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Dynamics 365 Business Central

Connect and run business processes, make informed decisions and seamlessly grow your business. With Microsoft's integrated and comprehensive ERP application Business Central you get a flexible and agile business solution that is both easy to use and customize and from where your business can evolve and grow seamlessly. With Dynamics 365 Business Central, you have everything you need to run and connect your business and the solution gives you tools that enable you to make smarter decisions.

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All-in-one ERP application and financial system

Dynamics 365 Business Central, also abbreviated D365BC or just BC, is much more than just an accounting solution or a financial system. With Business Central, you can connect business processes, make informed decisions and seamlessly grow your business.

Business Central is a cloud-based all-in-one business solution, also called an ERP system. This means that the solution contains a wide range of functionality that brings together several business areas in one unified system and gives you insight into your company. Business Central is easy to use and the solution can be customized via extensions you download from the AppStore, without you having to worry about expensive special adjustments.

The application is part of Dynamics 365, which is the collective term for an entire platform of business applications developed by Microsoft.
 

Business Central logo

The Business Central logo


Business Central is one of the most widely used ERP systems in the world, and for good reason.
The solution has a long history behind it, stretching all the way back to the 1980s, which means that the system has been tested and improved over many years. Business Central has previously been branded under names such as Navision and Dynamics NAV.


5 reasons why you should use Business Central

Here are five good reasons why we think you should choose Dynamics 365 Business Central when faced with having to choose a business administration solution:

  1. Manage all your business activities centrally on one platform in the cloud.
  2. A monthly subscription license ensures that your expenses are predictable and transparent.
  3. You get a flexible business solution that is easy to adapt to the changing needs of your company.
  4. Business Central is easy to integrate with other Microsoft apps, such as Power BI and Dynamics 365 Sales.
  5. Business Central has a high level of security and your data is stored securely and backed up regularly.

 

 

5 reasons why we think you should choose Business Central

 


Business Central pricing

Business Central is priced and licensed via a subscription model, which means you pay a monthly license fee per. user. Below you will find an overview of licensing options, prices and functionality. Business Central can only be licensed through a Microsoft Dynamics Partner and CSP (Cloud Solution Provider).


Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials

$70 Per user per month

Functionality in Essentials:

  • Financial management
  • Inventory management
  • Sales order management
  • Purchase order management
  • Project Management
  • Additional capabilities

Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium

$100 Per user per month

Premium functionality:

  • Financial management
  • Inventory management
  • Sales order management
  • Purchase order management
  • Project Management
  • Service Management
  • Production
  • Additional capabilities

Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members

From $8 Per user per month

Functionality in Team Members:

  • Read and approve
  • Run all reports
  • Employee self-service

The functionality of Business Central

Business Central is a complete ERP solution for the administration and operation of your entire company and its business areas. The functionality of Business Central covers all the key business areas across accounting and finance, sales, marketing, service, project management, supply chain management, inventory management and operations management, so that business processes are streamlined and customer interactions are improved. The solution provides an overview of your entire company across the many business processes, and also gives you insight into your company's data, which enhance your decision making and prepares you to plan new business strategies.

Read much more about the comprehensive business functionality of Business Central


Finance and accounting

Manage finance and accounting

With the finance part of Dynamics 365 Business Central, you have the opportunity to streamline and clarify the administration of your finances while complying with deadlines.

Make important decisions on an enlightened and informed basis
By linking data that goes across accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory and customer interactions, Business Central gives you an overview of your company and insight into its business processes. In addition, via the built-in Power BI dashboards, diagrams showing the financial results are shown.

Accelerate company reporting and financial clearance
Without breaking with the current regulations, you can streamline debtors and creditors, automatically reconcile accounts clearance and quickly and accurately report on your company's finances.

Optimized forecast accuracy
By modeling and analyzing data across multiple dimensions, you can adjust the economic forecasts. The smooth integration with Microsoft Excel allows you to easily adjust your reports.


Supply chain management

Get an automated and secure supply chain

Create visibility throughout the supply chain and gain at the same time control over your procurement processes with the Supply Chain Management functionality in Business Central.

Optimization of inventory levels
Utilize the built-in intelligence in Business Central to predict which and when a given item should be refilled in your warehouse and with the dynamically updated inventory levels, you only purchase what is needed.

