Customizations

In the On-Premise Microsoft Dynamics NAV there is still Classic CSIDE Development Environment available to change the standard code, together with the Modern Development Environment that consists of an Extension (VSIX) for Visual Studio Code. Almost all the On Premises installation base for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is customized using Classic Development through CSIDE with more deeper and deeper changes in the standard application, depending on specific business needs.

The classic development comes with very high flexibility and gives partners and customers more freedom when it comes to an end product that deeply satisfies customer requirements and fits like a glove around the company IT core application and integrations.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central uses only the modern development paradigm through the creation of business extensions validated by Microsoft and uploaded in the AppSource marketplace. Modern development for SaaS-based solutions does not allow for the making of any core changes to the standard application, but simply extends it.

At the moment, there are still pretty a discrete number of restrictions and limitations when it comes to providing a SaaSified solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, compared to the equivalent classic development.

Even as I write this, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central development team is working to reduce the gap between the classic and modern development types and guarantees partner and independent software vendors (ISVs) a smooth and fast transition between the two, to let AppSource grow quickly in a number of available vertical solutions, add-ons, and localizations.

We will have a deep dive in customizations in a later chapter.