Introduction to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 RTC Interface
Overview
This document is an enhancement of some Microsoft’s RTC introductory materials with
screenshots added for clarification and some of the superfluous information removed.
Versions
NAV 2009 R2 Role Tailored Client
Content Includes
Database Behavior
Selecting a Server
Selecting a Company
Setting the Work Date
Description of the Role Center Parts
Description of the List Places Parts
Customization of Various Components of Role Tailored Client
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Database Behavior
Be aware that entered data is written (committed) directly to the database; therefore, no Save
action is required. Any entered and unposted data can be edited or deleted from the database.
Posted data cannot be deleted as they are considered binding financial transactions.
Selecting a Server
To select a server and open a company:
1. Click on Microsoft Dynamics NAV button > Select Server.
2. In the Server name field, enter the URL of the server that you want to connect. Be
sure that the URL follows this format:
Server name/DynamicsNAV, where server name is the name of the
computer on which the service is installed
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3. In the Companies field, select the company that you want to open.
4. Click OK.
Note that after you have selected the Server the first time you open Microsoft Dynamics NAV,
the last database and company you were using will automatically open the next time you open
NAV.
Selecting a Company
To select or change a company:
1. Click on Microsoft Dynamics NAV button > Select Company.
2. Click the drop-down arrow from the Company field and select a company.
3. Click OK.
Setting the Work Date
Microsoft Dynamics NAV uses the system date as the default work date. However, you may
occasionally need to change the work date temporarily, for example, if you have many
transactions to complete for a date that is not the system date.
To change the work date:
1. Click on Microsoft Dynamics NAV button > Set Work date.
2. In the Work Date field, enter the work date that you want to use.
Alternatively, you can change the work date using this approach:
1. Click on Microsoft Dynamics NAV button > Set Work Date.
2. In the Work Date field, click on the drop-down arrow.
3. To change the year, click on the year currently shown (for example, 2010).
4. Select a year from the list or click on the forward or backward arrows to find a
particular year.
5. To change the month, click on the month currently shown (for example, September)
or click on the forward or backward arrows tomove from one year to the next.
6. Click on a month (for example, January).
7. Select a date (for example, 1).
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8. Click OK.
You can also open the Set Work Date window by clicking the date in the status bar at the
bottom of the program window.
Regardless of whether the work date comes from the system or is one you have set up, you can
quickly enter it in all date fields by entering "w".
If you have defined a work date, you can still insert the system date in date fields by entering "t"
(which stands for today's date). The program will only remember the work date for as long as
you have the company open. If you open a different company, or when you open the company
again the next day, you will have to set the work date again if you still need to use one that is
not the system date.
The Role Center Parts
The Role Center is the central point for all information and actions that you will be performing in
Microsoft Dynamics 2009. It provides a quick overview of tasks and transactions related to your
job role. Furthermore, Microsoft® Outlook® is integrated within the interface. This provides
flexibility in being able to work with Microsoft Dynamics 2009 and Outlook at the same time.
The following screenshot and table shows the several buttons, links, and menus in the Role
Center that allow you to navigate within Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.
Name Description
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1. Action menu Located in the menu bar. It provides access to the
transactions seen in the Role Center, tasks and history.
2. Reports menu Provides access to reports.
3. Address bar Shows the path of your present action. You can also navigate
within Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 by clicking on the name
or arrow buttons and making your selection.
4. Microsoft Dynamics NAV Click on this button to set your work date, select a language,
button server or company.
5. Back and Forward button Allows you to navigate the pages that you have already
visited.
6. Customize button Allows you to customize Actions, Reports, the page that you
are presently viewing, and the navigation pane.
7. Refresh button Refreshes the information in your Role Center.
8. Help button Provides access to Microsoft Dynamics NAV Help and the
license information.
9. My Customers Part Provides a list of customers. This list can be updated by
clicking on the Action button > Manage List.
10. My Items Part Provides a list of items that you frequently use. This list can be
updated by clicking on the Action button > Manage List.