Reduce the risk of deficiency and thereby avoid lost sales
By automatically calculating inventory, delivery times and re-ordering items, you can continuously maintain the correct amount of goods in your warehouse. In cases where the requested item is not in stock, you have the opportunity to suggest a relevant replacement.

Maximize your business profitability
Achieve creditor discounts and avoid penalties. With Business Central you get recommendations on when your creditors should be paid. With approval workflows, you also avoid redundant or wrong purchases.


Sales processes

Optimize your sales processes and provide a better service

Maximize your earning opportunities and improve operation and thus the service for your customers with the sales features of Business Central.

Increased value for your customers at all the contact points
Sort and prioritize potential customers based on their revenue potential. Manage and handle your customer interactions and be guided to the optimum cross-sales and selling options as well as the opportunities you have to create innovation throughout the sales cycle.

Optimize your company's sales efficiency
Optimize the order-to-cash process. Business Central is closely integrated with Outlook, therefore you can, without leaving Outlook, quickly respond to sales-related customer inquiries, manage service requests and process payments.

Give your customers an impeccable customer service
Business Central provides a comprehensive overview of your service tasks, load areas and employee competencies. Against this background, you can allocate resources and speed up the case solution.


Project management functionality

Keep projects within the timeframe and below budget

Using real-time data, you can monitor the progress of your projects and manage project budgets in Business Central.

Comply with the project budget
Using time sheets and functionality for advanced job post-calculation and reporting, you can create, manage and track your customer projects. By preparing, editing and managing your budgets, you can also ensure the profitability of your projects.

Exact and precise planning
Plan capacity and sales and handle and manage the company's resource levels. In relation to your planned costs on orders and offers, it is possible to track the invoice to your customers.

Analyze how the project performs
With real-time insight into the status of your project, profitability and metrics for resource consumption, you are better equipped to make the right and most effective decisions.


Business Central operations

Streamline operations in the company

Simplify your production and inventory tasks with operations management in Business Central, so you can deliver your products on time and reduce production and warehouse costs.

Manage budget implementation
Use sales forecasts and expected stock shortages to automatically generate production plans and create purchase orders.

Effective warehouse management
Get an overview of your warehouse and thereby achieve efficient order handling. By setting up locations based on the warehouse's layout and dimensions, it is possible to track all commodity transactions and movements.

Achieve the best possible output levels
Optimize your production plans and live up to customer expectations and needs, by calculating and improving production capacity and resources.


Icon for fdata security

Protect data and live up to the GDPR regulation

Protect personal information
In Business Central, there are built-in methods you can use to make sure your business complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The tools allow you to assign and restrict access to personal data at multiple levels. You can also activate audit trail and thereby provide security and increased responsibility for the customers data.

Secure data administration
With Business Central, you can freely and safely move and store your customers' personal information across your systems. At the same time, with Microsoft's data centers automatic encryption, you can protect them from unauthorized access.


Latest version of Business Central

Twice a year, Microsoft launches a new version of Business Central. These updates are launched in conjunction with the rollout of the major Dynamics 365 upgrade waves. The releases of the upgrade waves typically start in April and October.

Business Central 23

The latest version of Business Central has version number 23. Business Central 23 will be released in October 2023 as part of the Dynamics 365 release wave 2 in 2023 upgrade, where upgrades to all the business apps that make up Dynamics 365 will be rolled out from October 2023 through March 2024 .

With Business Central 23, a large number of new improvements and features are released, for example:

  • Optimizing the AI-powered Dynamics 365 Copilot.
  • Launch the Visual Studio Code editor or a debugger directly from the web client.
  • Look in editable fields and get quick insight into data without having to drill down.
  • New features that improve administration of several companies.
  • Faster onboarding and help for new users.
  • Automation of a number of regulatory tasks.
  • Tips for faster keyboard access when working with lines on documents.

Here you can read more about Business Central 23.


Business Central trial

Is there any better way to explore Business Central and test its features than to test drive the solution yourself? Fill out this form and you will immediately be contacted by one of our consultants who will help you access a Business Central trial that you can try for free for 30 days.


On-premise or cloud?

Dynamics 365 Business Central is available in two versions.

Business Central Cloud is a pure cloud version, where you rent the solution on a monthly basis (SaaS) and it consists solely of a web client which means that you can only access the application via your preferred browser and not via a local desktop client.

Business Central On-premise is hostet on your own server or on a rented server. Both versions of Business Central can be customized with Extensions, but only in the on-premise version it is possible to change the basic code. In addition, it is only with the on-premise version that you have the opportunity to postpone an update.


