What’s Business Central? Why should we care?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, an upgraded version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, is a mid-market ERP software. Versions 13 and 14 of Business Central ran in NAV client software because they were the same product.
Customers who use Dynamics GP or Great Plains may be familiar with Dynamics NAV, which is a sister product to Dynamics GP. The NAV system, once known as Navision (or Navision), is an ERP system that works well for small and medium businesses. This is a company with 250 or more computers, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft frequently referred to the products as being sold in the same market. They regarded them as sister products in the mid-tier. Sometimes GP was sold to businesses whose accounting requirements were more complex than NAV. In supply chain and manufacturing, the reverse was true. Also you can do company name check to find their details.
Dynamics GP to Business Central It all depends on what your business is.
We have used Dynamics NAV/Business Central in manufacturing and supply chains. We believe that moving from the Great Plains to Dynamics NAV/Business Central is a smart move for these companies.
Dynamics Business Central’s distribution and manufacturing capabilities are, in our opinion, just a little better than Great Plains. This is true even when you consider the add-on products for BC. This is why companies in this industry will be happy to move from Dynamics GP to Business Central. They will find the system more suited to their requirements.
Dynamics GP can be more complex if you’re operating in a financially challenging environment. If you require multi-layered approval processes, the core functionality of accounting will be stronger. GP supports plant-level controllers, which are supervised by division-level controllers.
NAV/Business Central does not allow you to post to subledgers or leave the final General Ledger posting for review and approval.
This is not a desirable aspect of GP. This is likely because we have limited financial expertise.
3 Reasons Dynamics 365 Business Central Is the Upgrade Path For GP
We believe that migration from GP into Business Central is a logical move for companies in the right place.
- Business Central, which is extremely modern, is heavily invested by Microsoft. Dynamics GP will continue to be supported. However, even these investments are often made to facilitate migration to BC.
- Microsoft is unlikely to invest to make GP a cloud-ready solution. There are also no plans for GP to have the same AppSource (Microsoft ERP Addon Store) capabilities. Business Central is attracting a lot of GP add-on vendors. If GP doesn’t move to cloud, it is a dead technology.
- Microsoft, partners have made a concerted effort to reduce costs and simplify the migration. This could also be a great opportunity to address any issues in your business that the GP software isn’t addressing.
If you work in manufacturing or distribution, I do not recommend you for Business Central unless you agree to my detailed accounting needs description.
Perhaps we need Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations product is the best choice if you need complex accounting approval and controls. This product is more advanced and sophisticated than Business Central. The price is comparable, but it will not meet your very complex requirements.
Conclusion
We have a lot more to say about this, including the cost of the upgrade; the automated tools Microsoft is creating to assist; and the potential for business process reengineering.
That will be left for another day.
It is worth considering the upgrade to Business Central via GP.
Contact Us
On our website, we have previously written about the differences in GP versus Business Central Manufacturing. If you are interested in any Microsoft ERP products, you might also be interested to read more about Dynamics 365 pricing. We are familiar with Dynamics 365 and Great Plains and can help any company that wishes to switch to the former. Call us at (519) 585-5224 x.31.
About Robert Jolliffe Robert Jolliffe is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Toronto. He founded and heads Sabre Limited, a Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV), and PrintVis MIS integrator based in Kitchener, Ontario Canada. Sabre focuses on the implementation and training Dynamics 365 in North America’s manufacturing industry. Robert was the first to use remote ERP implementations long before they became commonplace.
Robert is an entrepreneur who often acts as a sales representative, marketing expert, software designer, network engineer and business consultant. He also serves as a DJ, chief bottle washer, and janitor.
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