and 10 GB of hard disk space? The only way to share information back then was by using unreliable floppy disks.
But as we progressed through the years, we have had to keep pace with rest of the world: We have all upgraded to Windows 8.1 or 10. Now we need 20 GB HDD space just to install the Windows 10 operating system, not to mention what the application software requires. We also have lots of options today for information sharing, including storing data in the cloud.
The same applies to our ERP systems. Microsoft Dynamics NAV is growing, and we need to keep our systems updated to reduce the human effort required to perform upgrades and to utilize new features that are part of each product release. So, the first question that comes to our mind is: When is the best time to upgrade?
Below is a list of questions that should help you determine if it is time for an upgrade:
Are you on one of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Active Versions?
If you are on a Microsoft Dynamics NAV Version which is not supported as of today, then you need to start thinking seriously about upgrading.
Will new features in the product help your organization to increase productivity?
Take a look at the new features of each product release (including security features) and see if it makes sense for you to upgrade so you can take advantage of them. The Dynamics NAV Feature Comparison Tool is useful for comparing the features of each of most recent Dynamics NAV release.
More helpful information
Microsoft is constantly improving Dynamics NAV. When customers remain current with each product release, they not only get to take advantage of the new features in the product along with all regulatory fixes from Microsoft, but the cost of the upgrade itself is lower. The older the version from which you are upgrading, the higher the cost of performing the upgrade.
We have had some clients say that if they wait five years or so between upgrades, they will only face the cost of one upgrade over the five year period rather than three or four upgrades. However, as a consultant, I can tell you that every time you have to jump across versions it will increase the cost of your upgrade.
For example, let’s say you are planning to upgrade from NAV 2013 / NAV 2013 R2 / NAV 2015 to NAV 2016, and let’s assume your upgrade cost will be $X. This represents a fairly straightforward upgrade path between two recent versions.
Now, suppose you are planning to upgrade from NAV 2.6 to NAV 2016. Now your upgrade cost will be something like $3X. And the cost goes up depending on the number of forms, reports, and dataports you have in your pre-NAV 2013 version of software. You might even be required to discard some functionality and re-implement them using a future version because some functionality has been redesigned, like the Jobs & Service Modules.
To find out more, read Faithie Robertson’s post, Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016: Ways to Reduce the Cost, for some sound advice on reducing the cost of upgrading your Dynamics NAV version.
If you have any questions about this function or other Dynamics NAV questions for any version, contact ArcherPoint.
Read more “How To” blogs from ArcherPoint for practical advice on using Microsoft Dynamics NAV.