ERP Software Blog

SIFEN Document Types: Cancelación vs Inutilización in Paraguay

Soluciones LLB — Sat, 14 Nov 2026 17:00:20 +0000

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Paraguay's SIFEN system covers more than the sales invoice. It includes several types of electronic documents, and it has clear rules for what happens when a document must be cancelled. This guide explains the SIFEN document types, the difference between cancelación and inutilización, and what to test in Business Central.
Key takeaway: In Paraguay, an approved document can be cancelled within a short window. A number that the company will not use must be inutilized.

SIFEN Document Types

According to Edicom, SIFEN covers the following electronic documents.

Document	Use
Factura electrónica	Standard sales invoice
Autofactura electrónica	Issued by the buyer in certain cases
Factura de exportación	Export sales
Nota de crédito y débito	Adjustments to earlier documents
Recibo electrónico de dinero	Receipt of money
Comprobante de retención	Withholding record
Nota de remisión electrónica (NRE)	Movement of goods, including import and export movements

The page we reviewed does not list import invoices as a separate type. Check the official rules with the DNIT, as described on the DNIT website.

How the Process Works

After the company signs the document, it sends it to SIFEN. The post-validation model requires the company to transmit it within 72 hours at most. The issuer then keeps the approved document for at least five years.
For the NRE, issuance must come before transport starts. Late transmission counts as extemporaneous. The KuDE, the printed or digital version with a QR code, must travel with the goods for the entire journey.

Cancelación vs Inutilización

These two terms sound alike but they mean different things.

Term	What it means	Deadline
Cancelación	An approved document is cancelled and has no legal or tax effect	48 hours after approval for invoices; 168 hours for other documents
Inutilización	A document number will not be used, so the issuer marks it as inutilized	Used, for example, when goods were not delivered after a SIFEN rejection of an NRE

In short, cancel documents that SIFEN approved. Inutilize numbers that will never become valid documents.

Why the Deadlines Matter

The cancellation window is short. If the company misses it, it cannot simply cancel the document. Instead, it may need a credit note or another corrective process, which the client's accountant should confirm. Therefore, the Business Central process must alert the user before the window closes.

What to Test in Business Central

An invoice that SIFEN approves.
A cancellation within 48 hours.
A cancellation attempt after the deadline.
A rejected NRE and the inutilization of its number.
The KuDE with its QR code.

Questions to Ask the Client

Which document types does the company issue?
Does the company transport goods that require an NRE?
Who decides when to cancel a document?
Who monitors the cancellation deadlines?

Common Mistakes

Treating cancellation and inutilization as the same thing.
Missing the 72-hour transmission window.
Issuing the NRE after the transport begins.
Not training users on the KuDE.

Where SIFEN Fits in the Region

SIFEN follows a direct model. The company's system connects to the tax authority, with a digital certificate. For a comparison with other countries, see our guide to direct e-invoicing connections.

How to Plan the Testing

Paraguay has short windows, so test them on purpose. Create a plan that covers each document type in scope. For each one, test issuance, approval, and the printed KuDE.
Next, test the failure cases. Force a rejection of an NRE and check that the user can inutilize the number. Try a cancellation at the edge of the 48-hour window, and confirm what the user sees after it closes. These tests show whether the process is clear.
Finally, set up a simple monitor. A daily list of documents that are pending transmission helps the team respect the 72-hour limit. Combined with clear training, it prevents most deadline problems.
Moreover, keep a short log of every cancellation and inutilization. Record the date, the reason, and the person who decided. During an audit, this log explains what happened and shows that the company follows a clear process.
Finally, remember that these rules can evolve. Review the current requirements with the tax authority before each project, and update your test plan if anything changes.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides an AppSource-certified localization for Paraguay. We work through partners and support testing, training, and updates. See our Paraguay localization and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

SIFEN rewards clear processes. Know the document types, respect the deadlines, and keep cancelación and inutilización separate.
Planning a Paraguay project? Request a demo and we will review your documents.

The post SIFEN Document Types: Cancelación vs Inutilización in Paraguay appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

What Happens to Your QuickBooks History When You Migrate

Qixas Group — Sat, 14 Nov 2026 16:00:18 +0000

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From QuickBooks To Business Central, Here's What Happens:

You are moving from QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and want to know what you can expect? Good news is your new system will handle accounting, purchasing, inventory and reporting. But there is one detail that may not have been explained clearly.

Your historical transactions might not be coming with you.

You may be planning to migrate opening balances, outstanding invoices and customer records, leaving years of completed transactions behind in QuickBooks.That is a legitimate migration approach. It is also a decision with consequences for reporting, audits and daily operations.

This is why it is essential to have a QuickBooks to Business Central data migration history strategy before the project begins, not after go-live.

The decision that gets made without you

Most migration discussions focus on what the new system needs to operate: customers, vendors, items, general ledger accounts, opening balances, outstanding receivables and payables.

Those are essential. But they are not the same as transaction history.

Suppose you have seven years of QuickBooks data. Your finance team regularly compares customer purchasing patterns, reviews historical margins and investigates transactions from previous financial periods. If only opening balances are migrated, Business Central starts with the financial position at cutover. It does not automatically contain the transactions that created that position.

Your historical financial statements may still be available in QuickBooks, but the detailed information is not necessarily accessible in Business Central. The migration can be technically successful while leaving your reporting team with less information than it had before. That is why historical data should be treated as a separate project decision.

Three ways history comes across

There are three common approaches to migrating QuickBooks information into Business Central.

Opening balances and open transactions:
- This is often the simplest approach. You migrate master data, opening general ledger balances, outstanding customer invoices, unpaid vendor bills and other information needed to begin operating. Historical completed transactions remain outside Business Central. Your new ERP starts from an agreed cutover date. This can reduce migration complexity, particularly when historical data is inconsistent or poorly maintained.
Opening balances plus summarized history
- The second approach brings over opening balances and selected historical financial information. For example, you might migrate monthly general ledger totals for previous financial years. That allows finance to compare historical financial performance inside Business Central at a summarized level. You may see historical revenue by account and period without being able to drill into the original sales transactions.
Detailed historical transaction migration
- The third approach is to migrate selected historical transactions at a more detailed level. This might include posted sales invoices, purchase invoices, payments, credit memos, general ledger activity and other records. It requires more design, extraction, transformation and validation. Additionally, the level of history available depends on your QuickBooks product, source data, extraction methods and migration approach.

"We'll just keep QuickBooks for lookups"

This is one of the most common answers to the history question. And, it can be perfectly reasonable.

Keep QuickBooks accessible for historical inquiries while Business Central becomes the operational system. The difficulty is that "keep QuickBooks" needs a defined plan. You need to know who can access the historical company, how long access will remain available, whether the data can be exported and what happens when the old application is no longer supported or accessible.

FOR EXAMPLE:

A user investigating a customer balance may need to switch between Business Central and QuickBooks.
A controller preparing a five-year comparison may need to combine two different data structures.
An auditor may request supporting documentation from before the migration.

None of those situations are impossible to manage.

But they should be anticipated.

A better approach may be to create a controlled historical archive, including exported transactions, financial statements and supporting documents, with a documented retrieval process. For some organizations, a separate reporting database or Power BI model can combine historical QuickBooks information with new Business Central data. That can preserve analytical continuity without forcing every old transaction into the new ERP.

NOTE: Keeping QuickBooks for lookups is a retention strategy only when access, ownership and retrieval have been planned.

How full transaction rebuilding works, at a high level

Detailed history migration is more complicated than exporting a spreadsheet and importing it into Business Central.

QuickBooks and Business Central have different data structures, posting processes and relationships between documents. A successful historical migration starts with deciding what needs to be preserved. That may include document numbers, transaction dates, customers, vendors, accounts, amounts, currencies, tax information, payment relationships and relevant dimensions.

Then the source data must be extracted and mapped to Business Central.

FOR EXAMPLE:

QuickBooks account structures may need to be mapped to Business Central general ledger accounts and dimensions.
Historical customers and vendors need consistent identifiers.
Transactions must be checked for missing references, duplicates, unsupported values and differences in accounting treatment.

The next decision is how to represent the history. There is an important distinction between importing historical journal entries and recreating historical posted documents. For example, a general ledger journal may preserve financial amounts and dates, however, it does not automatically reproduce the original invoice, payment application or document relationships.

The migration team must also consider closed periods, inventory costing, tax treatment and the risk of affecting current balances. Historical transactions should not be introduced in a way that distorts the opening financial position.

A detailed migration is not complete because the records imported successfully. It is complete when the migrated information reconciles and supports its intended use.

What cannot come across, regardless of approach

It's important to note that not everything in QuickBooks can be recreated as an equivalent native Business Central record. Mainly because, the systems are different.

QuickBooks-specific workflow history, application settings, integration metadata and certain audit events may not have direct equivalents in Business Central. Attachments and supporting documents may require separate extraction and storage processes. Some historical relationships may be difficult to reproduce, particularly where source records have been modified, deleted or inconsistently maintained.

The original QuickBooks audit history also cannot simply become Business Central's native audit history. Business Central can record activity occurring within Business Central. Importing an old transaction does not recreate the original sequence of events that occurred in QuickBooks.

The question to ask every partner you shortlist

Ask this before accepting a migration proposal: "Exactly which historical transactions will be available inside Business Central after go-live, and which will remain outside it?"

Do not accept "we migrate your data" as a complete answer. Ask the partner to show you the proposed migration scope. It should identify which records will be migrated as opening balances, which will be summarized, which will retain transaction-level detail and which will be archived.

Ask how historical reporting will work:

If finance needs five years of revenue comparisons, demonstrate how those comparisons will be produced. If auditors need old invoices, demonstrate how they will retrieve them.
If historical customer transactions are included, clarify whether they will exist as native posted documents, imported financial entries or records in a separate reporting archive.

Those are materially different outcomes.

What you should consider

Before moving from QuickBooks to Business Central, decide what your historical information needs to do.

Separate operational requirements from reporting requirements. Determine which records employees must access inside Business Central, which can remain in a historical archive and which need to be available through Power BI or another reporting platform. Then choose the migration approach that supports those requirements.

Qixas Group helps organizations migrate from QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. We also recover ERP projects where important decisions about data, reporting and implementation scope were made too late.

Our approach starts with understanding what the business needs to preserve, not simply what can be imported.

Our recommendation is straightforward: define your historical reporting and audit requirements before approving the migration scope. Do not discover after go-live that the history your business depends on was never part of the project.

The post What Happens to Your QuickBooks History When You Migrate appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

AI Agents in ERP: What Businesses Should Automate First

360 Visibility — Sat, 14 Nov 2026 15:00:46 +0000

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Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses manage everyday operations, but its value isn't limited to generating reports, answering questions, or summarizing information.
A new generation of AI tools can take things further by handling specific tasks, interpreting information, and helping move business processes forward with less manual intervention.
For finance and operations teams, this creates an interesting opportunity. Tasks such as processing supplier invoices, preparing sales orders, reviewing transactions, and managing routine administrative work can consume hours of employee time. AI agents are designed to help automate parts of these processes, allowing employees to focus on more complex decisions and exceptions.
Microsoft is bringing these capabilities into Dynamics 365 Business Central through its AI-powered agents, including tools designed to support sales order processing and accounts payable.
However, adopting AI agents isn't as simple as switching on a new feature. Businesses need to understand what these tools can actually do, where automation makes sense, and what controls are necessary to ensure accuracy and accountability.
Here's what organizations should consider before introducing AI agents into their ERP environment.

What Are AI Agents and How Do They Work in ERP Systems?

Traditional business automation typically follows predefined rules. When a specific event occurs, the system performs an action based on instructions that have already been configured.
AI agents take a different approach. They can interpret information, understand context, and carry out defined tasks across a business process, often working with information that isn't presented in a standardized format.
For example, a traditional workflow might automatically route an invoice for approval once it has been entered into an ERP system. An AI agent could help with earlier steps by interpreting an incoming invoice, extracting relevant information, and preparing the transaction for review.
Within an ERP environment, agents can support processes such as:

Reading customer emails and preparing sales quotes or orders.
Extracting information from supplier invoices.
Identifying relevant customer, vendor, or transaction records.
Preparing information for approval.
Flagging missing information or unusual entries.
Reducing repetitive data entry and administrative work.

The important distinction is that an AI agent can interpret information and determine how to proceed within a defined task, rather than simply following a fixed sequence of instructions.
However, this doesn't mean it should operate without oversight. Its capabilities, permissions, and ability to take action depend on how the agent is designed and configured.

How Microsoft Is Bringing AI Agents Into Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft is introducing AI agents into Business Central to help automate specific business processes, particularly in finance and sales.
Two examples are the Sales Order Agent and the Payables Agent.

Sales Order Agent

Processing customer orders can involve considerable manual work, particularly when requests arrive through email in different formats.
The Sales Order Agent is designed to help interpret incoming customer requests and prepare sales quotes or orders in Business Central.
Rather than requiring employees to manually transfer every detail from an email into the ERP system, the agent can help identify relevant information, match it against existing records, and prepare a transaction for review.
This can be particularly useful for businesses handling high volumes of customer requests or working with customers who submit orders through email rather than standardized ordering systems.

Payables Agent

Accounts payable is another area where repetitive administrative work can create bottlenecks.
Supplier invoices often arrive in different formats and contain information that needs to be extracted, checked, and matched against existing business records.
The Payables Agent is designed to help process supplier invoices by extracting relevant details and preparing information for entry into Business Central.
This can reduce the amount of manual data entry required while helping finance teams manage invoice processing more efficiently.
Both examples demonstrate how AI agents can support specific ERP workflows rather than simply provide another interface for employees to interact with.
Microsoft's agent capabilities continue to evolve through its Business Central release waves. Features, licensing requirements, and regional availability can change, so organizations should consult Microsoft's current release documentation before planning a deployment. These capabilities are designed for Business Central online rather than on-premises deployments.

Where AI Agents Can Deliver the Most Value for Businesses

Not every business process is a good candidate for AI automation.
The strongest opportunities tend to involve repetitive activities, relatively predictable business rules, and information that arrives in formats requiring interpretation.
Several areas are worth considering.

1. Accounts Payable and Invoice Processing

Invoice processing is a natural starting point because it involves recurring tasks that can consume significant employee time.
AI agents can help extract invoice information, identify relevant vendor records, and prepare transactions for review.
For organizations processing large numbers of supplier invoices, reducing manual data entry can improve efficiency and allow finance employees to focus on discrepancies, approvals, and supplier relationships.

2. Sales Order Processing

Businesses that receive customer orders through email or other unstructured channels may spend considerable time transferring information into their ERP systems.
AI agents can help interpret customer requests and prepare the relevant sales documents.
This can reduce administrative work and help sales teams respond more quickly, particularly when order volumes are high.

3. Financial Administration and Reconciliation

Finance teams regularly work with transaction records, supporting documents, and financial data that must be reviewed and reconciled.
AI-assisted capabilities can help identify potential matches, organize information, and highlight exceptions that require attention.
It's important to distinguish between AI agents and other AI-powered ERP features. For example, Business Central includes separate Copilot capabilities that can assist with tasks such as bank reconciliation matching and text generation.
These features can complement agent-based automation, but they aren't necessarily the same technology or workflow.

4. Document and Data Processing

Many business processes begin with information arriving outside the ERP system.
This might include supplier documents, customer correspondence, purchase requests, or supporting financial records.
AI can help interpret these inputs and prepare structured information for business applications.
For organizations dealing with large volumes of documents, this may reduce repetitive administrative work and improve how information moves between systems.
The key is to identify processes where the information is sufficiently consistent and where employees can verify the results before important decisions or transactions are completed.

How to Decide Which Business Processes to Automate First

One of the biggest mistakes organizations can make is introducing AI simply because the technology is available.
Instead, businesses should identify processes where automation can solve a measurable operational problem.
Before selecting a first AI agent project, consider the following questions:

Assessment question	What to look for
Is the process repetitive?	Employees perform the same tasks frequently throughout the month
Is the transaction volume significant?	The business processes enough items for automation to make a measurable difference
Is the information reasonably consistent?	Customers or suppliers provide similar documents and information
Are the business rules established?	Employees understand how transactions should be processed
Is there a clear review process?	A designated employee can validate the agent's output
Is the data reliable?	Vendor, customer, and item records are accurate and up to date
Can results be measured?	The organization can compare processing time, accuracy, and costs before and after automation

Businesses should also consider the consequences of an incorrect result.
Automating the preparation of a routine invoice may be relatively low risk when an employee reviews it before posting. Allowing an AI system to make financial commitments or approve transactions without appropriate controls introduces a different level of risk.
A good starting project is one where the potential time savings are meaningful, the process is well understood, and errors can be identified before they affect the business.
If several of these requirements aren't in place, improving the underlying process may be more valuable than introducing automation immediately.

The Risks of Relying on AI Agents Without Proper Oversight

AI agents can improve efficiency, but they aren't infallible.
They may misinterpret information, encounter incomplete records, or produce results that require human correction. Businesses need to understand these limitations before allowing agents to participate in important operational processes.
Several considerations should be addressed.
Accuracy and data quality: AI agents rely on the information available to them. Inaccurate vendor records, inconsistent item descriptions, and incomplete customer information can affect the quality of their output.
Human oversight: Employees should understand which actions an agent can perform independently and which require approval. Important financial transactions should have appropriate review and authorization controls.
Access and permissions: Agents should only have the access necessary to perform their assigned tasks. Existing permission structures and security policies need to be reviewed before deployment.
Accountability: Businesses must establish who is responsible for reviewing agent-assisted transactions and resolving errors or exceptions.
Auditability: Organizations should understand what activity is recorded, how agent actions are attributed, and what documentation is available for internal controls and external audits.
These considerations are particularly important for finance departments, where inaccurate transactions or inadequate approvals can have financial and compliance implications.
The objective isn't to eliminate human involvement. It's to reduce unnecessary manual work while ensuring that important decisions remain appropriately controlled.

What Businesses Should Do Before Implementing AI Agents

Introducing AI into an ERP environment requires more preparation than simply enabling a new feature.
Organizations should take a structured approach to determine whether their processes, data, and technology environment are ready.

1. Review Existing Business Processes

Start by identifying repetitive tasks that consume employee time.
Document how these processes currently work, who is responsible for each step, and where delays or inefficiencies occur.
This helps identify opportunities where AI could provide practical value rather than adding complexity to an already inefficient process.

2. Assess ERP Data Quality

AI agents need reliable business information to produce useful results.
Review customer and vendor records, item numbers, transaction histories, and other information relevant to the proposed workflow.
Inconsistent or incomplete records should be addressed before automation is introduced.

3. Establish Permissions and Approval Controls

Determine what the agent needs to access and which actions it should be permitted to perform.
Establish clear approval requirements and ensure employees understand when intervention is necessary.

4. Start With a Controlled Pilot

Rather than introducing agents across the entire organization, select one process and test it with a defined group of users.
For example, a finance team might begin by evaluating invoice processing for a particular group of suppliers.
Monitor accuracy, processing time, exceptions, and employee feedback throughout the pilot.

5. Measure the Results Before Expanding

Compare the pilot results against the original process.
Consider:

How much employee time was saved?
How accurate was the information prepared by the agent?
How many transactions required manual correction?
Did processing times improve?
Did the automation introduce any additional costs?
Were employees comfortable reviewing and managing the results?

Use these findings to determine whether the process should be expanded, adjusted, or discontinued.

Understanding the Cost of AI Automation

AI agents can introduce additional licensing or usage-based costs, depending on the functionality and deployment model.
Businesses should understand these expenses before building an automation business case.
However, evaluating cost requires more than comparing the price of an AI feature against the current cost of employee time.
Organizations should also consider implementation, configuration, integration, ongoing monitoring, training, and exception handling.
For example, an agent that reduces invoice processing time may appear cost-effective initially. But if employees spend considerable time correcting inaccurate information, the expected savings may be smaller than anticipated.
A useful business case should compare the total cost of automation with the operational improvements it delivers.
It should also account for scalability. A process that handles 100 invoices per month may become significantly more valuable to automate when the organization grows to 1,000.
The goal is to invest in automation where it creates measurable business value, not simply to introduce AI for its own sake.

The Future of ERP Is More Intelligent Automation, Not Less Human Involvement

AI agents represent an important development in how businesses interact with ERP systems.
Rather than relying entirely on employees to enter information, move transactions between systems, and complete repetitive administrative tasks, organizations can begin delegating defined activities to AI-powered tools.
For finance and operations teams, this creates opportunities to reduce manual work, improve processing efficiency, and redirect employee time toward analysis, exception management, and decision-making.
But successful adoption depends on having the right foundations in place.
Reliable data, clearly defined processes, appropriate permissions, and human oversight remain essential. Businesses that address these requirements before introducing AI will be better positioned to turn automation into a practical operational advantage.
360 Visibility helps organizations evaluate their Microsoft technology environments and identify opportunities to improve business processes through solutions such as Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft AI.
Its Business Impact Assessment helps organizations evaluate existing workflows, operational requirements, and areas for improvement before making technology decisions.
Before investing in AI agents, start by understanding where your business spends the most time on repetitive work. The best automation opportunity may not be the most complicated one. It may simply be the process your employees wish they no longer had to do manually.

About 360 Visibility

360 Visibility is a Tier 1 Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner (CSP) for Business Central, Azure, Microsoft 365, Security and Copilot, based in Vaughan, Ontario. In 20+ years it has completed 1,000+ implementations for mid-market organizations in Canada and the U.S.

The post AI Agents in ERP: What Businesses Should Automate First appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Beyond Basic OCR: How Fidesic Captures and Codes Invoices Using Your GP Data

Fidesic — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 22:44:22 +0000

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From a zoomed out view, all accounts payable automation looks pretty similar. At the ISV Society GP Demo Day, the Fidesic presentation zoomed in on what sets Fidesic apart, which is invoice capture and GL coding that draws on the data already living in Dynamics GP.
Many teams are also under pressure from above to use more AI in the business. Capture and coding is an easy place to start, because it puts AI to work on a task every AP team already does.

Built by people who know GP

The presenter has been part of the Dynamics community for more than 16 years, starting with GP 9. Fidesic has been in the GP scene even longer. That history shapes the product, which focuses on specific problems GP users face, including the need to automatically GL code invoices.

How the invoice flow works

Invoices are received into the system, data is captured, and invoices are routed out for approval through a full web interface. Fidesic also integrates directly with GP.
The key idea is that every one of these stages flows back to the capture side. Capture uses the approvals, the adjustments and the GP data your team has collected and keyed for years. That is what allows capture to go beyond commodity OCR, where a PDF goes in, data gets scraped off it, and a person still has to code the invoice and make sure it reaches the right approver.

Your GP data, synced automatically

Fidesic connects to a live GP environment and syncs the base data that powers capture:

Vendors in real time, including any vendor default codes set up in GP
Your full chart of accounts
Terms and tax IDs
Location codes, which work alongside Binary Stream's Multi-Entity Management or any other multi entity tool
Payments sent offline

There is nothing to maintain. Teams keep using GP as they always have and the data stays in sync. Invoices usually come in through a dedicated email address. It is the best way to submit them, though not the only way.

Six signals behind every coded invoice

Capture combines six decision points when it codes an invoice.

Vendor defaults. The base level. If default codes are set up in GP, capture uses them as a reference point.
Invoice history. A block of historical invoices and their coding is synced, so the AI agent can reference past invoices alongside vendor defaults. This works for PO driven and non PO invoices.
Recurring purchase lines. Familiar to Business Central users, these are set up per vendor as the system is used and added to the list of possible defaults. This is one way the system learns.
Line level detail. Details scraped from the line items on the PDF serve as a reference.
Handwritten GL codes. Plenty of teams still write codes on invoices before scanning them. When capture sees one, it picks it up automatically.
Location. Capture understands the relationship between each facility, the chart of accounts and the configured defaults, then codes dynamically from the ship to address.

A full PO match sits on top as another layer. It references the PO and its received lines and integrates with GP.
The result looks a lot like how a human thinks. An AP clerk weighs these same things when coding an invoice, and capture collapses all of it into one step. The first time an invoice comes back from the capture engine, the coding is already loaded.

Rules and AI working together

Coding combines rules you set with AI analysis. You can set rules such as how a particular vendor should always be coded, leave flexibility for the AI agent, always use recurring purchase lines when they apply, or always use vendor defaults when they are available. Capture options also cover sales tax and freight.
Anything AI based comes with an explanation. At the line level you can see why the AI agent coded the invoice the way it did.

Four examples from the demo

Single line. Capture read the ship to address, matched it to a location, and swapped the first segment of the vendor's default GL code to fit that location. It is the same thing a regular AP clerk would do.
Different region. An invoice shipped to another region had its first segment set to a different code. No one had to touch it.
Stamped override. Someone stamped an invoice with the account it should go to, overriding the analysis. Capture simply assigned it. Fidesic does not need to break an existing process like this.
Tax and freight. On a more complex invoice, capture pulled out specific tax and freight amounts and assigned them to the freight and tax GL accounts in GP. These sync across the payables and purchasing modules. It also picked the associated tax ID and read the line item data. In the demo every line ended up with the same code. When real invoices vary, the system learns from receiving, approving and processing invoices.

Going further

Once a team is comfortable with capture, Fidesic also offers agent approval and agent authorization on invoices. That means invoices can be coded and then sent through the approval process.
Location specific submission addresses are another situation that tends to be fuzzy. When most invoices follow one rule and the rest need a different one, both cases are handled. It is not an either or, and that is what the AI agents are for.

Committed to GP

Fidesic is a member of the Knights of GP as a Preferred ISV, and is committed to GP for the next ten plus years.

The post Beyond Basic OCR: How Fidesic Captures and Codes Invoices Using Your GP Data appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central scanner logins: Put warehouse workers on handhelds with device licenses, not full user licenses

Insight Works — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 21:00:50 +0000

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Business Central scanner logins do not require a full Business Central user license for every warehouse worker. Warehouse Insight is a Business Central warehouse management app, published on Microsoft Marketplace as an extension. It works as an add-on to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Shared handhelds can use a Microsoft device license, and each worker still signs in by name.

Does every warehouse worker need a full Business Central user?

No. Microsoft offers a device license for shared terminals, including warehouse devices. Microsoft’s licensing documentation says the device license “allows multiple users to simultaneously use a device” covered by it.
Device users belong to a Microsoft 365 group named Dynamics 365 Business Central Device Users. Members of that group need no Business Central license of their own, according to Microsoft.
You can add as many users to that group as you need. The number of device licenses limits how many devices sign in at the same time.
Some workers still need a full user license. Anyone who works in Business Central beyond what a handheld does is a better fit for a full user. Licensing is Microsoft’s policy, so confirm your mix of licenses with your Microsoft partner.

How do Business Central scanner logins work on a shared device?

The device signs in once, and then each worker signs in. Warehouse Insight includes a second layer of logins called Insight Works users. These are usernames and passwords you create in Business Central for warehouse staff. The workers do not need their own Business Central user accounts.
Here is how a shared scanner is typically set up:

An administrator signs in on the scanner once with the device user from Business Central.
The scanner remembers that sign-in, so workers never see the Microsoft login screen.
Each worker signs in with their own Insight Works username and password.
When the Microsoft sign-in eventually expires, someone signs the device in again once.

This suits seasonal and temporary staff well. You can create a login for a new worker in Business Central and change passwords as needed. Those workers use the scanners only and have no access to Business Central itself.

Can workers sign in with a badge instead of typing a password?

Yes. Typing a username and password at every shift change slows people down. Warehouse Insight can print login badges from Business Central. Each badge carries a barcode with the password encrypted inside it. A worker scans the badge and starts working.
Shared devices also need a way to stop the next person from working under the wrong name. You can set the device to sign the worker out after a period of inactivity. The next worker then scans their own badge to sign in.

Can each worker’s activity still be identified?

Yes. When a worker signs in as an Insight Works user, Warehouse Insight tracks what that worker does on the scanner. You can see who did the work, when they did it, and which document they were working on. The device user handles the connection, while the worker’s name stays on the activity.
Workers who have their own Business Central user can sign in with it instead. In that case, Warehouse Insight records that Business Central user on the transactions, such as item ledger entries. Either way, activity is not lost behind a generic name like Scanner 1.

How are permissions set for Business Central scanner logins?

Permissions come from the device user in Business Central. The Insight Works user identifies the worker. The device user that signed in behind the scenes decides what that worker can do.
That gives you a simple way to separate roles. For example, scanners kept at the dock can sign in as a receiving device user. Scanners used for order picking can sign in as a picking device user. If the receiving device user cannot post receipts, the workers on those scanners cannot post them either.
Posting rules and screens are also configured in Business Central, not on each device. The Warehouse Insight receiving page describes the posting modes, including supervisor-only posting. How to configure what workers see on each handheld covers menus and screens.

Which license fits Business Central scanner logins for each worker?

Most warehouses use a mix. The deciding question is whether the person works in Business Central beyond the handheld.

Consideration	Full user license	Device license with Insight Works users
Good fit for	Supervisors and staff who also work in Business Central	Warehouse staff who only use scanners
Access to Business Central	Business Central and handheld devices	Handheld devices only
How the worker signs in	Their own Business Central user	Insight Works username and password, or a badge
What sets permissions	That user’s permissions	The device user’s permissions
Who is recorded on activity	The Business Central user	The Insight Works user

The Essentials vs Premium licensing article covers which Warehouse Insight features each Business Central license supports.

Frequently asked questions about Business Central scanner logins

Can a full Business Central user also sign in on a scanner?

Yes. A full user can sign in with their own Business Central login. They can also use a printed badge instead of typing a password.

Can a device user be the first user in a new Business Central environment?

No. Microsoft’s documentation says a device user can’t be the first user to sign in. An administrator or full user must sign in first to set up Business Central.

Can I add workers without adding device users?

Yes. Workers are Insight Works users, so adding one does not add a device user. The number of device licenses limits how many devices sign in at once.

Is Warehouse Insight an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three describe the same product. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management app for Business Central. It installs as an extension from Microsoft Marketplace, and resellers often call it an add-on.
To see how scanner logins fit with receiving, picking and shipping, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.

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Your ERP Is Live. So Why Is Everyone Still Using Spreadsheets?

360 Visibility — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 20:38:12 +0000

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An ERP implementation is a significant investment. Businesses spend months evaluating software, mapping processes, migrating data, configuring workflows, and preparing employees for a new way of working.
Then the system goes live.
But a few weeks later, finance is still tracking expenses in spreadsheets. Managers are requesting reports outside the ERP. Employees are keeping their own records because they're unsure how to complete certain tasks in the new system.
The software is working, but the business isn't using it as intended.
This is one of the most overlooked challenges of ERP implementation: getting a system operational is not the same as getting employees to adopt it.
Without proper training, ongoing support, and clear processes, employees often fall back on familiar tools and manual workarounds. Over time, these habits undermine the efficiency, visibility, and reporting capabilities the organization expected from its ERP investment.
For businesses implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, employee adoption should be treated as an ongoing part of the implementation strategy, not a final project task.

Why ERP Implementations Struggle With Employee Adoption

ERP systems change how employees perform their daily responsibilities. Tasks that once involved spreadsheets, email approvals, or separate applications may now follow standardized workflows within a single platform.
Even when these changes improve efficiency, employees need time and guidance to adjust.
Several factors can make adoption difficult.
Employees don't understand the new processes. Knowing how to navigate an ERP system doesn't necessarily mean understanding how to complete everyday responsibilities within it. Employees need to understand how their existing workflows have changed and why.
Training is treated as a one-time event. Many organizations schedule training sessions shortly before go-live and assume employees are ready. However, users often encounter their biggest learning challenges when they begin working with real transactions, deadlines, and operational responsibilities.
Different roles have different requirements. A finance controller, accounts payable administrator, warehouse employee, and senior manager interact with ERP software differently. Generic training may leave some employees overwhelmed while failing to address the specific needs of others.
Employees lack ongoing support. When questions arise after implementation, users need somewhere to turn. Without accessible support, they may create their own processes or revert to familiar tools.
Management focuses on implementation rather than adoption. Businesses often measure ERP success by whether the system was delivered on time and within budget. But these milestones don't necessarily indicate whether employees are using the system effectively.
The underlying issue is that technology implementation and organizational change need to happen together.

Cost of Employees Working Around Your ERP

When employees continue using spreadsheets and disconnected tools after an ERP implementation, the consequences extend beyond duplicated work.
Consider a finance department that continues maintaining a separate spreadsheet to track outstanding invoices because employees haven't fully adopted the accounts receivable functionality in Business Central.
Now, the organization has two sources of information. Employees must spend additional time updating records, reconciling differences, and checking which version is accurate.
Similar problems can emerge across other departments:

Finance: Manual reconciliations and reporting processes continue outside the ERP.
Accounts payable: Invoice approvals are managed through email rather than established system workflows.
Inventory: Stock levels are tracked in separate spreadsheets, creating inconsistencies with ERP records.
Sales: Customer and order information is maintained across multiple systems.
Management: Leadership relies on manually prepared reports rather than real-time business information.

These workarounds can introduce errors, reduce visibility, and make it harder to establish consistent business processes.
They also limit the value of the ERP investment. If employees aren't using the system's capabilities, the organization may continue paying for manual processes that the software was intended to eliminate.
The solution isn't simply to tell employees to stop using spreadsheets. It's to understand why those workarounds exist and address the underlying training, process, or configuration issues.

How to Build an ERP Adoption Strategy That Works

Successful ERP adoption requires preparation before go-live and continued attention after implementation. The following approach can help organizations establish better habits and get more value from their investment.

