Troubleshooting: Microsoft Dynamics NAV and SharePoint

When you deploy a solution where Microsoft Dynamics NAV is embedded in web parts in SharePoint, users can experience unexpected problems when they access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. This topic describes some common problems that you may encounter.

Multiple Microsoft Dynamics NAV sessions used when a user accesses the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in full-screen mode and in embedded mode

The Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client uses cookies to store session-related information on the client machine. In some scenarios, Internet Explorer assigns different security zones to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client depending on how the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client is accessed, which impacts how the cookies are stored.

If you deploy the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client on an intranet machine, and you access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in full-screen mode, such as if you open the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client directly in a browser, Internet Explorer applies the Local Intranet security zone to the website and stores the cookie at a more trusted integrity level. In contrast, if the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client is embedded in an IFRAME element in a web part in SharePoint Online, Internet Explorer considers both SharePoint Online and the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client to be in the Internet zone. The two security zones, Internet and Local Intranet, do not share the same cookie store, and as a result, the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client will initiate two separate sessions.

For example, a user opens a SharePoint Online site, such as https://Fabrikam.SharePoint.com/Financials, in Internet Explorer. This website has the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client embedded in web parts with IFRAME elements that access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client at https://MyLocalServer/NAV. When the user accesses the page with the web part, the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client starts a new session. Then, when the user chooses one of the web parts to access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in full-screen mode, the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client starts a new session.

Resolution

Make sure all websites that the user accesses as part of your Microsoft Dynamics NAV deployment are placed in the same security zone by Internet Explorer.

For example, configure your deployment to always use public domain names for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components and SharePoint. Alternatively, if your deployment uses SharePoint on-premises, you can choose to configure the deployment to use local names.

However, if you work in a mixed environment where a local Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components instance is used with SharePoint Online, you may experience problems with multiple Microsoft Dynamics NAV sessions starting for the same user. This is caused by the security zones and integrity levels that Internet Explorer applies to websites and web applications.

Modal dialog windows do not display when the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client is embedded in a web part

When the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client is embedded in a SharePoint site, modal dialog windows do not display. In some scenarios, Internet Explorer will attempt to open the modal dialog window in a new session.

Resolution

If you are going to embed a page in a SharePoint site, make sure that it does not open modal dialog windows.

Note

If you use the CRONUS International Ltd. demonstration database for test purposes, you must disable the modal dialog window that displays when the CRONUS International Ltd. company opens.

Users cannot access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client from SharePoint web parts with Windows Azure Active Directory or Windows Azure Access Control Services authentication for SharePoint on-premises

In SharePoint on-premises deployments, if you use Windows Azure Active Directory or Windows Azure Access Control Services as the authentication mechanism, users cannot access an embedded Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. If the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client is embedded in an IFRAME element in a web part, the authentication requires a login dialog to open inside the IFRAME element in the web part. This is not possible.

Resolution

If your app for SharePoint embeds the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in a web part, use Windows authentication for SharePoint on-premises deployments.

Alternatively, if you must deploy to SharePoint on-premises and cannot use Windows authentication, design your app for SharePoint so that it opens the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in full screen mode.

See Also

Concepts

Microsoft Dynamics NAV as an App for SharePoint
Best Practices for Creating Apps for SharePoint