We are using Microsoft Dynamics AX for many areas, such as accounting, sales, distribution, production, operations, and inventory management.
Senior IT Systems Engineer at ITL Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd
Reliable, beneficial material planning, but scalability could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is material planning."
- "The older version of Microsoft Dynamics AX that we are using is not as scalable as the newer version."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is material planning.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics AX for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Dynamics AX is stable.
I rate the stability of Microsoft Dynamics AX an eight out of ten.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Dynamics AX
January 2025
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The older version of Microsoft Dynamics AX that we are using is not as scalable as the newer version.
We have approximately 30 to 50 users using this solution in my company.
What about the implementation team?
We required vendor support to implement the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution could benefit from being less expensive.
I rate the price of Microsoft Dynamics AX a four out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have not evaluated other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
This version of the solution I am using is at the end of its life.
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics AX seven out of ten.
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.
Senior Solution Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Flexible and scalable with competitive pricing
Pros and Cons
- "The stability is very good."
- "There might be some features to support localizations that could be helpful to add."
What is our primary use case?
Primarily, we use the product as an ERP solution. Different modules to be implemented, however, it's an enterprise-level ERP solution.
What is most valuable?
In current cloud environments, I like the scalability.
The security is very strong.
We have found the flexibility and the configuration potential of the solution to be very good. It's very flexible.
The stability is very good.
The features themselves and the governance models and application lifecycle management are on a quite good level right now.
We have been in very tight cooperation with Microsoft. We know all the service channels and we have a good outlook on the product roadmap and et cetera.
The pricing is competitive.
What needs improvement?
I cannot recall finding a lack of features in any area. It's pretty great.
There might be some features to support localizations that could be helpful to add.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started with AX and then I had some kind of hybrid role with AX as an ERP and also done with a CRM. Lately, I have been only concentrating or focusing on the CRM side, however, currently, I am in between. My AX history is from 2007.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nowadays, the solution is very stable. Just last week we counted the service breakages or service breakdowns from last year running and for end customers there have not been one service breakdown that would cause some kind of harm or issue in the production use. That's why we see that it's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. If a company wants to expand it, it can do so easily.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing level is quite good. It's the licensing or server speeds which you are using with the cloud solutions or cloud services, and it's at a very reasonable level right now. They are quite competitive within the market.
What other advice do I have?
We're a Microsoft partner.
We have customers working in the public cloud, private cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We have been quite pleased with the solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Dynamics AX
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Dynamics AX. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Application Manager at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Improving although still requires some attention
What is most valuable?
Flexibilty to allow change however this is its weakness as well. If you over develop core functionality it willing wrong.
How has it helped my organization?
Viewability of management data across all group companies. Introduction of consistent processes.
What needs improvement?
where different programmers have been let loose the product has a number of view inconsistencies and there are still issues that were in 4. Many bells and whistles have been added and some are not quite complete. Overall it is improving and becoming a more mature product.
For how long have I used the solution?
1 year on 2012. 8 years with 4
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Always down to number of development changes made to the core functionality. Data is also difficult to transform on day one.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As above, although testing minimises this risk
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
so far, so good. Better scalability than 4.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Depends on the Partner as Microsoft tend to leave support to their Partners. This is the strategy they have which does mean that they may not get direct user feedback.
Technical Support:As above, can be a little hit and miss
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No
How was the initial setup?
The setup requires advance thought as it is difficult to amend once transactions are in the system.
What about the implementation team?
I have worked with a number of vendors and would say if you have the expertise in-house then use that.
What was our ROI?
Difficult to measure but definitely improved working practises and management information
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SAP
What other advice do I have?
With care it is a good product but be aware that the business should change its processes rather than change the system wherever possible else you will have issues following deployment.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager IT at a retailer with 201-500 employees
A stable and complete ERP solution
Pros and Cons
- "I like that it's a complete ERP solution from production level to branch level."
- "There are so many errors."
What is our primary use case?
We're using Microsoft Dynamics AX within a tech service. Our company is a shoe company in Pakistan, and we are using Microsoft AX in the head office and branches.
How has it helped my organization?
