I have worked in around five industries, including health care, contracting, commissioning, balancing, testing, and more. We use many modules, like AR, AP, accounts payable, accounts receivable, HR module, procurement, service management, payroll, etc.
ERP Specialist at AMC Entertainment
With a robust reporting functionality in place, the tool offers stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution makes everything organized for my organization or enterprise. It makes workflows more than clear."
- "There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
We have a lot of customization in my organization, and we were looking for something enhanced or fitting for my business on this platform. We are currently facing the problem of making the solution or ERP system fit for my business. So, we are trying to resolve it. The solution makes everything organized for my organization or enterprise. It makes workflows more than clear. It makes the approvals or the transactions between the departments more than easier. It may make the documentation for the document to be more than easier to access while also ensuring cooperation between the department, especially when we are making reports. So, the ERP makes the reports clearer and more organized.
What is most valuable?
Reporting and cooperation between departments are valuable features of the solution. Cooperation means that all employees can see and make a transaction between themselves. It makes delivering information and organizing the work easier to make it a more flowable workflow. So, it provides a structure to approve and structure to pass the transactions in a good and correct way or path.
What needs improvement?
I think that the solution should be made to have more than just training or documentation on how to use the system. It should be made easier for a user to learn about the platform or ERP.
I hope to take training on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. I am searching to learn about ERP. Actually, I am searching for this information on the internet, and it is very complicated to find any information. There is a book for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central explaining how to use it. But it is not easy to use, and it is not easy to learn.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for four to five years. I am a reseller of Microsoft products.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product. I have never had any downtime, crashing, or lagging issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a very scalable product, and it's very high on scalability. The solution is deployed in just one location. So, fifteen users are using the solution in my company.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted customer support since it is a paid service. However, I am not sure whether customer support offers free or paid support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used different solutions in the last year for different businesses. So, I used Odoo and NetSuite.
How was the initial setup?
For deployment purposes, we have SaaS software as a service.
What other advice do I have?
My view on the product is that more than marketing, they should make training available to help users use the solution. If Microsoft is not doing marketing, then they are not giving training, and they are not preparing enough documentation. I hope to know and learn more about the ERP platform. I also hope to get more training to learn more about the solution. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Director Cloud Practice at Cloud Pro Technologies LLC FZ
Has a straightforward setup process and efficient integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The platform offers a robust and comprehensive cycle for supply chain and inventory management, with features like minimum and maximum settings, dynamic monitoring of inventory levels, and integration with Microsoft's AI capabilities."
- "One aspect that could be improved in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the visibility and accessibility of communication-related features, such as email integration."
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is its seamless integration capabilities. It is a fully integrated solution that communicates with various Microsoft products such as emails, Teams, and Excel. For instance, when dealing with complex tasks like invoicing with hundreds of lines, users can easily export the data to Excel, manipulate it as needed, and then seamlessly push it back into Business Central.
What needs improvement?
One aspect that could be improved in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the visibility and accessibility of communication-related features, such as email integration. Currently, users may need help displaying email transaction trails within the platform, which could hinder their ability to manage communication data efficiently. While APIs are available for such integration, the lack of a seamless and visible display within Business Central presents a limitation.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The platform is stable. The availability of Business Central can be tracked internationally through our website. Currently, Microsoft maintains a 98.76% availability rate.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is highly scalable. We can accommodate one user, which costs only $70 per month and can be scaled up to 2,000-3,000 users concurrently. That's the level of volume it can accommodate.
How are customer service and support?
