Getting Started Developing for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client
In Microsoft Dynamics NAV we introduce Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client. Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client is built on the same framework as Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client offers a framework for building solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV pages. Developing for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client is not much different from developing pages for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client using Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client allows users in small and medium sized businesses to access Microsoft Dynamics NAV data from a tablet.
Developing for tablet provides flexibility for end-users who can perform their daily tasks from anywhere, outside the office, on the train and so on with just a tablet available.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client Prerequisites
To be able to run Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components must be installed. For more information, see Deploying the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server Components.
Steps for Developing for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client
The first step to take when you are developing for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client is to consider the design and implementation of the solution:
What is the business scenario that you want to support?
Do you want to extend your existing data model?
Should the solution work well on both a desktop computer and on the tablet?
What design should the Role Center that will be the central dashboard for the solution have?
Understanding the business scenario is important to build the best solution. Design your solution for users who are most typically occasional users who need an overview of their daily work status and perform relatively simple or light data entry. Many of these preparations resemble those for developing for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. For more information, see Developing for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client.
Once the data model, users, permissions, and profiles are in place, you can start developing the Role Center. You have two options: You can either reuse an existing Role Center or create a new one. This will depend on the business scenario. For scenarios where you want to use the same Role Center for a user that has access to both a desktop and a tablet, you have the option of signing in with different profiles. To illustrate this, in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, there are two different profiles for Role Center 9022, one for Small Business and one for Small Business - Tablet. For more information, see How to: Open the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client from a Browser. Later in this section, you can read a walkthrough that illustrates how to create a new Role Center specifically for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client. For more information, see Walkthrough: Developing a Sales Rep Role Center for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client.
Additionally, there are some best practices and limitations to consider in particular caused by the smaller screen size, and touch experience. For more information, see Differences and Limitations When Developing Pages for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client.
The next steps are to consider how to deploy your solution and how to distribute it to your customers. After you have completed your solution, you can send an email to the tablet-enabled users to let them know that they can download Microsoft Dynamics NAV from the relevant store. In the email, you can include the organization URL and sign-in information. For more information, see Linking to Microsoft Dynamics NAV for Tablets.
See Also
Tasks
Walkthrough: Developing a Sales Rep Role Center for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client