There are a number of Rules-Based Configurators available for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. These products are offered by NAV ISVs and range in functionality from simple to complex, with costs as varied. For many companies, a NAV Rules-Based Configurator is the tool that allows for the most efficient quoting, ordering, and producing of products with multiple options.
A good example of a standard Rules-Based Configurator client would be an equipment manufacturer who has a standard model of their product that they modify and build to the customer’s specifications. In this case, a Rules-Based Configurator can reduce the time to estimate and quote the product while increasing the accuracy of the quote by eliminating possible oversights and wrong configurations. The most sophisticated of the Rules-Based Configurators can create a custom Bill of Materials and Routing for manufacturing the product, based on the results entered into the configurator.
Most of these Rules-Based Configurators are user maintainable and allow for the easy addition, change, or deletion of products and options. For the company interested in this technology, it is important that they assign the maintenance of the configurator to an employee who is knowledgeable in their products and comfortable with technology. The defining of the rules for a product is a detailed process, but it saves countless hours in quoting and decreases the product knowledge required to quote product by walking the entry person through the configuration questions. Based on the answer to one question, the options for other questions can change. The Rules-Based Configurator is a tool that pays for itself for many clients.
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