Initially, I used to contact the technical support team for assistance, but after many years of experience, I have developed the capability to handle most technical problems independently. I serve as a technical support resource for my team. If they encounter any issues, they escalate them to me for support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is generally straightforward. However, migrating past data requires careful consideration and re-engineering to ensure compatibility with the new system. Having knowledgeable personnel to guide and manage this data migration process is crucial to avoid complications and ensure a smooth transition. With the right team, the implementation can proceed efficiently, typically within two to three months. Regarding resources for deployment, only providing the necessary data is typically sufficient, as the implementation team handles the rest of the deployment. Maintenance of the system is made easier by the cloud-based nature of Business Central, allowing for remote management without the need for physical presence on-premises.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, the product offers a starting price of $70 per user per month, which provides access to the complete ERP engine. It is highly reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central stands out as one of the most flexible ERP solutions available on the cloud. It represents a relatively new development in the ERP landscape, emerging in 2018 as a successor to Navision, which was previously available only on-premises. Despite its relatively recent introduction to the cloud, Business Central is built upon a foundation of over thirty-eight years of technology evolution, inherited from its predecessors such as Navision and Great Plains. It is built on an open platform, which allows for customization and development of tailored solutions to meet specific requirements.
The platform offers a robust and comprehensive cycle for supply chain and inventory management, with features like minimum and maximum settings, dynamic monitoring of inventory levels, and integration with Microsoft's AI capabilities.
One notable use case involves automating rack calculation, reporting, dimension weighing, and consolidation tasks. These tasks are efficiently handled within Business Central by customizing the platform to suit specific requirements.
It seamlessly connects with sales processes and communication channels, facilitating efficient management of customer interactions. For instance, with the AI Co-pilot feature in Dynamics 365, interactions from various sources, such as meetings and communications in Teams, are aggregated and summarized. This summary provides valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
The reporting and analytics features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central play a crucial role in aiding decision-making processes for customers. For instance, if a customer is transitioning to Business Central but has historical data stored in other ERP systems or SaaS platforms, we can seamlessly integrate and consolidate that data within the Microsoft ecosystem. It enables us to provide customers with consolidated reports that offer insights into their business performance. Customers can create various reports and analytics to suit their specific needs. For example, we've worked on projects where complex commission models needed to be developed based on profitability rather than just sales transactions. We analyzed sales data by leveraging Business Central and Power BI, calculated profits, and customized commission models accordingly.
The automation capabilities within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central have significantly impacted our customers' operations. With Microsoft's products, Power 365, Power BI, and Power Apps, all seamlessly interlinked, users can achieve virtually any automation requirement. Communicating with these tools allows for the setting up of various automation processes. For example, we've implemented an integration for customers where their cash expenses are automatically recorded upon swiping their bank card. The platform's flexibility enables tailored automation solutions, from setting up approval hierarchies to implementing complex workflows, ultimately saving time and reducing human error.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Last updated: Apr 15, 2024
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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Financial Manager at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees
Stable, reliable, and provides a solid foundation for our business operations
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Business Central for me are its seamless integration with Power BI and the ability to create customized reports."
- "There is room for improvement in the ability to reverse or correct transactions more easily."
What is our primary use case?
I use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for finance. Our accountants enter transactions, I review them and handle month-end closing. I also help with updates and train my team on using the system.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Business Central for me are its seamless integration with Power BI and the ability to create customized reports. These features save us time and effort in analyzing our results.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the ability to reverse or correct transactions more easily. Currently, if we make mistakes or need to undo something, it can be challenging and time-consuming. Simplifying the process for reversing transactions would be helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of the solution as an eight out of ten. I find Business Central to be a stable system. However, we experienced issues with updates in our previous system where the cost of goods sold wasn't recognized after updates. Our consultants addressed the problem, and it has been stable since.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of the solution as an eight out of ten. Business Central is highly scalable and suitable for both small and medium-sized enterprises.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate the initial setup of Business Central as a seven out of ten for ease. Transitioning from our previous software was a bit challenging for our accounting team, especially with reversing transactions, but they became more comfortable over time.
It took about one and a half months to deploy Business Central, including a month for preparation and migration. We worked with consultants to integrate Navision and customize layouts. Maintenance is managed centrally with about three to four hours of consultant involvement per month for any issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing of Business Central as a six or seven out of ten in terms of costliness. We have yearly licensing costs, and the biggest additional expense is for external consultants.
