Sorry to hear you're having problems already, Bert. Welcome to the exciting world of Ducati ownership.
If you can't take it back to a dealer and it's not the battery, it might be connected to the neutral light.
Did you get any low battery messages on the dash? Try pushing the mode switch forward and see if there are any error logs recorded.
If the battery voltage drops too low, the ECU will protect itself by shutting down completely and you'll see the dash go blank - probably accompanied by a message like "0008 RSW". When the dash comes back on, the clock, trip and any ABS/TC settings will also be reset.
On the 696, there is an ignition cut out linked to the neutral light switch. If the light isn't illuminated, then the ECU thinks it's in gear and the bike won't start (unless the clutch is pulled in). If the neutral light won't come on, try starting it with the clutch pulled in. The switch connector can suffer from corrosion but it's easy to get to on the back of the engine.
It's only one wire - try cleaning the connector and the end of the switch and also make sure the connector is a tight fit on the switch itself (if it feels loose, close up the connector slightly with some pliers.