11. My Notifications Part Provides a list of your notifications. From the Action button ,
you have the option of viewing, deleting, or removing a
notification.
12. Microsoft Outlook Part Integrates with Microsoft Outlook. By default, your mail,
calendar, and tasks are shown. This can be customized by
clicking the actions icon.
13. Departments Button Click on the Departments button to access parts of the
application that are not included in your personalized menus.
Every user is assigned a job-related profile by their
administrator. Your profile provides you with a Role Center
and one or more menus that provide access to the tasks, lists,
reports, and documents that you need most often. In addition,
all users have access to the Departments menu.
From the Departments menu, you can navigate to everything
in the application that you have access to, including setup and
configuration windows.
14. Home button Access the icons in the Activities part by clicking on the
buttons on the left side of the pane.
15. Posted Documents Shows a list of posted documents.
16. Cue Represents the number of documents that you have in a
stack. Click on a cue to access that stack.
17. Navigation Pane Use the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Navigation Pane to open list
places. From a list place, you can open individual cards or
documents. The Microsoft Dynamics NAV Navigation Pane
displays one menu at a time; use the activity buttons at the
bottom of the pane to change from one menu to another. As a
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minimum, the Navigation Pane contains the following
menus:
• Home - is for your user role and contains your Role
Center plus all of the list places that are most
commonly used in your role.
• Departments - access all of the areas of the application
for which you have permissions. If you find a useful link
in Departments, you can copy it to your Role Center or
Home menu.
Depending on your user profile, various activity buttons
may be available, such as:
• Posted Documents - the Posted Documents menu
contains the posted documents that are most often
used by your user role.
• Other - Your Navigation Pane may also contain other
custom-made menus that have been made especially
for your user role.
You can rearrange the order of items in a menu, add or
remove menu items, and create a new menu.
18. Activities Part Shows the default activities that a person can perform,
which are based on their job role. For example, the activities
that can be performed include creating a new sales order and
creating a new sales quote or credit memo.
19. Status Bar Located at the bottom of the user interface. It shows the
company name, date, and user.
20. Search In the Search field, you can search for pages, report views,
and any other item in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The Search
field is located in the upper-right corner of the Role Center.
Move to the Search field by pressing Ctrl+F3.
The Search function is an addition to the Navigation Pane to
help you navigate faster. Press ENTER or click the first
column to move to the page that is listed. The second column
displays the navigation path for the page if you want to
navigate from the Departments pages.
As you type text into a field or column, the Filter-As-You-Type
function will list one or more possible matches. This allows you
to stop short of typing the whole word or phrase that you are
looking for.
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The Search function helps you find any page, report, or a
view. If you do not know the exact location or type of function
that you are looking for, the Search function helps make it
simpler to find.
NOTE about the Action button : the appears as you mouse over the title bars of Actions,
My Customers, My Items, My Notifications, etc.
The List Places Parts
List places are pages that contain a list plus additional information related to the list.
If you double-click a line on the list, the entity will open in the default mode (Edit, View, or New)
that has been set up for you. Depending on the rights that you have been granted, you may be
able to open the entity in another mode from the Actions menu.
Similar to the Role Center, the List Places has several buttons, links, and menus shown
in the following table-that allow you to navigate within Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.
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Name Description
Action Pane Just below the menu bar, this pane presents your most-used tasks
and menu items, where you can access them with one click,
instead of having to look through menus to find them. Note that the
actions that are available depend on the transaction
that you are using. The Action Pane is divided into several groups
(New, Process, and Reports).
Filter Pane Allows you to view and sort information based on the criteria that
you have selected. To view the Filter Pane, click on the table
name for the list. For example, and the Filter Pane
will appear.
Factbox FactBoxes on list places and task pages provide you with
additional information. This means that you can quickly find related
information depending on the transaction that you are viewing.
Information about an order, customer, invoice, item, or vendor, for
example may be shown. This helps you to make solid business
decisions in a timely manner. For example, on the Customers list
place, you can use the Customer Sales History FactBox to get a
quick overview of a customer's sales statistics without opening the
customer card. The FactBox includes a count and links to sales
orders, quotes, invoices, and so on, so you can drill down to the
document you need.