What other advice do I have?
Business Central has simplified our financial reporting by integrating with our business intelligence tools like Borg and Power BI. With everything connected, we can automatically upload data, view balance sheets, and P&L statements, and drill down into details to understand our results better. It is all seamless and makes it easy to analyze and track our financial performance.
The customer relationship function in Business Central has had the biggest impact on our efficiency. We monitor accounts receivable, analyze them, and improve cash flow by identifying clients who haven't paid. Sales managers then follow up with them, helping us plan our cash flow better.
The inventory management feature in Business Central helps us optimize stock levels by analyzing goods by lot and their expiration dates. We prioritize selling items with upcoming expiration dates to avoid losses. This helps us manage our stock effectively and minimize expenses.
Business Central supports our decision-making process with its data analytics and reporting tools by allowing us to analyze stock levels, allocate goods to key clients, and determine appropriate discounts.
My main recommendation for new users is to involve a legal consultant and ensure proper planning from the start when implementing Business Central. This can help avoid potential issues and save time in the long run.
Overall, I would rate Business Central as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Chief Financial Officer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
Useful cloud accessibility, easy to use, and advanced features
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is cloud accessibility."
- "The solution can improve by having better integration with Microsoft PowerBI and reporting."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to run our business.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is cloud accessibility.
What needs improvement?
The solution can improve by having better integration with Microsoft PowerBI and reporting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In some of the new updates, there have been minor issues. There are two major updates a year.
I rate the stability of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
We have approximately 50 people using the solution.
I rate the scalability of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We use a third party for support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used SYSPRO ERP and we switched to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central because it is more popular, has additional advanced features and the interface is easier for new users.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was fine.
The solution took 12 months to fully deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We used a third-party integrator for the implementation. We had a team of four and the third-party integrator has a team of five. The group consisted of project managers, project specialists, and project leads.
What was our ROI?
We have received a return on investment using this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is reasonable. We pay monthly for the use of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
We have approximately one internal maintenance person and additional people externally as required.
I would suggest to others that they invest more time and resources into identifying their requirements before initiating a project. It is crucial to have a clear understanding of your internal operations and needs before engaging a consultant, as you must have a strong grasp of your current situation.
I rate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems Engeriner/Owner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Simple installation but too many updates
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the Teams application. I use Teams to share documents amongst my team members, have meetings, and talk to them."
- "Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has been buggy in my experience and they should improve in this area. Additionally, there are too many updates. The updates involve a whole bunch of applications as part of the package, such as the Edge browser. The updates are too broad across the whole package of applications."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the Teams application. I use Teams to share documents amongst my team members, have meetings, and talk to them.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has been buggy in my experience and they should improve in this area. Additionally, there are too many updates. The updates involve a whole bunch of applications as part of the package, such as the Edge browser. The updates are too broad across the whole package of applications.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a five out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very poor.
I rate the support of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a five out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is simple. You can set up Teams and the other applications in the package and tailor them to your own needs.
What was our ROI?
I have not received a return on investment using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is on the cloud and they provide 50 gigabytes of free space on their
Microsoft Drive. The reason for this is that Microsoft is requiring you to upgrade all of your systems to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in order to effectively use the cloud. This means that if you are currently using a different version of Microsoft for a specific purpose that does not require this solution, it can be frustrating to have to spend money to upgrade to this solution just for the purpose of syncing with the cloud. Additionally, even if you do purchase Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, there can still be issues with syncing between the on-premise and cloud clients. This can be especially frustrating as the cloud storage is not free and can be difficult to access even after purchasing.
I rate the price of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I was thinking about getting rid of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and going to another platform. It's too difficult to maintain.
In order to effectively use the cloud, you may need to upgrade all of the platforms in your business to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Even if some of your current platforms are working well without Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you may still be required to spend extra money on upgrading them to this solution. It is difficult to synchronize on-premise and cloud versions of this solution.