It's an ERP solution that helps us maintain the data, plan the production level and the branch level, and help the branches coordinate with the head office. This ERP solution helps in sales, helps in production, helps in inventory movement. It also gives you the profit and loss on all the basics.
What is most valuable?
I like that it's a complete ERP solution from production level to branch level. If you have a production department, they give you all the facilities for each item to make a product complete or complete a whole mission system. It's also helpful in completing incomplete information like articles. For example, receiving articles from the warehouse in our branches and online store. The software we're using isn't for the online store, but we are using it for production.
What needs improvement?
There are so many errors. For example, in some utilities, the procedure is basically for European countries and unsuitable for us. If we need to give somebody some utilities, like reports, we need to create some special reports in our environment. We need some standard utility where we're making purchase orders or something in the warehouse.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft Dynamics AX for more than two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Dynamics AX is stable. I didn't find any problem like this.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have a contract with Microsoft, and we don't have any problem with it because we have partners in Pakistan. If you need any help in that department, they help. If they can't, they file it directly with Microsoft. That's okay and not a problem thus far.
How was the initial setup?
If you do the installation for this, sometimes it will be difficult. But after some time, when you test the demo servers, it will be easy and not complicated.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise potential users that it's a good solution on the technical side. I would recommend it.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft Dynamics AX an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Director, Managed Services at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
This is an aging product which had utility when it was introduced but it is going out of service
Pros and Cons
- "It was an okay solution when we delivered hardware and we had to do maintenance."
- "It is being decommissioned."
What is our primary use case?
We are using an older version of Dynamics AX and we are using their servers.
We are a managed services company, meaning that we provide telecommunication services like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to our customers. We use Dynamics to log tickets, to resolve incidents, and to record changes in the platforms that we deliver to our customers.
What is most valuable?
I have not really found very much that is valuable, at least in the version of the product that we are using. I do not think it is really suitable for the work that we do anymore. The reason for that is that we have changed our business model over the past few years. It was okay when we delivered hardware and we had to do maintenance on the hardware. But now that we have a real service organization where we have to comply with SLAs (Service Level Agreements) with our customers, it does not fit the structure.
To manage the service levels, we have to meet the agreements. For example, we have to resolve priority one incidents within four hours and we have to resolve priority two incidents within eight hours. I find that the Microsoft Dynamics product is not suitable for that. We had to make a lot of adjustments and tweaks in the software just to meet our goals. The reporting for our customers was a problem because there are no portal service level reports. We had to develop all of those solutions ourselves.
What needs improvement?
The product is no longer going to be supported by Microsoft next year. For that reason, I do not think that they will improve anything. Putting that fact aside, I think that the whole IP module can be improved. They need to improve logging, tracking, and tracing service tickets, as well as reporting towards the customer. They need to create a customer portal where the customers can view and create their own tickets. That would be a lot of work to do for a product that Microsoft will no longer be supporting.
I would suggest that Microsoft use a real top-class ITSM (IT Service Management) with the replacement product (Business Central) and then integrate that with Microsoft Dynamics rather than developing it themselves. Integrating a dedicated product will be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am with my current company since January, but I know that the company has been using Dynamics for about ten years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Considering the fact that Dynamics AX is going out of support and they are not continuing, the product is not being properly updated and that leads to stability issues. The new version of the Microsoft solution is called Business Central. I do not know exactly what functionalities it has or what has changed. In other words, it might be the case that Microsoft has already improved the solution in the new version of the product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability has been a problem for us. That has somewhat to do with the fact that we use the 2009 version of Dynamics. It runs on Windows Servers, and we had to upgrade those servers. So that led to having some compatibility problems and that affected scalability and stability. But the lack of scalability is also an issue because we use it on-premises. In a private cloud or a SaaS service, it might be better. That is why we want to move towards a SaaS service.
How are customer service and technical support?