1. Understand How Employees Actually Work Before Implementation

Before planning training, identify how different departments currently complete their daily tasks.
This includes documenting existing workflows, responsibilities, reporting requirements, and known inefficiencies.
For example, a finance department may rely on manual reconciliations, while the purchasing team may have an informal approval process managed through email.
Understanding these practices helps identify which processes will change when the ERP is introduced and where employees are likely to need additional support.
It also provides an opportunity to address inefficient processes rather than simply transferring them into a new system.
A useful starting point is to document:

Existing workflows and operational challenges.
Employee responsibilities and system access requirements.
Reports and performance metrics required by management.
Processes involving multiple departments.
Manual tasks that the ERP implementation is expected to improve.

This information creates a more practical foundation for training and change management.

2. Tailor Training to Different Roles and Responsibilities

Not every employee needs to understand every ERP function.
Training should reflect how individuals interact with the system and the tasks they're expected to complete.
For example, within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:

Role	Training priorities	Practical exercise
Controller / Finance Manager	General ledger, chart of accounts, financial dimensions, reporting, month-end close	Complete a month-end close exercise
Accounts Payable	Vendor records, purchase invoices, approval workflows, payment processing	Process and pay a vendor invoice
Accounts Receivable	Customer records, sales invoices, collections, payment applications	Record and apply a customer payment
Purchasing	Purchase orders, vendor management, approvals, receiving	Create and process a purchase order
Warehouse	Inventory transactions, item tracking, stock adjustments	Complete an inventory transaction
Leadership	Financial dashboards, reporting, KPIs, business performance	Generate a report to answer a business question

Role-specific training makes learning more relevant and helps employees understand how the ERP supports their responsibilities.
It also reduces the risk of overwhelming users with features they won't need in their daily work.

3. Use Real Business Scenarios Instead of Generic Demonstrations

One of the most effective ways to prepare employees for a new ERP system is to let them practise the tasks they'll actually perform.
Rather than relying entirely on presentations or product demonstrations, use a test environment with realistic business data and workflows.
For a Business Central implementation, practical exercises could include:

Processing a customer order from creation through invoicing.
Creating purchase orders and completing approval workflows.
Recording vendor invoices and processing payments.
Reviewing inventory levels and recording stock adjustments.
Generating financial statements and management reports.
Completing a simulated month-end close.

A simulated month-end close is particularly valuable for finance teams. It helps identify missing permissions, unclear responsibilities, reporting issues, and unfamiliar workflows before employees face real financial deadlines.
The objective is to build confidence through practical experience rather than simply demonstrating what the software can do.

4. Make Post-Go-Live Support a Priority

Employee adoption doesn't happen overnight.
In fact, some of the most important learning takes place after go-live, when employees begin using the system to manage real business activities.
Organizations should plan structured support throughout the first several months.
This might include:
First 30 days: Provide accessible support, answer user questions, and identify recurring issues. Short refresher sessions can help reinforce important processes.
Days 30–60: Review feedback from different departments, identify areas where employees are struggling, and address process or configuration issues.
Days 60–90: Evaluate adoption, revisit training materials, and determine whether employees are using the system as intended.
This period is also a good time to identify internal ERP champions. These are employees who receive additional training and can help colleagues navigate common questions and processes.
Having knowledgeable users within each department can reduce the pressure on IT teams while encouraging greater confidence across the organization.

5. Keep Employees Informed About System Updates

ERP adoption doesn't end once employees become comfortable with the software.
Business Central evolves through Microsoft's two annual major release waves, alongside other ongoing updates and improvements.
These releases can introduce new functionality, enhancements, and changes that affect how employees interact with the system.
Organizations should review relevant updates, determine which changes matter to their workflows, and communicate those changes to affected users.
Not every update requires formal training. However, employees should understand when a new feature changes an existing process or creates an opportunity to work more efficiently.
Ongoing education also helps businesses get more value from the software they're already paying for.

How to Measure Whether Employees Are Actually Adopting Your ERP

One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is assuming that an ERP implementation was successful simply because the system is operational.
Adoption needs to be measured against business outcomes.
Rather than relying solely on login activity or the number of employees who attended training, consider tracking indicators that demonstrate whether the system is improving everyday operations.
Useful metrics include:
Reduction in manual spreadsheets: Are departments relying less on separate spreadsheets for financial reporting, inventory, and operational tracking?
Month-end closing time: Is finance completing its monthly close more efficiently than before implementation?
Transaction processing times: Are purchase orders, invoices, and approvals moving through workflows more quickly?
Reporting accuracy and availability: Can management access reliable information directly from the ERP without extensive manual preparation?
Support requests: Which questions or issues are appearing repeatedly? Recurring requests may indicate gaps in training, documentation, or system configuration.
Workflow adoption: Are employees using the intended approval, purchasing, inventory, and financial processes?
Establish a baseline before go-live and review these measures at 30, 60, and 90 days after implementation.
If employees continue relying on manual workarounds or certain processes remain unnecessarily complicated, investigate the reasons rather than assuming users are resistant to change.
Sometimes the problem is insufficient training. In other cases, the system configuration or underlying business process needs to be reconsidered.

ERP Success Doesn't End at Go-Live

An ERP implementation should be viewed as the beginning of a longer-term improvement process, not the finish line.
The organizations that get the most from their ERP investments understand that successful adoption requires more than installing software and providing a few training sessions.
It requires preparing employees for new workflows, giving them practical experience, providing support as they adjust, and continually reviewing how the system is being used.
For businesses implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, this means building training, documentation, and post-go-live support into the project from the beginning.
360 Visibility takes a business-first approach to Business Central implementations, helping organizations evaluate their existing processes, identify operational requirements, and prepare employees for the transition.
Its Business Impact Assessment helps map business processes, roles, and requirements before implementation, providing a foundation for a more structured ERP project.
Because ultimately, an ERP system delivers value when people know how to use it—and use it to improve the way the business operates.

About 360 Visibility

The post Your ERP Is Live. So Why Is Everyone Still Using Spreadsheets? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

AI Builder Credits Ended for New and Renewed Licenses on November 1, 2026: What Dynamics 365 F&O Customers Keep Until Renewal

Steven Settle, Ryse Technologies — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 17:50:51 +0000

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On November 1, 2026, Microsoft stopped including seeded AI Builder credits in new and renewed Power Platform and Dynamics 365 licenses, and AI Builder capacity add-ons reached end of life on the same day. Credits attached to licenses bought or renewed before that date were not removed. Microsoft's Message Center notice MC1526652 states that November 1 was not a universal cutoff and that those credits remain available through the end of the applicable contract term. AI Builder features themselves continue, and once the seeded credits are gone they run on Copilot Credits, which are metered and billed by consumption, with no conversion of unused AI Builder credits.

This article argues that for a Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations customer the date to plan against is the next license renewal, and that the exposure is small in dollars and larger in continuity. Replacing a full month of the Finance and Operations entitlement costs between roughly $190 and $600 a year for document processing at pay-as-you-go rates. The risk is that nobody buys or allocates that capacity, because the credits never appeared on an invoice, and a forecast or a flow that has run for years is blocked in the first month of the new term. Most coverage of this change has been written from a Power Platform perspective, so this article works through it for Finance and Operations.

What Ended on November 1, 2026, and What Continues

New and renewed licenses stopped carrying seeded credits, existing customers lost the ability to buy or renew the AI Builder capacity add-on, and the add-on itself reached end of life (sales to new customers had already ended on November 1, 2025). Two things continue: seeded credits on licenses purchased or renewed before November 1 run to the end of that contract term, and credits from add-on contracts already in place remain usable until those contracts expire. The table shows the seeded entitlement Microsoft publishes for each license.

License	Seeded AI Builder credits per month	Status since Nov 1, 2026
Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations	20,000 per tenant	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Automate Premium	5,000 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Automate Process	5,000 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Automate Hosted RPA add-on	5,000 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Automate Unattended RPA add-on	5,000 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Apps Premium	500 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
Power Apps per app	250 per license	Not included at purchase or renewal
AI Builder capacity add-on	1,000,000 per add-on	No longer sold or renewed; credits under contract run to contract end

The Finance and Operations figure works differently from the others. Power Automate and Power Apps credits accrue per license, so a tenant with ten Power Automate Premium seats holds 50,000 seeded credits, while the Finance and Operations entitlement is a fixed pool of 20,000 per tenant however many users are licensed (the December 2025 Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide listed 50,000 for Finance Premium, and the November 2026 edition no longer lists AI Builder credits for either edition). All of it is pooled at tenant level. Few organizations know how much they hold or which contract term it is attached to, because the credits were never purchased and so never appeared as a decision anyone made.

What the Seeded Credits Run in a Finance and Operations Tenant

The Finance and Operations entitlement is tied most directly to Finance insights. Microsoft's documentation states that Finance insights uses AI Builder credits to produce customer payment predictions, cash flow forecasts, and budget proposals, and that each Finance tenant is provided 20,000 credits a month. The same page still tells customers who need more to purchase additional AI Builder credits, which stopped being possible on November 1, so ask your Microsoft contact how Finance insights will be metered after your renewal.

The same tenant pool also pays for anything built on the Power Platform side: Power Automate flows that read supplier invoices, receipts, or other documents with AI Builder models, AI prompts inside flows and apps, and custom models trained on your own data. Invoice capture, the Microsoft solution for vendor invoices in Finance, sits outside this change. Microsoft licenses it on its own transaction meter, with 100 capture transactions per tenant per month included and additional capacity sold at $300 per 1,000 transactions. An accounts payable team may be running either one, and only the custom flow depends on seeded credits.

What happens at renewal is mechanical. AI Builder actions consume AI Builder credits first and fall back to Copilot Credits when those are exhausted or unavailable; if the environment has neither, the run is blocked. A tenant that renews without arranging Copilot Credits therefore finds out in the first month of the new term, when a flow fails or a forecast does not refresh. The tenants with the most to check are the ones that built these processes earliest, because the people who built them have often moved on and the process has never generated a bill.

What the Same Work Costs in Copilot Credits

Copilot Credits are priced at approximately $0.01 each on pay-as-you-go, with prepaid capacity available at different effective rates. The two currencies are not interchangeable, and Microsoft publishes a separate rate for every capability. A page read by the prebuilt invoice, receipt, or identity document model costs 32 AI Builder credits or 8 Copilot Credits, and a page read by a custom document model costs 100 AI Builder credits or 8 Copilot Credits. A full month of the 20,000-credit entitlement therefore covers 625 prebuilt invoice pages or 200 custom-model pages, and the same pages cost 5,000 or 1,600 Copilot Credits.

Turning that into a budget line requires actual consumption by capability, which is a different number from the entitlement. In the Power Platform admin center, Licensing and then Capacity add-ons shows tenant consumption, and the downloadable AI Builder report lists credits consumed by date, user, and environment for the 30 days before a date you choose. Run it for more than one period so that seasonal work such as year-end close is counted. Then use the AI Builder activity view in the Power Automate Automation Center, or the AI Event table in Dataverse, to see which models consumed the credits, because the Copilot Credit rate depends on the capability and not on the credit total.

Monthly workload	Approximate annual cost at $0.01 per Copilot Credit
200 pages, custom document model (20,000 AI Builder credits)	$192
625 pages, prebuilt invoice model (20,000 AI Builder credits)	$600
2,000 pages, either model	$1,920
10,000 pages, either model	$9,600

For a tenant that stayed inside its seeded entitlement, the replacement cost is small. It is still new spend attached to processes nobody flagged as a cost center, and the credits have to be bought and made available to the right environment before the renewal takes effect. Prompts, text analysis, and other capabilities are metered at their own rates in the same table, so a tenant whose usage is mostly prompts needs a different calculation. Treat the figures above as a planning estimate and check them against Microsoft's current rate table before committing a number to a budget.

How Microsoft's Guidance on the Date Changed

Through October 2026, Microsoft's published guidance supported two readings. The AI Builder credit management page said that seeded credits would be removed on November 1, 2026, and that only add-on credits would remain active afterward. The licensing overview said that customers who purchased or renewed eligible licenses before November 1 would continue to receive their seeded credits through the end of the applicable contract term.

Message Center notice MC1526652 settled the question in favor of the second reading. It states that November 1 was not a universal cutoff for existing credits and that each customer's transition deadline depends on when the applicable contracts expire. The credit management page still carries the older sentence in its FAQ, which is why articles published before the date describe a single cutoff. Anyone who planned for a hard stop on November 1 was following the documentation as it stood.

The phrase that still needs checking is Microsoft's "applicable contract term." A three-year Enterprise Agreement, an annual CSP subscription, and a monthly-term CSP subscription reach the end of their terms on different schedules, and a tenant can hold Finance and Operations licenses under one agreement and Power Platform licenses under another. A monthly-term subscription comes up for renewal within weeks, so ask specifically how it is treated. Confirm the end date of every agreement that carries seeded credits with your licensing partner or Microsoft account team, in writing, and plan against the earliest of those dates until you have the answer.

What to Do Before Your Renewal

The sequence below is what we would run with a client, ordered so that information gathering comes first and purchasing decisions come last. It follows the steps in Microsoft's notice and adds the Finance and Operations checks that the notice does not cover.

Begin with the dates: list every agreement that carries Dynamics 365 or Power Platform licenses and when each term ends. Then inventory every AI Builder dependency across Finance and Operations and the Power Platform. That means Finance insights features, flows, apps, and custom models, and it means asking process owners as well as reading the admin center, because the people who built these things may have moved on. Measure consumption by capability using the reports described above.

With the inventory and the numbers in hand, triage. Separate business-critical processes, where a blocked run has a direct operational consequence, from experimental or abandoned ones that can be switched off. Whatever falls into the second group reduces the capacity you need to buy, which turns part of this exercise into a cleanup.

Then decide, per process, whether to fund it with Copilot Credits or retire it. For the ones you fund, purchase the credits and make them available to the affected environments before the current term ends, because Microsoft blocks runs in any environment that has no capacity available to it. The AI Builder capacity add-on is no longer a bridge: existing customers could buy or renew it until November 1, 2026, and Microsoft now advises turning off automatic renewal on any add-on still in place. Finally, set up monitoring of Copilot Credit consumption so that the next change to this meter does not arrive unnoticed.

Doing This Check as Part of a License Review

Seeded credits went unreviewed for the same reason estates accumulate unused seats and mis-scoped security roles: nobody looks at the whole Microsoft footprint on a regular cadence, and an entitlement that costs nothing draws no attention. Microsoft's clarification moves the deadline to the renewal date, which is also when seat counts, license tiers, and term length are decided. The AI Builder question is therefore one more item on a review that should already be on the calendar.

Ryse Technologies is a Microsoft partner whose Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations managed services practice includes license optimization and provisioning. We run the AI Builder dependency inventory as part of license optimization work, alongside the role-to-license audit that Finance and Operations validation now requires and the renewal structuring that sits around both. The three draw on the same data and the same admin centers, so combining them avoids paying for the same discovery three times. The corrected estate can then be provisioned through Ryse, with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform licenses starting at 12% below MSRP and Azure credits starting at 5% off. For scale, the $600 annual cost in the example above is what a 12% discount saves on $5,000 of license spend.

If your Dynamics 365 or Power Platform renewal falls in the next six months, send us the renewal date and the AI Builder consumption report from the Power Platform admin center. We will map the processes that depend on seeded credits and estimate their Copilot Credit cost as part of a Dynamics 365 License Assessment. For the wider renewal decisions, see How to Reduce Microsoft Licensing Costs in 2026 and Moving a Dynamics 365 Estate from EA to CSP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ended on November 1, 2026?

Microsoft stopped including seeded AI Builder credits in new and renewed Power Platform and Dynamics 365 licenses, and AI Builder capacity add-ons reached end of life. Seeded credits on licenses purchased or renewed before that date, including the 20,000 per tenant that come with Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, remain available through the end of the applicable contract term.

Do seeded credits continue to the end of our contract term?

Yes, for eligible licenses purchased or renewed before November 1, 2026, according to Microsoft's Message Center notice MC1526652. Because the answer depends on the term of each agreement, confirm the end dates in writing with your licensing partner or Microsoft account team and plan against the earliest one.

How many AI Builder credits does a Dynamics 365 F&O license include?

Finance and Operations comes with a fixed pool of 20,000 AI Builder credits per tenant per month, regardless of the number of users. Power Automate Premium provides 5,000 per license, Power Apps Premium 500, and Power Apps per app 250, so a tenant with several Power Automate seats can hold more seeded credits from those licenses than from Finance and Operations.

Is there an automatic conversion to Copilot Credits?

No. Unused AI Builder credits do not convert, and Microsoft publishes a separate Copilot Credit rate for each capability, so there is no single ratio. Once AI Builder credits are unavailable, AI Builder actions draw on Copilot Credits, and runs are blocked if the environment has none.

How do we find out how many credits we actually use?

In the Power Platform admin center, go to Licensing and then Capacity add-ons, and download the AI Builder report, which covers the 30 days before the date you choose. For a breakdown by model, use the AI Builder activity view in the Power Automate Automation Center or the AI Event table in Dataverse.

Can we still buy AI Builder capacity add-ons?

No. Sales to new customers ended on November 1, 2025, and existing customers could buy or renew only until November 1, 2026, when the add-on reached end of life. Credits from add-on contracts already in place remain usable until those contracts expire, and new capacity has to be bought as Copilot Credits.

The post AI Builder Credits Ended for New and Renewed Licenses on November 1, 2026: What Dynamics 365 F&O Customers Keep Until Renewal appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Documento Soporte in Colombia: Electronic Documents Beyond the Invoice in Business Central

Soluciones LLB — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 17:00:17 +0000

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Most partners know that Colombia requires electronic invoices. Fewer know that the DIAN framework also covers purchases, adjustments, and invoice events. The documento soporte is the clearest example. This guide explains what it is, who issues it, and what a Business Central project should consider.
Key takeaway: The documento soporte is issued by the buyer, not the seller. It supports a purchase from someone who is not required to invoice.

What Is a Documento Soporte?

The documento soporte en adquisiciones a no obligados a facturar accredits a purchase of goods or services from a seller that does not have to issue an invoice or equivalent document. It supports transactions that create costs, deductions, or creditable taxes.
According to Actualícese, the buyer must generate it. Buyers who are obligated to invoice electronically must issue it electronically, a requirement that began in August 2022. Otherwise, it is issued on paper.
The table below compares it with an electronic invoice.

Factor	Electronic invoice	Documento soporte
Who issues it	The seller	The buyer
What it supports	A sale	A purchase from a seller not obliged to invoice
Main use	Revenue and tax credit for the buyer	Costs, deductions, and creditable taxes

Why It Matters for a Business Central Project

Many companies buy from small suppliers, freelancers, or individuals who do not issue invoices. In that case, the company needs a documento soporte for each purchase. As a result, the purchase process in Business Central must be able to generate it.
In addition, the team must decide which vendors need this treatment. Therefore, mark vendors by type in the master data. Our guide to multi-country master data explains how to plan this.

The Nota de Ajuste

When a documento soporte needs correction, the company uses a nota de ajuste. Resolución DIAN 000167 of 2021 describes it in articles 1 and 5. The details of when and how to use it come from that resolution, so check the text with the client's tax advisor before you configure the process.

Invoice Events: Acuse and Acceptance

The DIAN framework also includes events for electronic invoices. The sources we reviewed mention three:

Acuse de recibo de la factura.
Acuse de conformidad de bienes o servicios.
Acuse de aceptación o rechazo.

These events are required in credit or deferred-payment operations, and not in cash operations. They matter when the buyer wants to claim a deduction or creditable VAT. However, omitting them can be corrected, because no deadline applies. Without a complete record, the company may face questions in an audit. For the technical side, the DIAN website lists the current rules.

Events and RADIAN

Events also connect to RADIAN, the registry where invoice events are recorded. Each event receives a CUDE, the unique code for electronic documents of that type. Our direct connection guide explains how DIAN validation works.

A Checklist for the Project

Question	Why it matters
Which vendors do not issue invoices?	They need a documento soporte
Who generates the documento soporte?	The purchasing process must include it
How does the company correct a documento soporte?	It needs a nota de ajuste
Who records the acuse events?	They support deductions and creditable VAT
Are the purchases paid in cash or on credit?	Events apply to credit operations

Common Mistakes

Treating the documento soporte as a sales document.
Leaving small vendors without a process.
Forgetting the events for credit purchases.
Not agreeing who corrects documents.

How to Decide the Scope with the Client

Ask the purchasing team for a list of suppliers from the last year. Mark which ones issue invoices and which ones do not. The second group needs a documento soporte. This list also shows the volume, which helps you estimate testing effort.
Then review how the company pays. Cash purchases and credit purchases follow different rules for events, as we saw above. A company that buys mostly on credit will need a more careful event process.
Finally, involve the tax advisor early. The advisor can confirm when a nota de ajuste applies and who signs off on corrections. With that decision in writing, the consultant can configure the process without guessing.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides an AppSource-certified localization for Colombia. We work through partners and support testing, training, and updates. See our Colombia localization and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Colombia's e-invoicing is broader than the sales invoice. Identify the purchases that need a documento soporte, define who corrects it, and keep the invoice events in mind.
Do you have a Colombia project? Request a demo and we will help you scope the documents your client needs.

The post Documento Soporte in Colombia: Electronic Documents Beyond the Invoice in Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Avoid Stockouts in Ecommerce: 12 Proven Strategies

MetaOption LLC — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 16:20:30 +0000

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Imagine a customer visits your ecommerce store, finds the product they need, and is ready to place an order. But just before checkout, they see the message "Out of Stock."
You have lost a potential sale. Even worse, the customer may visit a competitor's website and purchase the same product there.
Stockouts are one of the most common challenges faced by ecommerce businesses. They can affect sales, customer satisfaction, brand reputation, and long-term growth. The problem becomes more difficult when businesses sell through multiple channels, manage several warehouses, or handle hundreds of products.
The good news is that most stockouts can be reduced with better inventory planning, accurate stock tracking, and the right inventory management processes.
In this guide, we will explain how to avoid stockouts in ecommerce businesses, what causes inventory shortages, and how inventory management software can help maintain product availability.

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What Is a Stockout in Ecommerce?

A stockout occurs when a business runs out of available inventory for a product that customers want to purchase.
For example, suppose your online store sells wireless headphones. You have 100 units in stock, and customers purchase 85 units within a few days. However, your next supplier delivery is scheduled for next week.
If customers continue placing orders and the available inventory reaches zero, your product becomes unavailable.
This situation is known as a stockout.
Stockouts can happen because of unexpected demand, poor inventory forecasting, supplier delays, inaccurate stock records, or inefficient purchasing processes.
For ecommerce businesses selling on multiple marketplaces, the problem can be even more complicated because inventory quantities need to remain accurate across different sales channels.

Why Do Ecommerce Businesses Experience Stockouts?

Before understanding how to prevent stockouts, it is important to identify why they happen.
Here are some common reasons.

1. Poor Demand Forecasting

Many businesses purchase inventory based on previous sales without considering changes in customer demand.
For example, a product that sells 100 units per month may suddenly sell 300 units during a promotional campaign.
Without proper demand forecasting, businesses may not have enough stock to handle increased orders.

2. Inaccurate Inventory Records

Inventory records can become inaccurate due to manual data entry, unrecorded returns, misplaced products, or delayed stock updates.
For example, your inventory spreadsheet may show 50 units available even though only 15 units are physically present in the warehouse.
This creates problems when purchasing and replenishment decisions are based on incorrect information.

3. Supplier and Shipping Delays

Ecommerce businesses depend on suppliers and logistics partners to maintain inventory availability.
Unexpected shipping delays, manufacturing problems, transportation disruptions, and supplier shortages can delay stock replenishment.
When businesses do not maintain sufficient safety stock, even a small delay can cause products to go out of stock.

4. Poor Inventory Replenishment Planning

Some businesses reorder products only when inventory is almost depleted.
This approach does not consider supplier lead times, sales velocity, or expected demand during the replenishment period.
As a result, new inventory may arrive after the existing stock has already run out.

5. Selling Across Multiple Channels

Managing inventory across Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and other marketplaces can be challenging.
When stock quantities are not synchronized properly, one sales channel may continue accepting orders even when another channel has already sold the available inventory.
This can create overselling, inaccurate stock records, and unexpected shortages.

12 Effective Strategies to Avoid Stockouts in Ecommerce Businesses

Preventing stockouts requires a combination of inventory planning, supplier coordination, demand monitoring, and technology.
Here are 12 practical strategies ecommerce businesses can follow.

1. Use Inventory Management Software

Managing stock through spreadsheets may work for a small ecommerce store with limited products. However, as sales volume increases, manual inventory tracking becomes difficult.
Inventory management software helps businesses maintain accurate stock records and monitor inventory movements from a centralized platform.
With the right inventory management system, you can:

Track available stock in real time.
Monitor incoming and outgoing inventory.
Set low-stock alerts for individual products.
Manage purchase orders and supplier deliveries.
Track inventory across multiple warehouses.
Synchronize stock across connected sales channels.

For example, when a customer purchases a product, the system can update the inventory quantity and reflect the change across supported sales channels.
This improves inventory visibility and helps teams identify products that need replenishment before they run out.

2. Set Reorder Points for Every Product

A reorder point is the inventory level at which a business should place a new purchase order.
Instead of waiting until stock reaches zero, you can establish minimum stock thresholds for individual products.
A commonly used reorder point formula is:
Reorder Point = Average Daily Demand × Supplier Lead Time + Safety Stock
For example:
Suppose your ecommerce business sells 20 units of a product every day. Your supplier takes 7 days to deliver new inventory, and you maintain 50 units as safety stock.
Reorder Point = (20 × 7) + 50

Example reorder point

190 units

Your business should consider placing a new order when available inventory reaches 190 units.

Daily demand
20 units

Supplier lead time
7 days

Safety stock
50 units

Setting reorder points helps businesses initiate replenishment at the right time instead of reacting after stock has already run out.

3. Maintain Safety Stock for Important Products

Safety stock is additional inventory maintained to protect businesses against unexpected demand increases and supplier delays.
For example, if you usually sell 500 units of a product every month, keeping additional inventory can help you continue fulfilling orders if demand suddenly increases.
However, maintaining too much safety stock can increase storage costs and tie up working capital.
Consider maintaining higher safety stock for:

Fast-selling products.
Products with unpredictable demand.
Products with long supplier lead times.
Seasonal or promotional products.
Products with limited supplier availability.

Review safety stock levels regularly instead of using the same quantity for every product.

4. Forecast Product Demand Using Historical Sales Data

Demand forecasting helps ecommerce businesses estimate how much inventory they may need in the future.
Instead of relying only on assumptions, analyze your historical sales data to identify purchasing patterns.
Consider factors such as:

Daily, weekly, and monthly sales.
Seasonal demand changes.
Promotional campaigns.
Product launch schedules.
Holiday shopping trends.
Market and customer buying patterns.

For example, if your business experiences higher sales during Black Friday and Christmas, your inventory planning should account for these periods.
Inventory forecasting tools can help businesses identify expected demand and prepare purchasing plans accordingly.
Remember that past sales are useful inputs, but they do not guarantee future demand. Adjust forecasts when pricing, promotions, market conditions, or product availability changes.

5. Monitor Inventory Across All Sales Channels

Selling on multiple ecommerce platforms increases your potential customer reach, but it also creates inventory management challenges.
Suppose you have 100 units available. Your Shopify store sells 40 units, Amazon sells 35 units, and eBay sells another 25 units.
If these platforms do not share accurate inventory information, you may continue accepting orders beyond your available stock.
A centralized multi-channel inventory management system helps synchronize stock quantities across connected platforms.
Before selecting a solution, check whether it supports your sales channels and how quickly it updates inventory after orders, cancellations, and returns.

6. Build Strong Relationships with Suppliers

Your inventory availability depends heavily on supplier reliability.
A supplier that regularly misses delivery deadlines can create serious stock problems, even when your inventory planning is accurate.
Maintain regular communication with suppliers and discuss expected delivery schedules, minimum order quantities, production capacity, and potential delays.
Here are a few ways to reduce supplier-related risks:

Work with reliable suppliers.
Maintain backup suppliers for critical products.
Agree on realistic delivery timelines.
Monitor supplier performance.
Share demand forecasts with suppliers.
Review minimum order quantities and purchasing terms.

Having alternative suppliers for important products can help reduce dependency on a single source.

7. Track Inventory Lead Times

Lead time is the time between placing a purchase order and receiving the inventory.
For example, if you place an order on Monday and receive the products after 12 days, your supplier lead time is 12 days.
Knowing actual lead times is important because reorder decisions depend on how long replenishment takes.
Track the delivery performance of each supplier and compare expected lead times with actual delivery times.
If a supplier usually takes 10 days but has recently started taking 18 days, your reorder points may need adjustment.
Accurate lead-time tracking helps businesses plan replenishment more effectively.

8. Perform Regular Inventory Audits

Inventory records do not always match physical stock.
Products may be damaged, misplaced, returned, or recorded incorrectly during receiving and picking activities.
Regular inventory audits help identify these differences.
You can use cycle counting to verify selected products or storage locations regularly instead of counting the entire warehouse at once.
Pay particular attention to:

High-value products.
Fast-moving products.
Frequently returned items.
Products with repeated stock discrepancies.
Items stored across multiple locations.

Barcode scanning can also improve the accuracy of receiving, picking, and stock counting processes.

9. Plan Inventory for Seasonal Demand

Ecommerce demand often changes throughout the year.
Products that sell slowly during regular months may experience a sudden increase in demand during seasonal events and promotional campaigns.
For example, certain products may receive higher demand during:

Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Christmas and New Year.
Back-to-school season.
Summer and winter sales.
Valentine's Day and other shopping events.

Review previous seasonal sales data and coordinate with suppliers before launching major promotions.
Also, monitor campaign performance so that purchasing decisions can be adjusted when actual demand is higher or lower than expected.

10. Identify Fast-Moving and Slow-Moving Products

Not every product contributes equally to your sales.
Some products sell quickly and require frequent replenishment, while others may remain in storage for months.
Identify products based on their sales velocity and inventory movement.
For example:

Product	Monthly Sales	Inventory Priority
Wireless Headphones	600 units	High
Laptop Stands	350 units	High
USB Hubs	120 units	Medium
Desk Organizers	35 units	Low

This helps businesses prioritize purchasing decisions and allocate working capital more effectively.
You can also use ABC inventory analysis to classify products based on their contribution to inventory value or another selected business metric.
High-priority products deserve closer monitoring because running out of them may have a greater impact on revenue.

11. Improve Inventory Visibility Across Warehouses

Businesses operating multiple fulfillment centers need accurate visibility into stock at each location.
For example, your company may have 200 units in a California warehouse but only 10 units in New York.
Without warehouse-level inventory tracking, the purchasing team may not understand where stock shortages are developing.
A multi-warehouse inventory management system helps businesses:

Monitor stock at individual locations.
Track warehouse-to-warehouse transfers.
Identify products running low at specific facilities.
Allocate available inventory more effectively.
Coordinate replenishment across locations.

Better warehouse inventory visibility helps prevent localized stockouts and improves fulfillment planning.

12. Monitor Inventory Performance Regularly

Preventing stockouts is not a one-time activity. Businesses need to monitor inventory performance continuously.
Track important inventory KPIs to identify potential problems early.

Inventory KPI	What It Measures
Stockout Rate	Percentage of products or demand unavailable when needed
Inventory Turnover	How frequently inventory is sold and replenished
Sell-Through Rate	Percentage of available inventory sold during a period
Supplier Lead Time	Time taken by suppliers to deliver an order
Order Fulfillment Rate	Percentage of orders fulfilled successfully
Inventory Accuracy	How closely recorded stock matches physical inventory

Review these metrics regularly and investigate unexpected changes.
For example, an increasing stockout rate may indicate poor demand forecasting, delayed replenishment, or inaccurate inventory records.

How Inventory Management Software Helps Prevent Ecommerce Stockouts

Technology plays an important role in reducing inventory shortages.
Modern inventory management software brings purchasing, stock tracking, order processing, and warehouse activities together.
Here is how it can help:

Software Capability	How It Helps Prevent Stockouts
Real-Time Inventory Tracking	Provides updated visibility into available stock
Low-Stock Alerts	Notifies teams when products approach reorder levels
Reorder Point Management	Helps initiate replenishment at the right time
Demand Forecasting	Helps estimate future inventory requirements
Purchase Order Management	Tracks incoming inventory and supplier orders
Multi-Channel Synchronization	Keeps stock information aligned across connected stores
Multi-Warehouse Tracking	Shows stock availability at individual locations
Inventory Reporting	Helps identify fast-moving and shortage-prone products

The main advantage is that businesses can identify inventory issues earlier rather than discovering them when customers are ready to purchase.

Common Mistakes That Increase the Risk of Stockouts

Even businesses with inventory management processes can experience stock shortages when important details are overlooked.
Here are some mistakes to avoid.
1. Reordering Products Too Late: Waiting until inventory reaches zero before placing a purchase order leaves little room for supplier delays.
2. Ignoring Seasonal Demand: Using average monthly sales without accounting for promotions and seasonal changes can lead to inaccurate purchasing plans.
3. Depending Only on Spreadsheets: Manual inventory records become difficult to maintain as product catalogs and order volumes grow.
4. Not Tracking Supplier Performance: Businesses that ignore delivery delays may continue using incorrect lead-time assumptions.
5. Ignoring Inventory Discrepancies: Differences between physical stock and recorded stock can create unexpected shortages.
6. Not Synchronizing Sales Channels: Delayed inventory updates can cause overselling and inaccurate stock availability.
7. Maintaining the Same Safety Stock for Every Product: Different products have different demand patterns and supplier lead times. Safety stock should reflect these differences.

