Table of Contents
Role-Tailored Architecture (RTC)
Role-tailored architecture components are new with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. They work together to make the product more flexible, efficient, scalable, and secure, while also improving the user experience.
The Three Tiers of the RoleTailored Architecture
The RoleTailored architecture is a three-tiered architecture that contains the following levels:
- Presentation level (RoleTailored client)
- Business logic and communication level (Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server)
- Data level (SQL Server database)
The different tiers can be installed on different computers. You can have multiple instances of any of the components (though usually not on the same computer): multiple clients, multiple servers, and multiple database servers.
Here’s a simple installation with two SQL Server database computers, each associated with a single Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server computer, each of which in turn supports two Microsoft Dynamics NAV RoleTailored clients:
RoleTailored Architecture Components
The components that make up the RoleTailored architecture in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 are:
- RoleTailored Client
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server
- Database Components and SQL Server
RoleTailored Client
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 provides an intuitive and customizable user interface called the RoleTailored client, which developers, partners, administrators, and super users can customize to support the job functions of different work roles in an organization.
For each role within an organization, the Microsoft Certified Partner or developer creates a customizable Role Center that displays key information required for relevant employees and makes their day-to-day tasks easier to complete. Users run the RoleTailored client to find the information and data entry points their jobs require.
For example, partners and developers can customize the sales order processor Role Center to display an interactive list of customers, daily activities, and sales information and also give users easy access to their Microsoft Office Outlook e-mail, tasks, and calendar, all within the RoleTailored client.
The RoleTailored client is installed when you select either the Client Option or the Developer Environment Option in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Setup.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server is a .NET-based Windows Service application that works exclusively with SQL Server databases. It uses the Windows Communication Framework as the communication protocol for RoleTailored clients and for Web services. It can execute multiple client requests in parallel and serve other clients by providing Web service access to authenticated clients.
A key difference between the two-tier architecture with the Classic client and three-tier architecture with the RoleTailored client and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server is that business logic runs on the server instead of the client in the three-tier architecture. A simple example is the FILE.CREATE function. In previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, files are created on the client when code is run. With the RoleTailored architecture, the files are created on the service itself.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server provides an additional layer of security between the clients and the database. It leverages the authentication features of the Windows Communications Framework to provide an additional layer of user authentication. It uses impersonation to ensure that business logic is executed in a process instantiated by the user who submitted the request. Authorization and logging of user requests are still performed on a per-user basis. This ensures the correctness of all Windows authentication, Microsoft Dynamics NAV roles, and permissions granted to the user. Additionally, it ensures that business logic-level auditing is still carried out.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server is installed when you select either the Server Installation Option or the Developer Environment Installation Option in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Setup.
Database Components
The Database Components installation option in Setup installs the software that configures the Microsoft SQL Server database to work with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.
If SQL Server is not present on the computer where you install the database components, Setup installs SQL Server Express 2005, which is an appropriate database option for prototyping and testing, but will likely prove inadequate for all but the smallest production environments.
Database components are installed when you select the Database Components Installation Option in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Setup.