Dynamics NAV-Salesforce Integration Equips Businesses For Success

Formerly known as Navision, Microsoft Dynamics is a popular enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution implemented by small businesses and large enterprises alike. Salesforce, meanwhile, is one of the most popular customer relationship management (CRM) solutions available on the market today. Many businesses choose to implement both CRM and ERP in order to do the bulk of the heavy data lifting required by their business. The two solutions complement each other quite well, but proper Dynamics NAV-Salesforce data integration is needed to make the most out of both. Read on to find out more about Microsoft NAV, and Salesforce, and how data integration services like Rapidi bring out the best in each.

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics NAV 

What is now known as Microsoft Dynamics NAV began as Navision, a program created by three college friends in 1984. It was intended to help users track credit/debit, finance, and warehouse data. It wasn’t until 1992 that Navision came to America and rebranded as Avista. After years of speculation, Navision was purchased by Microsoft in a $1.3 billion deal, their first acquisition since Great Plains (GP) Software. Then in 2005, Navision was rebranded to Dynamics NAV; in 2018, Dynamics NAV was incorporated into Microsoft’s all-encompassing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central software. Dynamics NAV, as well as 365 Business Central, are both highly popular ERP solutions used by many companies, such as Heineken and Air Liquide, among thousands of others.

Understanding Salesforce 

Salesforce has a slightly more recent history than Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Dating back to 1999, Salesforce was always intended to be a cloud-based software that helped streamline sales force automation. In 2001, Salesforce expanded into the worldwide market, and in 2021, Salesforce announced that it was a Net Zero company across its entire value chain. And of course, amid the recent NFT craze, Salesforce announced NFT Cloud, built to be a sustainable NFT solution.

Why Is Data Integration So Crucial?

So where does data integration come in? Data integration technology ensures that businesses are maximizing the return on their CRM and ERP investments by allowing the programs to “talk” to one another. This means that formerly disparate programs are able to “pool” their respective data collections, eliminating unwanted data siloing as well as the need for manual double-data-entry by team members. 

These days, data acquisition is rarely the problem plaguing companies. Instead, the trick lies in figuring out what to do with the vast amounts of data companies now have access to. Excellent data storage, management, and analysis can truly set a business apart from its peers, and data integration is naturally a component of optimized data management processes. Data integration solutions empower businesses, facilitating exponential growth and cutting hours of tedious data entry work from your team-members schedules, freeing them up to focus on more pressing matters.

There are three primary levels of data integration: business logic, user interface, and direct data integration. Business logic integration is the kind most effective for highly complex integration procedures, while the user interface allows a single point of entry into the integrated applications. Direct data integration relies on REST and SOAP APIs.

Is Data Replication The Same As Data Integration?

Data replication is often brought up when data integration is discussed. In reality, the two are not synonymous, but data replication complements the presence of data integration solutions. They cover different bases; data integration is about unifying two formerly exclusive data pools. Data replication is a process that propagates information from one server to another. They work hand in hand; when integrated programs are updated by users, data replication ensures that all requisite servers reflect that update. For example, in order to most effectively run their business, retail companies (including eCommerce companies) must exchange data with their central ERP system, propagating data in large quantities between server “nodes”, headquarters, and back again. Speed and accuracy are essential, and because effective data integration facilitates both, integration and replication solutions go hand-in-hand. Some organizations like Rapidi specialize in both integration and replication services. 

What Do I Need To Know Before I Start Integrating? 

There are certain things a business should understand before they embark on their own data integration project. Primarily, team members should have a solid grasp on what data they are interested in, why, and what it will be used for. More is not necessarily better; being specific about what kind of data is important allows integration providers to declutter the procedure. Those who elect to begin a data integration project must also be aware that brief “down-time”  might be necessary while the solution is deployed and team members are trained on its use and maintenance. 

Why Choose Rapidi’s Data Integration Services?

With nearly thirty years of expertise, Rapidi specializes in fast, efficient, and robust integration and replication solutions. Rapidi’s interface is intuitive and designed with ease and simplicity in mind, as well as security, speed, and effectiveness. RapidiOnline—Rapidi’s proprietary data integration solution—is robust, simple to use, and easy to customize and maintain. Rapid excels in Microsoft Dynamics-Salesforce integration, and its team members have a thorough, inside-out understanding of both software. Contact Rapid today, and stop putting off that data integration project. Your employees and your bottom line will thank you.