How GOIS Helps Businesses Improve Inventory Control

As ecommerce operations grow, maintaining accurate inventory records becomes increasingly challenging.
GOIS (Goods Order Inventory System) provides inventory and order management capabilities that can help businesses organize their stock operations.
Rather than depending entirely on manual spreadsheets, businesses can use an inventory management platform to improve visibility into product quantities and inventory movements.
With GOIS, businesses can explore capabilities such as:

Inventory Tracking: Monitor stock quantities and inventory movements.
Order Management: Organize and manage customer orders.
Purchase Management: Manage purchasing activities and incoming inventory.
Barcode Scanning: Support inventory identification and warehouse workflows.
Inventory Visibility: Access centralized inventory information for better operational control.

These capabilities can help businesses reduce manual inventory work, improve stock accuracy, and make more informed replenishment decisions.
Explore GOIS Inventory Management Software to learn how it can support your inventory and order management operations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ecommerce Stockouts

1. What is the main cause of stockouts in ecommerce?

Common causes include poor demand forecasting, inaccurate inventory records, supplier delays, insufficient safety stock, and ineffective inventory replenishment planning. Businesses selling across multiple channels may also experience stockouts because of delayed inventory synchronization.

2. How can small ecommerce businesses prevent stockouts?

Small ecommerce businesses should monitor sales trends, establish reorder points, maintain appropriate safety stock, build reliable supplier relationships, and review inventory regularly. Inventory management software can also help automate stock tracking as the business grows.

3. What is the difference between a stockout and overselling?

A stockout occurs when a business has no available inventory to fulfill customer demand. Overselling happens when a business accepts more orders than it can fulfill with its available stock. Poor inventory synchronization can contribute to both problems.

4. How much safety stock should an ecommerce business maintain?

There is no universal safety stock quantity. It depends on product demand, supplier lead times, demand variability, and the level of risk the business is willing to accept. Fast-moving products and items with unpredictable replenishment may require more safety stock.

5. How do reorder points help prevent stockouts?

Reorder points identify when inventory has reached a level at which a business should place a new purchase order. They account for expected demand during supplier lead time and additional safety stock, helping businesses replenish inventory before it runs out.

6. Can inventory management software automatically prevent stockouts?

Inventory management software can help reduce stockout risks through stock tracking, low-stock notifications, reorder point management, forecasting, and purchase order workflows. However, it cannot eliminate all stockouts because supplier disruptions and unexpected demand can still occur.

7. Why is multi-channel inventory synchronization important?

When businesses sell through several ecommerce platforms, inventory quantities must remain consistent across connected channels. Synchronization helps prevent overselling, improves stock accuracy, and gives teams better visibility into available inventory.

8. What inventory KPIs should ecommerce businesses monitor?

Important metrics include stockout rate, inventory turnover, sell-through rate, supplier lead time, inventory accuracy, and order fulfillment rate. Monitoring these KPIs helps businesses identify inventory problems and improve.

Other Related Blogs:

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Managed Environments Eligibility Is Not the Same as App Rights

Rohinii K By Dax software solutions — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 12:30:54 +0000

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One Power Platform licensing misread comes up again and again. A team checks the Managed Environments licence list, finds Dynamics 365 Team Members on it, and concludes that Team Members users can run the custom apps in that environment. Microsoft's own Team Members guidance says they cannot.
The two questions sound alike and are answered in different places. Whether a licence counts toward Managed Environments is one question. Whether a user may run a particular app is another. With Power Apps licence enforcement arriving in February 2027, the gap between them stops being theoretical. At DAX Software Solutions, we see this as the conversation worth having before enforcement has it for you.

What does Managed Environments licensing actually cover?

Managed Environments licensing defines which licences include the Managed Environments feature set. It does not define which apps a user may run.
Microsoft's Power Platform Licensing Guide states that Managed Environments is included with:

Power Apps and Power Automate standalone licences
Copilot Studio standalone licences and the Copilot Studio pay-as-you-go meter
The Power Apps per app pay-as-you-go meter
Copilot Studio for Microsoft 365 Copilot, for Copilot Studio features only
Dynamics 365 Premium, Enterprise and Team Members standalone licences

The guide also states that once Managed Environments is enabled, all active usage in the environment requires one of these standalone licences or pay-as-you-go meters.

Why is eligibility not the same as app rights?

Because Microsoft defines "standalone" narrowly. The licensing guide explains that standalone licences means full Power Apps, Power Automate and Copilot Studio licences, and that it does not include the limited Power Apps and Power Automate use rights that come with select Dynamics 365 licences.
Those limited rights are real but bounded. Microsoft states that Dynamics 365 licences include Power Apps use rights within the same environment as the licensed Dynamics 365 application, to customize and extend it, and that the rights vary by licence type.
So a licence can appear on the Managed Environments list and still not cover the custom app a user is trying to open. Eligibility answers a question about the environment. App rights answer a question about the user and the app.

What does Team Members actually allow?

Team Members gives access to designated Team Member apps, not to custom applications. Microsoft's Team Members licence guidance states that the subscription does not provide access to custom applications.
Team Members access runs through designated apps, including Customer Service Team Member, Sales Team Member and Project Resource Hub, each limited to 15 entities. Microsoft states that once enforcement applies to an environment, Team Members users can only access Team Member applications, and that custom apps require a Power Apps per app or per user licence.
Microsoft's wording is not perfectly uniform. The managed environment licensing article lists Team Members in its footnote of Dynamics 365 licences that give premium Power Apps usage rights in a managed environment, while the Team Members article states that the subscription does not provide access to custom applications. Until the two are aligned, the prudent reading is to treat Team Members as covering the designated Team Member apps only, and to confirm any wider use with your Microsoft licensing contact.
We covered the 15-entity limit in more depth in licensing the manager who only approves things.

What about Sales Professional and Customer Service Professional?

Professional licences carry Power Apps rights only inside the licensed application. Microsoft's managed environment licensing guidance states that Power Apps capabilities included with Dynamics 365 Pro licences may be used only within the context of the licensed Dynamics 365 application.
A Sales Professional user working inside Dynamics 365 Sales is covered for that context. The same user opening a custom inspection app or a separate model-driven app built for another team is not.

Does removing the Managed Environments designation fix it?

No. Switching the designation off changes which governance features apply. It does not change what a user's licence allows.
Microsoft's Power Apps licensing FAQ names three areas where enforcement begins in February 2027, and only one of them depends on Managed Environments:

Apps in managed environments, where every active user needs a qualifying licence
Model-driven apps, which use Dataverse and need premium Power Apps use rights wherever they run
Apps used outside a Dynamics 365 environment context, which need separate Power Apps licensing

Microsoft also states that the underlying requirement is not new. For model-driven apps and apps outside a Dynamics 365 context, removing the designation leaves the licence requirement exactly where it was.
There is a practical constraint as well. Microsoft has deprecated unmanaged developer environments, and existing developer environments must have Managed Environments enabled before 15 December 2026 to be kept.

How should leaders review this?

Map users to apps, not to environments. Start with Microsoft's Users requiring licenses in Managed Environments report in the Power Platform admin center, found under Licensing, then Power Apps, then Download report. It lists users who opened an app in a managed environment without an appropriate licence during a selected month.
Then, for each user and app pairing:

Confirm whether the app runs inside the licensed Dynamics 365 application's context
Check whether the user's licence is Enterprise, Professional or Team Members, since the rights differ
Decide whether to license the user, rebuild the requirement inside the licensed application where that fits, or retire the app

This belongs alongside the wider question of Dynamics 365 licence validation, where the licences a user's security roles require are checked at sign-in.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Team Members licence let users run custom Power Apps? No. Microsoft states the Team Members subscription does not provide access to custom applications.
Is Team Members on the Managed Environments list? Yes. The Power Platform Licensing Guide includes Dynamics 365 Team Members standalone licences among those that include Managed Environments.
Can Sales Professional users run any app in the environment? No. Power Apps capabilities included with Dynamics 365 Pro licences apply only within the context of the licensed Dynamics 365 application.
Will turning off Managed Environments avoid enforcement? No. Model-driven apps and apps outside a Dynamics 365 environment context are enforced from February 2027 regardless of the designation.

DAX Software Solutions: Planning Before Enforcement

DAX Software Solutions builds and supports Power Apps alongside Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service, and our managed services teams help keep those applications stable over time. If your licence plan assumes Dynamics 365 licences cover your custom apps, test that assumption before February 2027. Talk to our team.
Microsoft's licensing guidance is informational and subject to change. Confirm the current position for your tenant and agreement before acting.

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Dynamics 365 Implementation Cost in the UK: Pricing, Factors and What to Expect

Dynamics Square UK — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 11:03:02 +0000

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Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an important investment for businesses looking to improve financial management, customer relationships, operations and overall productivity. However, one of the first questions UK businesses ask is: How much does Dynamics 365 implementation cost in the UK?
The total cost depends on the Dynamics 365 applications you choose, business requirements, number of users, customisation, integrations and implementation complexity.
This guide explains the key factors affecting Dynamics 365 implementation costs, potential expenses and how to plan your ERP or CRM project effectively.

How Much Does Dynamics 365 Implementation Cost in the UK?

There is no fixed price for a Dynamics 365 implementation. A small CRM deployment will generally require a different budget from a multi-department ERP implementation involving complex integrations and data migration.
The main cost components include:

Software licensing: Monthly or annual subscription fees based on the selected Dynamics 365 applications and user licences.
Implementation services: Requirements analysis, solution design, configuration and deployment.
Customisation: Developing additional features, workflows, reports and business-specific functionality.
Data migration: Transferring existing customer, financial, inventory and operational data.
Integration: Connecting Dynamics 365 with Microsoft 365, Power BI, payroll, eCommerce and other business systems.
Training and support: Preparing employees to use the new system and providing ongoing technical assistance.

Businesses should evaluate the complete project cost rather than considering software licensing alone.

Key Factors That Affect Dynamics 365 Implementation Costs

Several factors influence the overall Dynamics 365 implementation cost in the UK.
1. Business size and number of users
The number of users and departments involved affects licensing, configuration, training and project management requirements.
2. Dynamics 365 modules selected
Implementing Business Central, Finance, Sales or Customer Service involves different requirements and levels of complexity.
3. Customisation requirements
Businesses with specialised workflows, approval processes or reporting requirements may need additional development.
4. Data migration and integrations
Moving data from legacy ERP or CRM systems and connecting third-party applications can increase implementation time and costs.
5. Implementation partner experience
An experienced Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation partner can help define project scope, avoid unnecessary customisation and reduce implementation risks.

How to Reduce Dynamics 365 Implementation Costs

UK businesses can manage implementation budgets more effectively by following a few practical steps:

Define clear business requirements before starting the project.
Choose only the Dynamics 365 modules your business needs.
Prioritise essential features instead of unnecessary customisations.
Clean and validate existing data before migration.
Use standard Microsoft functionality wherever possible.
Plan employee training and implementation phases in advance.

A well-defined implementation strategy can help prevent unexpected expenses and improve long-term return on investment.

Why Choose the Right Dynamics 365 Implementation Partner?

Selecting the right implementation partner is just as important as choosing the software. Your partner should understand your business processes, technical requirements and long-term growth plans.
Dynamics Square helps UK businesses plan and implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions based on their operational requirements. From solution consultation and implementation to data migration, integration, training and ongoing support, the team helps businesses make informed technology investments.
Working with an experienced partner also helps businesses establish realistic project timelines, manage implementation risks and get more value from their Dynamics 365 investment.

Is Dynamics 365 Worth the Investment?

For businesses looking to replace disconnected systems, automate manual processes and improve business visibility, Dynamics 365 can deliver long-term operational value.
The right solution can help improve financial reporting, customer management, inventory visibility and decision-making. However, the return on investment depends on selecting suitable modules, managing implementation costs and ensuring employees use the system effectively.
Dynamics Square helps businesses identify suitable Dynamics 365 solutions and develop implementation strategies aligned with their business goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much does Dynamics 365 implementation cost in the UK?

The cost varies depending on the selected applications, number of users, customisation, integrations, data migration and project complexity. Businesses should request a tailored quotation based on their requirements.

2. How long does a Dynamics 365 implementation take?

Implementation timelines depend on project scope. A straightforward deployment may take a few weeks, while complex ERP implementations can take several months or longer.

3. Does Dynamics 365 implementation include training?

Training can be included in the implementation project scope. It helps employees understand the system and use its features effectively.

4. Can I migrate from an existing ERP or CRM to Dynamics 365?

Yes. Businesses can migrate from legacy platforms such as Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP and other ERP or CRM systems, subject to data compatibility and migration requirements.

5. How can Dynamics Square UK help with Dynamics 365 implementation?

Dynamics Square UK provides Dynamics 365 consultation, implementation, customisation, migration, integration, training and support services to help businesses deploy solutions that match their requirements.

Final Thoughts

Dynamics 365 implementation costs depend on your business size, selected applications and technical requirements. A clear project scope, realistic budget and experienced implementation partner can help you achieve a successful deployment.
If you are planning to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 and want to understand the costs involved, Contact Dynamics Square UK for expert consultation and a tailored implementation proposal.

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Real-time inventory in Business Central: Scan live, then post on your terms with a scanning extension

Insight Works — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 21:00:34 +0000

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Real-time inventory in Business Central starts with the scan. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Resellers often sell it as an add-on. Each confirmed scan updates the warehouse document in Business Central immediately. Posting, the step that changes inventory, happens on the schedule you set.

Is each scan a live Business Central transaction?

Each confirmed scan writes straight to the document in Business Central. There is no paper and no catch-up entry at a desk later. When a picker scans an item, the line’s handled quantity updates right away. The office sees progress while the work is still happening. Anyone with access can open the document in Business Central and see what has been handled.
The scan is also checked as it happens. On a shipment, for example, Business Central validates every scan. Wrong items, quantities over the line and tracking mismatches show on the device before the worker moves on. Does scanning on a handheld update Business Central in real time? walks through this on a purchase order.

When does the item actually move to the new bin?

The item moves in Business Central when the document is posted or registered. That is standard Business Central behavior, not a scanner setting. Scanning fills in what was handled. Posting or registering commits it to inventory and bin contents. Microsoft describes this for put-aways. Microsoft’s documentation states: “When you have placed all the items in bins as instructed, choose the Register Put-away action.”
Warehouse Insight lets workers post or register from the device, so nobody walks back to a desk. Ad-hoc moves are the exception to the document flow. They need no document and post as a reclassification journal entry once the destination bin is scanned. Here is how that plays out by document:

Document	What each scan updates	What commits the change
Receipt	Quantity received on the line	Posting the receipt
Put-away	Bin and quantity handled	Registering the put-away
Pick	Bin, item and quantity picked	Registering the pick
Movement	Take and place lines handled	Registering the movement
Ad-hoc move	Source bin, item and destination bin	Posted as soon as the destination bin is scanned
Shipment	Quantity confirmed on the line	Posting the shipment

Can posting be held for office review?

Yes. Scanning and posting are separate decisions, and you control posting from inside Business Central. Warehouse Insight offers three posting modes:

Auto-post on exit: The document posts or registers when the worker closes it.
Manual posting: The worker posts from the device menu after confirming quantities.
Supervisor-only posting: Workers scan, and a supervisor reviews and posts.

All three are set in Business Central’s device configuration, not on each handheld. The Warehouse Insight receiving page shows how supervisors use the review step. They can check a receipt before it is committed, without touching the device.

How does a scanning extension keep inventory accurate between counts?

A scanning extension keeps inventory accurate by catching errors at the bin, not at the next count. Warehouse Insight adds several checks to daily work:

Scan to confirm: Workers scan the bin and the item, so the location is verified before a transaction posts.
Bin content inquiry: One scan of a bin shows every item, quantity, lot and serial number Business Central holds there.
Item inquiry: One scan of an item shows each bin it sits in and the quantity available.
Unplanned counts: A worker who spots a short bin can count it on the spot.

With an unplanned inventory count, discrepancies show on the device before anything posts. A worker who miscounts can recount right away. Small errors get fixed before they spread into picks and orders.

Which posting mode supports real-time inventory in Business Central?

Auto-post keeps inventory closest to what happened on the floor. Every closed document commits right away, so nobody forgets to post. It suits picks, put-aways and moves, where a delay leaves bin contents out of date.
Supervisor-only posting trades a short delay for a review step. It suits receipts and shipments where the office wants to check quantities first. Many warehouses mix modes by document type. Scans stay live either way, so the office can always see what was handled.
Manual posting sits between the two. The worker decides when the document is complete and posts it from the device menu. It suits experienced teams that want control without a supervisor step. Whatever you choose, the setting lives in Business Central and applies across the device fleet.

Frequently asked questions about real-time inventory in Business Central

Does auto-post give real-time inventory in Business Central?

It gets close. Auto-post commits each document as soon as the worker closes it. Picks can also auto-register on close, so bin contents stay current.

Can offline scans still support real-time inventory in Business Central?

Warehouse Insight is built online-first, so scans normally reach Business Central immediately. When Wi-Fi drops, offline mode holds the work and sends it when the device reconnects. How Warehouse Insight works offline covers the details.

Do I need to change my posting setup to start scanning?

No. You choose a posting mode in Business Central and can change it later. Workers see the new behavior the next time they open a document.

Where are posting rules configured?

In Business Central. Posting modes, scan behavior and the fields on each screen are all set there. Nothing is managed on the device.
To see how scanning and posting work across receiving, picking and moves, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.

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What Business Central Users Took Away from Community Summit 2026

Logan Consulting — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 18:21:52 +0000

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Keeping up with Business Central can be hard for finance and operations teams, since every release cycle brings new capabilities. In October, the Microsoft business applications community met at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville for Community Summit North America 2026. Logan Consulting had a booth there. The sessions were about practical use rather than product pitches, and much of what people learned came from how their peers run their systems. Below are the main takeaways for organizations using Business Central.

Copilot Has Moved Into Daily Work

AI conversations at the Summit were about how teams already use Copilot, not what it might do someday. Attendees shared examples like drafting content, summarizing records, and finding information faster in Business Central. A recurring point was that AI results are only as reliable as the data and processes behind them. Clean master data, clear approval workflows, and defined user roles make Copilot output easier to trust.

Planning for 2026 Release Wave 2

The event lined up with the start of 2026 release wave 2. New features roll out gradually rather than all at once. Instead of turning on every update, organizations should review the release against their own business priorities. That keeps adoption focused on the features that solve real problems.

GP Migration Is About When, Not If

For many Dynamics GP users, the question is no longer whether to move but how and when. The most successful migrations treat the move as a chance to improve processes and clean up data. Teams also need to decide early how much transaction history to bring forward. Planning those choices up front reduces disruption and helps the new system start on solid footing.

Steady Improvements Win

Across sessions, the advice was consistent: start with business goals, invest in user training, and plan for change management early. Organizations that make small, ongoing improvements often get more value than those that wait for one large project. Business Central works best when it keeps evolving with the business.

Next Steps

Logan Consulting is a proud Microsoft partner. We are here to help your business get the most out of your ERP. Contact us today to learn more.

The post What Business Central Users Took Away from Community Summit 2026 appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How to Automate Exchange Rates in Dynamics 365 BC and Finance (2026)

Xe — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 17:00:23 +0000

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Every foreign currency invoice, consolidated financial statement, and revenue forecast depends on an exchange rate. Yet many finance teams still rely on manually updated spreadsheets or disconnected data sources, creating inconsistencies that complicate reporting and reconciliation. Xe Currency Data provides embedded exchange rates in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Finance, delivering validated currency data directly within finance teams' existing systems.

Key Highlights

Manual exchange rate updates can create reporting discrepancies, reconciliation challenges, and audit risks.
PwC's 2025 Global Treasury Survey found that 83% of respondents considered foreign exchange risk their most critical economic exposure.
Xe Currency Data aggregates and validates exchange rates from more than 100 global financial sources and central banks.
Built-in integrations for Dynamics 365 Business Central and Finance reduce the need for custom API development.
Consistent currency data supports financial reporting, treasury management, forecasting, billing, and other business processes.

Why Is Manual Exchange Rate Management a Risk?

Managing exchange rates through spreadsheets or disconnected systems can introduce inconsistent data into financial reporting. One department may use a rate downloaded each morning, while another relies on a different provider or an outdated spreadsheet.
For businesses operating across multiple currencies, legal entities, and financial systems, these differences can create significant reporting and compliance challenges.
The scale of the problem is reflected in PwC's 2025 Global Treasury Survey, which gathered responses from 350 treasury professionals worldwide:

83% identified foreign exchange risk as their most critical economic exposure.
36% still incorporated manual processes into FX exposure management.
65% planned to expand their use of APIs to improve connectivity between financial systems.

These findings highlight the need for reliable, traceable currency data. When the exchange rate used to record a transaction differs from the rate used for month-end revaluation, finance teams may struggle to explain FX gains or losses, investigate margin changes, or respond to audit questions.

How Does Embedded Exchange Rate Data Improve Financial Reporting?

Integrating a consistent exchange rate source into financial systems eliminates the need for separate teams to maintain and reconcile currency data manually.
Instead, validated rates can feed ERP systems, billing platforms, business intelligence dashboards, and treasury models from a shared source.
This improves financial operations in three important ways:

Consistent reporting: Connected systems reference the same exchange rate data, reducing discrepancies during reconciliation.
Faster month-end close: Automated updates reduce manual entry and the time spent comparing different versions of exchange rate data.
Better auditability: Documented rate sources and timestamps make it easier to trace the currency information used in financial calculations.

These improvements help finance teams who manage transactions in multiple currencies spend less time verifying inputs and more time analyzing financial results.

What Does Xe Currency Data Provide?

Xe Currency Data is a currency data API that provides exchange rates for more than 220 currencies, precious metals, and selected cryptocurrencies.
Xe aggregates information from over 100 global sources and central banks, then cleanses, normalizes, and blends the data. Its validation process detects and filters errors before rates are published.
The service provides four main types of exchange rate data.

Spot Market (Mid-Market) Rates

Current mid-market exchange rates are available with daily, hourly, 15-minute, or minute-level updates, depending on the service plan.

Historical Exchange Rates

Xe maintains an archive of historical mid-market rates going back decades, along with monthly averages. This information supports historical analysis, month-end accounting, and financial restatements.

Central Bank Rates

Official reference rates from approximately 100 central banks support regulatory, tax, and accounting calculations that require an authoritative rate rather than a market rate.

Alternative-Source Rates

Xe also provides rates published by customs authorities, ministries of finance, and similar organizations for markets where official rates come from sources other than central banks.
Additional capabilities include time-frame queries, currency volatility data, and customizable rate margins for pricing applications.

Where Can Businesses Use Automated Currency Data?

A shared exchange rate source can support several business functions that would otherwise maintain separate currency data.

Business Function	Application
Financial reporting and ERP	Currency revaluation and financial consolidation across legal entities
Treasury and forecasting	FX exposure analysis and financial planning
Business intelligence	Consistent currency inputs for dashboards and KPIs
Subscription billing	Multi-currency pricing and revenue recognition
E-commerce and marketplaces	Currency conversion for checkout pricing
Payments and money transfers	Benchmark rates for pricing, settlement, and reconciliation

By using consistent exchange rate data across these processes, businesses can reduce the discrepancies and manual reconciliation associated with multiple sources.

How Does Xe Currency Data Integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Xe provides integrations for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance, allowing organizations to access exchange rate data within their existing ERP environments.
The Xe applications handle the connection to the currency data service, reducing the need to develop and maintain a custom API integration.
Organizations can explore the available integrations through Microsoft Marketplace:

Xe Currency Data for Dynamics 365 Business Central
Xe Currency Data for Dynamics 365 Finance

With the integration already available, implementation can focus on licensing, configuration, and selecting the appropriate currency data rather than building the connection from scratch.

How Does the Xe Currency Data API Work?

Xe Currency Data is a REST API accessed over HTTPS, with responses available in JSON, CSV, or XML formats.
The service supports token-based authentication and legacy HTTP Basic authentication, with traffic encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. It runs on Amazon Web Services infrastructure and is supported by Xe's 24/7, follow-the-sun support model across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Exchange rates can continue updating through weekends whenever new source data becomes available, with the same validation processes applied.
Businesses can review additional technical information in the Xe Currency Data API documentation.

Why Trust Xe for Business Exchange Rate Data?

Xe has provided currency information since 1993 and is part of Euronet Worldwide, a NASDAQ-listed financial technology company.
With more than three decades of currency market experience, Xe combines a global network of financial data sources with processes for validating and standardizing exchange rates.
Its currency data service is designed to operate behind business applications, delivering reliable exchange rate inputs without requiring employees to manage the data separately.

Simplify Exchange Rate Management in Dynamics 365

Automating financial processes delivers limited benefits when the exchange rates behind those processes still require manual updates and reconciliation.
Xe Currency Data helps close that gap by providing validated exchange rates directly to the systems finance teams already use, including Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance.

Automate FX with Embedded Exchange Rates
See how our app simplifies embedded exchange rates in Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Apps also available on the Microsoft Marketplace.

Learn More

By Xe | www.xe.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Exchange Rates in Dynamics 365

Can exchange rate updates be automated in Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Yes. Xe Currency Data offers integrations for Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance that deliver exchange rate information directly into ERP systems, reducing manual updates and custom integration requirements.

What types of exchange rates does Xe provide?

Xe provides spot market rates, historical rates, central bank reference rates, and alternative-source rates. It also offers monthly averages, currency volatility information, and customizable margins.

How frequently does Xe Currency Data update exchange rates?

Xe offers daily, hourly, 15-minute, and minute-level updates, depending on the selected service plan. Rates may also update during weekends when new source data becomes available.

How does automated exchange rate data help with financial audits?

Automated currency data provides a consistent rate source with documented timestamps, making it easier to trace exchange rates, investigate discrepancies, and support financial reporting.

How many currencies does Xe Currency Data cover?

Xe Currency Data provides exchange rates for more than 220 currencies, along with precious metals and selected cryptocurrencies. Xe aggregates information from over 100 global sources and central banks, then cleanses, normalizes and blends the data. A validation process detects and filters errors before rates are published, so the rates reaching Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance have already been checked.

Where can I get the Xe exchange rate app for Dynamics 365?

Xe publishes its integrations through Microsoft Marketplace: Xe Currency Data for Dynamics 365 Business Central and Xe Currency Data for Dynamics 365 Finance. Because the integration already exists, implementation can focus on licensing, configuration and selecting the appropriate currency data rather than building the connection from scratch. The Xe applications handle the connection to the currency data service.

Why is updating exchange rates manually in spreadsheets a risk?

Managing exchange rates through spreadsheets or disconnected systems can introduce inconsistent data into financial reporting. One department may use a rate downloaded each morning while another relies on a different provider or an outdated spreadsheet. For businesses with multiple currencies, legal entities and systems, this can create reporting and compliance problems, including difficulty explaining FX gains or losses and answering audit questions.

Does Xe provide central bank rates for tax and regulatory reporting?

Yes. Xe Currency Data includes official reference rates from approximately 100 central banks, supporting regulatory, tax and accounting calculations that require an authoritative rate rather than a market rate. Xe also provides alternative-source rates published by customs authorities, ministries of finance and similar organisations, for markets where official rates come from sources other than central banks.

Can I get historical exchange rates for month-end close and restatements?

Yes. Xe maintains an archive of historical mid-market rates going back decades, along with monthly averages. This information supports historical analysis, month-end accounting and financial restatements. Documented rate sources and timestamps also make it easier to trace the currency information used in financial calculations, which helps finance teams explain differences between transaction rates and month-end revaluation rates.

Is the Xe Currency Data API REST, and what formats does it return?

Xe Currency Data is a REST API accessed over HTTPS, with responses available in JSON, CSV or XML. It supports token-based authentication and legacy HTTP Basic authentication, with traffic encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. The service runs on Amazon Web Services infrastructure and is backed by Xe's 24/7, follow-the-sun support model across North America, Europe and Asia.

Besides the ERP, where else can a business use the same exchange rate data?

A shared source can feed several functions that would otherwise maintain their own currency data: financial reporting and ERP revaluation and consolidation across legal entities, treasury FX exposure analysis and forecasting, business intelligence dashboards and KPIs, subscription billing and revenue recognition, e-commerce checkout pricing, and payments and money transfers. Using one consistent source reduces discrepancies and manual reconciliation across these processes.

How long has Xe provided currency data, and who owns it?

Xe has provided currency information since 1993 and is part of Euronet Worldwide, a NASDAQ-listed financial technology company. With more than three decades of currency market experience, Xe combines a global network of financial data sources with processes for validating and standardising exchange rates. The service is designed to operate behind business applications, delivering exchange rate inputs without requiring employees to manage the data separately.

Does the integration require custom API development?

No. Xe provides built-in integrations for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance, and the Xe applications handle the connection to the currency data service, reducing the need to develop and maintain a custom API integration. Organisations can instead concentrate on licensing, configuration and choosing the currency data they need within their existing ERP environments.

The post How to Automate Exchange Rates in Dynamics 365 BC and Finance (2026) appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How Invoice Matching Works in Dynamics 365 Business Central (2026)

Rillion — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 17:00:19 +0000

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Invoice matching is important for maintaining accurate accounts payable (AP) records in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. By comparing supplier invoices against purchase orders and goods receipts, you can catch discrepancies before approving payments, reduce manual data entry, and avoid costly errors. With Rillion's AP automation solution integrated with Business Central, you can take this process further by automating invoice capture, matching, exception handling, and approval workflows.

Key Highlights

Invoice matching verifies supplier invoices against purchase orders and delivery records before payment.
Two-way, three-way, and four-way matching provide different levels of financial and operational control.
Automated invoice matching reduces manual work, improves accuracy, and helps prevent duplicate payments and overbilling.
Integrating invoice matching software with Dynamics 365 Business Central connects AP activities with the company's financial and purchasing records.
Automated exception handling and approval workflows help keep invoices moving while maintaining visibility and accountability.

What Is Invoice Matching in Accounts Payable?

Invoice matching is the process of comparing a supplier's invoice with purchasing documents to confirm that the company is being charged correctly for the goods or services it ordered.
For businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central, this process helps ensure that vendor invoices correspond to legitimate purchases and that the amounts being paid are accurate. Before approving an invoice, accounts payable teams typically verify several details:

Vendor and recipient names and addresses
Purchase order number
Description of goods or services
Ordered and invoiced quantities
Unit prices and total amounts
Delivery dates

Verifying this information helps prevent overpayments, incorrect charges, and payments for goods or services that were never received. It also provides a more reliable record of purchasing activity.

What Are the Different Types of Invoice Matching?

Invoice matching generally falls into three categories: two-way, three-way, and four-way matching. The appropriate method depends on the nature of the purchase and the level of verification the business requires.

Two-Way Invoice Matching

Two-way matching compares a supplier invoice with the original purchase order. The goal is to confirm that the products or services, quantities, and prices on the invoice agree with what the company ordered.
This approach works well for straightforward purchases and service-based transactions where a physical delivery receipt isn't necessary. Software subscriptions, for example, may only require confirmation that the invoiced service and price agree with the purchase order.

Three-Way Invoice Matching

Three-way matching adds a goods receipt to the comparison. The system checks three documents:

The purchase order, which identifies what the company ordered.
The goods receipt, which confirms what was delivered.
The supplier invoice, which identifies what the vendor is charging.

This additional verification is particularly useful for manufacturing, distribution, and retail businesses that purchase physical goods. It helps ensure that the company pays only for the quantities actually received and that the prices agree with the original order.
Three-way matching is also a common choice for AP automation because it provides a practical balance between financial control and processing efficiency.

Four-Way Invoice Matching

Four-way matching adds another verification step by including an acceptance or quality inspection document.
This method is useful when meeting specific quality standards is just as important as confirming quantities and prices. Construction and high-end manufacturing businesses, for example, may need to verify that delivered materials meet established specifications before authorizing payment.

How Does Automated Invoice Matching Work with Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Automated invoice matching reduces the manual effort involved in processing supplier invoices. When an AP automation solution such as Rillion works alongside Dynamics 365 Business Central, invoice information can be captured, validated, matched, routed for approval, and transferred into the ERP for recording.
The process typically involves six stages.

1. Invoice Capture

The process begins when a supplier invoice arrives, whether as a PDF attachment, an email, or a paper document that needs to be scanned.
Automated invoice capture uses AI technology to recognize and extract important information, including vendor details, invoice numbers, purchase order references, amounts, and tax information. This eliminates much of the repetitive data entry associated with manually processing invoices.

2. Data Validation

Once invoice information has been captured, it must be checked for accuracy and completeness.
The system verifies vendor information, purchase order references, descriptions, and amounts against available company records. This helps identify missing information or incorrect details before the invoice moves further into the approval process.

3. Purchase Order and Receipt Matching

The next step is to compare the invoice with its corresponding purchase order and, when required, the goods receipt.
Automated matching can check individual invoice lines against purchasing records and identify differences in quantities, prices, or other details. Rillion's integration with Dynamics 365 Business Central supports both two-way and three-way purchase order matching, including complex orders with multiple pages and numerous line items.
Instead of requiring someone to review every line manually, the system identifies discrepancies that need attention.

4. Exception Handling

Not every invoice will match perfectly. Partial deliveries, incorrect quantities, pricing differences, and missing documentation can all create exceptions.
Automated exception handling identifies these problems and directs the invoice to the appropriate AP team member or other responsible person. Providing the relevant documents along with the flagged invoice makes it easier to investigate the issue and work with the vendor or purchasing department to resolve it.

5. Invoice Approval

Once discrepancies have been resolved and the invoice has been validated, it moves through the appropriate approval workflow.
Approval rules can direct invoices to managers or other authorized employees based on established responsibilities and requirements. With Rillion, approval workflows can include mobile approvals, notifications, and reminders, allowing authorized employees to review invoices without relying on paper documents or being in the office.
After approval, the invoice is sent to Business Central for recording and payment processing.

