+1 480 485 7373
Microsoft Teams
Business Central or Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
Both are Microsoft ERP systems, and both run in the cloud. Both link to the same Microsoft 365 and Power Platform tools. The gap is scale and depth. Finance and Operations handles many legal entities with shared services. It also covers advanced warehouse work, complex ways of making goods, global tax and legal rules, and very high volumes.
That depth comes with a longer project, a larger team and higher license costs. Plenty of firms with a few hundred staff run well on Business Central. So we first test whether your needs call for Finance and Operations. If they do not, we will tell you. A good Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations partner should be willing to say no.
How Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations compares
What a Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations partner delivers
Fit assessment
A written check of your needs against Business Central and Finance and Operations. It gives the reasons for our advice.
Solution design
We design legal entities, financial dimensions, shared services and supply chain steps before any setup starts.
Data migration
We move master data and open balances through Microsoft's data tools, and check the totals at every trial load.
Testing and cut-over
Scripted tests with your process owners, speed checks and a cut-over plan we rehearse first.
Upgrade from AX
We move Dynamics AX customers to the cloud version. We review each custom change and swap in standard features where we can.
Partner support for Finance and Operations after go-live
Help with Microsoft's steady stream of updates. They arrive on a set schedule, and each one needs testing.
Integrations
Links to CRM, ecommerce, banks and warehouse systems through data entities, business events and Azure services. We watch them after go-live.
Security design
Roles built around real duties. Separation of duties rules flag conflicting access before anyone gets it.
Questions for a Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations partner
Is Finance and Operations the same as Dynamics AX?
Not quite, it is AX's successor. Microsoft moved Dynamics AX to the cloud and split it into Finance, Supply Chain Management and related apps such as Project Operations and Commerce. Much of the AX logic and vocabulary carries over, so AX users recognize it, but old customizations have to be rebuilt as extensions.
Can we start on Business Central and move later?
Yes, that path is open. But the move is a new implementation, not an upgrade, because the two products have different data models and setup. So the choice is worth making with care, and during scoping we look at your growth plans, entity count and operational complexity before recommending either one.
Talk to us about your project.
Tell us what you run today and what has to change. A senior consultant replies with a written next step.