[Updated with a fifth book!]

This month the fourth fifth English-language book on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 is being released. For those of us working on Dynamics NAV, it is exciting to see that partners are so invested in our product that they eagerly spend months writing a book to help other partners be more productive when creating Dynamics NAV solutions. The latest book is Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Application Design by Mark Brummel, whom I recently met at Directions EMEA.

Here's the list of all four five books:

• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 Application Design, by Mark Brummel. Mark walks the reader through the Microsoft Dynamics NAV application architecture, and explains in detail how a Dynamics NAV partner can customize and extend the application, particularly for industry verticals. Using an extended tutorial, he demonstrates how a partner would create a custom RoleTailored implementation. Finally, Mark provides some guidance on the full software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to development, deployment, and on-going support.
• Programming Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, by David Studebaker. After the Microsoft Dynamics NAV developer documentation (see MSDN), this book is the bible on how to program Dynamics NAV. While his previous book (Programming Microsoft Dynamics NAV) focused on the Classic client, this book is devoted to developing for the RoleTailored client. Dave explains in detail the C/AL language; how to debug your application; and how to create objects, use triggers, add business logic, and design pages and reports. If you are a Dynamics NAV developer, or a consultant who wants insight into Dynamics NAV design and development, you should read this book.
• Implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, by David Roys and Vjekoslav Babić. David and Vjekoslav introduce the reader to the new RoleTailored client and the power of RoleTailored solutions. They then provide guidance on how to implement a custom solution across the full software development lifecycle. They also cover extending Microsoft Dynamics NAV with web services and .NET-based add-ins. Finally, they provide a real-world tutorial on how to create a Dynamics NAV add-in. The book comes with a companion website: http://www.teachmenav.com/.
• The NAV/SQL Performance Field Guide, by Jörg Stryk. Now that the Classic database is going away in NAV "7", it is more important than ever to understand how to administer and optimize performance in Microsoft SQL Server for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Jörg provides specific guidance on how to tune both SQL Server and your Dynamics NAV code to increase application performance.
• [UPDATE] ERP and Business Processes, illustrated with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, by Hans van der Hoeven. In his primer on the processes that small and medium-sized companies use to run their business, Hans uses Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 to demonstrate how these business processes might be expressed in an ERP software package. While this is not a book about Dynamics NAV, consultants and business managers may find it useful to learn ERP concepts and processes by using the context of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

If you want to increase your skills on developing a Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution—particularly if you want to better understand how to create a RoleTailored solution—I recommend that you get your hands on one, or even all four five, of these books.

— Paul Chapman