6. Digital Archiving

The final step is maintaining a record of the processed invoice and its supporting documentation. Digital archiving makes invoices, purchase orders, and goods receipts easier to retrieve when questions arise or an audit is required. Searchable records and transaction histories also provide greater visibility into the approval and payment process.

What Are the Benefits of Automated Invoice Matching?

For companies using Dynamics 365 Business Central, automated invoice matching can improve both the accuracy of financial records and the efficiency of everyday AP operations.
Some of the most important benefits include:

Improved accuracy: Comparing invoices with purchase orders and receipts helps identify incorrect quantities, pricing discrepancies, and other errors before payment.
Reduced processing time: Automating data capture, verification, and matching eliminates repetitive manual tasks, allowing AP employees to concentrate on more valuable work.
Stronger financial controls: Matching requirements and approval procedures help prevent unauthorized payments, overbilling, and potential invoice fraud.
Better cash flow management: Faster invoice processing makes it easier to meet payment deadlines and take advantage of available early-payment discounts.
Improved vendor relationships: Consistent, accurate payments help avoid unnecessary disputes and support stronger supplier relationships.
Greater flexibility: Digital invoice processing and remote approval capabilities allow AP teams to keep work moving even when employees are working from different locations.

What Challenges Can Affect Invoice Matching?

Although automation can simplify accounts payable, businesses still need to address several common challenges when establishing an effective matching process.
Complex invoices: Detailed invoices with multiple line items, different formats, or complicated purchasing requirements can take considerable time to review. Automated data capture and centralized document storage help make this information easier to manage.
Partial deliveries: A supplier may deliver an order in several shipments, creating multiple goods receipts that need to be matched against one purchase order. Partial matching capabilities help keep these transactions organized.
ERP integration: When invoice matching software doesn't communicate effectively with the ERP system, information can become fragmented or inconsistent. A reliable integration with Dynamics 365 Business Central helps maintain accurate records across the purchasing and financial processes.
High invoice volumes: Businesses processing large numbers of invoices need a solution that can accommodate current workloads and future growth without creating processing bottlenecks.
Complex approval requirements: Multiple approval levels can delay payments when invoices become stuck waiting for authorization. Automated routing and reminders help ensure that invoices reach the right people at the right time.

What Are the Best Practices for Invoice Matching in Business Central?

A successful invoice matching process requires more than simply introducing automation. Businesses should establish consistent procedures and review them regularly to ensure they continue to meet operational needs.
Consider these best practices:

Standardize purchasing information. Use consistent vendor names, item descriptions, and purchase order references to make matching easier and reduce errors.
Establish discrepancy tolerances. Define acceptable differences in pricing or quantities. For example, a company might allow a 2% price variance before requiring additional review.
Integrate with your ERP. Connect invoice matching software with Dynamics 365 Business Central so purchasing, invoice, and financial information remain consistent.
Account for partial deliveries. Make sure the matching process can accommodate multiple shipments against a single purchase order.
Use automated exception alerts. Notify the appropriate employees when an invoice contains discrepancies or requires additional documentation.
Maintain digital records. Archive processed invoices and supporting documents in a searchable format for easier retrieval and auditing.
Review procedures regularly. As purchasing activity and invoice volumes change, revisit matching rules, approval requirements, and tolerance levels.

How Should You Implement Invoice Matching Automation?

Implementing an automated invoice matching solution requires an understanding of existing AP procedures and the company's purchasing requirements. A structured approach can help ensure that the technology supports the way the business actually operates.
Step 1: Evaluate your current process. Review invoice volumes, vendor relationships, purchasing complexity, and the amount of manual work involved. Determine whether two-way or three-way matching is appropriate for different types of transactions.
Step 2: Define your matching workflow. Establish where invoices enter the process, which documents need to be compared, how discrepancies will be handled, and who is responsible for approvals.
Step 3: Identify key stakeholders. Include AP employees, purchasing personnel, department managers, and other individuals involved in reviewing or approving invoices. Clearly define responsibilities at each stage.
Step 4: Select an appropriate automation solution. Look for software that meets your matching requirements, integrates with Dynamics 365 Business Central, and can accommodate increasing invoice volumes. Consider capabilities such as automated data capture, line-item matching, exception handling, and approval routing.
Step 5: Configure the system. Establish data capture rules, matching criteria, discrepancy tolerances, approval workflows, and the integration with Business Central.
Step 6: Monitor and improve. Once the system is operational, gather feedback from employees and review processing times, recurring discrepancies, and approval delays. Adjust workflows and provide additional training as needed.

Bringing Invoice Matching and Dynamics 365 Business Central Together

Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a foundation for managing purchasing and financial transactions, but businesses with complex purchasing requirements or high invoice volumes may benefit from extending their accounts payable capabilities through automation.
Rillion integrates with Business Central to support automated invoice capture, two-way and three-way purchase order matching, exception handling, and flexible approval workflows. It helps connect supplier invoices and goods receipts with purchasing records while reducing the amount of manual intervention required from AP employees.
The result is a more consistent approach to invoice processing, with better visibility into discrepancies, approvals, and supporting documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Invoice Matching in Business Central

Q: What is the difference between two-way and three-way invoice matching?
A: Two-way matching compares a supplier invoice with its purchase order. Three-way matching adds a goods receipt to verify that the invoiced items and quantities were actually delivered.
Q: Why is three-way matching important for manufacturing and distribution companies?
A: These businesses frequently purchase physical goods and need to verify that the quantities and prices on supplier invoices agree with both the original purchase order and the goods received.
Q: Can invoice matching be automated in Dynamics 365 Business Central?
A: Yes. Business Central can support purchase order matching, and an integrated AP automation solution such as Rillion can extend those capabilities with automated invoice capture, complex PO matching, exception handling, and approval workflows.
Q: How does automated invoice matching help prevent payment errors?
A: By comparing invoice details with purchasing and delivery records, automated matching identifies discrepancies before an invoice is approved. This helps reduce incorrect payments, overbilling, and duplicate processing.
Q: What should businesses look for in an invoice matching solution?
A: Important capabilities include automated invoice capture, two-way and three-way matching, discrepancy alerts, flexible approval workflows, ERP integration, and searchable digital records.

Take the Next Step Toward More Efficient Accounts Payable in Business Central

Improving invoice matching doesn't have to mean replacing existing financial systems or completely redesigning purchasing procedures. For businesses running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, integrating Rillion’s automation solution can reduce manual processing while strengthening financial controls.
Review your current workflow, identify the areas where invoices routinely require manual attention, and explore how Rillion’s integrated solution can help make invoice processing more accurate and manageable.
Contact our experts at Rillion for more information or to see our solution in action.

Book a Demo

By Rillion, rillion.com

The post How Invoice Matching Works in Dynamics 365 Business Central (2026) appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

CFDI Cancellation and Credit Notes in Business Central: How It Works in Practice

Soluciones LLB — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 17:00:15 +0000

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Issuing a CFDI is only half of the process. Sooner or later, a company must cancel one or issue a credit note. In Mexico, CFDI cancellation follows specific rules. It needs a reason, sometimes it needs the receiver's approval, and it can depend on the type of document. This guide explains how it works and what a Business Central project should test.
Key takeaway: In Mexico, a cancellation always needs a reason code. Depending on the case, the receiver must accept it too.

CFDI Cancellation: The Four Reasons

Since January 1, 2022, every cancellation needs a reason. The SAT's frequently asked questions describe four.

Code	Reason	When to use it
01	Issued with errors, with a related document	The invoice has an error and you issue a replacement first, then cancel the original and enter the replacement's folio
02	Issued with errors, without a related document	The error is, for example, a wrong receiver or RFC, and no replacement needs to be linked
03	The operation did not take place	The sale or service never happened
04	Named operation related to a global invoice	A customer covered by a global invoice later asks for a named invoice

When the Receiver Must Accept

Many cancellations need the receiver's approval. The receiver has three business days to accept or reject the request in the SAT portal. If the receiver does not answer a first request, the SAT treats it as accepted and the invoice is cancelled. If the receiver rejects it and does not answer later requests, the cancellation does not proceed.
Acceptance is not required in several cases, according to the SAT. Examples include:

Invoices up to $1,000 MXN.
Payroll, egreso, and traslado CFDI.
Operations with the general public.
Invoices to foreign residents.
Cancellations made within 24 hours of issuance.

The SAT's document lists more cases, so check it before you design the process. You can find it on the SAT website.

Replacing a CFDI

When a replacement CFDI is issued, it lists the original in the related documents node, with relation type 04. A CFDI that is linked to a replacement can show "No cancelable" until the cancellation request is sent. Therefore, the order of steps matters: issue the replacement, relate it, and then request the cancellation.

Credit Notes in Practice

A credit note is not a cancellation. The company uses it when the invoice stays valid but the amount must be reduced, for example after a return or a discount. In Mexico, a credit note is issued as an egreso CFDI and relates to the original invoice with relation type 01. The SAT lists egreso CFDI among the documents that can be cancelled without the receiver's acceptance.

Cancellation or Credit Note?

Situation	Use a cancellation	Use a credit note
The invoice has a data error	Yes, with reason 01 or 02	No
The operation never happened	Yes, with reason 03	No
The customer returns goods	No	Yes
A discount is granted after invoicing	No	Yes

This table is a guide. Always confirm the treatment with the client's accountant.

What to Test in Business Central

A cancellation with each reason code.
A cancellation that needs the receiver's acceptance, and one that does not.
A replacement CFDI with the correct relation.
A credit note linked to an invoice.
How the status of each document appears to the user.

Common Mistakes

Cancelling before issuing the replacement.
Using reason 02 when a replacement exists.
Ignoring the receiver's response time.
Issuing a credit note when the invoice has an error.

The Role of the PAC

In Mexico, the PAC handles the validation of each CFDI, and cancellations also go through that process. Read more in our post on certified providers.

How to Train the Users

Most cancellation problems start with the user, not with the system. A user who cancels an invoice for the wrong reason creates extra work for finance. Therefore, train users with real examples.
Show the four reason codes with a typical case for each. Explain that a replacement must exist before reason 01 can work. Then explain what the user sees while the receiver has not answered. A clear status message reduces support tickets.
Also write a short internal rule that tells users when to ask finance before cancelling. For example, require approval for invoices from a previous month. This rule keeps cancellations under control and protects the company in an audit.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides an AppSource-certified localization for Mexico. It supports the CFDI lifecycle inside Business Central, and we support testing, training, and updates. See our Mexico localization and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Cancellations and credit notes are routine, so the process must be clear. Know the four reasons, check when the receiver must accept, and choose the right document for each case.
Planning a Mexico project? Request a demo and we will show you the CFDI lifecycle in Business Central.

The post CFDI Cancellation and Credit Notes in Business Central: How It Works in Practice appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

7 Signs You've Outgrown QuickBooks (And Three Reasons to Stay)

Qixas Group — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 16:00:41 +0000

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Your business has grown, but your accounting processes have not kept up.QuickBooks still handles invoices, payments and the general ledger. You've stayed too long, accumulating manual work and operational risk because changing systems feels expensive.

If you are evaluating whether you have outgrown QuickBooks and need an ERP, the decision should come down to what your business needs to control, not how much revenue it generates.

Before we jump into the seven signs worth investigating let's first talk about...

The difference between growing pains and a ceiling

Growing pains are problems you can solve without changing the underlying system, such as:

Restructuring your chart of accounts.
Giving employees better training.
Undocumented month-end procedures

Those are process problems.

A ceiling is different.You need capabilities the current software cannot provide adequately, even when configured and supported properly.That might mean integrated inventory costing, manufacturing, intercompany accounting, more sophisticated approvals or stronger operational controls.

The distinction matters because QuickBooks is not one product with one set of limitations. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop have different capabilities. Some higher-tier QuickBooks offerings support inventory, workflow automation, reporting and user permissions that lower-tier products do not. Therefore, before declaring that you have outgrown QuickBooks, confirm what your current edition supports. Then determine whether the missing functionality is genuinely unavailable or simply unused.

Now let's dissect the 7 signs and consider the 3 reasons to stay where you are.

Sign 1: Inventory and costing live in spreadsheets

Your accounting system records inventory value, but purchasing and operations maintain the real inventory picture elsewhere. One spreadsheet tracks available stock. Another calculates landed costs. A third determines what needs to be reordered. Finance reconciles the differences at month-end. This is a common point where accounting software stops fitting the operating model.

QuickBooks offers inventory functionality in certain editions. That may be sufficient for businesses with straightforward inventory requirements. But manufacturers and more complex distributors often need tighter integration between purchasing, inventory movements, production, costing and financial reporting.

FOR EXAMPLE

Consider a manufacturer buying raw materials, converting them into finished products and tracking labour and overhead through production.
If those costs are calculated outside the accounting system, finance may not have a reliable view of product profitability until someone completes the spreadsheets.

Business Central provides inventory costing, purchasing, assembly and, with the appropriate manufacturing functionality, production orders, bills of material and routings. That does not mean every inventory problem requires Business Central. If you have a small product catalogue and straightforward purchasing, QuickBooks may still work.

Sign 2: Consolidating entities by hand every month

You operate several companies. Each has its own QuickBooks records. At month-end, finance exports trial balances, combines spreadsheets, converts currencies and makes consolidation adjustments. The process works because only one person knows how to do it, which can be risky.

Some QuickBooks editions and connected applications offer multi-company reporting or consolidation capabilities. Evaluate those before assuming a replacement is necessary. But there is a difference between combining reports and managing a multi-entity financial structure.

Business Central supports multiple companies, intercompany transactions and financial consolidation. It can consolidate financial information across companies, including those with different charts of accounts or currencies, subject to appropriate setup and mapping.

If your consolidation involves recurring intercompany transactions, eliminations, different accounting structures and substantial manual reconciliation, considering an ERP might be needed.

Sign 3: You are bumping into user, file-size or list limits

Software limits are a legitimate reason to evaluate alternatives. But this is also where outdated comparisons cause problems. QuickBooks limits vary considerably by product, edition and subscription. For example, QuickBooks Online Vs. QuickBooks Desktop.

Do not make a migration decision based on a limit quoted in an article published several years ago. Start with the actual constraint. Ask the following questions:

Are employees sharing logins because the subscription does not support the required users?
Are you approaching a documented product limit?
Are transaction volumes affecting performance?
Are integrations failing because of application restrictions?

Then compare the cost and practicality of upgrading within QuickBooks against moving to an ERP. If a higher subscription tier solves the problem, take that option seriously. If the underlying operating requirements remain unsupported, upgrading only postpones the decision.

Sign 4: Approvals and controls exist only by convention

Your purchasing policy requires management approval for purchases above a certain amount. In practice, employees email their manager. Sometimes the approval happens before the purchase. Sometimes afterward. Sometimes nobody can find the email. That is not a controlled workflow.

QuickBooks offers approval and workflow functionality in certain editions, so the first step is to check what is available and whether it has been configured. Business Central on the other hand, provides approval workflows for supported records and documents, along with permission management and accounting controls.

But software alone does not establish governance. An approval workflow is only useful if purchasing policies, approval limits, responsibilities and exceptions are clearly defined. The stronger warning sign is when your business requires controls that cannot be consistently enforced within the current accounting and operational process. For example, purchasing, receiving and invoice approval may need to be connected so finance can identify exceptions before payment.

If those activities happen across disconnected systems, controls become harder to maintain. That is a reason to evaluate an integrated ERP. It is not a reason to buy one before defining the process.

Sign 5: The close gets longer every quarter

Your month-end close used to take three working days. But, now it takes seven. More transactions create more reconciliation. Additional companies introduce consolidation work. Inventory adjustments arrive late. Finance waits for spreadsheets from operations. Before blaming QuickBooks, measure where the time goes. Separate bank reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory, intercompany activity, adjustments and financial reporting.

Some delays may have nothing to do with the software. If employees are not reconciling accounts throughout the month, replacing QuickBooks will not automatically produce a faster close. But if finance spends several days transferring information between disconnected applications, the architecture may be the problem.

Sign 6: Your auditor is not happy with the audit trail

Your auditor asks who changed a supplier's bank details, who approved a transaction or why a journal entry was modified. This leads to Finance spending hours reconstructing the answer. QuickBooks has audit-log functionality, so the presence of an audit question does not automatically mean you have outgrown it.

The issue is whether the available records, permissions and approval controls meet your organization's requirements. As businesses become more complex, auditors may expect clearer segregation of duties, consistent approval evidence and better control over sensitive information.

Business Central provides permission management, approval workflows and configurable change logging.Its change log can record changes to selected tables and fields, including who made the change and when. Microsoft also provides additional auditing capabilities for administrative and security events.

NOTE: Microsoft specifically cautions against indiscriminately enabling change logging on every field because of performance and database implications.

Before considering a migration, ask your auditor to identify the actual control deficiencies. If the problem is that employees share accounts or nobody follows the approval policy, changing software will not solve it. If your current system cannot provide the required separation of duties, approval evidence or transaction traceability, that is a more substantial reason to evaluate an ERP.

Sign 7: You cannot answer a margin question without exporting to Excel

Your sales director asks which customers are profitable. To provide a report, Finance exports invoices, customer information and product costs and then combines the files. This takes 7 days. Next month, when this report is again, the same process starts.

While, QuickBooks reports on sales and profitability, customer profitability becomes more complicated when the calculation depends on inventory costing, freight, returns, commissions, service costs or other operational information. If those costs are maintained in separate applications, accounting reports alone will not provide the complete answer.

Instead, Business Central can connect sales, purchasing, inventory and financial transactions within one system. This creates a stronger foundation for profitability analysis. For more sophisticated reporting, Power BI can combine Business Central data with external information.

NOTE: The warning sign is when finance has to reconstruct the business in Excel before it can explain whether the business is making money.

Three situations where you should stay on QuickBooks

Not every growing company needs Business Central.

There are three situations where we would recommend staying with QuickBooks rather than starting an ERP implementation.

Your accounting requirements are still straightforward: If you operate one company, have limited inventory complexity, maintain manageable transaction volumes and can produce reliable financial statements, QuickBooks may be entirely appropriate. A profitable service business with 50 employees may have simpler accounting requirements than a smaller manufacturer managing production, inventory and multiple warehouses. Do not buy an ERP because you crossed an arbitrary employee or revenue threshold.
Your problems can be solved with better configuration or processes: QuickBooks Online Advanced includes workflow automation and more granular user permissions. Depending on your edition and country, capabilities you currently handle manually may already be available. If you need better approvals, cleaner reporting, more consistent reconciliations or improved access controls, investigate those options first. You may also benefit from a reporting application or a focused integration. An ERP implementation is an expensive way to solve a problem that requires a few weeks of accounting process improvement.
You are not ready to change how the business operates: An ERP implementation requires decisions. You need agreed purchasing processes, inventory procedures, approval responsibilities, reporting definitions and reliable master data. If departments cannot agree on those fundamentals, implementing Business Central will expose the disagreements.

It will not resolve them automatically. Stay on QuickBooks while you establish the processes and prepare the data. Then revisit the ERP decision.

Here's What to Remember

Before replacing QuickBooks, document the work happening outside it. Start with inventory, consolidation, approvals, month-end close, audit controls and profitability reporting. For each area, identify the manual work involved, the applications being used and the operational or financial risks.

Then separate the problems into three categories:

Issues you can resolve through better QuickBooks configuration or training.
Issues that require additional reporting, integration or process improvements.
Requirements that genuinely need a more integrated ERP.

That assessment should determine your next investment.

Qixas Group helps organizations move from QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. We also implement, optimize and recover Microsoft ERP environments when projects have become more complicated than they should be.

Having rescued more than 2,000 implementations, we have seen what happens when companies select software before understanding their requirements. We would rather tell you to stay on QuickBooks than recommend an ERP project you do not need.

The post 7 Signs You've Outgrown QuickBooks (And Three Reasons to Stay) appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How to Choose an Automated Inventory Management System for Your Business

MetaOption LLC — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:28:11 +0000

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Managing inventory becomes harder as a business grows. You may start with spreadsheets or basic inventory software, but things change when you handle hundreds of products, process more orders, or operate multiple warehouses.
You may face problems such as incorrect stock counts, delayed order processing, missing products, and frequent stockouts. Your employees may also spend hours updating inventory records manually instead of focusing on important business tasks.
An automated inventory management system can help solve these problems. It tracks stock movements, updates inventory records, reduces manual work, and gives you better control over your products.
However, choosing the right system is not easy. There are many inventory management solutions available, and not all of them offer the features your business needs.
In this guide, we will explain how to choose an automated inventory management system, which features to look for, and what to consider before investing in one.

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What Is an Automated Inventory Management System?

An automated inventory management system is software that helps businesses track, manage, and control inventory with less manual work.
It automatically updates stock records when products are received, sold, transferred, or shipped. Instead of relying on spreadsheets and manual data entry, employees can use barcode scanners, mobile devices, and integrated software to record inventory activities.
For example, when a warehouse employee scans a product barcode during receiving, the system can update the available stock quantity. When an order is shipped, the inventory record can be updated to reflect the outgoing products.
Depending on the software, an automated inventory management system can also help businesses:

Track stock levels across multiple locations.
Receive alerts when products reach reorder levels.
Manage purchase orders and incoming stock.
Track products using barcodes and SKUs.
Monitor inventory movement.
Process customer orders more efficiently.
Generate inventory reports.

The main goal is to reduce manual work, improve inventory accuracy, and make daily operations easier.

Why Do Businesses Need an Automated Inventory Management System?

Many businesses continue using spreadsheets or basic inventory tools even when their operations become more complex. This often creates problems that affect productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
Here are some common challenges that indicate your business may need inventory automation.

1. Your Inventory Records Are Often Incorrect

One of the biggest inventory problems is the difference between actual stock and the quantity shown in the system.
Employees may forget to record stock movements, enter incorrect quantities, or update spreadsheets after completing orders. As a result, your team may believe a product is available when it is actually out of stock.
An automated system can reduce these problems by updating inventory records when transactions are recorded through connected workflows.

2. Your Employees Spend Too Much Time on Manual Tasks

Are your employees spending hours updating spreadsheets, counting products, preparing stock reports, and entering order details?
Manual inventory management takes time and increases the chances of human error.
Inventory automation can simplify these tasks through barcode scanning, automated stock updates, and centralized records.

3. You Frequently Experience Stockouts or Overstocking

Running out of popular products can result in missed sales. On the other hand, purchasing too much stock increases storage costs and ties up working capital.
An inventory management system can help you monitor stock levels, set reorder points, and identify products that need replenishment.
Some advanced systems also support demand forecasting, although the quality of forecasts depends on the available data and software capabilities.

4. Managing Multiple Warehouses Is Becoming Difficult

Tracking inventory across different warehouses can be challenging.
You may not know which location has available stock, how much inventory is in transit, or where a particular product is stored.
A system with multi-warehouse inventory management can provide better visibility across locations and help manage stock transfers.

5. Order Processing Is Taking Too Long

Slow picking, packing, and shipping can affect customer satisfaction.
Employees may waste time searching for products, checking stock availability, or correcting picking mistakes.
An automated inventory solution with barcode scanning and order management features can help simplify these activities.
If several of these problems sound familiar, it may be time to evaluate a more capable inventory management solution.

10 Important Features to Look for in an Automated Inventory Management System

Before selecting software, understand which features will actually improve your business operations.
Here are ten important features to consider.

1. Real-Time Inventory Tracking

Real-time inventory visibility helps you understand how much stock is available and where it is located.
Look for software that can update inventory records as stock is received, sold, transferred, or shipped.
It should also help you distinguish between available, reserved, and incoming inventory where those statuses are supported.
This makes it easier to avoid overselling products and identify stock shortages.

2. Barcode Scanning

Barcode scanning reduces the need for manual product entry.
Employees can scan product labels to record receiving, picking, packing, stock transfers, and inventory counts.
Before choosing a system, check whether it supports:

Barcode generation and scanning.
Product and SKU identification.
Mobile or handheld scanning devices.
Barcode-based receiving and picking.
Label printing.

Make sure the system supports the barcode formats and devices your business uses.

3. Automated Reordering and Low-Stock Alerts

Running out of important products can disrupt business operations.
Look for a system that allows you to set minimum stock levels and reorder points for individual products.
When stock reaches a defined level, the software should notify the responsible employees.
Some solutions also support automated purchase order creation or replenishment recommendations. Check whether these actions require approval before orders are placed.

4. Multi-Warehouse Inventory Management

If you operate multiple warehouses, choose software that provides centralized inventory visibility.
Important capabilities include:

Tracking stock across different locations.
Managing warehouse transfers.
Viewing location-wise inventory.
Recording incoming and outgoing stock.
Monitoring inventory in transit.

This helps businesses coordinate inventory without relying on separate spreadsheets for every warehouse.

5. Purchase Order Management

Purchasing is an important part of inventory control.
Your system should help manage purchase orders, supplier information, incoming shipments, and received quantities.
It should also support partial deliveries and differences between ordered and received quantities where relevant.
Good purchase order management makes it easier to understand what stock is expected and when it may become available.

6. Inventory Reporting and Analytics

Inventory reports help you understand how products are moving through your business.
Look for reports covering:

Available inventory.
Stock movement.
Fast-moving and slow-moving products.
Inventory valuation.
Low-stock products.
Purchase and sales activity.
Inventory discrepancies.

These reports help managers make better decisions about purchasing, storage, and stock control.

7. Integration With Accounting and ERP Systems

Your inventory software should work well with the other business applications you already use.
For example, integration with accounting software can reduce duplicate data entry and help maintain consistent transaction records.
Depending on your business, you may need integrations with:

Accounting software.
ERP systems.
eCommerce platforms.
Shipping and fulfillment services.
Point-of-sale systems.
Customer relationship management software.

Before purchasing, check which integrations are available, how data is synchronized, and whether additional development or subscription costs are involved.

8. Order Management

Inventory and order management are closely connected.
Your software should help your team manage orders from different sales channels and maintain accurate stock records as orders move through the fulfillment process.
Check whether it supports order processing, picking lists, packing, shipment tracking, and returns management.
The right capabilities can help reduce fulfillment delays and improve order accuracy.

9. Mobile Accessibility

Warehouse employees should be able to perform important inventory tasks without constantly returning to a desktop computer.
Mobile access can make it easier to scan products, check stock availability, record movements, and complete warehouse activities.
Check device compatibility, supported operating systems, and whether all required functions are available on mobile devices.

10. Scalability and Ease of Use

Your inventory requirements will change as your business grows.
You may add more products, warehouses, employees, suppliers, and sales channels.
Choose software that can support your expected growth without forcing you to change systems again.
At the same time, make sure the software is easy for employees to understand. A complicated system can create new operational problems even when it offers many advanced features.

How to Choose the Right Automated Inventory Management System: Step-by-Step

Knowing the features is only the first step. You also need a clear process to select software that matches your business requirements.
Follow these steps before making a decision.

Step 1: Identify Your Current Inventory Problems

Start by understanding what is not working in your existing inventory process.
Ask your warehouse and operations teams questions such as:

How often do inventory discrepancies occur?
How much time do employees spend on manual stock updates?
Do we frequently run out of important products?
Are orders delayed because employees cannot locate products?
Is it difficult to track stock across multiple locations?
Are our current systems connected?

Write down the biggest problems and prioritize the ones that have the greatest business impact.

Step 2: Understand Your Business Requirements

Different businesses have different inventory needs.
A small retailer may only need product tracking, barcode scanning, and low-stock alerts.
A distributor may need purchase order management, multiple warehouse support, and order fulfillment capabilities.
A manufacturer may need additional features for raw materials, production inventory, and finished goods.
Choose software according to your actual operations rather than paying for features you do not need.

Step 3: Compare Available Inventory Management Solutions

Do not select the first software you find.
Compare at least three solutions based on their features, pricing, integrations, usability, and support.
Create a comparison sheet and evaluate how well each solution addresses your business requirements.
Pay attention to limitations. Some systems may offer barcode scanning but lack advanced warehouse functionality. Others may support multiple locations but have limited reporting features.

Step 4: Check Integration Requirements

Make a list of the applications your business currently uses.
For example, you may use separate systems for accounting, online sales, shipping, and customer management.
Check whether your shortlisted inventory software can connect with these applications.
Also ask whether integration is included in the subscription or requires additional fees.

Step 5: Request a Product Demo

A product demo is one of the best ways to understand how inventory software works.
Do not just watch a general presentation. Ask the vendor to demonstrate your actual business workflows.
For example, request a demonstration of:

Receiving a purchase order.
Scanning and adding products.
Checking available stock.
Transferring products between warehouses.
Picking and packing customer orders.
Generating inventory reports.

This will help you understand whether the software can handle your daily operations.

Step 6: Evaluate Total Cost of Ownership

Software pricing is not limited to the monthly or annual subscription.
You should also consider implementation, employee training, integrations, customization, hardware, maintenance, and support costs.
A cheaper product may become expensive if it requires several add-ons or manual work.
Compare the overall cost with the operational improvements you expect.

Step 7: Understand Data Migration and Employee Training

Switching from an existing inventory system requires careful planning.
You may need to transfer product information, SKUs, supplier records, stock quantities, and transaction data.
Ask the software provider about data migration, validation, employee training, and implementation support.
Before going live, verify that your opening inventory quantities match the actual physical stock.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Inventory Automation Software

Even after comparing several products, businesses sometimes select the wrong solution.
Avoid these common mistakes.
Choosing software based only on price: Cheap software may lack important features or require expensive add-ons. Evaluate overall value rather than just the subscription cost.
Ignoring integration capabilities: Disconnected systems can create duplicate work and inconsistent records. Confirm that the software works with your existing applications.
Overlooking employee experience: Complicated software can slow down warehouse operations. Check whether employees can easily perform routine tasks.
Not checking scalability: A basic solution may work today but become unsuitable when your business grows. Consider your future requirements.
Skipping the product demo: Marketing claims do not always reflect everyday performance. Test the actual workflows before making a decision.
Ignoring customer support: Software problems can affect daily operations. Ask about support channels, response times, training, and implementation assistance.

Automated Inventory Management vs. Manual Inventory Management

Here is a simple comparison of both approaches.

Area	Manual Inventory Management	Automated Inventory Management
Stock updates	Manual data entry	Updates through recorded transactions
Inventory tracking	Spreadsheets and paper records	Centralized software
Stock alerts	Manual checking	Configurable automatic alerts
Barcode scanning	May require separate tools	Often integrated
Order processing	More manual steps	Can automate parts of the workflow
Reporting	Manual preparation	System-generated reports
Multi-warehouse tracking	Difficult to coordinate	Centralized visibility with suitable software
Error management	Relies heavily on manual checks	Reduces several sources of human error

Automation does not eliminate every inventory problem. Employees still need to scan products correctly, follow processes, and verify discrepancies. However, the right system can reduce repetitive work and improve control over inventory operations.

How GOIS Helps Businesses Simplify Inventory Management

If your current inventory process involves spreadsheets, repetitive data entry, inaccurate stock records, or disconnected business applications, it may be time to consider a more organized solution.
GOIS (Goods Order Inventory System) is an inventory and order management solution designed to help businesses manage their everyday inventory operations.
It provides tools to simplify important inventory activities, including:

Inventory Tracking: Monitor product quantities and inventory movements.
Barcode Management: Use barcode-based workflows to make product identification and stock handling easier.
Order Management: Organize customer orders and manage order-related inventory activities.
Purchase Management: Manage purchasing activities and incoming inventory.
Multi-Location Inventory: Manage stock across supported business locations.
Inventory Reporting: Access useful information about stock and business operations.

Rather than managing inventory information across multiple spreadsheets, businesses can use GOIS to organize important inventory activities in one solution.
Before choosing any inventory software, evaluate its features against your business requirements. You can also explore GOIS to see whether its capabilities match your inventory management needs.
Ready to simplify your inventory operations?
Explore GOIS and see how a more organized inventory management process can help your business reduce manual work and improve stock control.
Explore GOIS and Request a Demo

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best automated inventory management system?

The best system depends on your business size, product volume, warehouse operations, and integration requirements. Look for features such as real-time inventory tracking, barcode scanning, purchase management, reporting, and multi-location support.

2. How does an automated inventory management system work?

It records inventory activities through software-connected processes. When employees receive, scan, transfer, sell, or ship products, the system updates inventory records based on the completed transactions and configured workflows.

3. Can small businesses use automated inventory management software?

Yes. Small businesses can use inventory automation to track stock, manage orders, monitor product movement, and reduce manual data entry. Many solutions offer features suitable for smaller operations.

4. Does inventory management software support barcode scanning?

Many inventory management solutions support barcode scanning. Employees can scan product labels to identify items, record stock movements, and improve receiving and picking accuracy. Check supported barcode formats and scanning devices before purchasing.

5. Can automated inventory software manage multiple warehouses?

Yes. Many inventory systems support multiple warehouses and provide location-wise stock visibility. Depending on the software, they may also support warehouse transfers, stock reservations, and inventory tracking across locations.

6. How much does an automated inventory management system cost?

Pricing varies based on the software, number of users, inventory volume, features, integrations, and implementation requirements. Some solutions offer monthly subscriptions, while others have customized pricing.

7. How long does it take to implement inventory management software?

Implementation time depends on business complexity, data quality, integration requirements, and the number of locations. A simple setup may take days or weeks, while larger implementations can take several months.

8. Can I migrate data from my existing inventory software?

Most inventory software implementations can include data migration, but the available process depends on the provider. Check whether product information, SKUs, supplier records, opening stock, and historical transactions can be transferred.

