#NAVdevInfo 6: Hello, Microsoft? Are you there?

Some history first

If you started your journey with NAV when it was called Navision or even before that, you know how reporting bugs to Microsoft worked. It did not. At least if you live in a country which is not highest priority. When I was junior developer I needed to beg some senior consultant to report the bug and it was not always so quick. Let’s be honest faster was to write your own code which will fix something than contact with Microsoft and go thru whole process.

Was it good for customer? Of course not because customers had a mess in the database in standard objects.

Was it needed? Yes because you had screaming customer that was saying “I cannot print invoice and full truck is waiting for this document!!!”

Was it good for us? Hmm… let’s say no one wanted to pay for fixing something which should be fixed as standard. So no it was not good for us.

I really hated that it was so hermetic environment. Or at least this how I had seen that from developer perspective who did not have any possibility to contact with anyone who could help me directly.

How is it now? Have you been on GitHub for AL?

If no then go there right now! https://github.com/Microsoft/AL . You will see how our life changed. Now everyone can ask the question and be more than sure that will get answer from Microsoft or some MVP who knows the product very well.

Moreover you will also see when you can expected the solution. For example one below – the issue was closed in June 2018.

I was really missing that even from example above and I am glad that someone already reported it. Microsoft reacted very quick –  it was reported in May – and in June it was already shipped. I was very happy to have it so quick and because I knew it would happened,  I could wait with my solution and I did not need to do any workaround.

Microsoft, are you there?

Yes they are. And really they are very helpful and react quick to all issues reported. And I think we should be very glad how we can work right now.

And one more. Good to have not only Microsoft halping on GitHub but also MVPs and all other people as developers and consultants.

Before you report a bug

And some advice at the end. Remember if you want to report a bug, ask a question or want to ask for new event which is missing. Please always check first in all issues (not only open ones) if someone already had a similar problem.