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Customizing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 RTC
Changing a User’s Profile
The default profile (Sales Order Processor) in the Role Center is for illustrative purposes only.
This means that it can be changed to meet the needs of a particular user.
To change an individual user’s profile:
1. Click on Departments > Administration > Application Setup > Role Tailored Client >
Lists > User Personalization.
2. Double-click the user that you want to change the profile for.
3. Select the Profile ID.
4. Click OK.
5. Restart Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 by closing and opening it; the selected profile
appears.
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Customizing the Role Center
The Role Center is like your personal home page in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Microsoft has
designed a number of different role centers for users with different jobs in a company. An
administrator assigns you a role and he or she can customize the Role Center to ensure that it
presents the information needed for your job. Then, you can make additional adjustments to
make the user interface fit your work habits.
You can make the following changes in your Role Center:
• Customize the Navigation Pane
• Customize the Action Pane
• Customize the FactBox Pane
• Add or Remove Panes
• Customize Fast Tabs
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Customizing the Navigation Pane
The navigation pane contains one or more menus that have been defined based on your role.
The menus in the navigation pane contain links to lists. You access task pages, reports, and
documents from the lists.
Adding and Arranging a Navigation Pane Button
1. On the menu bar, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize Navigation Pane.
3. Click New.
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4. In the Name field, enter Favorites.
5. Select an icon from the list.
6. Click OK.
7. You can use the Move Down button move the button down if you wish.
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8. Click the Add button on the right to add Lists to the menu button.
9. Expand the area from which you are interested in adding lists to your button by
clicking the + sign. Click the list you want and click OK. Repeat to add all the lists
that you want on your button.
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10. Click OK on the Customize Navigation Pane page.
11. Restart the program by clicking Yes to the following message.
Note the new menu button does not appear until you have added Lists to the button. Also, note
that you cannot rename, move, or remove the Home and Departments buttons.
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Removing a Navigation Pane Button
1. On the menu bar, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize Navigation Pane.
3. Click the Favorites icon.
4. Click the Remove button.
5. Click OK.
6. Restart the program by clicking Yes.
Restoring Defaults
If you wish to have the default Navigation Pane Menu settings restored back, perform the
following steps:
1. On the menu bar, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize Navigation Pane.
3. Click Restore Defaults.
4. Click OK.
5. Restart the program by clicking Yes.
Customizing This Page Functionality
The Customizing This Page functionality allows a user to add or remove information shown in
the Role Center.
1. On the menu bar, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize This Page.
3. Click on one of the available parts and then click add.
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4. You can use the Move Up, Move Down, Move Left and Move Right to move the parts
around. In the example below My Notifications is moved to the left and the Chart Part
is moved to the right.
5. Click Customize Part on the right to customize the part. Customize the part based
on the options available for that part. In the example below, the Chart Part is added
and the Sales and Profit per KeyAcc is selected.
6. Click OK. The Chart Part is then added.
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Adding a Link to a Menu in the Navigation Pane
There may be situations where you will be asked to perform other functions outside of your job
role. For example, you may need to fill in for a colleague who is sick or on vacation. For this
exercise, you will add a link for the released production order.
1. On the menu bar, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize Navigation Pane.
3. Click Add.
4. From the Available Lists, click the plus sign beside ManufacturingÆExecution.
5. Select Released Prod. Orders.
6. Click OK.
7. Click OK.
8. To restart the program, click Yes.
The Released Production Orders link appears in the Navigation Pane. You can click the link to
view the information. To return to the home page, click Home, the Role Center button, or the
back button.
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Customizing My Customers Pane
You can add information in the My Customers, My Vendors, My Items panes.
1. From the My Customers pane, click the Actions button (thunderbolt icon). The
icon will appear when you mouse over the title bar of My Customers.