Final Thoughts

Choosing an automated inventory management system is an important decision for any growing business.
The right solution can help you reduce manual work, improve stock accuracy, manage warehouses, and process orders more efficiently.
Before making a decision, identify your biggest inventory problems, compare software features, check integration capabilities, and request a product demo.
Most importantly, choose a system that fits your current business requirements and can support your future growth.
A good inventory management system should not make your operations more complicated. It should make everyday inventory tasks easier, faster, and more organized.
Explore GOIS to find out how it can support your inventory management requirements.

The post How to Choose an Automated Inventory Management System for Your Business appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Convergence 2026: Shawn Dorward on the Predictive ERP

ERP Software Blog Writer — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 13:46:02 +0000

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What if your ERP could tell you what would happen before you made a big decision?

That's the idea behind the predictive ERP, and it's the focus of Shawn Dorward's community session at Convergence AI+D365 2026 in Miami. Shawn is CEO of Innovia Consulting, and he also spoke at last year's inaugural Reboot event in Miami.
In this session spotlight, Shawn talks about the questions every business leader wants answered. What could we do better? What would happen if we implemented something new, acquired another company, or switched suppliers or distributors?
Those questions are hard to answer with traditional analytics. Shawn's session looks at how AI can use the data that's already sitting in your ERP to help you find the answers.
If you've ever wanted a better way to plan for "what if," I encourage you to catch Shawn's session. Register for Convergence 2026 and join him in Miami.
Watch the full interview below.

Interview with Shawn Dorward from Innovia Consulting

Bobby Small: Let's talk about Convergence 2026, a great event coming up at the end of the year in December. I've got one of our esteemed speakers I'd like to introduce. I'll let you introduce yourself and tell us a little about who you are and what your community session is going to be about at Convergence in Miami.
Shawn Dorward: Well, thanks, Bobby. Hello, everyone. My name is Shawn Dorward, and I'm the CEO at Innovia Consulting. I'm super excited about Convergence this year. I had the privilege of speaking at last year's inaugural Reboot event in Miami, and I'm also privileged to have a session this year.
This year, I'm going to be talking about the concept of a predictive ERP, and I'm pretty stoked about that.
The idea, Bobby, is that every business I've engaged with over my career wants to budget, wants to forecast, and wants to do these things in real time. But they always want to know: what could we do better? If we implemented this, what would its impact be? Or even more so, if we acquired this company and brought it into our organization, or if we switched distributors or switched suppliers, what would happen? Those kinds of questions are really hard to answer. It's all analytics based, and you have to have that data of your own.
So, this session is all about taking those questions and using AI. The beautiful thing about your ERP is that it already has the data to help you find out what the answer will be. This is a new world we live in, and it's time to think about things in a very different way.
So, join me at Convergence this year for this session. I look forward to seeing you there.
Bobby Small: Love it, man. I look forward to seeing you as well. Take care.

The post Convergence 2026: Shawn Dorward on the Predictive ERP appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central Payment Processing

Suite Engine — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 13:00:36 +0000

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When your payment processor runs as a separate system, every payment creates a second job for your finance team: getting that payment, its fee, and its payout back into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

How CPM Connects Stripe and Usio Directly to Your Business Central Financials

The Work That Happens Between Two Systems

Most businesses that accept card or electronic payments use a processor such as Stripe or Usio. The processor handles the transaction. Your ERP holds the invoice, the customer record, and the general ledger. If those two systems don’t share data, someone on your team has to connect them by hand.
That work tends to look the same from month to month:

Matching each payment to the right open invoice
Recording processing fees as a separate expense
Recording each payout when it reaches your bank
Recording refunds and confirming they went back through the processor

None of these steps is difficult on its own. The trouble is volume and timing. When the payout total doesn’t match what your team expects, the search for the difference starts in one system and ends in another.

What Changes When Payments Start From Business Central

Channel Payments Manager (CPM) for Stripe by Suite Engine and Channel Payments Manager (CPM) for Usio by Suite Engine are built within Business Central. CPM connects your payment processor directly to your Business Central financials, so payment activity starts from the records your team already uses.
From Business Central, your team can generate payment requests. With CPM for Stripe, your team can also send secure payment links. When a payment comes through, CPM captures it and creates a payment entry in the related customer’s ledger. You can also set threshold rules that require a minimum payment or authorization before releasing or shipping an order.
As a result, payments, processing fees, and payouts post to the same ledger as your invoices and customer records. Your team stops rebuilding the processor’s activity after the fact.

Fees Post to the Account You Choose

Processing fees are easy to lose track of when they live only in a processor’s reports. With CPM for Stripe, you choose the G/L account where transaction fees are recorded during setup, and CPM posts platform fees to that account.
You also control how dimensions apply to those fees. You can use the fee account’s default dimensions, or have the fee inherit dimensions from the source transaction, such as the sales order. If your reporting depends on dimensions like department or region, this keeps fee expense tied to the activity that created it.

Payouts Post to Your Bank Account

A processor’s payout is rarely a single payment. It’s a batch of payments deposited on the processor’s schedule, and someone has to record it when it arrives.
For both Stripe and Usio, CPM records unpaid activity to a clearing G/L account while your processor balance builds. When your processor sends a payout, CPM detects the payout transaction and posts it to the balancing account you select. This is typically a bank account. The clearing account shows what is still pending, and the bank account reflects what has arrived.

Refunds Follow the Same Path

When you need to issue a refund, your team starts it from the original payment record within Business Central by creating a refund request. CPM captures the refund through your payment processor and creates a refund entry that is applied to the customer ledger entry for the original payment. If the order has already been invoiced, your team creates and posts a credit memo for the refund amount, then applies the refund entry to that credit memo.

Recurring Billing Through Stripe

If you bill on a recurring schedule, subscriptions are set up in Stripe. When Stripe generates a subscription invoice, CPM downloads it and creates a corresponding invoice within Business Central. Your recurring revenue shows up in the same place as the rest of your receivables.

What CPM Does Not Do

Clear limits help you evaluate any tool. CPM does not process payments itself. Stripe or Usio processes the transaction, and CPM connects that activity to Business Central. CPM handles payments that start from within Business Central. It does not process payments taken on outside platforms such as Shopify or Amazon.
CPM is self-installed with step-by-step instructions. Setup is still required, including the G/L accounts, payment methods, and number series described above, so plan for time to configure it to match your chart of accounts.

Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Payment Approach

If you’re comparing payment options for Business Central, these questions will show how much manual work each one leaves for your team:

Where do processing fees get recorded, and who records them?
How are payouts recorded when they reach your bank?
What happens within Business Central when a refund is issued?
Can your team send payment requests without leaving Business Central?
Which payment processors does the tool support today?

CPM was named to the ERP Software Blog list of the Best Microsoft Dynamics ERP Tools for Payment Processing 2026.

See CPM Working With Your Business Central Setup

Suite Engine builds applications within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for businesses that want their operations and financials to stay in one system. Learn more about Channel Payments Manager.
Request a demo of CPM to see how payments, fees, and payouts post to your Business Central financials.

BOOK A DEMO

Automate Payment Processing and Reconciliation
CPM for Stripe on Stripe App Marketplace

The post Business Central Payment Processing appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Rent Now or Wait for Microsoft? A Practical Guide to Rental in Dynamics 365

Dan Kosanovic, Reach International — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:20:56 +0000

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The software isn’t here yet, but your rules can be

You can’t implement software that hasn’t shipped. What you can do is decide how rental should work in your business, so you’re ready when the software is.
On 9 December 2025, Microsoft announced that it is building rental features straight into Dynamics 365, with release planned for the fourth quarter of 2026 (see Transforming how organizations run rental operations with Dynamics 365 ERP). If your company already runs Dynamics 365 and rents out equipment, this leaves you with a real choice. Do you wait for Microsoft, or do you go with what’s on the market today?
Most teams land on “let’s wait and see.” It feels like the safe answer. In practice it often means a year of meetings with nothing to show at the end.

Waiting is a decision too

People usually frame this as native versus add on. In reality you have four options:

Wait for Microsoft’s native rental and keep your current process running until then.
Use a rental add on from an ISV, built on Dynamics 365.
Keep or buy a separate rental system and connect it to Dynamics 365.
Build custom rental on top of Dynamics 365.

Any of these can be the right call, and each has a price. Where teams get stuck is comparing products before agreeing on their own rules. Without those rules, every demo looks impressive and nobody can pick a winner.

How to choose

Option	Works best when	Watch out for
Wait for native	Rental is a smaller part of the business and your current process holds up	Nobody outside Microsoft knows yet how deep the features go, and you don’t control the timeline
Rental add on for Dynamics 365	Rental is core, you need strong rental features now, and you want rental and finance in one system	License costs, keeping up with Microsoft updates, and overlap once native features arrive
Separate system with integration	You already run a mature rental system across many branches	Two versions of the truth, integration costs, and constant reconciliation
Custom build	Your process is so specific that no product covers it	Cost to build and maintain, knowledge locked in a few people’s heads, and overlap with native features later

Four questions usually settle it:

How much of your revenue comes from rental today, and how much will in three years?
How complicated is your billing? Think hours allowed, overtime, 28 day cycles, rent to own.
What can wait? If you ran your current process for another twelve months, what would actually break?
How many systems does rental need to talk to? Telematics, maintenance, transport, a customer portal, finance.

If you’re unsure how your current setup would hold up, an independent assessment can give you a clear picture before you spend anything. That’s the kind of work our [Project Assessments and Audits] team does every week.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

What to do while you wait

Whichever option you pick, you’ll need the same answers. Write these seven things down now:

Your rate structure. Daily, weekly, monthly or a 28 day cycle. Hours allowed per period. How overtime is charged. Minimum charges.
When billing starts and stops. At dispatch or at delivery. At the call off, at pickup, or when the machine is back in your yard.
Who confirms a return, and how. Phone, email, driver or portal, and who enters it into the system.
Your pause rule. What happens on weather days or when a site shuts down, and whether your contracts actually say so.
Who owns damage. What gets checked at delivery and return, what proof you keep, and who decides who pays.
Your fleet structure. Rental classes, which items you track individually and which you simply count, and how attachments are handled.
Your data. Clean serial numbers, manufacturers, meter readings, and a solid link to fixed assets. Poor master data will hurt you no matter which option you choose.

None of this requires new software. All of it makes your next software project faster, cheaper and far less painful.

What you gain by starting now

A short, written set of rules you can use to test any vendor in a demo
A faster project when you do start, because the business decisions are already made
Clean data that can move to any system
Finance, operations and IT on the same page before any money is spent

Write your rules before you pick your software

Waiting is fine. Waiting with nothing written down is not.
At Reach, we help companies that run Dynamics 365 put these rules on paper and test every option against them, honestly and without a product to push. If you’ve already started with an add on or a custom build and it isn’t going to plan, our ERP Rescue and Recovery team can step in and get it back on track. And once you’re live, our Managed Services team can keep your rental setup current as Microsoft rolls out new features, so you aren’t caught off guard by overlap or updates.
Reach has delivered Dynamics 365 projects across 8 industries, and we’re known for stepping in when others can’t. [Talk to our team →]
This is the final article in our four part series on rental in Dynamics 365. Catch up on the rest: What Microsoft has announced for rental in Dynamics 365, Rental is not an inventory problem, and Where rental revenue leaks.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

The post Rent Now or Wait for Microsoft? A Practical Guide to Rental in Dynamics 365 appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

One Meter, Many Owners: Who Owns Your Copilot Credits?

Rohinii K By Dax software solutions — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 11:30:31 +0000

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For years, AI in Microsoft business apps came in separate wallets. AI Builder had its own credits. Copilot Studio had messages. Meanwhile, each Dynamics 365 app told its own story. As a result, budgets followed the same lines.
That split is now ending. Copilot Credits are becoming the one meter for agents and AI. This covers Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. AI Builder is also moving onto it. The change makes sense. However, it shows a harder problem. One meter now serves many teams. Yet in many firms, no single budget holder owns it. At DAX Software Solutions, we think leaders should focus on that gap.

What are Copilot Credits?

Copilot Credits are the shared currency Microsoft uses for agents and AI. Microsoft's Copilot Studio billing guidance calls them the common currency across Copilot Studio. It also notes a key date. On 1 September 2025, agents moved from messages to credits.
There are three ways to buy them:

Prepaid pack subscriptions
A pay-as-you-go meter, billed through an Azure subscription
A plan you prepay for one year

Which products now draw on the same meter?

Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365 agents and, more and more, AI Builder.

Business Central: Microsoft's Business Central billing guidance lists three agents that bill per use. These are the Payables Agent, the Sales Order Agent and the Expense Agent (preview).
Dynamics 365 Sales: Microsoft's Sales billing guidance also names agents that bill per use. These include the Sales Qualification, Sales Opportunity and Sales Close agents.
AI Builder: Microsoft's end of AI Builder credits guidance sets a key date. From 1 November 2026, new premium licences no longer come with AI Builder credits. After that, AI Builder uses up any old credits first. Then it uses Copilot Credits. If neither is left, it stops.

Still, Microsoft is clear that AI Builder features stay supported. Only the currency they run on changes.

Why does a shared meter create an ownership gap?

Because each team picks its own agents, but they all share the same pool. For example, finance switches on a payables agent. Then sales turns on lead qualification. Meanwhile, operations builds an AI Builder flow. Each choice makes sense on its own. However, each one draws on the same pool. Microsoft assigns that pool at the Power Platform environment and tenant level.
The Sales guidance explains this. Sales and other Microsoft services on the tenant all draw from a Power Platform environment. Similarly, the Business Central guidance adds a rule. Without extra setup, Business Central draws from the default Power Platform environment.
In short, the meter is shared by design. The budget usually is not.

Where is the meter controlled?

In at least four places, which often means four owners. Microsoft lists these control points:

Purchase: you buy prepaid Copilot Credit packs in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Resellers use Partner Center.
Allocation: admins assign prepaid capacity to environments in the Power Platform admin center.
Pay-as-you-go: you link an Azure subscription to a Power Platform environment.
Spending limits: you set pay-as-you-go budgets in Microsoft Cost Management in the Azure portal.

As a result, several teams may each hold a piece of that chain. Procurement, the platform team, cloud finance and each app owner can all play a part. Yet nobody holds the whole chain.

What happens when nobody owns it?

Credits run out unevenly, and nobody decides who goes first. Microsoft resets bought credits each month. Also, unused credits do not carry over. When credits run out, the AI feature stops until someone adds more.
So one team's busy month can drain credits that another team needed. For example, the finance payables agent and the sales qualification agent can compete for the same credits. Often, there is no agreed rule for which one comes first at month end.
People should also review what these agents do. A shortfall does not remove that need. However, it can stop the work people expected the agent to do.

How should leaders assign ownership of Copilot Credits?

Name one owner for the whole meter. Then decide the rules.

List every agent and AI feature across Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365 agents and AI Builder
Map every control point, from purchase to allocation to Azure budgets
Choose how to share: one pool, set amounts per environment, or a mix
Set pay-as-you-go rules: decide if it acts as overflow, and with what budget
Agree an approval step for any new agent that will use the meter

The Power Platform admin center now shows daily use per environment. It also shows use by product. Together, these give the owner a clear view. This also connects to a related question: what is included and what is metered in Copilot extensibility.

Why does the timing matter?

Because the meter gains a new consumer on 1 November 2026, whether anyone decides it or not. From that date, new premium licences no longer come with AI Builder credits. So AI Builder work that once ran on those credits will need Copilot Credits. And if neither is left, it stops.
For many firms, this is a first. An old automation will now compete with new agents for the same credits.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI Builder going away? No. Microsoft says AI Builder features stay supported. They simply run on Copilot Credits.
Do unused Copilot Credits roll over? No. Credits reset each month, and unused ones do not carry over.
Which environment does Business Central draw from by default? The default Power Platform environment in the tenant, unless you assign capacity elsewhere.
What happens when credits run out? The AI feature stops until someone adds more.

DAX Software Solutions: Governance Before Scale

DAX Software Solutions advises on Agentic AI adoption in Dynamics 365. We design human-in-the-loop models, so agents work with clear rules and human review. Are several teams already drawing from the same meter? If so, the first step is to decide who owns it. Talk to our team.
Microsoft's terms may change. Check the current terms for your tenant and agreement before you act.

The post One Meter, Many Owners: Who Owns Your Copilot Credits? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Do Manufacturers Need Business Central Premium

iCepts Technology Group, Inc. — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 20:47:23 +0000

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Yes, if you run production orders, routings or capacity planning. Business Central Premium for manufacturers means everything in Essentials plus manufacturing and service management. If you only assemble kits or resell products, Essentials may be enough.
At US list prices effective November 1, 2025, Essentials costs $80 per user per month and Premium costs $110, billed annually. Confirm current pricing with your Microsoft partner.

Business Central Essentials vs. Premium: what each license includes

Both licenses give you the same core ERP. Premium adds two modules on top: manufacturing and service management. Everything else is identical. We compared the two licenses in 2022. This guide updates that comparison for manufacturers and reflects current pricing.

Business Central Essentials compared with Premium
Capability	Essentials	Premium
Finance, sales, purchasing and inventory	Included	Included
Warehouse management	Included	Included
Project management	Included	Included
Assembly management	Included	Included
Production BOMs and routings	Not included	Included
Production orders and capacity planning	Not included	Included
Service management	Not included	Included

Microsoft licenses Business Central per user, not per module. You pay the Premium rate for each full user in an environment that runs manufacturing or service.

Business Central Premium for manufacturers: what it adds

Premium gives you the manufacturing toolkit we covered in our guide to bills of materials and routings. In plain terms:

Production BOMs. Multi-level structures with versions, certification and where-used lookups.
Routings. Operations tied to work centers and machine centers with setup and run times.
Production orders. Simulated, planned, firm planned, released and finished statuses that carry material and capacity cost.
Capacity planning. Work center calendars and load so you schedule against real capacity.
Cost roll-up. Product cost built from BOM quantities and routing times.

These pieces work as a set. A routing without a production BOM is half a plan. A production order without either has nothing to run.

What about assembly?

Assembly management comes with Essentials. It handles assembly BOMs and assembly orders for kitting and configure-to-order products. It has no routings and no work center capacity, so it suits simple builds. Once you need defined operations, machine time or capacity planning, you need Premium.

Do manufacturers need Business Central Premium? A five-question test

You need Premium if you answer yes to any of these

Do you make items on production orders?
Do your products need routings with defined operations and times?
Do you plan capacity by work center or machine center?
Do you want product cost to include labor and machine time from a routing?
Do you run service orders or service contracts?

If you answered no to all five, you probably assemble or resell. Essentials will likely cover you. If you answered yes to even one, price your project on Premium.
Look ahead too. A company that kits products today but plans to add a fabrication line next year should budget for Premium now. Price for the next two or three years, not just today.

How it plays out by type of manufacturer

Which license fits which kind of manufacturer
Type of business	Likely license	Why
Discrete manufacturer with routings and production orders	Premium	You need production BOMs, routings and capacity planning.
Job shop or make-to-order shop with defined operations	Premium	Operations, work centers and machine time drive your schedule and cost.
Manufacturer that also services equipment	Premium	Service management comes only with Premium.
Kitting or light assembly with no routings	Essentials	Assembly management covers assembly BOMs and assembly orders.
Distributor with simple value-add assembly	Essentials	Kits and light assembly fit assembly management.

Your process decides, not your industry label. Many companies that call themselves manufacturers only assemble. Others that look like distributors run real production. Map your process before you pick a license.

Business Central Premium cost

Microsoft raised Business Central prices effective November 1, 2025. We covered the change in our 2025 pricing update. For a deeper look at how the license types work, read Business Central licensing explained.

Business Central US list prices, billed annually
License	Price per month	Best for
Essentials	$80 per user	Full users who do not need manufacturing or service
Premium	$110 per user	Full users in environments that run manufacturing or service
Team Member	$8 per user	Light users who read data, approve workflows and update select records
Device	$45 per device	Shared stations such as warehouse scanners and shop floor terminals

The $30 gap between Essentials and Premium adds up fast. That is about 38 percent more per full user. At 20 full users, Premium costs $600 more per month and $7,200 more per year.
Here is how it looks for a sample company with 12 full users, 10 Team Members and 2 shared devices.

Illustrative monthly cost at US list prices
Line	Essentials	Premium
12 full users	$960	$1,320
10 Team Members	$80	$80
2 Devices	$90	$90
Monthly total	$1,130	$1,490
Annual total	$13,560	$17,880

These are US list prices effective November 1, 2025. Your price depends on region and purchasing channel. Confirm current pricing and terms with iCepts before you build your budget.

The rule about mixing Essentials and Premium licenses

Microsoft's documentation says Essentials and Premium users cannot coexist in the same environment. If your company needs manufacturing, every full user in that environment needs Premium. That includes the accountants and sales reps who never touch a production order.
Three things soften the cost:

Team Members. At $8, they cover people who read data, approve workflows and update select records. They work alongside either tier.
Device licenses. At $45 per device, they cover shared stations such as warehouse scanners and shop floor terminals.
Separate environments. One tenant can hold environments for each tier, and Premium users can sign in to Essentials environments.

Ask your partner which of your roles qualify for Team Member and Device licenses before you build your budget. The rights depend on what each person does in the system.

Five licensing mistakes manufacturers make

Buying Essentials for a routed process. Without Premium you cannot use routings or production orders. Check your process before you sign.
Counting everyone as a full user. Executives, approvers and occasional viewers often fit Team Member licenses at $8.
Ignoring shared stations. Warehouse scanners and shop floor terminals may fit Device licenses. Price them on their own line.
Forgetting add-on subscriptions. Many ISV apps for scheduling, shop floor data collection and quality carry their own fees. Partners such as Insight Works build add-ons for these needs. See our posts on MRP in Business Central and the Graphical Scheduler for examples.
Budgeting only for licenses. Licenses are one line in the budget. Implementation, data migration and training need their own lines.

The payoff for getting it right shows up in the numbers. Read how discrete manufacturers achieve 209% ROI with Business Central.

Frequently asked questions

Do manufacturers need Business Central Premium?

How to Keep ERP Projects Moving Without Leadership Present

Brendan Murphy — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 18:18:40 +0000

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Leading the Project When the Client Is the Hard Part (2 of 4)

Steering committee meetings are easy. Everyone’s prepared and the sponsor is in the room, so the right things get said.
Most ERP projects aren’t decided in those meetings. They’re decided on a Tuesday afternoon workshop with half the attendees missing. They’re decided in a Teams message at 9 p.m., and in the calls that get “pushed to next week” for the third time.
In Part 1, I argued that buy-in is where a project starts, not where it’s won. This part is about what comes next: keeping the client team motivated, supported and accountable when their leadership isn’t watching.

Status reports don’t show the difference

Troubled projects look the same on a status report: both kinds are red or amber. The difference is in how the people behave.
Signal
Recoverable project
Slow-motion failure
Decisions
Have an owner and a date
Get reopened every meeting or pushed because of attendance
Disagreement
Happens in the room
Happens in side channels and Teams messages
Scope changes
Are priced, chosen and scheduled
Are absorbed quietly while everyone tries to make it work
The team
Still says what it sees and stays engaged
Has stopped raising issues and stopped attending meetings
Every row in that table plays out day to day, not at steering committee. Try it now: score your current project, row by row.

A friendly VP and a tired team

Here’s another composite scenario from the session:

Build phase at a services company. A client VP messages your consultants directly at night with “small” changes. They say yes because he’s friendly and senior. Nothing is logged, the budget is thinning and the team is tired. When your account executive pushes back, the VP says: “Your program manager is the inflexible one.”

The hard part is that everyone in the scenario thinks they’re doing the right thing. Your consultants think they’re serving the client. The VP thinks he’s moving fast. No one is acting in bad faith, and the project is still being taken apart one small yes at a time.

Hold the boundary for the team, not against the client

The VP’s needs are usually legitimate. What’s breaking the project is the channel he’s using. The “run rules”:

Hold it for your team. Every request routes through you, and you take the heat for it. The cost: you’re the villain for a while.
Say yes to the need and no to the channel. Set up one intake point with fast turnaround and a queue he can see. The cost: the official path has to be faster than texting a consultant at night, or he’ll go back to texting.
Align your own side first. Boundaries fail when sales or leadership folds behind you. Brief them before the VP calls them, because he will. The cost: a hard internal conversation comes first.

That third move is the one most people skip.

Supporting the client team, not just managing them

Being a partner means the support goes both ways. The client’s process owners and super users are carrying a day job and your project. When their leadership isn’t around, they need three things from us:

Clarity. Who decides, by when, and where it’s written down. A RACI isn’t bureaucracy; it’s permission to act.
A fast, visible path. If our process is slow, people will route around it. That’s on us.
Cover. When a process owner raises a problem, they need to see us treat it as useful information, not as a complaint.

A boundary conversation in five steps

Confrontation isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s required. Be firm on the process and warm in the delivery:

Name it. “This is the fourth request outside the queue.”
Tie it to their goal. “You told me the date matters most.”
Offer priced options. “Here are two ways to do this, and what each one costs.” Never offer just one option; one option is an ultimatum.
Let them choose. Then stop talking. Most of us fill the silence and end up negotiating against ourselves.
Document it. Do it the same day, in plain words, in one source of truth. For us, that’s Azure DevOps.

The takeaway

The client team takes its cues from us when their leaders aren’t around. If we keep side channels open, they’ll use them. If we make the official path fast, clear and safe, they’ll use that instead, and they’ll hold each other to it.
Your turn: Which boundary do you wish you’d set one month earlier?
Next in the series: the quiet phase. Testing is when no one is around, and it’s where projects are quietly won or lost.

The post How to Keep ERP Projects Moving Without Leadership Present appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Community Summit 2026 Recap: Turning Your Dynamics 365 Investment into Measurable ROI

ClickLearn — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 17:06:17 +0000

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Community Summit 2026 Recap: What's New and Why User Adoption Matters

Community Summit 2026 brought the Microsoft Dynamics community together in Nashville for an exciting week of innovation, learning, and conversations about the future of business technology. From advancements with Copilot AI to practical strategies for improving business processes, the event highlighted how companies are looking to get more value from their Dynamics 365 investments.
One of the biggest topics throughout the conference was the growing role of AI across Dynamics 365. As Microsoft continues integrating AI into everyday workflows, businesses are exploring new opportunities to reduce manual tasks, improve decision-making, and increase productivity. But introducing AI is only part of the equation. The real challenge is ensuring users understand how to apply these capabilities to their daily responsibilities. Without effective training and ongoing guidance, even the most advanced technology features are being underused.
For Dynamics 365 users, keeping up with new features, interface changes, and evolving business processes requires a continuous approach to training. ClickLearn helps teams simplify documentation, create role-specific training materials, and provide in-app guidance that supports users as their workflows change. Instead of spending countless hours updating screenshots, recreating training guides, or answering repetitive support questions, teams focus on helping users get more value from Dynamics 365.
For us, one of the biggest highlights of Community Summit was connecting with the Dynamics community in Nashville! It was fantastic catching up with familiar faces, meeting new customers and partners, and hearing firsthand about the challenges businesses face with training, adoption, and ongoing system improvements. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, joined our session, and connected with the ClickLearn team. Take a look at some of our favorite moments from Community Summit 2026 below!

What Does Measurable Dynamics 365 ROI Really Look Like?

Implementing Dynamics 365 is a significant investment, involving months of planning, configuration, testing, and preparation. But the real return on that investment doesn’t come from simply getting the system up and running. It comes from how effectively users adopt the technology and apply it to their everyday work. When users struggle to complete tasks, rely heavily on IT support, or continue using outdated processes, businesses lose valuable time and resources. These challenges become even more significant as Dynamics 365 introduces new features and AI-powered capabilities that require users to adapt.
A successful Dynamics 365 strategy goes beyond implementation and focuses on measurable improvements in productivity, onboarding, support costs, and user confidence. To understand why effective training is essential to turning AI capabilities into everyday business value, read our blog, How to Maximize Microsoft Copilot ROI Through Better User Adoption.

How CKS Packaging, Inc Reduced Dynamics 365 Support Requests by 75%

At Community Summit 2026, we went beyond discussing the importance of user adoption and shared real examples of how better training delivers measurable business results. We highlighted how we assisted hundreds of users at CKS Packaging, Inc working across multiple manufacturing plants. CKS Packaging, Inc needed a more scalable way to deliver consistent training, support new users, and reduce the growing demand for internal ERP assistance. By using ClickLearn to standardize training materials and provide accessible, step-by-step guidance, CKS Packaging, Inc made it easier for their users to learn Dynamics 365 Business Central processes and resolve routine questions independently.
The results demonstrated the measurable impact of effective user adoption:

75% reduction in internal ERP support inquiries, freeing up valuable time for IT and training teams.
79% faster new-hire ramp-up time, helping new users become productive sooner.
$1,332 saved per new hire, reducing the cost of onboarding while maintaining consistent training.

These results highlighted the importance of sharing real data to showcase measurable results. Read the full CKS Packaging, Inc customer story.

Why User Adoption Drives Measurable Dynamics 365 ROI

Every Dynamics 365 investment comes with expectations: improved productivity, more efficient business processes, reduced operational costs, and better use of technology. However, achieving those goals depends on how confidently and consistently users work within the system. It is important tot consider the time users spend searching for instructions, asking colleagues for help, or waiting for IT to resolve routine questions. Across hundreds of users, these interruptions quickly add up, increasing support costs and reducing the value of your investment.
A strong Dynamics 365 adoption strategy addresses these challenges in three important ways.
1. Reduce Support Costs and Improve Productivity
When users have access to clear, up-to-date instructions, they spend less time searching for answers and relying on IT support. This reduces repetitive requests, accelerates onboarding, and helps experienced users complete tasks independently.
2. Maximize the Value of Dynamics 365 and Copilot
Microsoft continues introducing AI-powered functionality across Dynamics 365, creating new opportunities to streamline workflows, improve productivity, and reduce repetitive tasks. Copilot features only deliver meaningful business value when users understand where and how to apply them. That is where role-specific training helps users understand how Copilot fits into their responsibilities, when to use AI-powered suggestions, and how to incorporate new functionality into everyday workflows.
3. Reduce Documentation and Training Costs
Creating and maintaining Dynamics 365 training materials manually takes valuable time away from IT teams, trainers, and business experts. Frequent system updates, new features, and changes to workflows add to that workload. ClickLearn simplifies documentation by recording processes directly in Dynamics 365 generating training materials in multiple formats.

Building a Dynamics 365 Adoption Strategy That Delivers Long-Term ROI

Community Summit 2026 reinforced the importance of having a strong adoption strategy to gain measurable ROI from Dynamics 365. It starts with understanding how users work, documenting critical business processes, and making training accessible before, during, and after go-live. Involving users early, providing opportunities to practice new workflows, and maintaining consistent training materials all contribute to stronger adoption. As CKS Packaging, Inc demonstrated, investing in user readiness delivered measurable improvements in onboarding, support efficiency, and overall productivity.
With ClickLearn, companies prioritize user training as part of their Dynamics 365 strategy from the beginning. By recording processes directly in Dynamics 365 and generating step-by-step guides, videos, and other training materials, teams spend less time creating documentation and more time helping users prepare for change. Ready to improve your Dynamics 365 training strategy? Find out if you need to upgrade your user training, read our blog, 5 Signs Your Dynamics 365 Training Needs an Upgrade.

Read Our Customer Case

The post Community Summit 2026 Recap: Turning Your Dynamics 365 Investment into Measurable ROI appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

El Salvador DTE Types: Which Electronic Tax Document to Use in Business Central

Soluciones LLB — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 17:00:11 +0000

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El Salvador uses a family of electronic tax documents, called DTE. Each one serves a different transaction. A consultant who confuses them can issue the wrong document or leave a transaction without support. This guide explains the main El Salvador DTE types and what a Business Central project should know about each one.
Key takeaway: El Salvador has 11 DTE types. Knowing which one fits each transaction is the first step to a correct setup.

El Salvador DTE Types at a Glance

According to Edicom, El Salvador has 11 types of DTE. The table lists them with a plain description of their purpose.

DTE type	Typical purpose
Factura	Sales to final consumers
Comprobante de crédito fiscal	Sales between registered taxpayers
Nota de remisión	Movement of goods
Nota de crédito	Adjustment linked to a previous invoice
Nota de débito	Additional charge linked to a previous invoice
Comprobante de retención	Records a withholding
Comprobante de liquidación	Settlement of certain operations
Documento contable de liquidación	Accounting settlement
Factura de exportación	Export sales
Factura de sujeto excluido	Purchases from excluded subjects, usually issued by the buyer
Comprobante de donación	Donations, with the donee identified and the origin justified

Official codes for each document exist, and the Ministry of Finance publishes the technical standard. We do not list codes here because they must come from the official source. See the Ministry of Finance website.

Reading the Table: Three Groups

The 11 types fall into three useful groups.

Sales Documents

The factura, the comprobante de crédito fiscal, and the factura de exportación cover sales. The first two depend on the type of customer. The third covers exports. Therefore, customer setup in Business Central should show which document applies.

Adjustment Documents

Credit and debit notes must link to an invoice issued before. In practice, the system must keep that link, so the consultant should test it. Version 2.0 also introduced an event, called ERET, that can adjust an export invoice or an excluded-subject invoice without invalidating the original.

Support and Control Documents

The remission note, the withholding voucher, the liquidation documents, and the donation voucher support other needs. Each one has its own rules, so confirm which ones the client really uses.

What Changed with Version 2.0

Edicom highlights several points in version 2.0 of the technical standard:

Invoices of $25,000 or more need additional receiver fields, under the reform of Decreto 960.
The invalidation event has updated rules and wider deadlines. The company must deliver the DTE file and its graphic version to the receiver.
Contingency sending is limited to 100 documents per batch and 400 batches per transmission.