Extend the functionality with Extensions

If you need additional functionality, you can install ISV (Independent software vendor) developed applications called extensions directly from Microsoft AppSource. It allows you to test the new functionality and quickly uninstall it again if the app does not deliver what it is supposed to. Maintenance and updating of the app is the responsibility of the supplier.

It is thus possible to add extra functionality via extensions to the solution, just as we already know it from our smartphones. And if you no longer want to use the app in question, you just delete it again without it having consequences for the application itself, even though the app had new functionality and new tables. The reason why this is possible is that the app has been developed as an extension, and is therefore outside the code of the core application. With extensions, you can develop apps for Dynamics 365 Business Central, without changing the original application.

In short, with Extensions you can customize Business Central without changing the underlying code and metadata. It is thus still possible for a developer to expand and adapt the functionality of Business Central without changing the objects of the original solution. The difference, compared to Dynamics NAV, is simply that the adjustments are saved in an Extensions file as additions, and thus not as changes in the application itself.


Business Central clients

The Web client
The web client supports and is used for all your complex business processes and the heavier data entry, work that is not possible to perform with the tablet client or the telephone client. The Business Central web client is also designed for intensive work, the user can, for example, have several windows open at the same time, which is not possible in either the mobile client or the tablet client.

The Mobile client
The mobile and tablet client is designed for those Business Central users who want to access their business data from their tablet or phone. The main advantages of this client, or app, are that it adds both portability and flexibility, which enables decision makers and other end users to access data and thus perform tasks and make decisions when they are not present at their workplace or have their desktop computer at hand. Having a Business Central application running on a smaller device also makes it accessible to far more users.

The Tablet client
The tablet client for Business Central is optimized for a reduced use of the on-screen keyboard as well as a natural and intuitive touch experience for the user. The mobile client, on the other hand, is designed directly and exclusively against touch optimization due to the smaller screen and supports the use of both one hand and both hands, making it possible to get the important data and buttons within thumb reach.

Important
Please note that the tablet and mobile client does not replace your Business Central web client, but instead provides a touch interface that is only suitable for a limited set of application functionalities.

FAQ

What is Business Central?

Actually, the correct name is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, but for obvious reasons, most people just use the abbreviated version of the name, Business Central. Officially, Business Central is Microsoft's ERP system for small and medium-sized businesses, but in practice the solution can be used by virtually all companies, regardless of industry, size and complexity.

What does Business Central contain of functionality?

Business Central consists of far-reaching business functionality, which means that the solution can handle everything from financial management to administration of the entire company's supply chain, from production, inventory management, planning, purchasing, sales, etc.

Is Business Central a new solution?

The solution we know today as Business Central has roots dating back to the 1980s and has changed its name several times over time. Most well-known are the names Navision and Dynamics NAV, where the latter was the name of the solution up to 2018. This means that Business Central has over time been tried and tested by thousands of users.

Is there a difference between NAV and Business Central?

Dynamics NAV was the name of the solution until 2018, when Microsoft rebranded Dynamics NAV and instead gave the solution the name Business Central. The latest version of Dynamics NAV was NAV 2018. Although it was mainly a rebranding and name change, there is no doubt that Microsoft also wanted to mark that the solution would soon be a cloud solution that would be sold exclusively on subscription.

What does Business Central cost?

Business Central can only be purchased on a subscription and costs between $8 and $100 per. user / month, depending on what functionality is needed.

What does it cost to start up with Business Central?

Unlike our competitors, Active Business Solutions do not charge a start-up fee. So if you choose us as partner and do not need our help, it does not cost anything except the license fee to start up with Business Central.

What impact does it have, that it is a Cloud application?

As Business Central is a cloud solution, it is licensed and sold via the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which is a distribution model where the supplier, in this case Microsoft, hosts the application and makes it available to customers via the Internet and license it on a subscription basis.

Can I make changes to the code and customize the solution?

It is not possible to change the basic code of Business Central. However, it is possible to customize the solution. This is done with Extensions, which are add-ons that are placed outside the solution itself.

Can I try Business Central before purchasing a subscription?

Yes. All you have to do is fill out this form and we will contact you as soon as possible and help you get started with a 30-day trial version of Business Central.

Your Challenge. Our Passion
Dynamics 365 Business Central / Dynamics NAV partner