The data in a NAV system can be accessed by means of Pages, Queries, and/or Reports, providing total flexibility. Whatever tools are available to the developer or the user, and are appropriate, should be used. There are some very good tools in NAV for data manipulation, extraction, and presentation. Among other things, these include the SIFT/Flowfield functionality, the pervasive filtering capability (including the ability to apply filters to subordinate data structures), and the Navigate function. NAV includes the ability to create page parts for graphing, with a wide variety of predefined chart page parts included as part of the standard distribution. We can also create our own chart parts using tools delivered with the system or available from blogs or MSDN.

The NAV database design approach could be referred to as a rational normalization. NAV isn't constrained by a rigid normalized data structure, where every data element appears only once. The NAV data structure is normalized, so long as that principle doesn't get in the way of processing speed. Where processing speed or user convenience is improved by duplicating data across tables, NAV does so. In addition, the duplication of master file data into transactions allows for one-time modification of data when appropriate, such as a ship-to address in a Sales Order. That data duplication also often greatly simplifies data access for analysis.