Because the standard can change, always check the current version with the Ministry of Finance.

What to Ask the Client

Which of the 11 DTE types does the company issue today?
Which customers need a comprobante de crédito fiscal?
Does the company make exports?
Does the company buy from excluded subjects?
How does the company handle invalidations?

Where Projects Go Wrong

Problem	Cause	Prevention
Wrong document for a customer	Customer type not defined	Set the document by customer type
Credit note without a link	Missing reference to the invoice	Test credit notes against real invoices
Missing receiver fields	Large invoices need extra data	Validate fields before sending
Unused types in scope	No clear list from the client	Confirm the list in discovery

How to Prepare the Discovery Workshop

Start with a list of real transactions, not with the list of 11 types. Ask finance for a sample of invoices from the last three months. Then match each one to a DTE type. This exercise shows quickly which types the company uses and which ones are only theory.
Next, review customer and vendor data. A comprobante de crédito fiscal depends on the customer's taxpayer status, so the data must be complete. Also confirm who in the company can approve an invalidation, because that decision has tax consequences.
Finally, agree on a test plan that covers every type in scope. A short plan with one test per type is enough to start. The team can then add edge cases, such as large invoices or contingency sending.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides an AppSource-certified localization for El Salvador. We work through partners and support testing, training, and updates. Learn more about our El Salvador localization and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource. For the e-invoicing model, see our direct connection guide.

The 11 DTE types can look like a long list. Yet most clients use only a few. Confirm which ones matter, test each one, and keep the official standard close.
Need help with an El Salvador project? Request a demo and we will review the documents your client needs.

The post El Salvador DTE Types: Which Electronic Tax Document to Use in Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Expense Management in Business Central: Native Module, Expense Agent vs Add-ons

Trango Tech Dynamics — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 15:59:04 +0000

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Quick Answer (TL;DR)

Business Central includes a native Expense Management module and an AI Expense Agent, both in production-ready preview as of November 2026. The module handles expense reports, per diem, mileage, approvals and reimbursement posting. The agent reads receipts for 50 Copilot Credits each. Add-ons like Continia, Pleo or SAP Concur win for company cards, mature mobile apps and travel policies.

Key Takeaways

Microsoft added native expense reports to Business Central in 2026 release wave 1, closing a gap that pushed most customers toward third-party apps for years.
The Expense Agent captures receipts by web app, email or Copilot Chat, extracts the data, categorizes it and builds expense reports automatically.
Employees who only submit through the Expense Agent need no Business Central license. Approvers need at least Team Member, and accountants who post need Essentials or Premium.
Agent usage costs 50 Copilot Credits per receipt, which is roughly $0.50 per receipt on pay-as-you-go billing.
Both features are still in preview, the agent needs Business Central online, and neither one issues company cards.
Add-ons remain the safer choice for card-heavy spend, multi-entity groups, strict travel policies, on-premises deployments and unsupported countries.

Why Expense Management in Business Central Finally Matters

For most of its history, Business Central had no real answer for employee expenses. Finance teams either keyed receipts into general journals, chased spreadsheets every month end, or bought an AppSource extension to fill the gap.
That changed in 2026. Microsoft shipped a native Expense Management module and an AI-driven Expense Agent that sits on top of it. For finance leaders, the question is no longer whether Business Central can handle expenses. It is whether the native option is mature enough to replace the add-on you already pay for, or to skip buying one at all.
This guide breaks down what each option does today, what it costs, where it falls short, and how to choose. It reflects the Microsoft documentation and release plans available as of November 2026, plus the selection questions our consultants walk through with clients during a Business Central implementation.

What expense management covers in an ERP

Employee expense management is the full cycle from spend to ledger:

Capture: the employee records the expense and attaches a receipt.
Validation: the system checks amounts, categories and policy limits.
Approval: a manager approves, rejects or sends the report back.
Posting: accounting posts the expense to the right G/L accounts and dimensions.
Reimbursement: the employee is paid back, or the company card transaction is reconciled.

Any tool you evaluate should cover all five steps without forcing finance to re-key data.

The Native Expense Management Module in Business Central

The native module adds Expense Reports as a standard Business Central capability, so employees, managers and accountants handle the full expense cycle without leaving the ERP. Microsoft released it to public preview on May 8, 2026, with general availability planned for October 2026. As of November 2026, Microsoft's documentation still labels it a production-ready preview, so confirm its status in your own environment before you plan a rollout.

Stop Chasing Receipts in Business Central
Get a free expense workflow review and find out whether the native Expense Agent or an add-on fits your policies, users, and budget.

Book My Free Expense Review

What the native module includes

Expense reports with multiple lines: employees add several expenses to one report, itemize costs and add participants, such as attendees at a client dinner.
Per diem: administrators configure calculation methods and partial-day rules.
Mileage: administrators set effective-dated rates by vehicle type and currency.
Travel requests: approved requests link to expense reports, so finance can compare planned and actual travel spend.
Rule validation and approval workflows: managers review, edit, approve or reject reports, and employees track status.
Reimbursement posting: posting creates employee ledger entries and dedicated expense ledger entries, with accounts driven by Expense Categories and Expense Posting Groups.

Because everything posts to standard ledgers, expense data flows straight into the same reporting your finance and accounting team already uses.

Who needs which license

How the person uses expense management	Minimum license
Submits expenses only through the Expense Agent web app, email or Copilot Chat	No Business Central license (billed in Copilot Credits)
Creates and submits expense reports inside Business Central	Team Member
Approves expense reports, including through the web app	Team Member
Posts expense reports and processes payments	Essentials or Premium

This model matters more than it first appears. A 60-person field sales team no longer needs 60 Business Central seats just to file receipts. If you are already rethinking seat counts, our breakdown of Dynamics 365 licensing changes covers the wider picture.

Limits of the native module without the agent

When you run expense management without the Expense Agent, employees create reports and type every line by hand. There is no AI receipt scanning, no data extraction, no automatic categorization, and no standalone individual expenses. VAT reclaim from receipts also depends on the agent. Manual mode suits regions where the agent is not yet enabled, or small teams with low receipt volume.

The Business Central Expense Agent: AI Receipt Capture Built In

The Expense Agent is Microsoft's AI layer on top of the native module. It turns a photo of a receipt into a categorized, policy-checked expense report without anyone typing the data. It is one of several agentic AI capabilities in Business Central, alongside the Payables Agent and Sales Order Agent.
The agent entered public preview in May 2026 with Business Central 28, and version 29 (October 2026) added further improvements while keeping it in preview.

How the Expense Agent works

Submit: the employee uploads a receipt in the Expense Agent web app, forwards it to a monitored shared mailbox, or sends it through Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
Extract: the agent reads the merchant, amount, date and tax, and checks for duplicates.
Categorize and itemize: it assigns an expense category and splits mixed receipts into separate lines.
Check policy: it validates the expense against your expense rules, if an administrator has enabled AI policy evaluation.
Group into a report: it bundles expenses from a set period into an expense report and can submit it for approval automatically when no policy violations are found.
Approve and post: managers approve in Business Central or the web app, then accounting posts the report and reimburses the employee.

This is a different job from the assistive features covered in what Copilot actually does in Business Central. Copilot suggests, while the agent completes the work and leaves it for a human to review.

What it costs to run

Microsoft charges a flat 50 Copilot Credits per receipt, regardless of how many lines the receipt produces. That rate covers extraction, categorization, itemization, grouping into a report and approval processing.

Scenario	Monthly receipts	Copilot Credits	Approximate monthly cost
10 employees, 10 receipts each	100	5,000	$50 pay-as-you-go
25 employees, 10 receipts each	250	12,500	$125 pay-as-you-go
50 employees, 10 receipts each	500	25,000	$200 with one prepaid pack

Pay-as-you-go runs at about $0.01 per credit. A prepaid pack costs $200 per month for 25,000 credits, and unused credits do not roll over. Credits are shared with any other Copilot Studio agents in your tenant, so budget them together. We explain the full billing model in our guide to Copilot Credits for Business Central agents.

Setup requirements

Business Central online, in a country or region where Microsoft supports the agent.
Consumption billing set up in the Business Central admin center, linked to a Power Platform environment.
The Expense Agent turned on in the Copilot & Agent Capabilities page.
A shared mailbox, if employees will submit receipts by email.
Expense categories, subcategories and posting groups, which the Configure Expense Agent guided setup walks you through.

Microsoft allows one Expense Agent per Business Central company, and one expense user cannot be enabled across multiple agents. Organizations still on premises cannot use it at all, which is one more factor in the on-premises vs cloud Business Central decision.

What is on the roadmap

Microsoft's roadmap lists several Expense Agent features in preview or development as of November 2026:

A mobile app for capturing, validating and submitting expenses.
Creating expenses from imported credit card feeds, and matching them to existing expenses.
Automatic expense reports per business trip.
VAT calculation and reporting, with an accountant confirming before posting.
Project assignment limited to projects each user is assigned to.
Travel requisitions and an Expense Manager role center.
Support for German, Danish, French and Spanish.

Third-Party Expense Add-ons for Business Central

Add-ons still lead on maturity. Many have run inside Business Central for years, support on-premises deployments, and handle company cards, which the native module does not issue. They fall into three groups, and the group matters more than the brand because it decides how data reaches your ledger.

1. Embedded Business Central extensions

These install from AppSource and run inside Business Central, so expenses post directly to your G/L with your dimensions.

Continia Expense Management: a long-established extension with a mobile app, web portal, per diem, mileage and import of corporate card transactions for matching to receipts. Business Central online customers pay through Continia's Use & Pay model on AppSource, priced by modules and users, with a free trial.
Zetadocs Expenses: an embedded extension covering out-of-pocket spend, corporate card expenses and mileage, with mobile receipt capture and policy checks.

Best for: Business Central-centric finance teams that want everything in one system and plan to keep their existing bank cards.

2. Card-first spend platforms

These platforms issue company cards with spending controls and push transactions into Business Central through an AppSource connector.

Pleo: company cards with an integration that supports both Business Central online and on-premises, exporting as journal entries or purchase invoices.
Payhawk: cards, expenses, accounts payable and procurement in one platform, with dimension and VAT sync. Cards are issued in the EEA and UK.
Spendesk: card purchases arrive as draft purchase invoices for review before posting.
Ramp: a US-focused card platform whose Business Central integration requires its paid Ramp Plus plan.

Best for: companies where most spend runs on cards, and pre-spend controls matter more than after-the-fact reimbursement.

3. Enterprise travel and expense suites

SAP Concur and Emburse offer deep travel booking, global policy and multi-entity controls. They usually connect to Business Central through a connector or middleware, such as OmniFY for Concur, with approved reports posting as journal entries or payables.

Best for: larger organizations already standardized on Concur or Emburse, or with complex global travel programs.

What add-ons cost you beyond the subscription

Every add-on is another vendor, another contract and another integration to test at each Business Central update. Connector-based tools need field mapping for accounts, dimensions, VAT codes and employees. Our Business Central integration team typically scopes this mapping before any go-live. Embedded extensions avoid most of that, but still need configuration and occasional Business Central customization when your approval chain or posting rules go beyond the defaults.

Native Module vs Expense Agent vs Add-ons: Side-by-Side

Factor	Native module (manual)	Native module + Expense Agent	Embedded add-on (Continia, Zetadocs)	Card-first platform (Pleo, Payhawk, Ramp)	Enterprise T&E (Concur, Emburse)
Receipt capture	Manual entry in Business Central	AI extraction from web app, email or Copilot Chat	Mobile app with OCR	Mobile app with OCR, tied to card spend	Mobile app with OCR
License for submitters	Team Member	None (Copilot Credits)	Add-on user license	Platform seat	Platform seat
Company cards	Not issued	Not issued; card feed import on the roadmap	Imports existing card feeds	Issues cards with spend controls	Card feeds and travel booking
Cost model	Included with Business Central	50 Copilot Credits per receipt	Per user and module	Per user or plan	Per user or report, usually quoted
Deployment	Business Central online; confirm on-premises support with your partner	Business Central online, supported countries	Online, and on-premises for some products	Online and on-premises varies by vendor	Connector or middleware
Maturity	Preview	Preview	Years in market	Mature platforms, newer BC connectors	Mature
Best for	Low volume, few submitters	Out-of-pocket spend at scale, occasional submitters	BC-centric teams keeping current cards	Card-heavy spend and pre-spend control	Complex global travel programs

How to Choose the Right Option

Choose the native module and Expense Agent if:

You run Business Central online in a supported country.
Most spend is reimbursed out-of-pocket costs, not card transactions.
Many employees submit occasionally and you want to avoid buying seats for them.
You are comfortable running preview features with a clear fallback.
You want expense data in the same ledgers and dimensions as everything else, with no extra vendor.

Keep or choose an add-on if:

Company cards drive most of your spend and you need spending limits before purchase.
You run Business Central on premises, or in a country where the agent is not available.
You need mature features today, such as card reconciliation, multi-entity rules or detailed travel policies.
Your auditors or internal policy rule out preview features for financial posting.
You already pay for a working add-on and the switching cost outweighs the license savings.

If you already run an add-on, there is no need to rip it out. Test the native module in a sandbox, compare it against your current workflow, and plan a switch at your next renewal only if it covers your requirements. Teams that move to standard features without that gap analysis often hit the problems we describe in why out-of-the-box Business Central fails.

Implementation tips for native expense management

Map your policy first: list expense categories, per diem rates, mileage rates and approval limits before you open the setup guide.
Align posting groups with your chart of accounts: each expense category should land in the correct G/L account and dimension on day one.
Pilot with one department: run the agent with a small group for a full month end and check extraction accuracy, policy flags and posting.
Forecast Copilot Credits: multiply monthly receipts by 50 and choose between pay-as-you-go and a prepaid pack.
Train approvers, not just submitters: approvals stall when managers do not know where reports land.
Report on spend: connect expense ledger entries to dashboards through our Power BI services so finance can track spend by category, project and employee.
Add expenses to your cutover plan: treat it as its own workstream in your ERP go-live checklist, including open reports and unpaid reimbursements.

Conclusion

Native expense management closes one of Business Central's oldest gaps. The Expense Reports module covers the core cycle from capture to reimbursement, and the Expense Agent removes manual entry for a predictable 50 Copilot Credits per receipt, without licensing every employee. For online customers with mostly out-of-pocket spend, it is now worth piloting before you renew or buy an add-on.
Add-ons still win where cards, on-premises deployments, unsupported countries or complex travel policies are involved, and while the native features remain in preview. The right answer depends on your spend mix, deployment and risk appetite, so test both against your actual month-end process before you commit.
Not sure which route fits your finance team? Talk to a certified Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner at Trango Tech for a sandbox walkthrough of the Expense Agent alongside your current expense process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Business Central have native expense management?

Yes. Business Central 2026 release wave 1 added a native Expense Management module with expense reports, per diem, mileage, travel requests, approval workflows and reimbursement posting. Microsoft planned general availability for October 2026, and its documentation still labels the feature a production-ready preview as of November 2026.

Is the Business Central Expense Agent free?

No. Copilot is included with Business Central, but the Expense Agent uses consumption billing. Microsoft charges 50 Copilot Credits per receipt, which works out to roughly $0.50 per receipt on pay-as-you-go billing.

Do employees need a Business Central license to submit expenses?

Not if they only use the Expense Agent web app, email or Copilot Chat. Usage is billed in Copilot Credits instead. Anyone who approves reports needs at least a Team Member license, and anyone who posts needs Essentials or Premium.

Is the Expense Agent generally available?

Not yet. The Expense Agent entered public preview in May 2026 and remained in preview after the Business Central 29 release in October 2026. You can activate it in production as a production-ready preview or test it in a sandbox first.

Can the Expense Agent handle company credit cards?

Not fully today. Business Central does not issue cards. Microsoft's roadmap includes creating expenses from imported credit card feeds and reconciling them with existing expenses, announced on the Microsoft 365 roadmap in October 2026.

Does the Expense Agent work on Business Central on-premises?

No. The Expense Agent relies on Copilot and consumption billing, which are only available in Business Central online.

Should I replace Continia or another add-on with native expense management?

Only after a side-by-side test. Run the native module and the Expense Agent in a sandbox for one month end, compare them with your add-on on card handling, approvals, posting and reporting, and plan any switch around your add-on's renewal date.

Which countries and languages does the Expense Agent support?

The preview started in the United States, then expanded to more regions, including the UK. Microsoft added German, Danish, French and Spanish in preview. Check Microsoft's feature availability page for your country before you plan a rollout.

The post Expense Management in Business Central: Native Module, Expense Agent vs Add-ons appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central 29 Upgrade Checklist: Test Permissions and Agent Access First

2-Controlware — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 15:29:25 +0000

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TL;DR. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2026 release wave 2 is version 29. It makes agent permissions easier to manage and brings several agent and Copilot capabilities into general availability or public preview. Before you upgrade production, treat every agent as a user: review its permission sets, who can configure it, and whether those rights break segregation of duties. Native Business Central shows what access exists. It does not, by itself, provide a segregation-of-duties review or field-level control. Test in a sandbox first. For Business Central online, administrators can schedule update 29.0 anywhere in a five-month window that ends in February 2027.
A Business Central 29 upgrade is easy to treat as a functional project. Version 29 also changes how you assign and supervise agent access. If you skip a permission test in a sandbox, you will find the gaps in production, or during an audit. This checklist is for application managers, BC consultants, and controllers who have to sign off the update.

Why permissions belong on your Business Central 29 upgrade checklist

Agents in Business Central are not a sidebar feature. The Payables Agent has its own user account, its own permission sets, and a list of people who may configure it or work with its tasks. It can monitor a mailbox, draft purchase documents, and, depending on how you set it up, request a human review, or not.
A Role Center only changes what someone sees; it does not enforce access, as we explained in Role Centers and the Illusion of Access Control. The same is true of agents. And if your permission model was already generous, Copilot makes that easier to use. As we noted when Authorization Box gained visibility of security groups and AI agents, agents behave like users and belong in the same risk analysis.

What actually changed in Business Central 29

According to Microsoft’s What’s new in update 29.0, 2026 release wave 2 includes:

Manage agent permissions easier: general availability
A dedicated task pane for tasks from all agents: general availability
Review of agent-generated content directly on pages: general availability
Improved purchase order matching in the Payables Agent: general availability
Data queries with the MCP Server: general availability
The Microsoft Copilot chat experience: public preview
Further Expense Agent capabilities: public preview

Treat generally available features as candidates for sign-off. Keep public previews in the sandbox, with a named owner, until you accept the preview terms.
Administrators can schedule update 29.0 to any date in the five-month period that ends in February 2027. Use that time to finish the permission test, not to delay the first sandbox run until the week before the deadline.

Treat every agent as a user

On the Agents page, each agent has a card. For the Payables Agent, Microsoft’s setup guidance is specific and worth following in a sandbox first.
The agent has permission sets. By default it is assigned PAYABLES AG. – RUN, which is meant to restrict the agent to what it needs for vendor invoices and credit notes. You cannot edit that system permission set directly. If you need to change it, copy it, adjust the copy, and add the copy to the agent. Disable the agent before you change its permission sets, then enable it again when you are done.
People and the agent are not the same access question. Users who configure the agent need the Configure All Agents system permission (ID 9665), or they must be listed on the agent with Can configure selected. Users who only work with agent tasks need Manage Agent Tasks (ID 9670) and must be listed as an agent user. Essential and Premium entitlements now include Manage Agent Tasks; the SECURITY permission set includes Configure All Agents.
Human review is a setting, not a given. For incoming email, the Payables Agent can request review always, never, or based on a known-senders policy. Test the option you actually intend to use.
If you already use the Sales Order Agent, or you plan to try Expense Agent capabilities that are still in preview in version 29, run the same review. If your team uses the Business Central MCP Server (data queries are generally available in 29.0), confirm in a sandbox which data the configuration exposes, and keep write tools off until permission sets have been reviewed.

A practical sandbox checklist

Use a sandbox that matches production as closely as you can, including permission sets, security groups, and the agents you intend to use.

Confirm the target version and the schedule. Note whether 29.0 is already offered, and which date you would pick inside the window that ends in February 2027. On-premises customers on version 24 or earlier must upgrade to version 25 first; see Microsoft’s upgrade guidance for 2026 release wave 2.
Inventory Copilot and agent capabilities. On the Copilot & agent capabilities page, list what is on, what is generally available, and what is still in preview. Leave previews off in production unless you have an owner and a reason.
Review each agent card. Record the permission sets assigned, including any copies of system sets such as PAYABLES AG. – RUN. Remove anything the agent does not need for the process you have approved.
Review who can configure the agent and who can only work with tasks. The person who can change the mailbox or turn review off is as important as the agent itself.
Walk a real process, not a screenshot. For the Payables Agent, send a sample invoice to the monitored mailbox (or use trial or sample invoices in an appropriate environment) and follow the draft through review. Confirm that posting still requires a person, if that is your policy.
Test segregation of duties on the combined picture. Who (person or agent) can create or change a vendor, change bank details, draft the invoice, and complete payment-related steps? Native permission sets do not give you a conflict matrix. See why native SoD is not enough.
Check field-level risk on vendor and customer master data. Native Business Central authorizes at table level, so Modify on a table includes every field, including credit limits and bank accounts, unless you add control below the table. See field-level security in Business Central.
Trace indirect access and test with real roles. Include permissions that arrive through security groups. Do not sign off UAT under SUPER. If you need to see what a task really requires, record it rather than widening a set “just for the test.”
Write down the decision. For each agent, record the owner, the permission sets, the review setting, and whether any SoD exception is accepted, by whom, and until when.

What native Business Central still will not do for you

Version 29 is a genuine improvement in how you manage and supervise agents. The Agents page, agent permission sets, task panes, and Microsoft’s audit events help you see what was configured and what ran.
They do not replace a segregation-of-duties model, a documented review of conflicts, or field-level rules on data that moves money. Permission sets and logs answer “what access exists?” and “what happened?” They do not, on their own, answer “should this combination be allowed?” and “who signed that off?”
That is the work 2-Controlware is built for, as a Business Central specialist in authorization, including when the “user” is an AI agent.
Authorization Box is an application, designed by IT auditors, for designing, managing, and monitoring Business Central authorizations. You work with organization roles, analyze critical permissions and segregation-of-duties conflicts, review each result as agreed or disagreed, and can export those reviews for your compliance file.
Field Security extends permissions to field, filter, and action level, for example locking a vendor bank account, without writing code. It is listed on Microsoft AppSource, with a free trial. The free Advanced Permissions Recorder can record the rights a sandbox process actually uses.
The upgrade itself is also a permission change. Microsoft and partner app updates can quietly modify permission sets without anyone editing them, and Business Central keeps no history of who or what changed a set. Advanced Permissions Management records changes to permission sets, permission lines, and include/exclude relations automatically, and an hourly check catches the changes that app updates introduce. After the upgrade you can filter on the update period, compare versions, mark each change as reviewed or flagged, and undo a change that should not have happened. The app requires Business Central 27 or later, runs on Business Central online (on-premises on request), and comes with a 30-day trial.
For building roles, see The “Exclude” Strategy Guide and Mastering Business Central Permissions: A Practical Approach.
If you want to walk through this checklist on your own sandbox, including agent permission sets and a segregation-of-duties review: get in touch with 2-Controlware.

Frequently asked questions

Is Business Central 29 the same as 2026 release wave 2?

Yes. Microsoft’s documentation treats update 29.0 as the start of 2026 release wave 2. Additional changes continue in later 29.x updates.

Do we have to upgrade production as soon as 29.0 is offered?

No. For Business Central online, administrators can schedule the update to any date within the five-month period that ends in February 2027. Use that time for sandbox testing, including permissions and agent access.

Does “manage agent permissions easier” remove the need for a segregation-of-duties review?

No. Easier assignment does not tell you whether a person and an agent together can complete a conflicting combination of duties. That review is still yours to run, with a recorded conclusion.

Can Copilot or an agent change sensitive fields such as a vendor bank account?

Native Business Central does not lock individual fields; access is granted at table level. Whether an agent can change a field depends on the permission sets you assign. If a field must be locked, use a field-level control such as Field Security.

Should we turn on every new Copilot feature when we upgrade?

No. In version 29, the Microsoft Copilot chat experience and several Expense Agent capabilities are still in public preview. Turn on only what you have tested in a sandbox, and give every active agent a named owner.

Sources

What’s new or changed in Business Central 2026 release wave 2: Update 29.0 (Microsoft Learn)
Set up Payables Agent in Business Central (Microsoft Learn)
Configure Copilot and agent capabilities (Microsoft Learn)
Authorization Box and Field Security (2-controlware.com)
Update Authorization Box: Insight into Security Groups and AI Agents (December 5, 2025)
Segregation of Duties in Business Central: Why Native Permissions Aren’t Enough (July 20, 2026)
Field-Level Security in Business Central: What Native Permissions Can’t Do, and How to Fix It (July 21, 2026)

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Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Upgrading Your ERP System

TrinSoft, LLC — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 15:08:13 +0000

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Upgrading or replacing your ERP system is a major opportunity to improve how your business operates. A modern ERP solution can help eliminate inefficient processes, improve access to information, and give your team a stronger foundation for future growth. But an ERP upgrade is not just a software project.
The decisions you make before, during, and after implementation can have a significant impact on how smoothly the transition goes and how much value your organization ultimately receives from its new system.
Whether you are replacing a legacy ERP, moving to the cloud, or considering a solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, avoiding these five common mistakes can help put your ERP project on the right track.

#1 Choosing an ERP Before Defining Your Business Requirements

One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is beginning the ERP selection process with the software instead of their actual business needs.
It is easy to focus on features, dashboards, integrations, and new technology. But before evaluating solutions, your organization should understand exactly what problems it is trying to solve.

Which processes cause the most frustration or manual work?
Where are employees relying heavily on spreadsheets or disconnected systems?
What information is difficult to access or report on?
Which processes need to become more efficient?
What capabilities will the business need as it grows?

Creating clear requirements helps your team evaluate ERP solutions based on how well they support your actual operations rather than simply choosing the platform with the longest feature list.
Your goal should not be to find an ERP with more features. It should be to find the ERP that provides the right capabilities for your business.

#2 Underestimating Data Migration

Your new ERP system is only as useful as the information inside it. Trying to move years of outdated, duplicated, incomplete, or inaccurate information into a new system can turn existing data problems into new ERP problems.
Before migration begins, take the opportunity to review your existing data. Determine what needs to move, what needs to be cleaned up, and what no longer needs to be carried forward.

Customer and vendor records
Inventory and item information
Financial data
Open transactions
Historical records
Duplicate or outdated information

Data migration should also be tested before the final transition. Your team needs confidence that critical information has been moved accurately and is available where users expect to find it.
Think of an ERP upgrade as an opportunity to start with a cleaner foundation, not simply to move every piece of information from the old system into the new one.

#3 Not Involving the People Who Use the System

An ERP system affects more than your IT or accounting departments. Employees across finance, operations, sales, purchasing, inventory, management, and other areas may rely on the system every day. Leaving those users out of the process can result in overlooked requirements and workflows that do not reflect how work actually happens.
Bring key users into the project early. Their feedback can help identify inefficient processes, important reporting requirements, necessary integrations, and everyday challenges that may not be obvious to the implementation team.
Early involvement also helps employees understand why the organization is changing systems and what the new ERP is intended to improve. ERP projects are ultimately about more than technology. They are about giving people better tools and processes to do their jobs.

#4 Waiting Until Go-Live to Focus on Training and Testing

A successful ERP launch should not be the first-time employees seriously interact with the new system. Testing and training need to happen before go-live. Users should have opportunities to work through the processes they will perform regularly, such as entering transactions, creating reports, completing approvals, managing inventory, or accessing the information relevant to their roles.
Testing should also reflect real business scenarios instead of focusing only on whether individual features technically work.

Can we complete our normal day-to-day processes from beginning to end?
Are the reports giving us the information we expect?
Do integrations work correctly?
Do employees understand their new workflows?

Finding an issue during testing gives your team an opportunity to address it. Finding the same issue during a busy workday immediately after go-live can create unnecessary disruption.

#5 Treating Go-Live as the Finish Line

Going live with your new ERP is a major milestone, but it is not the end of the project. Once employees begin using the system in real-world situations, new questions and opportunities will emerge. Some workflows may need adjustment. Employees may discover features they were not ready to use during the initial implementation. Reporting requirements may evolve.
That is why businesses should have a plan for what happens after go-live. Continue reviewing how employees are using the system, where additional training could help, and which processes could benefit from further automation or optimization.
Your ERP should evolve alongside your organization. A successful implementation is not simply one that launches on time. It is one that continues to deliver value long after launch.

A Better ERP Upgrade Starts With the Right Plan

ERP upgrades are complex, but many of the biggest challenges can be reduced with thoughtful preparation. Before moving forward with an implementation or upgrade, remember to:

Define your business requirements before selecting a solution.
Clean and prepare your data before migration.
Involve the people who will actually use the ERP.
Make training and real-world testing a priority.
Plan for optimization and support after go-live.

Taking the time to address these areas can help reduce disruption and give your organization a stronger foundation for getting long-term value from its ERP investment.

Considering Your Next ERP Move?

Choosing to upgrade or replace your ERP system is about more than selecting new software. It is about finding a solution that fits the way your business operates today while giving you the flexibility to adapt as your needs change.
Whether you are struggling with disconnected systems, manual processes, limited reporting, outdated technology, or an ERP that simply is not keeping up, having the right strategy and the right partner can make the transition easier.

Why Choose TrinSoft?

At TrinSoft, we understand that every ERP project is different. Your organization has its own processes, challenges, goals, and requirements, which is why an ERP implementation should not be approached as a one-size-fits-all technology project.
We work with businesses to understand their needs and help them determine the right path forward using solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Our support does not end when your new system goes live.
As your business evolves, your ERP should evolve with it. From implementation and training to ongoing support and helping your team take advantage of additional capabilities, TrinSoft can be there throughout your ERP journey.
Working with TrinSoft can help your organization:

Better understand your ERP requirements before making major technology decisions.
Prepare for implementation and migration with a plan built around your business.
Get employees ready for the new system through training and support.
Take advantage of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its capabilities.
Continue improving your ERP after go-live as your processes and business needs evolve.

The goal is not simply to replace one ERP system with another. It is to create a stronger technology foundation that helps your people work more efficiently, gives decision-makers better access to information, and supports where your organization wants to go next.
If you are considering an ERP upgrade, replacing a legacy system, or wondering whether your current solution can continue supporting your business, TrinSoft can help you evaluate your options and determine the right next step.

The post Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Upgrading Your ERP System appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why Your Dynamics Numbers Don’t Reconcile (And Why It’s Rarely the Software)

Scott Burkhardt, Poize2 — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 14:58:01 +0000

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This one shows up in almost every rescue we walk into. Finance pulls a report, the general ledger says one number, the subledger says another, and nobody can explain the difference. The inventory on the balance sheet doesn’t match the inventory valuation. The Power BI dashboard doesn’t tie to the financials. Somebody starts keeping a spreadsheet on the side to “true it up,” and now there are two versions of the truth.
It’s one of the most corrosive problems a Dynamics environment can have, because it quietly destroys trust in the system. Once leadership stops believing the numbers, they stop using the reports, and you’re back to running the business out of Excel while paying for an ERP you don’t trust.
Here’s the thing: the software is almost never the problem. Business Central and Finance & Operations are perfectly capable of keeping the subledger and the general ledger in sync. When they don’t, it’s almost always one of a handful of configuration or process issues underneath. We see the same culprits over and over.

Someone posted directly to a control account

This is the single most common cause, and the hardest to trace. Your inventory, receivables, payables, and bank accounts in the GL are control accounts. They’re supposed to be updated only through the subledger, when an item is received, an invoice is posted, a payment clears. But if “direct posting” is left enabled on those accounts, someone can post a manual journal entry straight to the GL that never touches the subledger. Now the two don’t match, and there’s no transaction trail in the subledger to explain why.
The fix is a setting: restrict direct posting on your control accounts so manual entries can’t bypass the subledger. It’s a small configuration change that eliminates one of the most common reconciliation headaches. Most environments we inherit have this left wide open.

The posting groups are misconfigured

Every item, customer, and vendor is tied to posting groups that tell Dynamics which GL accounts to hit. If those are set up wrong, or if an item’s posting setup gets changed after transactions have already posted against the old setup, the subledger and GL drift apart. The transactions are all there; they just landed in the wrong places. This is invisible until someone reconciles, and then it’s a painful hunt through history.

Costs weren’t adjusted

In Business Central, inventory cost depends on the costing method, and cost adjustments don’t always run automatically. If the cost adjustment hasn’t run, the inventory valuation and the GL won’t agree, not because anything is wrong, but because the system hasn’t finished the math. Unposted invoices and shipments awaiting invoicing cause the same temporary gaps. Often the “discrepancy” is just work in process that resolves once everything posts.

The reporting layer has its own problems

Even when the ERP is clean, the reports on top of it can lie. This is where Power BI and bolt-on reporting tools create friction. Different reports use different definitions of the same KPI. The dashboard pulls from a data model that was mapped once and never maintained. Finance exports to Excel, rebuilds the numbers by hand, and now the “official” report and the dashboard disagree because they were built from different assumptions. The ERP is fine; the reporting around it was never governed.

Why this matters more than it looks

A reconciliation problem is rarely just an accounting annoyance. It’s an audit risk, inventory and financial statements that don’t tie out are exactly what auditors flag. It masks real operational problems, because a discrepancy could be a configuration issue or it could be theft, shrinkage, or data-entry errors, and you can’t tell which until you reconcile cleanly. And it erodes the one thing an ERP is supposed to deliver: a single, trustworthy version of the numbers.

