Today at Direction NA I got the chance to ask Vincent Nicolas from Microsoft a couple of questions about Dynamics 365 “Tenerife” from a developer/techincal perspective, enjoy:
At Directions, Erik sat down with Vincent Nicolas, Engineering Manager for the Platform team at Microsoft, to discuss the future of the Dynamics NAV platform — including the transition away from C/SIDE, on-premise options for Tenerife (the codename for what would become the next generation of the product), the web client strategy, the new “bring your own base app” hosting model, release cadence changes, and advice for developers navigating these changes.
Vincent’s Role at Microsoft
Vincent Nicolas is the Engineering Manager for the Platform team at Microsoft. The platform team covers what is now called Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, as well as Dynamics 365 Business Central — both the cloud and on-premise versions, which share the same codebase. For those familiar with the older product names, this is essentially what used to be called NAV and its various iterations.
The Future of C/SIDE
One of the most frequently asked questions at Directions was about the future of C/SIDE, the traditional development environment that NAV developers have used for decades. Vincent was clear about the direction:
- Microsoft is working hard to replace C/SIDE with a new, modern development environment
- C/SIDE will eventually be sunset, but it’s not going away immediately
- Microsoft recognizes that many partners and customers have significant investments in C/SIDE and still rely on it
- The replacement will closely resemble the extension-based development experience already being introduced
- The spring release of Tenerife will support both C/SIDE and the new modern development environment side by side
Vincent expressed hope that they would be able to provide a full replacement with all of C/SIDE’s capabilities by the spring release, but acknowledged that the goal was ambitious. Either way, developers will be able to use both tools during the transition period.
On-Premise: Still a First-Class Option
For the many partners and customers whose primary business is still running on-premise, Vincent offered reassurance:
Tenerife absolutely has an on-premise option. It shares the same codebase as the cloud version. Microsoft wants customers to eventually move to the cloud, but they recognize that isn’t always possible — some customers have sensitive data, regulatory or legal requirements, or are in countries where Microsoft’s cloud offerings are not yet available. Those customers can continue doing business on-premise, just as they did with NAV 2017.
The Web Client vs. the Windows (RoleTailored) Client
All demos at Directions were shown using the web client, which raised questions from partners and customers who primarily use the Windows RoleTailored client. Vincent explained the strategy:
- Microsoft wants the web client to be the primary client — this has been the direction for a while
- The team is working to make the web client a better alternative, including improvements for data entry scenarios and additional keyboard shortcuts
- A full replacement of all RoleTailored client capabilities by Tenerife’s release wasn’t certain, but the team was pushing hard
- It’s safe to assume Tenerife will still ship with the RoleTailored client as well, unless the web client improvements exceed expectations
Bring Your Own Base App Hosting
A new concept introduced at Directions was “bring your own base app” hosting. Vincent explained this is designed to help partners move to the cloud faster by reducing friction:
The idea is that partners can bring their applications — pretty much as they exist today — to Microsoft’s cloud hosting. Even solutions with custom .NET components and other non-standard elements could potentially be hosted. Microsoft is exploring solutions to make this work while addressing critical concerns around security and resource governance.
The validation and onboarding process hasn’t been fully defined yet, but the goal is to make it as easy as possible. Microsoft wants to take the pain away from cloud hosting — they know firsthand how much complexity is involved in managing cloud infrastructure, and they want partners to focus on developing their apps while Microsoft handles the hosting.
Changes to the Release Cadence
Many attendees came to Directions expecting to see NAV 2018, but instead were presented with a spring release timeline, breaking the traditional yearly update cycle that had been in place for roughly 20 years. Vincent addressed this shift:
- The SaaS offering already ships on a monthly cadence with continuous improvements
- Microsoft is evaluating whether to move to a higher frequency release cycle for Tenerife’s platform updates as well
- The goal is to get new capabilities into partners’ and customers’ hands more quickly
Advice for Developers
With so many changes on the horizon, Vincent offered practical advice for developers feeling uncertain about next steps:
- Download Visual Studio Code — it’s free
- Install the AL extension for Visual Studio Code
- Start playing with the new tools — hands-on experience is the best way to learn
- Attend sessions at events like Directions
- Explore online materials — there’s a growing library of resources and examples
- Join the community on GitHub — be active, contribute, and engage
Vincent was confident: once developers start working with the new development tools, they’ll appreciate the modern experience.
Summary
This interview provided important clarity on several key topics that were top of mind for the Directions audience. C/SIDE is being phased out but not abandoned overnight. On-premise remains fully supported with the same codebase as the cloud. The web client is the future, but the RoleTailored client isn’t disappearing just yet. New cloud hosting options are being designed to lower the barrier to cloud adoption. And for developers, the message is clear: start learning the new AL-based development tools in Visual Studio Code now, get involved in the community, and embrace the transition — the sooner you start, the better prepared you’ll be.
