NAV Answers, Inc.

The Correct Answers For The Right Solutions

FTP Site

FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. As the name suggests, FTP is used to transfer files between computers on a network. You can use FTP to exchange files between computer accounts, transfer files between an account and a desktop computer, or access online software archives. Keep in mind, however, that many FTP sites are heavily used and require several attempts before connecting.

You can use a web browser to connect to FTP addresses exactly as you would to connect to HTTP addresses. Using a web browser for FTP transfers makes it easy for you to browse large directories and read and retrieve files. Your web browser will also take care of some of the details of connecting to a site and transferring files. While this method is convenient, web browsers are often slower and less reliable and have fewer features than dedicated FTP clients.

Service

When you are requesting support or need assistance with an issue in NAV it is very important that you provide me with enough information to resolve the problem. Please take note of the following list and make sure that you include the necessary information. This will not only save a large amount of email traffic but get your problem resolved as quickly as possible.

What were you doing at the time the problem occurred? (Example: I was trying to post the sales invoice SINV4502 or I was doing a Transfer to Invoice of Rental Ticket RT000305).
What document number were you working with when the problem occurred (Example: RT000305, SNIV12752, TO-9598, etc.)?
If you were doing a “Transfer to Invoice” from a Rental Ticket, what “AsOfDate” were you using?
Is the problem happening on all documents or just the one listed?
If the error deals with an incorrect Asset Status, what should the Status be?
If the system is giving you an error message it is important that you include a screen shot of the actual error message.
Providing the above information will make the correction process faster and easier for all of us.

Modification Request Form

Software Change Request Form

Should I request a software change?

It is impossible to produce systems of any size which do not need to be changed. Once software is put into use, new requirements emerge and existing requirements change as the business running that software changes. Parts of the software may have to be modified to correct errors that are found in operation, improve its performance or other non-functional characteristics. All of this means that, after delivery, software systems always evolve in response to demands for change.

Software change is very important because organizations are now completely dependent on their software systems and have invested thousands of dollars in these systems. Their systems are critical business assets and they must invest in system change to maintain the value of these assets. A key problem for organizations is implementing and managing change to their legacy systems so that they continue to support their business operations.

Changing code is great. It's what we do for a living. But there are ways of changing code that make life difficult, and there are ways that make it much easier. In the industry, we haven't spoken about that much, nor have we explored the main reasons for making a change. I think we can broaden the discussion a bit and talk about how to deal with code in the thorniest of situations. To do that, we have to dig deeper into the mechanics of change and why they happen.

For simplicity's sake, let's look at four primary reasons to change software.

Adding a feature

Improving the design

Fixing a bug

Optimizing resource usage

Adding a Feature

Adding a feature seems like the most straightforward type of change to make. The software behaves one way, and users say that the system needs to do something else also. A common example of this type of change is defaulting the posting date to the actual date the invoice is posted or adding new system functionality to resolve a new business demand. Adding a new feature differs from a bug fix in that it allows the software to function is a new manner that it was not capable of before. Additionally, adding or removing Page fields or logo position are not considered a new feature as the functionality was already available and only required a basic design modification.

Fixing a Bug

A bug fix is simply a correction to an error in the system code. A software bug is an error, flaw, failure or fault in a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways. ... Bugs may have subtle effects or cause the program to crash or freeze the computer. Microsoft routinely releases bug fixes identified during the prior month at the start of each month.

Improving the Design

Basically, design improvements are any product change or upgrade that increases software capabilities beyond original client specifications. These enhancements bring new functionality and/or capabilities to the accounting system. The improvements can come from an enhancement issued by Microsoft through their monthly releases, from a third party developer as an Add-On package or via custom development.

Optimizing Resource Usage

Optimization is like refactoring, but when we do it, we have a different goal. With both refactoring and optimization, we say, "We're going to keep functionality exactly the same when we make changes, but we are going to change something else." In refactoring, the "something else" is program structure; we want to make it easier to maintain. In optimization, the "something else" is some resource used by the program, usually time or memory.

Once we have determined what we want to change and why it is important the final question to ask is does the change make good business since. It is important to note that you never have a onetime charge for any change or enhancement add to your system. Each time you upgrade to a new version all custom enhancements and/or third party add-on packages must be upgraded as well. This results in additional labor and possible cost depending on your level of software maintenance.