The product is being decommissioned so technical support is all but non-existent.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have different components to use with the Dynamics solution and that can affect the price, but the price for the product is relatively high any way you look at it. You pay per seat for the number of users. Then we have, of course, the hosting costs for the server it runs on. Because we host it ourselves in a private cloud we do the maintenance on the OS level. I think that moving to a SaaS will decrease the cost a little bit.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are currently looking at TOPdesk and ServiceNow and doing some research into these products. I know that one of our competitors is changing from TOPdesk to ServiceNow. They must have a reason, so that warrants a comparison on our part as well.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best. I would rate Microsoft Dynamics as only a five-out-of-ten in general. It does not meet our needs and will essentially be decommissioned.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Account Executive at Lychee Integrated Solutions
Scalable product with efficient workflow management features
Pros and Cons
- "The product is easier to use and has more efficient workflow management features than other vendors."
- "The user interface could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Dynamics AX for accounting, manufacturing, and hybrid deployment purposes.
What is most valuable?
The product is easier to use and has more efficient workflow management features than other vendors. It helps to respond to customer queries as well.
What needs improvement?
The product could be more accessible for small and medium-sized businesses. The license renewal cost is on the higher side. It could be improved as well. Additionally, the user interface could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Microsoft Dynamics AX for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is relatively stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. We have around 25 Microsoft Dynamics AX users in our organization. The companies we manage also have a significant number of end users.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support services could be faster.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is neither easy nor difficult. It is very technical and has average complexity. It takes around three weeks to complete, depending on the stability. Usually, one executive can deploy the product. However, in the case of implementation on cloud servers and financial processing, it requires three to five executives. For maintenance, it requires two executives.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product's license renewal cost could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I advise others to purchase the product depending on the use cases for their business. I rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager- Presales at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Great UI, well-structured modules, customizable, and accessible from any device
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use, and it has a great UI. It has very well-structured modules. In terms of setup and configuration, they're logically placed, which makes it easy for any user to pick up information and learn more about the system, rather than just be plain key users of that business operating system."
- "If I had to add something in the next release, it would probably be a mobile application for a sister application of Dynamics 365; not the ERP but the Dynamics 365 HR solution. It would definitely help if we could have Microsoft or a Microsoft partner introduce a mobile application for it."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a consultant. I'm not an end-user of it. I've been implementing on-premises and on-cloud solutions with the older versions and the new one.
It can be used for the retail industry and manufacturing in terms of the lean process industry. It can also be used for professional services as well as the public sector industry.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use, and it has a great UI. It has very well-structured modules. In terms of setup and configuration, they're logically placed, which makes it easy for any user to pick up information and learn more about the system, rather than just be plain key users of that business operating system.
It is scalable and customizable. Easy integration and availability of workspaces help in easily making it very role-oriented. They also make it easy for users to access and use it.
The fact that it is on the cloud makes it accessible from any device and at any given point in time, as long as you have a connection to the internet.
What needs improvement?
If I had to add something in the next release, it would probably be a mobile application for a sister application of Dynamics 365; not the ERP but the Dynamics 365 HR solution. It would definitely help if we could have Microsoft or a Microsoft partner introduce a mobile application for it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. It is customizable through extensions.
It is normally aimed at mid to large segment industries, primarily enterprise-size companies where you have more than 300 users.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is okay.
How was the initial setup?
It is straightforward and easy. The deployment duration differs depending on the size of the environment and the number of modules that we're implementing and so on.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a pay-as-you-go subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I would absolutely recommend this solution to others. I would definitely rate it an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT Infrastructure Manager at a retailer with 11-50 employees
A stable and scalable solution
Pros and Cons
- "A valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is that it is stable."
- "This solution could be improved with more expert resources and an easier implementation process."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution for retail purposes, including finance, inventory, and warehouse management.
We are using Microsoft Dynamics AX R3. This solution is deployed on-prem.
What is most valuable?
A valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is that it is stable.
What needs improvement?
This solution could be improved with more expert resources and an easier implementation process.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Dynamics AX for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
We have approximately 1,200 users of this solution in our organization.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process, particularly for on-prem deployment, is not easy. For installation, I believe that the cloud is better than the on-prem deployment. We have an on-prem environment, but we are facing many issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our company pays for licensing yearly.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a nine out of ten because the implementation was complex. I would recommend this solution to others, as long as they have the money for it.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Dynamics AX Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
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