Checklist Compares 285 Features and Functions of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance

Both are from Microsoft. Both are full-fledged ERP solutions. Both are in the cloud.

For many, the lines between Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central seem blurred. While they both perform many similar functions, there are distinct differences.

For instance:

• These two products have distinct heritages (Finance is an updated version of Dynamics AX; Business Central from Dynamics NAV).
• Their pricing is different.
• They are marketed to different segments.

Both offer financial “dimensions” – allowing for critical, sophisticated control over accounts and inventory – but they’re implemented quite differently in each solution.

You can begin to discern the difference between the two by applying the rule of “multi’s”. Is your company a multi-warehouse, multi-business, multi-location, multi-line of business, multi-currency, multi-language, multi-country, or multi-tax organization? The more of those that apply to you, the more likely you’ll need Dynamics 365 Finance. And don’t just think about today – where will you be in the future? You may need to move up to that advanced functionality sooner than you think.

Then again, for some organizations, Finance could be overkill. Finance requires a minimum of 20 users, while Business Central lets you start with just one. That, along with its significantly lower implementation and ownership costs, makes Business Central an attractive option for the mid-market.

But what matters most for you is the answer to this question: Which solution will do what you need it to do, at a price you can afford?

A trustworthy answer to that question requires a detailed analysis. To cut through the sea of marketing hype, we’ve prepared a comprehensive checklist that will help you see the functionality available in Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central at a glance, covering these 285 features:

Financial Management

General Ledger Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Cash & Bank Management Credit and Collections Fixed Assets Electronic Funds Transfer Financial Consolidations Financial Reporting Global Electronic Reporting Cost Accounting Revenue Recognition Multi-Currency Dual Currency / Triangulation Audit and Compliance Multi-Entity Tax GST/VAT

Allocations Cash Flow Forecasting Finance Charges / Interest Company Hierarchies Deduction Management Document Capture Multiple Chart of Accounts Journal Approval Workflows Recurring Journals Intrastat Journals Payment Terms and Schedules Dunning Bank Statement Reconciliation Positive Pay Multiple Depreciation Methods Multiple Posting Layers

Multiple Financial Calendars Intercompany Journals Statistical Accounts Payment Run Management Electronic Payments Deposit Slips Letters of Guarantee Letters of Credit Multiple Asset Books Bill of Exchange Collection Letters Vendor Aging Customer Aging Financial Dimensions Budget and Forecast Budget Control

Supply Chain Management

Warehouse Management Inventory Management Batch and Serial Tracking Transportation Management Quality Management Intercompany Planning Intercompany Transfers Inventory Costing Demand Forecasting Catchweight Management Multiple Units of Measure Multi-Site Multi-Warehouse Batch Attribute Management Intercompany Sales Potency Management Cross Docking

Warehouse Replenishment Route Management Freight Calculation Freight Bill Reconciliation Transfer Orders Returns Management Cycle Counting Mobile Handheld Inventory Picking Inventory Put away Load Planning Dock Scheduling Worker Wave Management Item Traceability Batch Tracking Serial Number Tracking Warehouse Location Tracking Consignment Inventory

TAG Cycle Counting Certificate of Analysis Certificate of Supply Multiple Inventory Statuses Quality Orders Quality Hold NMFC codes LTL classes Container Management Load Building Shipment Appointment Management Shipment Building Carrier Management Harmonized Tariff Schedules Fuel Indexes Global Customer & Vendor

Procurement and Sourcing

Requisitions Request for Quote Vendor Onboarding Purchase Order Management Vendor Collaboration Vendor Portal Purchase Agreements Purchase Discounts Purchase Tax Intercompany Purchases Purchase Planning 1099 Vendor Change Management

Purchase Order Change Management Purchase Trade Agreements Vendor Catalogs External Vendor Punch Out Vendor Management Blanket Purchase Orders Purchase Quotes Purchase Returns Management Vendor Discount Groups Vendor Rebates Purchase Credit Memos Authorized Vendor Product List

Asset Capitalization Vendor Certifications Vendor Rating RFQ Response Ranking Attribute-Based Pricing Invoice Matching Policies Promissory Notes Payment Fees Broker Contracts Royalty Management Foreign Currency Revaluation

Sales Order Management

Sales Quotations Sales Order Processing Product Configurator Pricing Sales Agreements Rebates Discounts Sales Tax Intercompany Sales Delivery Date Management Direct Delivery Management

Return Order Management Customer Change Management Trade Promotions Multiple Ship To / Bill To Commissions Customer Management Order Promising Available to Promise Capable to Promise Order and Item Charges Blanket Sales Orders

Marketing Fund Management Customer Price Groups Product Family Pricing Sales Analysis Dashboards Bill backs Smart Rounding Credit Card Integration Attribute-Based Pricing

Product Information Management

Product Master Data Management Product configuration modules Attribute Management Dimension and variant management

Product Change Management Product Compliance Multiple Units of Measure Standard Costing Product Dimensions Product Category Hierarchy Management

Restricted Product Regions Product Safety Data Sheets Service Items Inventory Items Expense Items FIFO/LIFO/WAC/BATCH Costing

Human Capital Management

Employee Management Skills, Competencies & Certifications Position Management Job Management Employee Self-Service Portal Benefits Management

Course Management Loaned Items Questionnaires I-9 Document Management Worker Goal Management Absence & Leave Management

FMLA Cases Injury & Illness Management Compensation Management Recruitment Projects Applicant Management

Customer Relationship Management

Contact Management Opportunity Management Lead Management Campaigns

Prospect Management Task & Activity Tracking Outlook Integration Segmentation

Call Lists Sales Territory Management Case Management Salesperson Management

Project Accounting

Capital Projects Time & Materials Projects Resource Scheduling Billing & Invoice Rules

Revenue Recognition Milestone billing rules Work Breakdown Structures Cost & Effort Tracking

Project Quotations Grant Management Resource Capacity Management

Manufacturing

Discrete Manufacturing (Route & BOM) Process Manufacturing (Formula & BOM) Lean Manufacturing (Kanban)

Kanban Boards Master Planning Job Scheduling Manufacturing Execution Product Costing Resource Management

Capacity Planning Outsourced Manufacturing / Subcontractors Safety Stock Management Production Sequencing Shop Floor Interface

Retail

Point of Sale Merchandise Operations Order Management Staff and store Management Product information Management Retail Analytics

Consumer Mobile Application Distributed Order Management Coupons Loyalty Cards Kitting/Assemblies Product Assortments

Channel Management Call Center Management Call Center Scripts Fraud Checking Continuity Orders Installment Orders

Service Management

Service Agreements Service Contracts Work Orders

Resource Scheduling Repair Tracking Service Item Management

Service Contract Quotes Service Subscriptions Service Object Management

Time & Expenses

Expense Report Management Time Sheet Management Travel Requisitions

Workflow Approval Time & Expense Policies Credit Card Import VAT/GST Reclamation

Per Diems and Mileage Employee Payments

System

Role-Based Security Azure AD Authentication Segregation of Duties Electronic Signatures

Database Auditing User-Based Alerts Business Workflows Document Management

Mobile Client Microsoft 365 Integration Document Management Workspaces

Of course, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central are both actively developed, so the feature list is always growing and changing. But this list is a good starting point for a conversation with your implementation partner, leading to a solid decision for future business growth.Did you see functionality in the above list that is critical for your organization?Click here to get the Dynamics 365 comparison chart of 285 features by product. Then let’s start a conversation to review the details and determine which product will help you reach your goals

By Peter Joeckel, Pelorus Technology, www.pelorustechnology.com