2. Click Manage Lists.
3. Click the drop-down arrow below Customer No. and select Spotsmeyer's
Furnishings.
4. Click OK.
5. Additional column(s) may be added by clicking the thunderbolt and selecting Choose
Columns. Click on the available column that you want to add and click the Add
button in the middle of the page.
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6. You can move the position of the columns by clicking the Move Up and Move Down
buttons.
7. Click on OK to close.
8. From the My Customers pane, you can double-click on Spotsmeyer's Furnishings to
view and edit the Customer Card.
9. Click ESC to close.
My Notifications
Actions that need your attention will appear in the My Notifications pane. Otherwise, this pane
will be empty. If you have notifications, you can view, delete, and remove a notification using the
Actions button in the My Notification pane.
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Removing a Pane
You may find that there is too much information in your home page. Microsoft Dynamics NAV
2009 allows you to remove a pane (for example, Activities, My Customers, and My Items) so
you can tailor the information that you want to see. In this exercise, you will remove the My
Notifications pane.
1. From My Notifications pane, click the Actions button (thunderbolt icon). You may
move your cursor beside the expand/collapse button to view it.
2. Click Remove.
Enhanced Splitter
The Enhanced Splitter is used to modify the size of the boxes in the Role Center. This means
that the Role Center can be adjusted to personalize the layout according to the user’s needs.
Follow these steps to customize the Role Center boxes:
1. Open the Role Center.
2. Point the mouse to the splitter field. Drag the splitter so that the shapes of the boxes
are arranged in the order that you prefer.
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Customize List Page
Similar to the Role Center, the List Places can be customized to show information that is
relevant to you. Use the following procedure to add a Factbox to an existing sales order.
1. From a List Page, click the Customize button.
2. Click Choose Factboxes.
3. Click the Available Factbox that you want to add and click the Add button.
4. Click OK.
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Adding Columns to List Places
You can also add more information in the List Places. Follow these steps to add an available
column to the List Page.
1. From a List Page, click the Customize button.
2. Click Choose columns.
3. Click on the column in Available columns that you want to add and click the Add
button.
4. Click OK.
Freezing Pane on List Places
You may freeze panes on List Places.
1. From a List Page, click the Customize button.
2. Click Choose columns.
3. In the Show Columns in this Order column, place your cursor on the column where
you want to freeze the pane.
4. Click Freeze Pane. The Freeze pane marker will be inserted. You can use Move Up
or Move Down to move if misplaced.
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5. Click OK. The pane is now frozen and you can scroll to the right while the frozen
columns remain in the pane.
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Customizing the Action Pane
The Action Pane may be customized on both List Places and on card type pages. Items from
the Actions, Related Information and Reports buttons may be added to the Action Pane.
1. From a List Page, click the Customize button.
2. Click Customize Action Pane.
3. Click on the Group on the left that you want to add an action to and click the Add
button on the far right.
4. The Add Action box will pop up. Click the plus sign beside Actions, Reports or
Related Information to expand the list. Select the Action you want to add and click
OK.
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5. You can then use the Change Size, Move Up and Move down buttons to further
customize.
6. Click OK. The action is then added to the Action Pane.
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Customizing FastTabs
1. On a card or document type page, click the Customize button.
2. Select Customize this Page.
3. Click FastTabs on the left.
4. To remove a button, place your cursor on the FastTab in the Show FastTabs in this
order column and click Remove in the center of the page.
5. To add an available FastTab, place your cursor on the FastTab in the Available
FastTabs column and click Add in the center of the page.
6. To change the order of the FastTabs use the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
7. To customize the fields on the FastTab, click the Customize FastTab button.
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a. Use the Add and Remove buttons in the middle of the page to add or remove
fields from the FastTab.
b. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons on the right of the page to control
the order of the fields.
c. Use the Importance Button to control if the field is Promoted, Standard or
Additional.
If promoted, then the information is visible when the FastTab is collapsed.
If Standard, then the field is visible when the FastTab is expanded.
If Additional, then information shows if Show more fields is clicked.
8. Click OK.
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