Companies often have a natural progression to start with Quickbooks and then migrate to a mid-level solution. That might have been Dynamics GP (Great Plains) back in the day, for example. Then, when you reach the limits of that system, move into an enterprise-level solution. Today, you have many options – even within the Microsoft space. Two great solutions are:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (formerly Finance and Operations, or F&O)
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC).
Even though the names are similar, make no mistake, these are two entirely different products.
If you listen to marketing hype, you’ll hear that Business Central is mid-level, like the next step up from Quickbooks. It’s positioned as a drop-in successor for Dynamics GP; that is, for smaller companies. In fact, it has a great deal of depth and capability that extends well beyond the basic or intermediate levels, and future development will take it even further. Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management is aimed squarely at larger organizations getting close to enterprise-level.
On the other hand, if you talk to implementation consultants, you might hear how similar the systems are, that there’s really not much difference at all.
The truth is there are fundamental differences between Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Your choice really does matter. Choose wisely, and your new ERP will help you streamline operations and grow with you for years to come. Choose poorly, and you’ll either be saddled with an unnecessary expense or a system that doesn’t meet your needs adequately.
Your business is unique, and you depend on certain features to run your day-to-day operations. How can you know which solution has the functionality you need?
You can request product demos for both solutions, but after investing several days learning about the capabilities of each one, you might walk away further confused as to where the line of demarcation is between the two.
A better place to start is with a tool to help you visually see the differences in functionality.
This is where our comes in handy. This chart shows 285 features and functions. It makes it easy for you to see what each solution does and doesn’t do. Then you can quickly identify the functionality that is important for your operations while ignoring what isn’t.
| All Dynamics 365 Functionalities | Dynamics 365 Finance | Dynamics 365 BC |
|---|---|---|
| General Ledger | ✅ | ✅ |
| Accounts Payable | ✅ | ✅ |
| Accounts Receivable | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cash & Bank Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Credit and Collections | ✅ | |
| Fixed Assets | ✅ | ✅ |
| Electronic Funds Transfer | ✅ | ✅ |
| Financial Consolidations | ✅ | ✅ |
Like everything in the software industry, things are ever-changing. This document presents a snapshot of features as they are at the time of publication. It’s not intended to be a definitive guide since every software release changes the landscape. This chart is a good starting point. It’s designed as a guide to aid in the analysis phase and to spark discussion on key points with your implementation partner. The goal is to ensure that your solution meets your needs, rather than spending much time and effort deploying and configuring software features that you won’t wind up using much, if at all.
At Pelorus, we are committed to helping you achieve a measurable ROI and time-to-value. This doesn’t happen by sticking to industry-standard practices. Our approach is ultimately geared towards efficiency and optimization for the system and all parties involved in projects.
Are you wondering which Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution is best for you?
of 285 features by product. Then let’s to review the details and determine which product will help you reach your goals.
By Peter Joeckel, Pelorus Technology,
