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web-servicesmicrosoft-dynamicsdynamics-navmicrosoft-dynamics-navdynamics-nav-2016

What are Dynamics NAV licensing requirements for Web Services?


This post refers to SOAP and OData Web Services in Dynamics NAV 2016 (or later) and hopefully it is not off-topic. I would like to know whether the following facts are true or false (or it depends).

Given Starter Pack functionality, and default Customer License with no extra Development Granules:

  1. A Full User can publish any page (say, Customer or Employee) as a Web Service.
  2. When consuming a published Web Service from another software service, a separate NAV user should be created and not be associated with a real person - and this is fine with respect to NAV's licensing (e.g. Perpetual Licensing with Concurrent Client Access Licenses).
  3. A Full User can create a codeunit (in the allowed range of 10 codeunits for the Starter Pack) and publish the code unit as a Web Service.
  4. Both a Full User and a Limited User can be used to authenticate against a Web Service.

In other words, I would like to know to which extent is a customer of Starter Pack (no extra Development Granules) able to integrate NAV with other software systems via SOAP / OData endpoints - without relying on the elevated development capabilities of a Certified Partner / Value Added Reseller.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 Product Overview and Capability Guide

Walkthrough: Registering and Using a Page Web Service (SOAP)

MS Dynamics NAV - development licensing basics


Solution

  • Upon cross-posting on dedicated Dynamics forums (Dynamics NAV Users and Dynamics Community), I reached the following conclusions:

    1. True.
    2. True, but must be aware of licensing issues related to multiplexing. Multiplexing is not allowed. More comments about Web Services and internal / external users are here.
    3. Partially true. A Developer License is required to create new codeunits - a Customer License doesn't suffice. Existing codeunits can be published as Web Service though.
    4. True.