Using DotNet Data Type to Work with XML Sources in Dynamics NAV

Sharing data between different computer systems could be hard. One way to streamline the integration would to use a standardised means of communication, such as exchanging data in XML format.

To work with information in XML format, Dynamics NAV offers a special type of application object called XMLport. XMLports are used to export or import data between an external source and a Microsoft Dynamics NAV database. They allow the developers to encapsulate the details of how the XML file is handled and that makes our lives easier.

But what if the message from an external system is coming in a large XML with complicated structure, while all we need to extract from it is just a few bits of data. Can we bring the required values into NAV without replicating the entire XML structure of the source file?

Click here to see what I think on the matter!