One of the first steps to setting up Outlook synchronization is determining which Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities should be associated with specific Outlook Items in order to synchronize data between the two applications. In Microsoft Dynamics NAV, entities consist of tables and fields. In Outlook, you can choose from items, collections, and properties. This entity mapping takes place in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and consists of several steps.
You must establish a hierarchy of synchronization objects using three possible levels of synchronization. This structure maps Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities to specific Outlook items. The higher synchronization levels are parent to the lower levels. The levels are described as follows.
| Entity synchronization level | Description |
|---|---|
Level one synchronization -- Item | Specify the most general Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities, such as master tables when setting level one synchronization. These general entities specify which Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities of level two synchronization are logically related to them, and are included and mapped directly to the chosen Outlook items. |
Level two synchronization -- Collection | Defines one or more collections of Microsoft Dynamics NAV records that logically belong to a certain Microsoft Dynamics NAV entity defined at synchronization level one. Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities of synchronization level two should always be mapped either to the corresponding Outlook property or collection. Specifying the second level only is not possible. |
Level three synchronization -- Property | Contains Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities that are part of a Microsoft Dynamics NAV entity of synchronization level one and two. Fields of Microsoft Dynamics NAV entities of synchronization level three should always be mapped to the corresponding Outlook collection element. |
The following table describes a sequence of tasks, with links to the topics that describe them. These tasks are listed in the order in which they are generally performed.
| To | See |
|---|---|
Specify which Outlook items will be synchronized at the first level. | |
Set the master table, which is the first Microsoft Dynamics NAV object that you select for updating with an Outlook item. | |
Use filters to define the specific entries from your Microsoft Dynamics NAV table that will be part of the synchronization. |