Business Central Fall 2019 Preview Availability

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

There is a lot of excitement and buzz these days and partners have approached me asking for the insider builds from our master branch.

Hold back on the search, we will NOT be creating Docker builds or preview DVDs from our master branch for a little while. Let me elaborate… Continue reading

Windows 10 1903 (and Business Central Containers)

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

Some weeks ago, I read about Windows 10 1903 in a blog post from Mike Fortin here: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2019/04/04/improving-the-windows-10-update-experience-with-control-quality-and-transparency. Since general rolllout wasn’t until May, I decided to wait until after Directions NA to do my update.

1903 was made available on MSDN and internally for people who wanted to update early and I didn’t really pay too much attention to this. Two evenings ago, a colleague ping’ed m e with an error when trying to create a container. Looking at the output, the containerhelper identified his Windows version as unknown/insider. Continue reading

Running Tests in Containers

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

Since the very start of NAV and Business Central on Containers, it has been possible to run tests through the UI (Windows Client and Web Client), just as you have been able to do when you install directly on a machine. A lot of people have however been looking for a way to run tests automated – and… – since NavContainerHelper 0.5.0.3 (February 25th) a function called Run-TestsInNavContainer has been available. A few changes has been implemented since then and I am now ready to describe how to use the function. Continue reading

Placing the database on the host…

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

I have had quite a few partners asking me how to connect a NAV / Business Central container to a SQL Server placed on the host. Even though this sounds like a simple question, it isn’t easy to answer. Continue reading

NavContainerHelper 0.5.0.11

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

I don’t write blog posts about every single version of the NavContainerHelper, but I wanted to call out a few things in this version. Continue reading

Symbols demystified

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

Over the last months, I have received a lot of questions on Symbols:

  • Why does Compile-AppInNavContainer get different symbols than VS Code?
  • When I import new objects to Business Central, why don’t I get the symbols?
  • Why do I have the Assert Codeunit twice?
  • Why can’t Business Central find the Assert Codeunit?

Just to name a few.

This blog post will try to explain how symbols works and give an answer these questions, by showing some samples. Continue reading

What’s new in NavContainerHelper 0.5.0.1

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

NavContainerHelper 0.5.0.1 was released recently. Read this blog post to learn what’s new. Continue reading

Process Isolation for containers in Windows 10

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

For a few months we have known that Docker for Windows would get support for process isolation under Windows 10. Arend-Jan Kauffmann explained how to use nightly builds from Docker to get the feature early and test it. I of course jumped on this and have been running a nightly build of Docker since December 6th.

A few days ago the feature was released in the edge release of Docker Desktop. Continue reading

Clean up after yourself Docker, your mom isn’t here!

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

Update: After writing this blog post, Docker Desktop has a feature called Reset To Factory defaults…  I use this function now and then (instead of the DockerCiZap) to cleanup everything in my Docker environment. Right Click the Whale icon, select Settings -> Reset.

reset

Docker is an amazing tool.

As Dynamics 365 Business Central or Microsoft Dynamics NAV developers we can spin up any version of the platform and app in minutes and use our favourite tools to work with it.

Using the layering techniques from Docker, these images will be stored on disc as efficient as possible and every time I start up a new container, it reuses the disc space and your running container just becomes another layer on top of your image.

Really really smart, but it does take up some disc space and it isn’t very good at cleaning up. Continue reading

Business Central Build Numbers

Update 2021/2/10: Microsoft stopped creating images for Docker in the summer of 2020. We now publish artifacts, which can be used to spin up containers and BcContainerHelper has replaced NavContainerHelper. This blog post reflects the old way of using NAV/BC on Docker and references NavContainerHelper, which is outdated.

Now and then, I get questions about the build numbers – what do they all mean? I always try to tell people that they don’t really need to know but for some reason, that just makes people more curious. So instead of answering the same question over and over again – here is what I know… Continue reading