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HOWTO: migrate to Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery

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ZTN4488

This Zetadocs technical note applies to:

  • Version 9.1 of Zetadocs for NAV
  • Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 or later

Summary

This document explains the steps to perform to migrate a Zetadocs Client delivery deployment to a Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery deployment.

These steps include installation and set-up of the Zetadocs Server Extensions, updates to the Zetadocs templates, and removing any Zetadocs component installed on the client machines.

More information

Prerequisites:

Zetadocs NAV Client version 9.1 or later should be installed on the NAV Server. If not, please refer to technote How to upgrade to the latest version of Zetadocs for NAV.

Install and configure Zetadocs on the NAV Server

The full installation process is described in the Zetadocs for NAV Installation Guide. Please refer to this document to install the Zetadocs Server Extensions. Attention should be paid to:

·         License path: The network path should be accessible from the NAV server. There is no support for storing the license in Active Directory.

·         Delivery settings: The connection information to the SMTP server must be completed on the Zetadocs Delivery Settings, as Outlook is not used on the NAV Server to send.

·         Report settings: The report mapping section on the Zetadocs Report settings should be completed per NAV report.

·         Job queues: For systems with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 and 2016, the Zetadocs Job queues should be operational and in use.

·         Embedded Commands: Embedded Commands used by the Zetadocs Client are now supported by Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery as Dynamic Commands in the Zetadocs-Send Customize CodeUnit, for Zetadocs Delivery Plus customers. Existing customized code in the Zetadocs-Send CustomizeCodeUnit using the commands %%[fileattachment: …] and %%[fields: …] will continue to work as long as the NAV Server has access to the files specified in the fileattachment command.

·         Document templates: The Zetadocs template files, and any additional attachments or stationery files contained in them should all be accessible from the NAV Server. Attachments and stationery files must be in PDF format. For existing templates, the upgrade process is described below.

 

Update the Zetadocs templates for use with Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery

 

There are three-major points you might need to consider:

1.     All files, templates, attachments and stationery, must be accessible by the user account running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server [xxx] service, where xxx is the name of the NAV or NAS instance.

2.     Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery relies on PDF files for the attachments and stationery.

3.     The last stationery page is repeated on all pages of the NAV report.

Permissions


The first point impacts the permissions of the users. It is recommended to declare a shared network folder using the Zetadocs PDF Configuration program, to regroup all the template materials in it, and to ensure that the user running the NAV service has read and write permissions on it.

 

This folder can then be used in the Document Template Wizard in the Zetadocs Client.

 

One way to check if the current user has sufficient permissions to access the files is to edit the template and check that all selected files are available for preview in the Document Template Wizard.

PDF files

The second point implies to update the files that were used in the Zetadocs Client to PDF files. This step can be done using the Zetadocs Client version 9.1 or later. Two alternatives are described in the Zetadocs Client help and are reproduced here:

·         On the accessory panel, right click on a Zetadocs attachment (zda) file or Zetadocs stationery (zds) file, then click “Convert to PDF”

·         Using the template wizard, adding a zda or zds file will prompt a dialog which allows to convert the file to PDF.

Repeating last page on stationery

The detailed logic used by Zetadocs Server Delivery to apply the stationery is the following:

·         The first stationery page will be applied to the first document page, the second stationery page will be applied to the second document page and so on.

·         If the document has more pages than the stationery file, the last stationery page will be repeated, allowing a front page different from the others.

·         Blank pages are supported, which allow having no stationery repeated.

Testing

The correct behaviour can be tested using the NAV Web client or the NAV 64-bit desktop client. Please repeat the following scenarios to ensure all basic functions are working as intended.

·         Send a document with a template: On a NAV page where the Zetadocs Send button is enabled, try to send a document with a template applied. In the Zetadocs Outbox, the job just queued should be processed then removed from the entries when finished. Please refer to the report settings and system rules of the installation guide to choose what actions should be performed.

·         Send a document with Dynamic Commands: Perform this test if the embedded commands where used prior to the migration to the Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery. On a NAV page previously using the embedded commands and where the Zetadocs Send button is enabled, try to send a document as an email. The dynamic command should execute correctly.

Uninstall the Zetadocs components from the client machines

Once Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery has been fully tested, the Zetadocs Client can be removed safely from any client machine. The Zetadocs Client must remain on the NAV Server machine.

·         To uninstall it, run the last run installer of the Zetadocs Client and select remove.

·         Alternatively, open the “Change or Remove Program” of and uninstall the Zetadocs components which are the Zetadocs API Runtime, the Zetadocs PDF and Zetadocs NAV Client

·         Ensure that the Zetadocs files are not present anymore in the Dynamics NAV Addin folder (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\100\RoleTailored Client\Add-ins for NAV 2017).

·         For optimal use, it is recommended to change the NAV client in use on the client machine to the 64-bit version.

References

How to upgrade to the latest version of Zetadocs for NAV

Last updated: 91th May 2017 (CR/GC) 

Keywords: Migrate, Zetadocs Client, Server Delivery, Zetadocs NAV Server Delivery

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