Cancel maintenance contract, change partner

Nav123: Navision, Showare, OrderApp

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Note

This page is also displayed by Google if you google for “Yaveon Problems” or “Yaveon ProBatch” or “Yaveon ProESCM” - even before this information is added here. Addendum: This page also appeared for "NAPA Problems" and "OPplus Propleme".

This was obviously done through context analysis, since the search terms shown did NOT exist in direct context / related sentences on this page before 1.3.21. As a result, I was contacted about questions and problems for which I can only provide limited assistance with problems with the NAPA or Yaveon products.

Please keep in mind:
I am no official or unofficial partner of NAPA and YAVEON.
Neither can I directly support you with problems with YAVEON or NAPA.

On the other hand, I can:
NAPA Support in the sense that I can import current versions for you - assuming an ongoing maintenance contract
YAVEON: I can NOT support you in many parts of YAVEON, as many Yaveon objects cannot be edited by me (or other system houses).
If you have problems with Yaveon, often only Yaveon can help you.
But I can support you with the demarcation.This means that I can work with you to determine whether a problem is directly related to the Yaveon adjustments, or whether it is more like "normal Navision" or even an operator error.
And: I can support you in setting up your Navision from scratch (without the ProESCM EDI solutions and without ProBATCH). In my experience, many companies, including those in the chemical products and food sector, often do not need these special solutions at all, or at least no longer need them.
The closer you stay to the standard of Navision or Business Central, the sooner you will work without problems with this wonderful ERP!

What are the consequences of canceling a maintenance contract?

That depends on the type of maintenance contract. Therefore only the most important Navision and Business Central maintenance contracts here.

Navision & Business Central maintenance contract with Microsoft

This is the core maintenance contract. This is practically a hidden rent or annual usage fee from Navision, in addition to the once established purchase price. This fee enables a provider (regardless of whether it is software or cars such as VW or machines or Microsoft) to continue to work actively on the further development of a product even when the market begins to saturate.

Your Navision or Business Central system house partner only retains a very small portion of this fee as a flat-rate fee. This fee is passed on almost 1: 1 to Microsoft.
If you cancel this maintenance contract, you will get the following problem: You can no longer change your Business Central or Navision license!

You cannot

  • Activate new user
  • Enable further objects (tables, forms or pages, reports, code units) - not even if you still have paid but unused objects free, but these have not yet been assigned a number!
  • Use the newer Business Central and Navision version.
  • Keinen neuen NAS (Navision Application Server) freischalten lassen. Das wäre eine unüberwindbare Hürde für meinen Scheduler oder Ihr Infocenter bei den „alten“ Navisionversionen!

Egal, ob Sie in der Nähe von Kassel (Nordhessen) oder weiter weg sitzen: Vor diesem Schritt sollten wir einmal miteinander telefonieren. Es gibt gute Gründe (auch finanzieller Art!), die dafürsprechen, diesen Wartungsvertrag zu kündigen.

Diesen Schritt sollten Sie gut und reiflich überlegen. Wenn Sie ihn einmal gekündigt haben, später aber aus z.B. obigen Gründen wieder brauchen, zahlen Sie für die vergangene, wartungsfreie Zeit eine Strafgebühr („Bearbeitungsgebühr“) von 3% pro Jahr – zusätzlich zu der komplett nachzuentrichtenden Wartungsgebühr!

Please make sure that every year - together with the invoice for your Microsoft Business Central & Navision maintenance - you also receive your current license (* .flf in file form) activated with all newer Navision versions.

Be careful when changing the license model! Your system house will warn you in good time that anything else would be gross negligence and you may be entitled to claim damages from your Business Central or Navision partner.

Aber… Wenn Sie ihre Wartung kündigen wollen, was -je nach Lizenzgröße- mehrere Zehntausend Euro Wartungsgebühr im Jahr einsparen kann: Achten Sie bitte ganz ganz dringend VOR der Kündigung dieses Vertrages darauf, dass Sie
See something in the future: Lieber schon ein paar Benutzer, Tabellen, Codeunits, Reports etc. „auf Vorrat“ frei schalten zu lassen. Wenn Sie Probleme mit Ihrem bisherigen Systemhaus haben, können Sie diesen Vertrag auch vor der Kündigung auf ein anderes Navision oder Business Central Systemhaus übertragen lassen, dort Ihre Objekte auf Vorrat kaufen und freischalten lassen und dann kündigen. Das wäre sogar meine Empfehlung: Investieren Sie etwa 50% – 100% Ihrer Jährlichen Wartung in neue Navisionobjekte und 1,2,3 zusätzliche User, lassen Sie die Objekte auch unbedingt in sinnvollen Nummernbereichen freischalten, testen Sie die neue Lizenz in ihrem Betrieb ausführlich im Echtbetrieb… und kündigen Sie erst dann die Wartung. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt sparen Sie für vermutlich sehr lange Zeit einen gut 4-5 stelligen Betrag pro Jahr. Je nach Lizenz könnte auch noch eine DB Erweiterung (oder ein „Frühjarsputz“) oder mehr Mandanten empfehlenswert sein. Orientieren Sie sich einfach an ihren letzten 2-3 Jahren, was Sie da so zugekauft haben, zusammen mit der obigen Empfehlung sind sie sicherlich noch Jahrelang gut beraten mit ihrer dann kostenfreien Navision-Version. Vergessen Sie auf keinen Fall, sich noch einen oder gar zwei zusätzlichen NAS (Navision Application Server) „auf Lager“ zu legen. Vielleicht möchten Sie ja später meinen Scheduler or mein Infocenter oder eine Shopwareanbindung nutzen?
Prüfen Sie auch, ob…
All of the objects you have already paid for have also been unlocked by you
You receive a current license ("Fin.flf") with all Business Central or Navision versions released during the maintenance period.

