Dynamics 365 Business Central was released in April 2018. It is the long awaited upgrade for Dynamics NAV. The solution combines ERP and CRM to provide SMEs with the capability they need to run their business. We have summarised the key areas of functionality available in the new solution.

For existing Dynamics NAV users, you will see all of the capability you currently have but offered from a cloud first solution. Dynamics 365 Business Central also has integration with Office 365, Power BI, PowerApps and over time we expect Microsoft to add additional features.

Finance

Dynamics 365 Business Central offers strong finance functionality including: Invoicing, purchasing, finance, fixed assets, and purchase orders.

Make informed decisions by connecting data across accounting, sales, purchasing, stock, and customer interactions for an end-to-end view. You can also chart financial performance in real time with the built-in dashboards, using Power BI capability.

Accelerate financial close and reporting through automation. Streamline accounts receivables and payables, and automatically reconcile accounts to close. You can report on financials quickly and accurately, while maintaining compliance, which frees your finance team up to focus on other things.

Improve forecast accuracy by refining financial forecasts through modelling and analysis from data across multiple dimensions. Customise reports using seamless Microsoft Excel integration.

Operations and Supply Chain

Manage your forecasting through to fulfilment. Use sales forecasts and expected stock-outs to automatically generate production plans and create purchase orders.

Run your warehousing efficiently. Using the holistic view of stock for efficient order fulfilment. Track every item transaction and movement by setting up bins based on warehouse layout and storage unit dimensions.

Reach optimal output levels by calculating and optimising manufacturing capacity and resources to improve production schedules and meet customer demands.

Optimise stock levels using built-in intelligence to predict when and what to replenish. Purchase only what you need with dynamically updated stock levels.

Maintain the right amount of stock by automatically calculating stock levels, lead times, and reorder points. Suggest substitutes when requested items are out of stock.

Manufacturing and service management capability is also available through the premium package.

Maximise profitability

All of this allows you to maximise profit through operational efficiencies. You can get recommendations on when to pay suppliers, to use supplier discounts or avoid overdue penalties. You can also prevent unnecessary or fraudulent purchases through approval workflows.

Sales and Customer Service

Prioritise sales leads based on revenue potential. Keep track of all customer interactions and get guidance on best upsell, cross-sell, and renewal opportunities throughout your sales cycle.

Accelerate the quote to cash process. Act quickly on sales-related enquiries, manage service requests, and process payments—all from within Outlook.

Gain a comprehensive overview of your service tasks, workloads, and employee skills to effectively assign resources and accelerate case resolution.

Full integration with Dynamics 365 for Sales is available to extend your capability if required.

Project Management

Create, manage, and track customer projects using timesheets along with advanced job costing and reporting capabilities. Manage resource levels by planning capacity and sales.

Manage project budgets and costing. You can develop, modify, and control budgets to ensure project profitability. Track invoicing for customers against planned costs on orders and quotes.

Make effective decisions with real-time insight on project status, profitability, and resource-usage metrics. Allowing you to analyse project performance.

 

Dynamics 365 Business Central offers small businesses a range of capability and don’t forget you can extend this (Dynamics 365 – fit like a glove blog) using applications available on AppSource and through custom applications including PowerApps. For larger organisations looking for more capability Microsoft has Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations.

Dynamics 365 Business Central is replacing Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations – Business edition. Dynamics NAV 2018 is the on-premise version that will be renamed Dynamics Business Central – on premise later this year.