After I wrote my first book about application design in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, a lot has happened because of the book. I co-initiated Partner-Ready Software and worked closely together with Microsoft to improve the awareness of the great way Dynamics NAV is designed. This has been an amazing journey working together with some of the best people I've met in my professional life.

One of the best results is the awareness of design patterns in the application. In a team, more than 50 patterns have been documented.

I tried my best to implement the patterns in this book. A lot of the patterns were already there in the first edition. In this book, the patterns come together as applications, which give end users a great ERP system to use every day.

Since my previous book, my son Daan was born in 2010. The other kids, Josefien, Wesley, and Saskia, got older too, and I hope that one day they will understand the books and the beauty of software architectures. I'd like to thank them and my wife, Dionel, for giving me the freedom to explore my creativity, writing down my thoughts, and travel the world to share them. Because of my job, I have the opportunity to raise my kids in a great place where they can grow up in peace and become great people. I am very thankful for that.

A lot of people have helped me in writing and publishing this book, and I would like to thank them all for their help and patience as I am aware I am not always easy to work with.

Software architecture is more than database tables and code lines. Like any architecture, every piece should be well balanced and fit together in the complete structure. Unlike buildings and infrastructure, software is a lot more abstract, and the architecture is harder to see from outside. Together with Gary Winter, Eric Wauters, and Vjeko Babic, we have created a framework of patterns and best practices on how to put software together that is easy to understand, maintain, and upgrade, which are the cornerstones in applications such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Special thanks go to David and Karen Studebaker. I met them in 2006 at TechEd in Boston, USA. Their help has been invaluable in bringing structure to my business and personal life. They have a very special place in my heart.