These steps all belong together, as none of these steps can be performed after the maintenance has been canceled.

By the way: The Microsoft Navision & Business Central maintenance contract is mandatory for the first year after purchase (i.e., to be precise, a 16% surcharge on the purchase price).

What you get...in return: The right to update to a newer Navision version at any time.

But what you don't get: Eine neue Navision-Version! Sie können in aller Regel nicht einfach so ein neues Navision wie ein neues Excel oder Word einspielen. Und alles funktioniert einfach so weiter. Das ist erst (und auch dann nicht vollständig) mit der Extension/AL Programmierung möglich. Stand 2021 war es noch nicht so. Die Extension/AL Versionen Verändern hier vieles! Nicht alles, aber das meiste sogar zum Guten! Das eigentliche Update müssen Sie dann trotzdem noch (außer in der Azure Cloud) von Ihrem Partner vornehmen lassen – und für diese Dienstleistung dann extra bezahlen.

The good news: Navision and Business Central is like the famous Beetle: It runs and runs and runs ... There is almost never a reason to run after the current Business Central or Navision version. Your current system is doing its job, isn't it?

Hotline maintenance contract

This is - as a rule - a more or less well hidden attempt by your Navision or Business Central to collect something from the maintenance fee. He regularly takes money from you so that you can call him in order to receive advice or new functions (usually for a fee).

If you found this page here via Google or Bing, then my advice is, based on my experience: Cancel.

Update contract

This contract also sails under the mask of the Microsoft maintenance contract. This often promises that you will receive the new version from your Business Central & Navision partner free of charge - however, you will have to pay for the implementation of the update based on the effort.
I consider these contracts to be dubious. Because you already pay this service to Microsoft, see first maintenance contract!

Other maintenance contracts

You have to check them more closely. For example, if you have NAPA with payroll & accounting in your house, then you cannot do without this contract.

My suggestion: think about whether you would prefer to switch to Datev or Sage with wages and salaries. In my opinion, these systems are much easier to use. There are many good reasons to keep all company data in Navision. But there are more reasons to make wages and salaries as simple as possible. That's where NAPA counts. more generally - a payroll that is deeply integrated in Navision is not.

I myself used to sell NAPA at IMA Systemhaus Kassel - after 2 years we gradually switched all of our customers back to external payroll accounting.

Also Terminations of Yaveon with the extended production and EDI connection (Yaveon PRO-escm, Yaveon PROescm, Yaveon PRO-batch, Yaveon PRObatch) also require an intensive preliminary check. From my point of view, it was practically mandatory in the last century to map EDI directly in Navision (Business Central did not exist at the time).

The X.400 connector in the basement was just as necessary back then. Those days are long gone now. A dedicated IT specialist who only takes care of keeping EDI running every day: I wouldn't solve it like that anymore, even if I was promoting it at the Bechtle Business Central or Navision Systemhaus in Kassel. There are more elegant solutions today (just like with wages and salaries) that simply run stably. Without bending Business Central and Navision, without X.400 in the basement.

In my opinion, the same applies to the PRObatch manufacturing solution from Yaveon, or more generally to the entire manufacturing solution from Business Central & Navision. I have already supported some manufacturing companies with Navision, not only in Kassel, but far beyond the borders of Hesse and Lower Saxony.

My conclusion: Often the use of the manufacturing solution from Navision or Business Central (“Business Central Premium”) is generally “oversized”.

Rule of thumb: If you do not have a multi-level production that builds on one another with clearly separable production areas, you can usually get by with the parts list function from the Essential - and you do not need any extended production functions based on it.

In some cases, capacity control is a reason for using the manufacturing solution - but here, too, the parts list is often a much simpler solution with very few adjustments.

BUT! What must be taken into account especially in this case:

These systems often intervene very deeply in your existing Business Central or Navision!

You cannot simply remove such systems from your Navision overnight if there are problems of any kind (e.g. PRObatch from Yaveon, NAPA, OP + ...). This is often simply not possible retrospectively. In this case you have to assume that you will have to set up your Navision from scratch. With all the disadvantages such as data conversion, new setup, new training, new installations, etc.

But also with all the advantages: You have learned so much about your Navision and Business Central in the past and use this new beginning for a slim, easy-to-understand and stable, low-maintenance Business Central & Navision.

The last paragraph about Yaveon Probatch and Proescm also applies a little to OP+ (OPPlus), the payment module for Navision. However, here is my recommendation: keep it.

