Creating a Generic Dynamics NAV Lookup Table to Encourage Good Behavior

By Marek Tylko | February 26, 2016

During initial design on a Dynamics NAV project, it is easy to make a decision between employing an Option field or a Code field validated by a dedicated table. We buy what tables we need and off to the races we go.

As a project matures and the table spread of middle age occurs it is not uncommon to deal with a support request that really calls for a validated field, but there aren’t any tables left in the license at that point and time is of the essence. This is when design crimes are committed with the best of intentions and fields may be made with long option strings or for options that are not as static as we would like to think.

Dynamics NAV Lookup Table Solution:

To avoid this situation, we may add a generic lookup table to our projects. In this way, the first table we ever use is always there to make a good choice at a later point in the project lifecycle. This is not an invitation to make a mess and end up with ridiculous quantities of data in a table. When a validation table needs more than Code and Description fields it probably does need a dedicated table. The other vital requirement is that the use of a generic lookup table is transparent to users.

Dynamics NAV Lookup Table Implementation:

Our generic table contains three fields:

  • The Code and Description fields are like those in any lookup table
  • The “Field Name” field is used to separate the data belonging to entirely different lookups.

Dynamics NAV Table Lookup

Sample Lookup Data

Here we have two values for two unrelated example Lookups:

Dynamics NAV Lookup Table

Adding a field to a table with generic validation:

The only trick is to put a hard coded filter in place to pick out the correct values from our generic table. In this way, users will only see the relevant values and will also only add new values with the correct Field Name.

Table Filter in Dynamics NAV

Our new field is now ready to be placed on any page.

Related Posts


Under the terms of this license, you are authorized to share and redistribute the content across various mediums, subject to adherence to the specified conditions: you must provide proper attribution to Stoneridge as the original creator in a manner that does not imply their endorsement of your use, the material is to be utilized solely for non-commercial purposes, and alterations, modifications, or derivative works based on the original material are strictly prohibited.

Responsibility rests with the licensee to ensure that their use of the material does not violate any other rights.

Start the Conversation

It’s our mission to help clients win. We’d love to talk to you about the right business solutions to help you achieve your goals.

Subscribe To Our Blog

Sign up to get periodic updates on the latest posts.

Thank you for subscribing!