When discussing an interface, we usually start with the technology, but before that, some other basic questions need answering, such as the following:

• Does it need to import, export, or both?
• Is it started manually or automatically?
• Is the interface timer or event driven?

Let's discuss these questions.

Import and export

The first question is whether the interface should only export data from Microsoft Dynamics NAV or whether it would also import data to the system that then needs to be processed.

When importing and exporting, the data process can be started manually by an end user using data pulling or data pushing. The interface can also be event- (real time) or timer-driven (asynchronous).

Manual

When an interface is manual, the first application has an export process and another application has an import process. The end user first manually starts the export process and then manually starts the import process in another...