The good news

Because it’s almost always configuration and process rather than the software, it’s fixable. The path is methodical: lock down direct posting on control accounts, validate the posting groups, make sure cost adjustments run, confirm the subledgers tie to the GL on a regular cadence, and then make sure the reporting layer is built on one agreed set of definitions. None of it is exotic. It just takes someone who knows where to look and the discipline to work through it.
If your Dynamics numbers don’t tie out and nobody can quite say why, that’s not a sign you bought the wrong system. It usually means the foundation needs a tune-up, and the numbers can be made trustworthy again.

Poize2 is a senior Microsoft Dynamics team. We build real AI, including our own delivery tools, and help clients cut through the noise to find the AI uses that deliver genuine ROI. We specialize in rescuing troubled Dynamics projects and delivering ones that stay on track. Learn more at www.poize2.com.

The post Why Your Dynamics Numbers Don’t Reconcile (And Why It’s Rarely the Software) appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Phones vs rugged scanners for Business Central: Picking Android devices for a warehouse app

Insight Works — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 14:00:06 +0000

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Business Central warehouse devices for Warehouse Insight include Android scanners, phones, tablets and wearables, plus Windows computers and Chromebooks. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Many resellers describe it as an add-on. One configuration in Business Central drives every device, so the choice comes down to the work.

Which Business Central warehouse devices run Warehouse Insight?

Warehouse Insight runs natively on Android, Windows and Chrome OS. Each platform uses the same app, the same screens and the same Business Central setup. The list covers a wide range of hardware:

Android: Rugged handheld scanners, phones, tablets and wearable computers paired with ring scanners.
Windows: A desktop client for warehouse laptops, receiving desks and forklift-mounted computers.
Chrome OS: An install from the Google Play Store for companies that already use Chromebooks.

Menus, workflows and posting controls are defined once in Business Central. Each device reads that setup when a worker signs in. That makes it practical to match each role to the right hardware, with no separate setup per platform. The cross-platform support page explains how this works.

Can you use phones or tablets instead of rugged scanners?

Yes. Any supported Android phone or tablet runs Warehouse Insight. The question is whether the device suits the job. A phone scans barcodes with its camera. Camera scanning works, but it is not as fast or dependable as a dedicated scan engine. Phones are also less rugged, and most do not have a hot-swappable battery.
Phones and tablets fit lighter roles well. A supervisor who scans a few times a day can use one. So can a forklift driver with a tablet mounted on the vehicle. For tablets at fixed stations, a USB barcode scanner is a common pairing. See using a USB scanner with the Warehouse Insight Windows app for that setup.

Do iPhones or iPads work with Warehouse Insight?

No. The Warehouse Insight handheld apps run on Android, Windows and Chrome OS. They do not run on iPhones or iPads. Companies that use Apple devices elsewhere can still pick from a wide choice of warehouse hardware. Android scanners cover most picking, receiving and counting work. Windows laptops and Chromebooks cover desks and fixed stations. Office staff can keep using their usual devices for Business Central itself.

How do phones and rugged scanners compare as Business Central warehouse devices?

Both run the same Warehouse Insight screens. The differences come from the hardware itself.

Consideration	Phone or consumer tablet	Rugged Android scanner
How it reads barcodes	The built-in camera	A dedicated scan engine
Drop and damage tolerance	Lower	Built for drops onto concrete
Battery	Usually fixed	Often swappable during a shift
Keypad	Touchscreen only	Touchscreen, with or without a physical keypad
Good fit for	Occasional scanning and mounted tablets	Full shifts of picking, receiving and counting

What should staff who wear gloves or work in rough conditions look for?

Start with how workers will hold and use the device. Phone-style scanners have larger screens, but they are harder to use with gloves. Weigh these points before you choose a model:

Keypad: A physical keypad is easier for gloved hands than a touchscreen.
Ruggedness: Check the drop rating against your floor and rack heights.
Battery: A swappable battery keeps a device running through a long shift.
Scan range: Long-range scanners read large pallet labels on high racking.
Camera: Pick a model with a camera if workers will attach photos.

For cold storage, confirm the operating temperature range with your hardware supplier. Screen layout matters too. The Warehouse Insight interface views include a compact grid for small scanner screens. A one-task card view suits wearables and forklift tablets.

Does each device type need its own setup?

No. Warehouse Insight reads its configuration from Business Central, not from a settings file on each device. A picker trained on an Android scanner sees the same scan sequence on a Windows laptop. You can still tailor screens by role or device. How to configure what workers see on each handheld covers that in detail.
Licensing follows the device too. Warehouse Insight is licensed per device. Business Central has its own device license. Microsoft’s licensing documentation gives examples such as “a point of sales, shop floor, or warehouse device.” Confirm the right licensing model with your Microsoft partner.

Frequently asked questions about Business Central warehouse devices

Do I need new hardware to start?

Not always. Warehouse Insight runs on Android devices, Windows computers and Chromebooks. A warehouse can often start with hardware it already owns.

Can one warehouse mix Business Central warehouse devices?

Yes. Rugged scanners on the floor, forklift tablets and receiving desk laptops can all share one Business Central setup. Each worker sees the screens configured for their role.

Where can I compare specific scanner models?

Our guide to choosing a handheld scanner for Business Central goes deeper. It covers Android hardware tiers and what to check before buying.

Is Warehouse Insight an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three describe the same product. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management app for Business Central. It installs as an extension from Microsoft Marketplace, and resellers often call it an add-on.
To see every platform and workflow in one place, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.

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A Strong Reason for Microsoft Dynamics Partners to Attend Partner Pre-Day at Convergence 2026

Anya Ciecierski — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 03:05:28 +0000

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If you are a Microsoft Dynamics Partner that wants to build stronger relationships with Microsoft, that is your reason to attend Convergence 2026 Partner Pre-Day.
For Microsoft Dynamics partners, building relationships with the right people at Microsoft can open doors to new opportunities. But how often do you get the chance to sit down with Microsoft leaders, learn about their priorities, ask questions, and make connections in a smaller setting?
That's what makes the Convergence 2026 Partner Pre-Day, on December 8, 2026, at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, worth considering.
The Convergence 2026 Partner Pre-Day agenda is now available, and Microsoft is bringing an impressive lineup of product executives, technical experts, and partner leaders to Miami.

I recently spoke with Bobby Small from Dynamics User Group, the organization behind Convergence, about what partners can expect this year. One thing became clear: If building stronger Microsoft relationships is a priority for your company, this is an event you should have on your calendar.

Three Dedicated Partner Tracks: F&SCM, CE, and Business Central

One misconception Bobby wants to clear up is that Convergence is only for Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (F&SCM). That's not the case.

For 2026, the Partner Pre-Day will offer three dedicated tracks:

Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management (F&SCM): Hear directly from Microsoft's ERP leadership, including Georg Glantschnig, Corporate Vice President, ERP, and Sameer Verma, VP & Chief Product Officer, Dynamics 365 AI ERP.
Explore the agentic opportunity for partners, strategies to accelerate sales and deployments, competitive positioning, and Microsoft's approach to AI-powered implementations.
Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE): Sales, Service, CCaaS & CX
Join Deva Rajamohan, Corporate Vice President, Dynamics 365 Customer Experience and Apps, alongside Microsoft product leaders responsible for Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Insights, Customer Service, and Contact Center.

Explore the future of agentic customer engagement, opportunities to modernize business processes, and the go-to-market strategies helping partners grow their practices.
Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC): Hear directly from Microsoft's Business Central leadership, including Christian Baek, Principal Group Program Manager, alongside Peter Jakobsen, Architect, Office COE, and Cecilia Flombaum, BizApps Agents Ecosystem Lead.Gain insight into Business Central product strategy, partner readiness, and the expanding opportunities around AI agents and business applications, directly from the Microsoft teams helping shape what's next.

The Partner Pre-Day initiative is being led by Cecilia Flombaum from Microsoft. Microsoft is developing the agenda, selecting the speakers, and leading the programming, with a focus on product direction, partner readiness, go-to-market strategies, and opportunities for growth.

Direct Access to Microsoft Leaders and Product Teams

What makes this opportunity different from a typical partner event?
According to Bobby, last year's Convergence attracted approximately 1,200 attendees, including around 250 Microsoft employees. While not all of those Microsoft representatives participated in Partner Pre-Day, there was a substantial Microsoft presence throughout the conference.
The Partner Pre-Day itself was a much smaller gathering, with approximately 150 attendees in the F&O program. Bobby expects similarly focused sessions this year, with separate groups for F&SCM, CE, and BC.
Think about the value of being in a room with Microsoft representatives who are directly involved in partner programs, product strategy, and go-to-market initiatives. Instead of competing for attention at an event with hundreds of other partners, you have an opportunity to ask questions, understand Microsoft's direction, and start building relationships.
And those relationships don't have to end when Partner Pre-Day is over. The full Convergence conference, December 8–11, offers additional opportunities to connect with Microsoft people during sessions and networking activities.

Learn Where Microsoft Is Investing in Its Partners

The 2026 Partner Pre-Day agenda is still being developed, but last year's program gives us an idea of the type of information partners can expect.
The 2025 sessions covered topics such as Microsoft's AI ERP strategy, partner sales investments, go-to-market programs, incentives, competitive sales strategies, and opportunities to build AI solutions on Dynamics 365.
These are important topics for partners making decisions about where to invest, which services to develop, and how to align their business with Microsoft's priorities.
The value isn't just hearing about Microsoft's programs. It's having the opportunity to talk with the people behind them.

A Different Kind of Microsoft Dynamics Conference

Bobby described the difference between DynamicsCon and Convergence in a simple way:

DynamicsCon is community-led. Convergence is Microsoft-led.

At community conferences, you often hear from customers and partners explaining how they're using Microsoft Dynamics software. At Convergence, you hear directly from the Microsoft teams building the products, setting the direction, and developing the programs that support the partner channel.
The Convergence 2026 website now highlights more than 100 Microsoft-led sessions, featuring product managers, engineers, architects, and executives.
Convergence 2026 is targeting approximately 3,000 attendees, up from around 1,200 last year. But the organizers are intentionally keeping the event heavily focused on customers and Microsoft representatives, rather than filling the expo with hundreds of sponsors.
For partners, that creates an interesting opportunity. You can participate in a focused Partner Pre-Day and then spend the rest of the conference building Microsoft relationships, hearing from product teams, and connecting with Dynamics 365 customers.

Should Your Company Attend Convergence 2026 Partner Pre-Day?

If your company wants to strengthen its Microsoft relationships, understand where Microsoft is investing, and find new opportunities to grow your Dynamics 365 business, I think the Partner Pre-Day is worth a serious look.
And with dedicated tracks for F&SCM, CE, and Business Central, this opportunity is no longer limited to just one part of the Dynamics 365 partner channel.

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM–4:30 PM
Location: Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Florida
Audience: Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation partners
Registration: A separate Partner Pre-Day ticket is required.

Learn more about Partner Pre-Day | Register for Partner Pre-Day 2026
Still need your main conference pass? Register here.

The post A Strong Reason for Microsoft Dynamics Partners to Attend Partner Pre-Day at Convergence 2026 appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Reduce picking errors in Business Central: Scan the bin and the item with a warehouse extension

Insight Works — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 21:00:03 +0000

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Most picking errors in Business Central happen at the shelf, in the wrong bin or with a look-alike item. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management app that works as an add-on to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Pickers scan the bin, then the item, and the device confirms both before the line updates.

Why do pickers still pull the wrong item?

Because the pick document tells them where to go, but nothing confirms what they actually touched. As Microsoft explains, “Bins represent the basic warehouse structure, and you use them to suggest where to place items.” The suggestion is accurate. The risk is in the walk between the list and the shelf.
A paper pick list depends on the picker reading a bin code correctly and matching an item by eye. Two items in similar boxes can sit side by side. Bin codes on a long aisle can look alike. A tired picker on a busy shift reads what they expect to see.
Those mistakes rarely show up at the shelf. They show up later, at packing, at the customer, or during the next count. By then the cause is hard to trace.

How does scanning the bin and the item reduce picking errors in Business Central?

It turns each pick line into two physical checks. Warehouse Insight uses the same scan-to-confirm flow for warehouse picks and inventory picks. Here is what a picker does on each line:

The picker walks to the bin and scans the bin barcode to confirm the location.
The picker scans the item barcode to confirm the item.
The picker enters or accepts the quantity, and Business Central updates the line in real time.
The picker moves to the next line and repeats the same steps.

Say the bin and item combination is not on the pick document. The device rejects it at the time of the scan. The picker sees the problem while still standing at the shelf. Nothing incorrect reaches the document.
Pickers also do not have to tap the right line first. When they scan a bin and item, Warehouse Insight finds the matching line on the pick. They can start in whichever aisle they are standing in.

Do pickers have to scan both the bin and the item?

By default, yes. The bin scan is required when Warehouse Insight is first set up, so every pick starts by confirming the location. The item scan then confirms the product itself.
There is one useful shortcut for lot-tracked items. When the lot number is printed in a barcode, the picker can scan the lot instead of the item. Warehouse Insight finds the matching item from the lot, which still confirms identity with one scan.
For anything that is not barcoded, pickers can still select lines and enter values on the screen. Scanning is the default path, not the only one.

How many scans does each pick line take?

Usually two scans and a quantity: the bin, the item, then the amount picked. How the quantity step behaves is a setting you choose in Business Central. That choice decides how much checking happens on each line.

Quantity setting	What the picker does	Good fit for
Default to remaining quantity	Presses enter to accept the full line	Experienced pickers and full-case picks
Default to zero	Types the quantity picked every time	Lines where counting matters
One scan per unit	Scans the item once for each unit	Small, mixed or high-value items

The one-scan-per-unit option can be set per item or per item category. High-risk items get the extra check, and everything else stays fast. Units of measure add another layer, covered in units of measure when picking.

Can supervisors turn bin scanning on or off?

Yes. The bin scan requirement is a setting, and like every Warehouse Insight setting, it is configured inside Business Central. There is no separate portal or device-by-device setup to manage.
Most warehouses keep it on. Turning it off makes sense where bins do not have barcodes yet. Supervisors can configure pick behavior per device or user group, so one area can run differently from another.
Bin barcodes do not need a special format. Standard linear barcodes and two-dimensional codes both work, so you can label bins in whatever style suits your racking.

What else can a warehouse extension do to stop look-alike picks?

It can show the picker what the right item looks like. Warehouse Insight installs as an extension, and its screens are configured in Business Central. Tile View shows item pictures and color-coded rows, which reduces the chance of a wrong pick. An item picture can also appear when the item is scanned.
Card View shows one line at a time, with factboxes for pick instructions and the item picture. That suits forklift tablets and wearable scanners. Matching the mobile WMS interface to the worker explains how to choose a view.
Short bins are another source of errors. Sometimes the suggested bin cannot fill a line. Warehouse Insight can split the line so the picker finishes from another bin. See the Warehouse Insight picking page for the full workflow.

Frequently asked questions about picking errors in Business Central

How are wrong-item picking errors in Business Central caught?

The device reports a wrong item at the time of the scan and does not update the line. How Business Central handles picking wrong items covers this in more detail.

Does each confirmed scan update Business Central right away?

Yes. Business Central updates in real time as each line is completed. Posting can happen from the device or on close, depending on your setup.

Is Warehouse Insight an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three describe the same product. It is a warehouse management app for Business Central, installed as an extension from Microsoft Marketplace. Resellers often call it an add-on.
To see how picking fits into the rest of the warehouse, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.

The post Reduce picking errors in Business Central: Scan the bin and the item with a warehouse extension appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Still Running Microsoft Dynamics ERP On-Premise? What to Plan For Now

Tigunia — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:22:59 +0000

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For years, choosing between on-premise and cloud ERP was a matter of preference. Some companies wanted full control of their servers. Others wanted someone else to handle the infrastructure. Both were reasonable choices.
That's no longer the case for Microsoft Dynamics customers. Between licensing changes, rising on-premise costs, and firm support deadlines for NAV and GP, staying on-premise has become a decision with an expiration date. Here's what has changed, what it means for each Dynamics product line, and how to decide on your next move.
The timing matters more than it might seem. NAV 2017 and NAV 2018 leave extended support within a year of each other, GP's support window closes at the end of 2029, and Microsoft keeps adjusting on-premise licensing in ways that add cost and administrative work. Companies that wait until a deadline is close often end up rushing a migration, competing for partner availability, and making decisions under pressure that they'll live with for the next decade.
Key takeaways

New customers can no longer buy perpetual Business Central on-premise licenses, so on-premise now means a subscription.
Extended support for Dynamics NAV 2017 ends January 11, 2027, and NAV 2018 ends January 11, 2028.
Dynamics GP closed to new customers in April 2026, and product support ends December 31, 2029.

The Pay-Once Model Is Gone for New Dynamics Customers

Microsoft stopped selling perpetual licenses for Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premise to new customers on April 1, 2025. Companies can still deploy Business Central on their own servers, but only through a subscription. The traditional appeal of on-premise ERP, buying the software once and owning it, no longer applies to new buyers.
The cost of staying put has gone up, too. In October 2025, Microsoft raised prices on on-premise licenses for Business Central, NAV, and GP and increased the annual Enhancement Plan rate to 20%. Managing on-premise licensing also takes more attention than it used to. As of October 1, 2026, Business Central on-premise uses a single forward-compatible license key for version 28 and later, and companies running on-premise through Dual Use Rights now have to replace their license keys every six months.
It's also worth being clear about what an on-premise subscription does and doesn't cover. The subscription pays for the right to use the software. Everything underneath it is still yours to own and manage, including the servers, SQL Server licensing, the operating system, backups, disaster recovery, and security patching. Those costs rarely show up on the license invoice, but they show up in the IT budget, in staff time, and in the risk the business carries if a server fails or an update gets missed.
Add it all up, and many companies find that the true cost of running ERP on-premise is well above what they pay Microsoft. That gap tends to widen as hardware ages and the people who know the system move on.
None of this makes on-premise entirely impossible. It does make it harder to justify.

Where Each Dynamics Product Line Stands

Every on-premise Dynamics product now has a deadline or a cost to plan around, and the right next step depends on which system you're running today.

Product	Support deadline	Recommended next step
Dynamics NAV 2016 or earlier	Already out of support	Move to Business Central as soon as possible
Dynamics NAV 2017	January 11, 2027	Lock in a migration plan and timeline now
Dynamics NAV 2018	January 11, 2028	Assess customizations and data, then schedule the move
Dynamics GP	December 31, 2029 (security patches end April 30, 2031)	Plan and budget a reimplementation
Business Central on-premise	About 18 months per release	Weigh the upgrade cadence against moving to Business Central online

Dynamics NAV

Every NAV version follows Microsoft's Fixed Lifecycle Policy, and the clock is nearly out. NAV 2016 left extended support on April 14, 2026. NAV 2017's extended support ends January 11, 2027, and NAV 2018, the final release, ends January 11, 2028. The software keeps running after those dates, but security patches stop. Because NAV customizations don't carry over automatically, moving to Business Central is a project that needs runway, not a weekend upgrade.
In practice, end of support creates problems that go beyond the software itself. Without security patches, every newly discovered vulnerability stays open. That can raise questions from auditors and cyber insurance carriers, some of whom ask whether core business systems run on supported software. Add-on vendors also tend to stop supporting their NAV products once Microsoft does, so the integrations your team depends on can be the first thing to break. And because each NAV version is tied to specific generations of Windows Server and SQL Server, staying on NAV limits how far you can modernize the rest of your infrastructure.
The version you're running also shapes what the move looks like. Newer NAV versions generally have a more direct path to Business Central, while older versions often need significantly more work or a full reimplementation. That's why a review of your version, customizations, and add-ons is the right first step for any NAV company.

Dynamics GP

Microsoft closed GP to new customers on April 1, 2026. Existing customers can still add users and modules, but product enhancements, tax updates, and technical support end December 31, 2029, and security patches end April 30, 2031. For GP users, moving to Business Central is a reimplementation rather than an upgrade, which makes early planning even more important.
GP companies should also look closely at their add-ons. Many GP environments rely on third-party products for payroll, reporting, sales tax, and industry-specific functions, and those vendors set their own timelines. Some already offer Business Central versions or replacement apps, while others don't. Knowing where each add-on stands is one of the first things to sort out, because it affects both the timeline and the budget.
Payroll deserves special attention. Tax updates are part of what ends in December 2029, and payroll is where outdated tax logic causes problems fastest. Companies that run payroll in GP need a clear plan for where it will live after the move.
The upside of a reimplementation is the chance to start clean. Many GP systems carry decades of workarounds, unused accounts, and processes built around old limitations. Moving to Business Central is an opportunity to simplify the chart of accounts, retire reports nobody reads, and set up processes the way the business actually works today.

Business Central On-Premise

Business Central on-premise is fully supported, but each release is supported for only about 18 months. Staying current means keeping pace with Microsoft's twice-a-year release cycle and retesting your extensions and customizations along the way. Also, many of the newest capabilities, including Copilot and AI agents, are built for Business Central online only.
Each of those upgrades is a real project. Your team or partner has to test every extension and integration against the new version, fix anything that breaks, and schedule downtime for the cutover. Skip a cycle, and you fall out of support. Stay on the cycle, and you're spending time twice a year on work that Business Central online customers rarely think about, because Microsoft updates the online version for them.
There's also a growing feature gap. Microsoft is building its newest AI capabilities for the cloud first, and on-premise customers often wait longer for them or don't get them at all. For companies that want AI to help with invoice processing, sales orders, or reporting, that gap will only get wider.

Four Questions to Answer Before You Move

For most small and midsized businesses, Business Central online is the right destination, but four questions decide whether SaaS, hosted, or an on-premise subscription fits you best.
How close is your support deadline? Work backward from your end-of-support date. A migration needs time for planning, data cleanup, testing, and training, so if your deadline is less than a year out, the conversation should start now. A company on NAV 2017 that begins planning in the fall, for example, is already working against a January deadline and may need interim security measures while the migration is underway.
How customized is your current system? Heavy customizations add time and cost to any move. They're also an opportunity. A migration is the right moment to replace custom code with standard functionality or proven extensions that will keep up with future releases. A distributor with years of custom pricing logic in NAV, for instance, may find that Business Central's standard pricing and discount features now cover most of what that code was built to do.
Do you have compliance or data residency requirements? Most small and midsized businesses are well served by SaaS. If you have strict regulatory or data location requirements, a hosted environment in a private data center can give you many of the benefits of the cloud while keeping more control. A manufacturer with defense contracts, for example, may have data handling requirements that make a tightly controlled environment the better fit. That's a big reason more than half of ERP vendors still offer an on-premise option, according to ERP Research.
Who will run it? Be honest about your IT capacity. On-premise and hosted environments still need someone to manage users, integrations, upgrades, and security, while Business Central online shifts most of that work to Microsoft. If your IT team is one or two people who are already stretched thin, that alone can settle the question.
Here's how those answers typically map to a deployment model.

Your situation	Best fit
Mostly standard processes and a small IT team	Business Central online
Aging servers and limited IT bandwidth	Business Central online
Customizations you're ready to modernize	Business Central online with extensions
Heavy customizations you can't replace yet	Hosted Business Central
Strict compliance or data residency rules	Hosted or on-premise subscription

What a Well-Planned Migration Looks Like

A successful move off on-premise ERP follows a predictable path. The details vary by system and company size, but the phases are consistent.

Review your current system, customizations, add-ons, integrations, and reports, and decide what to keep, replace, or retire. This is also where you choose your deployment model and set a realistic timeline.
Data cleanup. Decide how much history to bring over, clean up customer, vendor, and item records, and simplify your chart of accounts where it makes sense. Clean data is one of the biggest factors in a smooth go-live.
Configuration and extensions. Set up Business Central around how your business works today, then add extensions or apps for anything the standard product doesn't cover.
Run real transactions through the new system, including month-end close and every integration, before anyone relies on it.
Train people on the processes they'll actually use, not just the menus. Adoption depends on users feeling confident on day one.
Go-live and support. Plan the cutover for a quieter period, keep the old system available for reference, and have support in place for the first few weeks when questions come fastest.

Companies that rush the first two phases are the ones most likely to run over budget and over schedule, which is why starting early matters so much.

What Moving Off On-Premise Looks Like in Practice

The biggest gains from leaving on-premise usually show up in security and IT workload, and our customer Merrick Hardwood Floors is a good example.
The company operates six businesses, including a pellet mill, and its on-premise systems had been hit by ransomware three times in four years. After moving to Business Central in the cloud with Tigunia, Merrick hasn't had a ransomware incident since. Process improvements made along the way prevented up to $100,000 in potential lost revenue, and the company still runs all six businesses with one in-house IT manager.
The move also gave Merrick time back. Its EDI issues were resolved, payroll was modernized, and manual workflows were automated, so its IT manager now spends less time firefighting and more time on work that moves the business forward. For the first time in three years, he was able to take a vacation knowing operations would keep running. You can read the full Merrick story here.

The Bottom Line

On-premise Dynamics ERP isn't disappearing overnight, but the window for staying comfortably on-premise is closing. Microsoft has made its direction clear, and companies that plan early get to choose their timing instead of letting a deadline choose it for them.
For a deeper look at the costs and risks of staying on-premise, including a side-by-side timeline of NAV, GP, and Business Central support dates, read Tigunia's guide, Is It the End of On-Premise ERP Software?
If you're planning a move off NAV, GP, or Business Central on-premise, talk to a Tigunia Business Technology Advisor about the right path and timeline for your business.

Plan Your Cloud Migration Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost more to stay on-premise?

Usually, yes. Beyond servers, backups, and IT time, Microsoft raised on-premise license prices in October 2025 and moved the annual Enhancement Plan rate to 20%. On-premise customers also take on an upgrade project with every release they adopt.

Do NAV customizations carry over to Business Central?

Yes, but not automatically. Business Central uses extensions instead of changes to the base code, so NAV customizations have to be rebuilt as extensions or replaced. Some turn out to be unnecessary, since Business Central now includes functionality that once required custom work.

What are Dual Use Rights?

Dual Use Rights let Business Central online subscribers run Business Central on-premise under the same licenses. The online subscription has to stay active, and companies using Dual Use Rights now need to replace their on-premise license keys every six months.

The post Still Running Microsoft Dynamics ERP On-Premise? What to Plan For Now appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central Manufacturing Post-Go-Live Issues: How to Get Back on Track

Innovia Consulting — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:00:14 +0000

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Going live with Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC for Manufacturing is a major milestone, but it is not the finish line. Inventory discrepancies, costing questions, unreliable MRP recommendations, and spreadsheet workarounds can emerge months after implementation, often because operational processes and data have begun to drift.
The key to long-term success is not simply getting Business Central running. It is maintaining the people, processes, data, and accountability needed to keep the system reliable after launch.

Key Highlights

A successful Business Central for manufacturing go-live confirms readiness, but it does not guarantee long-term process discipline.
Post-go-live ERP problems usually trace back to people, process, or data rather than the software itself.
Inventory accuracy, costing, and MRP recommendations are three important indicators of ERP drift.
Stabilization requires clear ownership, regular reviews, and controls around operational data and processes.
A structured 30-day recovery plan can help manufacturers rebuild ERP confidence without changing everything at once.

Why Does ERP Success Sometimes Decline After Go-Live?

A successful go-live confirms that the ERP system is ready to support the business, but long-term success depends on what happens afterward.
For a manufacturer using Dynamics 365 Business Central, a successful implementation generally means that data was migrated correctly, core configuration supports business processes, basic transaction flows are working, and users can perform their day-to-day responsibilities. Those are important accomplishments, but they demonstrate readiness rather than sustainability.
After go-live, employees must continue following established procedures, maintaining accurate data, and executing processes consistently. When those behaviors begin to change, the effects can show up gradually.
Inventory accuracy may decline. Costing can become harder to explain. MRP recommendations may become less reliable, and teams may start using spreadsheets to compensate for information they no longer trust in the ERP system.
The software has not necessarily failed. More often, the processes surrounding the system have begun to erode.

Three Root Causes of Post-Go-Live ERP Problems?

The three foundational areas to examine when a manufacturing ERP system begins struggling are people, process, and data.

People: Are Users Still Following the Intended Processes?

Every ERP process ultimately depends on the people executing it.
Even when users receive thorough training during a Business Central implementation, knowledge gaps can develop over time. New employees join the organization, responsibilities change, and experienced users may develop their own ways of completing tasks.
Without ongoing education and reinforcement, process consistency gradually deteriorates. What was once a standardized procedure can become several different procedures depending on the employee or department involved.

Process: Have Workarounds Replaced the Designed Workflow?

Manufacturers often spend considerable time documenting processes during a Dynamics 365 BC implementation. The problem is that those procedures may not be revisited once the system is live.
As workarounds become common and exceptions become routine, employees can slowly move away from the intended process. Different teams may then handle the same task in different ways, creating inconsistency throughout the organization.
The result is often described as an ERP problem, even though the underlying issue is process discipline.

Data: Can the Dynamics 365 BC for Manufacturing System Still Be Trusted?

Data quality is largely the result of people following processes correctly.
When processes are inconsistent, data begins to lose integrity. Inventory records become less reliable, planning parameters become outdated, and costing results become more difficult to predict.
The basic principle is simple: poor input creates poor output. A manufacturing ERP system can only provide useful results when the information entering it is accurate and current.

What Are the Warning Signs of ERP Drift in Manufacturing?

ERP challenges usually develop gradually rather than appearing all at once. For manufacturers using Business Central, three warning signs deserve particular attention: declining inventory accuracy, unexpected costing results, and planning recommendations that users no longer trust.

1. Inventory Accuracy Is Declining

Inventory trust is often one of the first things to erode when post-go-live processes begin to drift.
Common indicators include:

Frequent cycle count variances
Unexpected shortages or excess inventory
Delayed warehouse transactions
Negative inventory situations
Increasing reliance on spreadsheets outside the ERP system

Once employees begin validating inventory outside Business Central, confidence in the system starts to disappear. Purchasing decisions become more subjective, planning becomes less effective, and production scheduling becomes more reactive.
One fundamental principle remains: a planning system cannot outperform the accuracy of the data it consumes.

2. Costing Results Become Difficult to Explain

Manufacturers may also notice situations where product costs or margins suddenly look different from what they expected.
Questions might include:

Why did a product margin change?
Why did a cost adjustment affect this month instead of last month?
Why is inventory valuation suddenly different?

In many cases, the problem is not the costing engine itself. Timing is often the more important issue.
Late postings, delayed invoicing, inventory period management, and cost adjustment routines can all affect how costs move through the system. The calculations may be predictable, while the timing of transactions creates results that appear unexpected.
When costing surprises occur, manufacturers should review process timing before assuming there is a system error.

3. MRP Recommendations Are Being Ignored

Material Requirements Planning, or MRP, is commonly viewed as a planning tool. It can also serve as a reflection of the quality of the underlying operational processes and data.
When planners are dealing with excessive emergency actions, reschedules, overrides, or unstable recommendations, those issues may point to larger problems.
Common causes include:

Outdated planning parameters
Inaccurate lead times
Poor inventory data
Operational changes that were never reflected in the system
Lack of ownership around planning policies

The system can only make recommendations from the information it receives. When those recommendations appear unreliable, the underlying data should be one of the first areas investigated.

How Can Manufacturers Stabilize Dynamics 365 Business Central After Go-Live?

When ERP drift appears, the natural reaction may be to make widespread system changes. That approach can create additional problems if the organization has not first identified why the issues are occurring.
A more effective stabilization effort starts with ownership, cadence, and control.

Ownership

Every critical process should have a clearly defined owner.
For example, one team may be responsible for inventory accuracy, but who owns the inventory data itself? Who is responsible for planning policies? Who approves changes to master data?
Without clear ownership, accountability becomes difficult to maintain.

Cadence

Operational data should not be reviewed only when a problem becomes serious.
Manufacturers should establish a regular review process for items such as:

Inventory master data
Planning parameters
Supplier information
Customer information
Item lead times
Bills of materials and routings

Regular reviews help prevent small problems from becoming larger operational issues.

Control

Organizations also need clear guidelines governing when changes can be made, who can make them, and how those changes are evaluated.
Strong controls help maintain consistency across departments while reducing unnecessary risk.

What Is the Best Way to Recover From Post-Go-Live ERP Problems?

Trying to fix every ERP issue at once rarely produces the best results. A structured sequence gives manufacturers a more practical way to stabilize operations and rebuild confidence.

Step 1: Contain

Start by identifying existing workarounds and understanding why they exist.
Not every spreadsheet or manual process represents the same level of risk. Document what is happening before deciding what needs to change.

Step 2: Reconcile

Compare physical reality with the information in the ERP system.
Whether the organization is reviewing inventory, costing data, or planning information, reconciliation should happen quickly. For inventory, updates should ideally be completed immediately and no later than 24 hours after counts are completed.

Step 3: Correct

Address problems systematically and prioritize them according to business impact.
Before making significant configuration changes, test those changes in a sandbox environment so the organization can understand potential downstream effects.

Step 4: Validate

Confirm that the changes actually produce the desired results.
Testing should use real business scenarios and involve the people responsible for executing the process. This helps ensure that a solution works operationally, not just technically.

Step 5: Sustain

Long-term improvement requires ongoing monitoring.
Establish review schedules, define key performance indicators, and create early warning systems that identify emerging issues before they become disruptive.

What Should a 30-Day ERP Recovery Plan Look Like?

A focused 30-day plan can give manufacturers a practical way to address post-go-live problems without attempting to change the entire ERP environment at once.

Week 1: Listen and Establish a Baseline

Start with one process that is causing the greatest disruption.
Document the current pain points, existing workarounds, process inconsistencies, and user concerns. The goal is to understand why employees are deviating from the intended process rather than simply correcting the visible symptoms.

