Many people have asked me about availability of a downloadable Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 demo. Unless you are an existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV customer on a support plan, or a Microsoft Dynamics partner, you can’t download a demo version from a public Microsoft web site.
You can download your copy from a community web site though – check the links at the bottom of this post. Be advised that some of the downloads are larger than a gigabyte, which might not be too download friendly.
So, if you can’t download the demo, there is still a great option for trying Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009: go to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Test Drive website at http://www.dynamicsnavtestdrive.com/ and access the online virtual environment where you can try Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 for free.
To access the virtual environment, you need to choose Business Productivity from the menu on the left, then click on the Test Drive button at the bottom of the page:
At some point along the way you’ll need to register, which requires you to fill the standard info about yourself (name, company, etc.)
When you are testing for the first time, you’ll need to install the Microsoft Virtual Server VMRC Control which is a client control allowing remote access to virtual machines. You don’t need to download anything manually, just follow the on-screen instructions.
Once you have registered and installed the software, you get a virtual machine session with a fully functional Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 demo. You can go through the demo scenarios, by following the steps in the right:
or you can simply click your way around the application and test-drive the features you want, at your own pace.
Business Productivity is just one of the covered scenarios, and you can try other scenarios: “Intuitive Work Environment”, “Analyze, Communicate and Collaborate”, “Meet Changing Business Needs” and “Rapid Implementation”. For each of the scenarios there are also a video and a screencast available. If you have never come close to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, this site should keep you occupied for a while.
Of course, if you really do want to install a local demo copy on your computer, contact your prospect Microsoft Dynamics partner, and ask them about demo. Product release DVD contains a demo version, which as far as I know (I might be wrong – no warranties here) can be given out for free. If the partner can’t help you, your local Microsoft office and their Microsoft Dynamics lead might be able to.
Alternatively, go to mibuso.com or Dynamics User Group, two great community websites, and look in their Downloads section – there just might be something for you. Mibuso provides a paid access (I don’t have a clue how they can do this) to their FTP section, and can send you a copy of a DVD or blue-ray disc containing the product. Dynamics User Group is more user friendly—they give you direct download option to one of the available language versions.