Microsoft (and already Navision Denmark) never managed to integrate usable payment transactions into Navision. Payment transactions for Navision in Europe have always been the domain of add-ons.

You have to know that in America, the home of Navision today, checks are still a common form of payment.And online transfers, like in Europe, are still a foreign word.

OPPlus also intervenes deeply in a standard Navision & Business Central, but here - in my opinion - there is no alternative to OP + (OPPlus). "Do not use" is also no alternative. OP + is a real Swiss Army Knife for electronic payments. For an older Navision, I recommend my own solution, especially for the labor-saving import of payments. But for an up-to-date Business Central, OPPlus is also my choice of payment transactions.

What do I have to keep in mind when canceling a maintenance contract?

It is IMPERATIVE to get a current Navision license with all current versions from your current Navision or Business Central system house partner before canceling.

This was the biggest mistake of all the new clients I took care of. This experience has also been my main reason for writing this guide.

Both in Kassel, but also in all other areas of Germany: You can quickly get to 180, maybe annoyed for months or years about bad service, wondering what you actually pay this fee for every year if you don't have anything anyway for that gets ...

And that's how you quickly terminate all contracts. From this point on, your license can no longer be updated…. It cannot even be issued in its current version! This is the most important point when considering terminating your maintenance contracts! See also above.

Check which partial solutions in your inventory management you are directly dependent on. Do not forget inconspicuous automatic functions, such as the EDI connection via Yaveon Probatch and X.400 and other special solutions. The important point is not "Yaveon" or "PRObatch", but "EDI". You can replace that, but not overnight.

Or "payment transactions" or "import / read in account statements" or "manufacture" (to clarify the difference between "manufacture" and "manufacture").

I am happy to support you with this analysis / abstraction. We're sure to find a joint appointment quickly near Kassel, but we can do that just as well in the rest of Germany. On site at your premises or via an online meeting.

How does a change of the system house work?

Simple. The change itself is purely a matter of form.

Your new Navision and Business Central partner will send you a form to be filled out. Enter your previous partner, your license number, your signature and your company stamp here.

You then send it - mostly by fax, but scanning / emailing is the same) to your new Business Central & Navision partner. He forwards the change request to Microsoft.

Microsoft then asks your old provider again informally and then transfers your license to the new Navision or Business Central partner. There is one like this, for example, right near me in Kassel, but also in practically every other larger place, such as Hanover, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Munich, Hamburg, Kiel, Berlin, Leipzig ... whereby distance no longer plays a role in software today.

What are the obstacles when changing system houses?

Competencies. Your new system house may have less competence than your old partner in special things such as production, payroll accounting, EDI, cost accounting.

But if you have found this page here, e.g. via Google or Bing, then you are probably already so dissatisfied with your old Business Central or Navision partner that it can't get any worse. The change is easy, so you can swap your new partner again quickly.

Distances. Well, that used to be a problem.

Even in my 9 years as a system house in Kassel (North Hesse, between Frankfurt and Hanover) in the 90s, we were able to look after customers throughout Germany thanks to ISDN (the older ones among us still remember it ...). From Trier via Düsseldorf / Krefeld via Hanover to Berlin, and from Kiel via Hamburg, Hanover, Kassel and Frankfurt down to Stuttgart and Munich. At that time there was no internet as we (apart from our Chancellor) know it today!

Thanks to the Internet, VDSL or fiber optics, video chats, the world is now a village and physical distance is no longer important for Business Central & Navision.

Caution! This does not apply to your hardware! Your computer dealer cannot be close enough to its business. At some point he has to come to your company and plug a loose cable back into the distributor or switch on a "guaranteed switched on monitor" a second time with a slight grin.

Do I need a Navision or Business Central partner?

Before you think about changing your Business Central partner, we must first define the real function of a Business Central & Navision partner / system house. First and foremost, there is a company that manages your Navision license.Not more! But not less either.

Of course, a Navision dealer can also advise you on hardware, offer you training or programming services, take care of your hardware, look after your VPN and keep your virus monitor (thanks to Windows 10 you no longer need it) up to date. But almost all of this can also be done by any other computer dealer who, perhaps due to their proximity (see previous paragraph), may be even better able to do so.
What is left then? Correct: Navision or Business Central competence.

Nowadays you can also get this specialist knowledge from many other providers. For example, if you are near Kassel (if you don't know the beautiful Kassel: North / South about halfway between Hanover and Frankfurt East / West between Düsseldorf / Dortmund / Essen and Leipzig, near Erfurt, Eisennach, Marburg, Giesen and Göttingen, and home of the legendary Ahlen Wurscht), I would be happy to sit at your site as a freelancer Navision / Business Central consultant / programmer / optimizer / trainer.Nowadays, thanks to the Internet, I can support you from anywhere and anywhere in the world.

To come back to the question: As long as you have a Microsoft Navision and Business Central maintenance contract with a valid license, you also need a Business Central or Navision partner who manages this license.

You are welcome to do this at my partner's in Hanover (not far from Kassel 🙂). This partner doesn't have to be more (or less) for you.