Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is more than a change of commercial name of the Microsoft ERP previously known as Navision or NAV , in its different versions.
In fact, it is much more, the significant technological evolution carried out in Business Central can lead companies and organizations to consider whether the time has come to face a migration to this latest version of the ERP.
Here are some of the reasons for making the decision to perform such a migration:
Convenience and simplicity of access to Dynamics 365 Business Central: the web client
Traditionally, user access to Navision / NAV has been carried out through a so-called “classic” client, which implied the execution of an installation program for said client on each workstation, and this fact generated two limiting dependencies:
- The restrictive relationship between the versions of the operating system and those of the Navision / NAV executable led to equipment renewals when implementing a new version of the ERP, or to the need to work through virtual machines on equipment with a more modern version of the operating system than the ones currently installed. supports Navision / NAV client.
- The acquisition of new equipment or the incorporation of new users implied the dependence on internal (IT) or external personnel ( Microsoft partner) with knowledge of the executable installation procedure.
Access to Dynamics 365 Business Central is carried out through a web client through a browser. This makes it possible to access the application from anywhere and at any time.
The management of the company on any device in the organization
Business Central’s responsive design makes it possible to work on the app on all types of Windows, Android, and iOS devices.
- Desktops and Laptops .
- tablets . ,
- Smartphone
Broad functional robustness
In the evolution from Navision / NAV to Business Central , the principle of conservation of functionalities is fulfilled , in the following senses:
- Not only have existing functionalities in previous versions not been discontinued , but they have been improved (project management, product costs, etc.) or new ones have appeared (user workflows, employee payments, sales forecasts, etc. .).
- The main tables of both masters and historical movements are maintained.
- By maintaining the logic of functional processes, the learning curve for onboarding users from Navision/NAV to Business Central is light .
Vastly improved presentation of information
Management tools and information presentation that contribute to agile decision-making are made available to users, according to the role assigned to each one.
- Stacks of documents and calculated data .
- Custom lists and predefined graphs .
- Informative panels in the main lists of the application .
From the main available lists, both of master tables (customers, products, suppliers, etc.) and of documents (history of delivery notes sent, invoices issued, invoices received, etc.), information panels can be viewed that directly provide and immediately, additional data of the selected record.
Superior user experience
There are several features of Dynamics 365 Business Central that help provide a better user experience.
- Intuitive work environment – The web client provides users with a work environment in which to move and navigate efficiently, similar to other common applications and technology environments.
- Dynamic searches in all the lists (masters, documents, history, etc.) by any visible field in them.
- Personalization of lists , saving filters and applied visualization conditions.
- Multiple report output formats : any ERP report can be previewed, sent to a printer, generated as a PDF, Excel or Word file, or created as print queues to manage the capacity of the company’s printers.
Functional adaptations in Business Central using extensions
When the requirements of the company’s management imply the need to program adaptations or customizations in Business Central to adjust its functionality to those requirements, this programming will be carried out as extensions, which are like small applications that add new functionalities or modify the already existing ones. existing, and have the following characteristics:
- The customization of existing functionalities through extensions avoids modifying the programming of the standard functionalities of the application.
- An extension, and the features it contains, can be easily turned on or off as needed.
- Scheduled extensions are compatible with new versions of Business Central that will appear.
- The above features make migrations between versions of Dynamics 365 Business Central demo quick and easy .
Improved integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel
The integration of Dynamics 365 Business Central with MS Outlook has been extended beyond the traditional synchronization of contacts and tasks.
- The introduction of purchase invoices received by email is simplified by scanning the document and creating the corresponding purchase document in the ERP. And from Outlook, the essential data of the supplier is displayed in Business Central, including its balance and the history of purchases made.
- From Outlook, the most significant existing information on customers is also displayed in Business Central and a sales document can be created from there, which considerably speeds up the work of the commercial department .
Enhanced integration with MS Excel gives users the ability to edit Business Central list records from the spreadsheet via a synchronization system, which has practical implications such as:
- Insertion or modification of information in customer, supplier or product fields from the spreadsheet.
- Creation of accounting journal entries from Excel for registration in Business Central.
The importance of putting the migration to Business Central in the right hands
As previously pointed out, the ‘upgrades’ between versions of Dynamics 365 Business Central are extremely simple and fast , but the migration from a Navision / NAV version to Business Central is perceived by companies as a complex process and not exempt from difficulties, this leads to deferring a decision that provides the explained benefits.
It is important to keep in mind the activities that Business Central implementers must carry out to carry out a successful migration to Business Central.
- Diagnosis of current developments in the database , although it is not just a matter of building a mere catalog of adaptations, but of categorizing them to define the real dimension of migration.
- Identification of developments incorporated into Navision / NAV over time, but obsolete or not used at present.
- Definition of those developments that Business Central includes in its standard functionality and therefore should not be migrated from Navision / NAV.
- Significant adaptations that follow the use and do not exist in the standard BC functionality : these are the developments that will have to be migrated in BC.
- Migration of adaptations as extensions , according to the new technology of Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Migration of historical data to the new version of the ERP.
- Training users in the new functionalities and tools available in Business Central.
- Support to users in the testing phase in a ‘pre-production’ environment to ensure their adaptation to the new version .
- Support users in working effectively in the ‘production’ environment of Business Central.
At Dynamics Square, we have a specialized area in Dynamics 365 whose objective is to help companies carry out an orderly migration from Navision / NAV to Business Central, within the proposed deadlines, with adequately prepared users and fulfilling the objective of having the information necessary to more effective and agile decision making.