Jan 31

Dynamics NAV on Azure & Architecture

This is a part of “Azure with Dynamics NAV” blog post series. To read other posted blog post go to the main index or click on the Tag “Azure with Dynamics NAV”.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV is hosted on Microsoft Azure as an IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) till Dynamics NAV 2016 version and with the latest Dynamics NAV release you can host Dynamics NAV integrated with PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service). Deployment on Azure provides a comprehensive solution that meets the core business needs of the customer by enabling a secure, anywhere, anytime access to critical enterprise business resources.
Depending on the requirement,  deployment topology can be selected and each topology has its own advantages as well as the disadvantages. In this blog post I will be mainly looking at the main 3 topologies that can be used when hosting Dynamics NAV on Azure. 


Method 01 : All in one VM (Not recommended for production environment)

In this method we only use a one VM and in that particular VM we have installed “NAV Server, “NAV Web Server”, “SQL Server” and “NAV Database”. This is not recommended to used in the production environment. Therefore this model is only should used in the test scenarios. However if you are willing to use this topology you can still go ahead and use this without a issue. This support NAV 2013 and upward versions. If you want to setup the VM then watch the Ho do I video related to Dynamics NAV on one VM : Link

Method 02 : SQL Service and NAV DB moved to a separate VM 

In this method we have used two separate VMs and segregate the services accordingly. In the first server we have installed “NAV Server” and “NAV Web Server”. In the other VM we have installed “SQL Server” and “NAV Database”. This is the recommended topology for the production environment. This support NAV 2013 and upward versions, however it is tricky and bit complex when deploying NAV to Azure with this topology (Not my favorite).
If you want to setup the VM then watch the Ho do I video related to Dynamics NAV on two VM : Link

Method 03 : SQL as a Service (Available with Dynamics NAV 2016)
In the method 03 we have used a new feature and this was introduced with Dynamics NAV 2016. Insted of using a second VM to install SQL Server and NAV Database we have use “SQL as a Service” and in that we have hosted our NAV Database. This is cost effective and easy to deploy. To check how this is cost effective comparing to other methods check my next blog post (So far my favorite). 

On how to deploy the Dynamics NAV with the use of SQL as a service you require to follow this blog series since I will be providing complete guide on this. 

Comparison of On-Premises vs Azure as a Infrastructure vs Azure as a Platform. 


As you see, when you select the last option (SQL as a Service) you move almost all the administration work to Azure. This will definitely help you to focus more on your business application and save money for your company and minimize the risk of maintaining everything by yourself. 

Please provide your feedback with a comment. 
Thank you and Regards,
Tharanga Chandrasekara

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3 comments

    • Anonymous on July 16, 2016 at 1:45 am
    • #

    Have any more blog posts been made on Dynamics NAV integrated with PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service)? This thread seems to have stopped with the January 2016 post.

  2. Hi, Thanks for referring to my blog posts. Will update them within the week.

    • suresh ravuri on January 31, 2017 at 9:57 am
    • #

    nice one

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