I rate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder at Günay Erdogan
Affordable, user-friendly, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "This is readily available and affordable, as well as user-friendly and simple to use in my opinion."
- "The stability could always be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as our platform for drafting and reading documents.
What is most valuable?
This is readily available and affordable, as well as user-friendly and simple to use in my opinion.
What needs improvement?
The stability could always be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I work with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a stable solution.
I would rate the stability of the solution an eight out of ten.
There is always room for improvement.
There are some tools that I am not able to use very efficiently.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's not particularly scalable. In my opinion, when attempting to expand usage to a larger number of individuals, it becomes more complicated.
We have approximately eight users.
How are customer service and support?
I have never contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Gmail.
We made the switch because it was a more convenient option. Additionally, many other companies like ours, including SMEs, also use Microsoft. We became aware of this and decided to adopt it as well.
How was the initial setup?
In my opinion, the initial setup is straightforward.
The deployment process was incredibly fast, taking only two minutes to complete.
What about the implementation team?
I was able to complete the deployment myself.
The process is very straightforward and widely used. If I encounter any issues or have questions, I can easily find solutions by searching on Google.
What was our ROI?
I have computed the return on investment, but since Microsoft is essential software that we are required to use, I didn't factor in a significant return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding professional accounts, we have the option to purchase six accounts at a relatively low cost.
We are required to pay licensing fees, and when it came time to renew our license, we opted for a five-year subscription.
In my opinion, the fees are reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Supervisor at TPC VINA Plastic and Chemical Corp., Ltd.
Good sales tracker but the reporting needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The selling feature is the most valuable."
- "The reporting tool has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for our inventory management.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has helped streamline our orders so we can receive the order, and track the delivery in one solution.
What is most valuable?
The selling feature is the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The reporting tool has room for improvement.
I would like to have automatic information input to avoid manual entries in a future release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am currently using the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give the stability a six out of ten. We had a bug that required a third party to fix the issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give the scalability a five out of ten with our current version which does not support further scaling.
We have 50 people using the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support sometimes takes longer to resolve the issue.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
I give the initial setup a seven out of ten. We had some difficulty when setting up the solution. The deployment took one year to complete.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed by a third party.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I give the solution a seven out of ten for pricing. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is cheaper than some others. In addition to the license, we pay for third-party support.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a seven out of ten. The solution does not meet all our requirements and does not support advanced features.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Administrator at Soybean Crushing Company & Derivatives (SOYA)
We can see that Microsoft Teams is giving us more services and we were able to conduct meetings on it during the pandemic
Pros and Cons
- "We are getting more features after switching to Microsoft 365."
- "There is some network issue."
What is our primary use case?
We are using almost all the facilities which Microsoft 365 offers, like SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and normal email.
How has it helped my organization?
The tool runs all the areas of our organization. We were using a normal standalone before that, but it is better now. We can see that Microsoft Teams is giving us more services. We were able to conduct meetings on it during the pandemic. Working from home turned out to be good for us.
What needs improvement?
Right now, we don’t have any issues. We had some network issues happening before. Sometimes we face problems with security.
I think they should make it more secure with signature security, zero-trust, or something else. It will be even better for us as we get some phishing mail from a phishing server.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Microsoft 365 for around a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We are in a remote area where there is some network issue. The remaining aspects are all good. So from the office side, we can give it a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Around 300 people in our organization use Microsoft 365.
How are customer service and support?
We didn't face any issues from that side. We are still in contact with a local vendor. When the issue comes, we get instant support from them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a standalone. We are getting more features after switching to Microsoft 365.
How was the initial setup?
It's simple. We were using a standalone. We switched it with the login and didn't have a hard time with that one.
What about the implementation team?
We have one consultant, but right now the contract is going to finish.
What other advice do I have?
We do recommend the product. If the network issue gets to a normal level, we can rate it around an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
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