Week 2: Reconcile and Diagnose

Next, measure the impact of the identified problems.
Determine the operational cost of workarounds, data inconsistencies, and manual effort. Focus on identifying root causes rather than treating individual symptoms.

Week 3: Correct and Coach

Test proposed changes in a sandbox environment while providing targeted coaching to the users involved.
The objective is not simply to teach employees how to perform a process. Users also need to understand how their actions affect downstream operations.

Week 4: Validate and Govern

Finally, establish metrics that define success and create a process for reviewing them regularly.
Potential measures include:

Reduced planner overrides
Improved inventory accuracy
Fewer emergency purchases
Lower transaction posting delays

The key is to start small, demonstrate control, and then expand from there.

Is Trust the Real Measure of ERP Success?

For manufacturers, the most valuable ERP system is one the organization trusts every day.
Features, functionality, and technology enhancements are important, but they do not create long-term value if employees cannot rely on the information coming from the system.
When inventory is accurate, costing is predictable, planning recommendations are meaningful, and ownership is clear, teams can make decisions with greater confidence.
That foundation is especially important before adding additional automation, artificial intelligence, or advanced reporting. If the underlying processes and data are unreliable, automation can simply accelerate existing problems.
The path to ERP success is not necessarily about enabling more features. It is about building trust through disciplined processes, accountable ownership, and reliable data.
For manufacturers using Dynamics 365 Business Central, that discipline is what allows the ERP system to become the trusted operational platform it was intended to be, supporting day-to-day operations and business decision-making over the long term.

Frequently asked questions

Why do manufacturing ERP problems appear after go-live?

Post-go-live problems often develop because people, processes, and data begin to drift from the standards established during implementation.

What are the biggest warning signs of ERP drift?

Declining inventory accuracy, unexpected costing results, unreliable MRP recommendations, and increasing reliance on spreadsheets are important warning signs.

What should manufacturers review when costing results become unexpected?

Manufacturers should review transaction timing, including late postings, delayed invoicing, inventory period management, and cost adjustment routines, before assuming the system is calculating costs incorrectly.

How can manufacturers stabilize their ERP system after go-live?

Start by establishing ownership, regular review schedules, and controls around critical processes and data. Then contain, reconcile, correct, validate, and sustain improvements in a structured sequence.

Should manufacturers make major ERP configuration changes when problems appear?

Not immediately. Organizations should first understand the cause of the problem, test significant changes in a sandbox environment, and validate the results using real business scenarios.

Why are our planners ignoring MRP recommendations in Business Central?

MRP in Dynamics 365 Business Central reflects the quality of the operational data and processes behind it. When planners face constant emergency actions, reschedules, overrides or unstable suggestions, the article points to outdated planning parameters, inaccurate lead times, poor inventory data, operational changes never reflected in the system, and no clear ownership of planning policies. The data should be investigated before the planning engine is blamed.

How quickly should inventory counts be reconciled after a count?

Reconciliation is step two of the recovery sequence described for Dynamics 365 Business Central: compare physical reality with what the ERP system holds, and do it quickly. For inventory, the article states that updates should ideally be completed immediately and no later than 24 hours after counts are completed. The same reconciliation discipline applies to costing and planning information.

Why are staff using spreadsheets instead of the ERP system?

Growing reliance on spreadsheets is listed as a warning sign that inventory trust is eroding, alongside cycle count variances, unexpected shortages or excess, delayed warehouse transactions and negative inventory. Once employees validate inventory outside Business Central, confidence in the system disappears, purchasing becomes subjective, planning becomes less effective and production scheduling becomes reactive. The article advises documenting why each workaround exists before changing it.

What should a 30-day ERP recovery plan include, week by week?

Week one listens and establishes a baseline on the single most disruptive process, documenting pain points, workarounds, inconsistencies and user concerns. Week two reconciles and diagnoses, measuring the operational cost of workarounds and finding root causes. Week three corrects and coaches, testing changes in a sandbox. Week four validates and governs, setting metrics and a regular review process. Start small, then expand.

What metrics show ERP recovery is actually working?

In week four of the 30-day plan, manufacturers establish metrics that define success and a process for reviewing them regularly. The measures the article suggests are reduced planner overrides, improved inventory accuracy, fewer emergency purchases and lower transaction posting delays. Validation should also confirm changes work operationally, using real business scenarios and the people who execute the process, not only technical testing.

Who should own master data and planning policies in Business Central?

Stabilising Dynamics 365 Business Central starts with ownership: every critical process needs a clearly defined owner. The article poses the questions directly — one team may be responsible for inventory accuracy, but who owns the inventory data, who is responsible for planning policies, and who approves changes to master data. Without clear ownership, accountability becomes difficult to maintain across departments.

What operational data should manufacturers review on a regular schedule?

Operational data should not be reviewed only when a problem becomes serious. For Business Central, the article recommends a regular review cadence covering inventory master data, planning parameters, supplier information, customer information, item lead times, and bills of materials and routings. Regular reviews help prevent small problems from becoming larger operational issues, and should be paired with controls over who may change what.

Should we add AI or automation if our ERP data is unreliable?

No. The article states that accurate inventory, predictable costing, meaningful planning recommendations and clear ownership form the foundation that matters before adding automation, artificial intelligence or advanced reporting. If the underlying processes and data are unreliable, automation simply accelerates existing problems. Long-term value in Dynamics 365 Business Central comes from trust in the information, not from enabling more features.

What counts as a successful Business Central manufacturing implementation?

For a manufacturer using Dynamics 365 Business Central, a successful implementation generally means data was migrated correctly, core configuration supports business processes, basic transaction flows work, and users can perform their day-to-day responsibilities. The article is clear that these demonstrate readiness rather than sustainability: go-live confirms the system is ready, but long-term success depends on the discipline maintained afterwards.

The post Business Central Manufacturing Post-Go-Live Issues: How to Get Back on Track appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Puerto Rico IVU Invoicing: What a Business Central Project Must Cover

Soluciones LLB — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:00:08 +0000

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Puerto Rico does not behave like most Latin American countries. There is no clearance model that stamps each invoice. Instead, the key topic is sales tax. Puerto Rico IVU invoicing depends on correct tax rates, correct registration, and correct filings. For partners, that changes the project. This guide explains what a Business Central project should cover.
Key takeaway: In Puerto Rico, the project is mostly about calculating, recording, and reporting the IVU correctly. It is not about validating each invoice with the authority.

Puerto Rico IVU Invoicing: The Basics

The IVU is Puerto Rico's sales and use tax. According to Sovos, the combined general rate is 11.5%. It includes a 10.5% commonwealth IVU and a 1% municipal IVU. A reduced rate of 4% can apply to certain business-to-business services and designated professional services when the legal requirements are met.
The table summarizes the main elements.

Element	What to know
General rate	11.5%, made up of 10.5% commonwealth and 1% municipal
Reduced rate	4% for certain B2B and designated professional services
Exempt or excluded	Some transactions are exempt and need proper documentation
Registration	Merchants register through SURI and receive a Merchant's Registration Certificate
Filing	Commonwealth IVU returns and payments go through SURI
Municipal IVU	May go through COFIM or directly through a municipality

What a Business Central Project Must Cover

A good project covers five areas.

1. Tax Setup

The team must set up the rates and the rules that decide which one applies. Therefore, a clear tax matrix is the first deliverable. It should show each product or service, each customer type, and the rate.

2. Exemption Documents

Exempt sales need support. The Treasury asks for the applicable certificate or documentation. Do not apply an exemption only because a product or customer seems to belong to a general category. Store the certificate with the customer record and check it before posting.

3. Registration by Location

Merchants receive a certificate for each registered activity and location. As a result, companies with several locations need a clear structure in Business Central. Decide early how each location and its tax setup will appear.

4. Reporting

The company files IVU returns through SURI. The frequency and due dates depend on the merchant's account. A zero return may be required when no tax is due. Business Central should provide the figures that finance needs for each filing.

5. Municipal Differences

Municipal IVU can follow a different process. Confirm with the client how each location files, and document the answer.

E-Invoicing in Puerto Rico: What We Found

The sources we reviewed for this post do not describe a clearance e-invoicing mandate. That is why we treat Puerto Rico as a sales-tax model. Because rules can change, confirm the current situation with the Treasury before you commit to a scope. See the Puerto Rico Treasury website and the SURI portal.

Questions to Ask the Client

How many locations does the client operate in Puerto Rico?
Which sales are exempt, and who keeps the certificates?
Does the client sell services that may qualify for the reduced rate?
Who files the municipal IVU?
Who prepares the returns in SURI?

Common Mistakes

Using one rate for every sale.
Missing exemption certificates.
Mixing locations in one registration.
Forgetting the municipal part of the tax.

How This Differs from Other Countries

Most countries in the region require a document-level process with an authority or provider. Puerto Rico concentrates on tax logic and reporting. For a comparison of models, read our LATAM e-invoicing map.

How to Present the Scope to the Client

Because Puerto Rico has no clearance step, some clients assume the project is small. In practice, the effort moves to tax logic and reporting. Explain this in the first meeting, and show the five areas as a simple scope list.
Next, agree on test cases before configuration starts. Include one sale at the general rate, one at the reduced rate, and one exempt sale with its certificate. Include a municipal case too. Finance can then confirm that the figures match what they will file in SURI.
Finally, plan a review after the first filing period. The first return shows whether the tax matrix works in real life. If a rate or exemption was wrong, you can fix it before the next period.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides an AppSource-certified localization for Puerto Rico. It covers the tax logic that a Business Central project needs. We work through partners, so you lead the project and keep the client relationship. See our Puerto Rico localization and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Puerto Rico rewards precision. Build a clear tax matrix, store exemption documents, and give finance the data for SURI. With those pieces in place, the project stays predictable.
Do you have a Puerto Rico project in your pipeline? Request a demo and we will review your scope.

The post Puerto Rico IVU Invoicing: What a Business Central Project Must Cover appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How to Avoid a Failed ERP Implementation

Bob Scarborough, Tensoft Inc. — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:45:38 +0000

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Anyone who has been in or around the ERP implementation business for any length of time has witnessed the aftermath of a failed project. ERP vendors won’t stay in the ERP implementation business for long if their projects aren’t successful though. And, CFOs won’t keep their positions for long if the ERP projects that they sign off on bomb. It’s my opinion that we all need some failures and scars in our career in order to grow, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to avoid those whenever possible.
That being said, here are my recommendations – based on many years of experience in the ERP industry – for how to avoid implementation failures:
1)      Get written requirements up front. This can be based on a templated best practices approach, or on an approach that’s unique to your company, but written requirements are a must. If no one in the user community can define what they need and want in the ERP system, it will be impossible to deliver a solution. A moving, undefined target can’t be effectively managed, and – with no written requirements - that’s just what you’ve got. Written requirements will enable you to identify and deal with scope creep and other changes in your project as well.
2)      Focus on business goals to start, not on systems. People in your company may have been doing things one way for a long time. However, your business goal is not about replicating how things are currently being done. The business goal of a new ERP project is more concerned with the “why” of how things are currently being done than the “how.” Business goals can be achieved in multiple ways, so these should be reviewed periodically, and now is the perfect time to do just that.
3)      Document business processes. This one can be optional – but the bigger your company and the more departments involved with your implementation, the more critical this becomes. The best way to leverage ERP solutions is to match them up – as much as possible – to your business processes. Sometimes your processes will change due to the system change, sometimes they should change, and sometimes this will help with the decision making during the implementation. Many companies find it to be extremely helpful to use a visual / flow-oriented method to describe their business steps and objectives.
4)      Consider your organization state. If the organization is in a significant state of change (for example you are putting in a new system because you are spinning out of a new company, or just made a large acquisition, or are ramping growth very rapidly) the implementation will be more challenging. All implementations stretch and strain existing staff. When other factors are doing the same, you will need to plan on bringing in extra help and to expect that your project will cost more to complete.
5)      Do not accept non-involvement. If one department isn’t available for the implementation – for example, no one in manufacturing operations has time to be involved with the implementation of the tool they will end up using – do not move forward to help them. If this issue can’t be resolved by commitment from internal teams, then clearly identify this as an issue, add a budget item to the project for temporary staffing for operations (since the full-time staff is too busy to participate), and hold them accountable publicly and on budget. Nothing will kill an ERP project faster than armchair critics who don’t participate in the agreed-upon process.
6)      Think about systems strategically. Customization is expensive – maybe not upfront – but certainly over time. You need to invest in the resources to create and maintain the customization, the industry knowhow to stay current, and retention of this talent. You will be a user community of one. So when you do customize, make sure that it’s either minor and non-material enhancements, reporting or output-oriented enhancements, or something truly strategic to your organization. Most companies are not competitively unique in every aspect of their business – strategic customizations should only be used for competitive advantage.
7)      Build a change management process into your approach. This can be casual (weekly meeting with mutual commits from everyone) to more structured. However, if you run into something that has a business impact (data will be reported differently, for example), it is best to make that visible before you go live.
8)      Remember, as the project leader, you are ultimately accountable for the success or failure of the ERP project. Use your discretion and the weight of your expertise to say “no” when necessary. The reality of your position is that you can do exactly what people ask you to do, but if the result is bad, you are still the one who must be accountable. This can be extremely challenging, of course, but it can make a huge difference between your chances for success or failure.
by Bob Scarborough, CEO, Tensoft Inc.

The post How to Avoid a Failed ERP Implementation appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Measuring A Plant Production in Power BI

Qixas Group — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:00:15 +0000

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Measuring A Plant Production in Power BI: OEE, Scrap and Cost Variance Without a Separate System

Consider the following scenario: Your production manager wants to know why yesterday's output missed the target. Finance wants to understand why manufacturing costs are increasing. Quality wants to know which products are generating the most scrap.

While Business Central already holds some of the information needed to answer those questions, the problem arises when production, quality and finance teams are looking at different reports. Each department sees part of the picture, but nobody has a consistent view of plant performance.

Before investing in a manufacturing execution system (MES), examine what Business Central captures and what Power BI can do with it.

A useful manufacturing Power BI OEE scrap dashboard does not require every machine to be connected. But it does require accurate production data, consistent definitions and an understanding of what Business Central cannot measure.

What Business Central Already Captures About Production

Business Central Premium includes manufacturing functionality for production orders, bills of material, routings, work centres, machine centres and capacity planning.

Depending on your configuration and posting practices, that information can include:

Finished quantities and scrap quantities.
Material consumption.
Setup time and run time.
Production order costs.
Work centre and machine centre activity.
Expected and actual production costs.

You can compare planned quantities against output, examine consumption variances and investigate production orders that cost more than expected. Business Central also maintains capacity ledger entries and item ledger entries that can support manufacturing analysis.

NOTE: Business Central can only report accurately on production activity your employees actually record.

If operators enter one total output quantity at the end of a shift, you will not have reliable hourly production trends.
If scrap quantities are recorded without meaningful reasons, you can calculate scrap rates but cannot explain why the scrap occurred.
If actual machine time is never posted, Power BI cannot reconstruct it from a routing estimate.

Start by examining what is captured today, not what the system is theoretically capable of storing.

OEE, and Why Most Companies Calculate it Wrong

Overall Equipment Effectiveness, or OEE, measures how effectively manufacturing equipment performs during planned production time. The standard calculation combines three factors:

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality

Availability measures actual operating time against planned production time.
Performance compares actual output against the theoretical output possible during operating time, using an established ideal cycle time.
Quality measures good output against total output.

CASE SCENARIO:

Consider a production shift where the planned production time is 480 minutes. The machine runs for 420 minutes. Its ideal cycle time is one minute per unit. It produces 380 units, of which 360 are good.

Availability: 420 ÷ 480 = 87.5%.

Performance: 380 ÷ 420 = 90.5%.

Quality: 360 ÷ 380 = 94.7%.

OEE: approximately 75%.

Here's the problem, companies frequently run into:

They calculate OEE using scheduled shift hours without accounting for planned production time correctly.
Others use estimated routing times as actual machine runtime.
Some count all production output as good output because scrap is recorded later.
Others combine several machines into one OEE figure without accounting for different cycle times or operating conditions.

Those identifications can change the result. Business Central can hold posted production quantities, scrap and time information. It does not automatically provide a complete, independently measured record of every machine stop, ideal cycle time and operating condition. That distinction determines whether you can calculate genuine OEE or only an approximation.

Do not label a production-efficiency estimate as OEE unless the underlying data supports the calculation.

Scrap and Yield Reporting From Production Journals

Scrap reporting is often the easiest place to begin because Business Central already supports recording scrap during production. Operators can record output quantities and scrap quantities through production journals, subject to the production process and configuration. Business Central also supports scrap codes that can identify reasons for scrap. That gives you a foundation for two useful measures.

Scrap rate = Scrap quantity ÷ Total produced quantity

Yield = Good output ÷ Total produced quantity

CASE SCENARIO:

Consider a production operation that produces 1,000 unit, out of 45 are scrapped. The scrap rate is 4.5% and the yield is 95.5%.

Those calculations assume good and scrap quantities are captured consistently at the same production stage. In multistage manufacturing, a component may be scrapped during one operation while another unit is rejected during final inspection.

You need to decide whether the dashboard measures scrap by operation, production order, item or finished output. Otherwise, quantities can be double-counted or compared incorrectly. A useful Power BI report should show scrap by item, work centre, production order and reason code. Then add cost.

NOTE: Scrapping ten inexpensive components is not necessarily as significant as scrapping one high-value assembly.

Business Central's costing information can help quantify the financial impact, provided the cost allocation and posting processes are appropriate.The first improvement is often not a better dashboard.It is getting operators to record scrap accurately and consistently.

Standard VS. Actual Cost Variance, and Reading it Correctly

Manufacturing cost variance deserves its own reporting model. Business Central supports production costing and standard costing, including calculations based on materials, capacity and manufacturing overhead. It also records actual consumption and output costs.

But the interpretation depends on the item's costing method, production-order status and whether cost adjustment processes have been completed. For standard-costed production, you can examine differences between expected or standard costs and actual production costs.

CASE SCENARIO:

Consider a product with a standard manufacturing cost of $120. The completed production order incurs $132 per finished unit. The difference is $12 per unit, or 10% above standard.

That tells you the order cost more than expected. It does not tell you why. Possible causes include additional material consumption, higher input costs, excess setup time, inefficient production or overhead differences. Power BI can help separate those patterns when the underlying data supports the analysis.

But do not compare unfinished production orders against completed orders without accounting for work in progress. Business Central's costing and adjustment processes also matter. Costs may change after initial posting as inventory costs are adjusted. A dashboard refreshed before those adjustments are complete may disagree with finance.

NOTE: The purpose of cost variance reporting is to identify what changed, not simply display a red percentage.

Where You Genuinely Need Shop-Floor Data Business Central Does Not Hold

There is a limit to what posted ERP transactions can tell you. If you need exact machine downtime by minute, automatic cycle counts, machine-state monitoring or sensor-based performance information, Business Central is not a substitute for a shop-floor data collection system.

The same applies to detailed production traceability where every event, inspection and machine condition must be captured automatically. You may need an MES, machine connectivity, specialized quality software or another operational data source. Power BI cannot create missing observations. It can analyze them once they exist.

The distinction becomes especially important for OEE. For example, A production journal might record 420 minutes of runtime. It may not explain whether the remaining 60 minutes were caused by equipment failure, material shortages, changeovers or operator availability. Without downtime reasons, management knows production time was lost but cannot reliably identify the cause.

Building Something Useful Without an MES

You do not need to begin with automated machine connectivity. Start with one production line or work centre. Confirm that operators record output, scrap, setup time and run time consistently. Use a manageable reporting period, such as the previous four completed weeks. Then build a Power BI model using the relevant Business Central production and costing data.

Establish relationships between production orders, items, operations, work centres and dates.

For scrap reporting, agree on the denominator and treatment of rework.
For cost variance, agree on when production costs are considered final.
For OEE, document which inputs are measured and which are estimates.

If actual machine downtime is unavailable, report production efficiency and scrap separately rather than presenting an unreliable OEE figure.

The 3 Charts a Plant Manager Actually Opens

Most plant managers do not need a dashboard with 25 visualizations. Instead, they need to know where performance changed and what requires attention. These three views connect production performance, quality and financial results.

Production performance by line or work centre: Show planned versus actual output, good units, scrap and available time. Include OEE only where availability, performance and quality inputs are sufficiently reliable. Let the manager identify which line missed its target and investigate the underlying production orders.
Scrap rate and scrap cost by reason: Show scrap quantity, scrap percentage and estimated financial impact. Allow filtering by item, production order, operation and work centre. A trend over several weeks is more useful than a single total. The goal is to identify recurring causes that deserve corrective action.
Manufacturing cost variance by production order: Show standard or expected cost against actual cost for completed orders. Break out material, capacity and overhead differences where the available data and costing configuration support it.

Highlight the orders with the largest financial impact, not merely the highest percentage variance. A 30% variance on a small order may matter less than a 4% variance on a high-volume product.

Summarizing Tips:

Before buying an MES or commissioning a large manufacturing analytics project, audit what your plant already records in Business Central.
Choose one production line.
Review output postings, scrap quantities, time entries, routing standards and production costs.
Identify what is reliable, what is estimated and what is missing.
Then build the first dashboard around those facts.

Qixas Group works across Dynamics 365 Business Central, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. We help manufacturers improve the systems they already have and identify when additional technology is genuinely necessary.

The post Measuring A Plant Production in Power BI appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Before You Build a Store, Build the Reorder Portal

ProjectThunder — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:00:00 +0000

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Most manufacturers and distributors on Dynamics who call us about ecommerce are picturing a store. Product pages, a cart, prices online, maybe a promo banner. Then we look at how their customers actually buy, and the store usually turns out to be the second project.
The first project is the reorder.

Who is really buying

A mid-market distributor might have a few hundred active accounts. Most of their revenue comes from customers who already know the part numbers, already have negotiated pricing, and order the same twenty items every few weeks. Those customers want to get the order in and get back to work.
Today that order usually arrives one of four ways: a phone call, an email with a spreadsheet, a PDF order form, or a fax. Someone on the inside sales team keys it into the ERP. When the customer wants to know where it is, they call again.
A public store doesn't change any of that. The repeat buyer still has to find the item, still wonders whether the price on screen is their price, and still calls to ask about the backorder.

What a reorder portal does instead

A reorder portal is a login for existing accounts, connected to the ERP. Its job is to take work off your inside sales team and give your best customers a faster way to buy. Winning new customers is the store's job, later. At a minimum it should let a customer:

reorder from their past orders, with their own pricing
see order status and tracking without calling
pull up invoices and their open balance
send a quote request that lands in the ERP with the details attached

None of that requires putting prices on the public web, and none of it requires changing how you sell. If your business runs on reps and negotiated pricing, the portal respects that. It just stops the phone from ringing for things a screen can answer.

Why it's the better first project

It pays back faster. The time your team spends keying emailed orders and answering "where's my order" calls is easy to count. A portal goes after that time directly.
It's a smaller integration. Customers, items, customer pricing, open orders and invoices. Those are the ERP objects you already trust. A full public store adds catalog content, search, guest checkout, tax and freight rules for strangers, and a marketing plan to drive traffic. All worth doing, later.
It teaches you what the store needs. Once your accounts are ordering online, you'll know which items they search for, where the data is thin, and which product content matters. That's the brief for the public store, written by your own customers.

What to watch for

Pricing has to come from the ERP. If the portal shows a price that doesn't match the invoice, you lose the customer's trust in the first week. Customer-specific pricing and contract pricing should be read from Business Central, NAV or GP instead of retyped into the website. Sana Commerce, for example, reads prices straight from Business Central or NAV; on other platforms, and on GP, the integration has to do that job.
Don't make checkout wait on the ERP. If the ERP is down for an update, orders should still be accepted and queue up. A portal that only works when every system is up will get abandoned.
Give accounts a way in. The most common gap we see is a portal with no clear way to request a login. If the only path is "call your rep," most customers won't bother.
Keep the old ways open at first. Some customers will keep faxing for a while. That's fine. Move the easy ones first and let the results do the convincing.

Where to start

If most of your revenue comes from customers who already know what they want, start with the portal. Connect it to the ERP, make reordering faster than picking up the phone, and measure the calls it takes away. The store can come next, and it'll be a better store for it.
If you want the details for your platform, we wrote up the options for Sana Commerce on Business Central and BigCommerce on Business Central.
Calvin Luttrell is the founder of ProjectThunder, a California B2B ecommerce and ERP integration studio founded in 2004. The team has launched 150 B2B storefronts across Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and other ERPs, builds on Sana Commerce, BigCommerce and DynamicWeb, and works as a Sana-certified agency for storefront design alongside clients' ERP partners.

The post Before You Build a Store, Build the Reorder Portal appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How to Automate Cross-Border Payments with Invoice-to-Cash Solutions

Flywire — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:16:32 +0000

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Expanding into international markets creates new revenue opportunities, but collecting payments from overseas customers introduces additional complexity. Foreign exchange (FX) rates, intermediary bank fees, payment delays, and country-specific regulations can all complicate the invoice-to-cash process.
The customer experience also matters. According to a Flywire survey of more than 460 accounts payable professionals across Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, 70% of companies buying from international vendors had stopped doing business with them because of a cross-border B2B payment experience. More than 80% of respondents also said they waited longer to pay invoices issued in another currency.
For businesses expanding internationally, making payments easier for customers can have a direct impact on cash flow, customer satisfaction, and long-term growth.

Why Manual Invoicing Slows Down Cross-Border Payments

When international customers receive invoices in U.S. dollars and are expected to manage currency conversion themselves, several problems can arise. Payments may arrive short because of unexpected FX fees, while international wire transfers can take days to settle depending on banking hours, weekends, and holidays.
Manual processes also make cash flow forecasting more difficult. Finance teams may have limited visibility into when payments will arrive or whether the full invoice amount will be received. Incoming transfers then need to be manually matched against open invoices, creating additional work for accounts receivable (A/R) teams.
Compliance adds another layer of complexity. Businesses must account for local invoicing requirements, language considerations, payment security, and regulations across different markets.
Connecting invoicing and payments through an automated invoice-to-cash process helps address these challenges by integrating payment options directly into the invoicing workflow and connecting transaction information with the company's accounting system of record.

How Automation Improves the Invoice-to-Cash Process

A digitized invoice-to-cash process gives customers access to a secure payment portal where they can review account information, outstanding balances, due dates, and available payment options.
Customers can view what they owe in their local currency and often their preferred language, then choose from available methods such as credit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, and local payment options. Automated reminders help keep payments on schedule, while incoming funds can be automatically applied to the corresponding open invoices.
The benefits extend across several areas:

Fewer short payments: Clear currency conversion and upfront payment amounts reduce confusion around FX fees and outstanding balances.
Faster dispute resolution: Local-language support and visibility into payment status help resolve customer questions more efficiently.
Lower processing costs: Competitive FX rates and reduced intermediary bank fees help limit unnecessary payment expenses.
Automated reconciliation: Technology matches incoming payments to open invoices and flags exceptions for review.
Improved cash flow visibility: Faster settlement and more predictable payment activity support better financial planning.

What to Look for in a Cross-Border Invoice-to-Cash Solution

Businesses evaluating an invoice-to-cash provider should look beyond basic payment processing. The right solution should support local currencies and payment methods, multilingual customer service, transparent fees, and the ability to manage complex international transactions.
Security and compliance are equally important. Providers should demonstrate appropriate certifications, including SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS, alongside established Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures.
Integration with existing ERP and accounting systems is another essential requirement. Payment information should flow between the solution and the system of record, reducing duplicate data entry and supporting accurate reconciliation. AI-powered automation can further improve efficiency by matching partial payments, identifying overpayments, and flagging transactions with missing information.

Getting Started with Cross-Border Payment Automation

Successful automation begins with understanding existing processes and identifying where delays, manual work, and payment exceptions occur. Businesses should involve the teams responsible for invoicing and collections, review data quality within their systems of record, and evaluate providers based on security, compliance, payment coverage, and transaction volume.
Flywire's Invoice-to-Cash solution helps businesses automate international invoicing, support localized payment options in more than 140 currencies across 200 jurisdictions, and streamline reconciliation.
With the right infrastructure, businesses can simplify international collections, improve the customer payment experience, and support continued global expansion.
Read the full article on Flywire's website.

The post How to Automate Cross-Border Payments with Invoice-to-Cash Solutions appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Cross-Border Invoice-to-Cash: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Flywire — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 01:17:33 +0000

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What Can Go Wrong in the Cross-Border Invoice-to-Cash Process? 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Cross-border invoice-to-cash (I2C) can look straightforward from the outside, but the reality is considerably more complex. Payments can arrive without remittance details, short payments can result from currency fluctuations or unexpected fees, and time zone differences can make communication more difficult.
As international transactions increase, outdated or manual processes can create avoidable bottlenecks, higher costs, compliance risks, and delayed cash flow. Here are five common cross-border invoice-to-cash mistakes and how businesses can address them.

1. Relying on Manual Invoicing

Manual invoicing through email or spreadsheets may work with a small customer base, but it becomes difficult to manage as international transactions grow. Cross-border payments involve country-specific regulations, fluctuating exchange rates, and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements. Managing these details manually increases the risk of errors, compliance issues, and delays.
Manual reconciliation also consumes valuable A/R resources as teams work to match payments and track down missing remittance information.
Automation can reduce that burden. Flywire automates cross-border invoicing and cash application, automatically matching payments to invoices and reducing the need for manual reconciliation.

2. Accepting High Fees and Long Settlement Times

International businesses sometimes treat high bank fees, slow settlement, and complicated reconciliation as unavoidable. Traditional banking can involve multiple intermediary banks, adding fees and delays while making it harder to see where a payment stands.
These issues can affect cash flow forecasting and working capital while creating a payment experience that falls short of customer expectations.
A payment network designed specifically for cross-border transactions can reduce reliance on intermediaries, accelerate settlement, and provide greater visibility into payments.

3. Overlooking Local Payment Methods and Support

Customers are more likely to delay payment or remit partial amounts when they cannot use familiar payment methods or face unexpected foreign transaction fees. Payment questions can also take longer to resolve when support is unavailable in a customer’s language or time zone.
Meeting customers where they are can remove some of this friction. Flywire supports more than 140 currencies and dozens of local payment methods, along with multilingual support across multiple time zones.

4. Using an Invoice-to-Cash Process That Cannot Scale

A process that works for domestic transactions or limited international activity may struggle as a business enters new markets. Global growth introduces multi-currency transactions, varying tax requirements, and higher payment volumes.
Without the right infrastructure, A/R teams may turn to manual workarounds, increasing the potential for errors and cash flow disruption.
Technology built for global growth can help businesses manage these requirements while supporting ERP and accounting system integrations. Flywire’s platform includes AML and KYC compliance, transparent fees, and AI-powered reconciliation through CashMatch AI.

5. Automating a Broken Process

Automation alone does not solve an inefficient workflow. If a business automates without first identifying bottlenecks, mapping processes, and understanding regional payment requirements, existing problems can become harder to manage.
The better approach is to evaluate and optimize the process before automation begins. This can help businesses address workflow issues, regional requirements, payment data, and customer experience before moving to a more automated cross-border I2C model.
Cross-border payments do not have to mean accepting unnecessary delays, inefficiencies, or compliance risks. With the right processes and technology, businesses can simplify global payments, improve cash flow, and create a more seamless experience for customers.
Read the full article on Flywire’s website.

The post Cross-Border Invoice-to-Cash: 5 Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Beyond the Physical Inventory Journal: Accurate Counts in Business Central

Insight Works — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 21:35:57 +0000

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Date & Time: November 18, 2026 | 1:00 pm EST (North America)
Register: https://dmsiworks.com/events/physical-inventory-counts-business-central
Business Central's built-in physical inventory journal is basic, and the newer physical inventory order helps but still runs into real limits once bins, multiple locations, or lot and serial tracking enter the picture: count sheets that don't match how your team actually counts, no way to have several people enter data at once, and a journal that can fail partway through posting with no warning.
This webinar looks at where those native tools stop and how Advanced Inventory Count picks up from there, with flexible count sheets, simultaneous multi-user entry, and a posting test that catches problems before you run the batch.
What You'll Learn:

Configure count sheets to match how your team actually counts.
Compare Business Central's native counting tools against a dedicated solution.
Reduce posting failures by catching errors before the batch runs.
Automate lot and serial number reconciliation instead of manual matching.
Review recount and audit trail options for variance-driven counts.
Evaluate whether counting fits standalone or alongside Warehouse Insight.

See how Advanced Inventory Count compares to Business Central's native tools before you decide which one fits your counting process. Can't attend live? Register anyway, and we'll send you the recording.

The post Beyond the Physical Inventory Journal: Accurate Counts in Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Breaking Free from the Export-Import Loop: What Business Central v29 Fabric Mirroring Means for ERP Users

Erin Hopwood, Weidenhammer — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:27:18 +0000

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What Business Central Users Should Know About Fabric Mirroring

You need a cross-company trend report, a leadership dashboard, or a view that combines Business Central data with information from another system. So you export to Excel, clean the data, add formulas, combine it with another spreadsheet, and repeat the process next week or next month.
Sound familiar?
Business Central holds valuable information about financial transactions, customers, vendors, sales, purchasing, inventory, and more. But storing that data and using it to understand what is happening across the business are two different things.
With Business Central 2026 release wave 2, Microsoft is introducing Data Mirroring for Dynamics 365 Business Central in Microsoft Fabric. If “Fabric mirroring” is unfamiliar, that is okay. What matters most for a business user is what it can make possible.

What Changed with Business Central v29?

Think of mirroring as creating a near real-time analytical copy of selected Business Central data in Microsoft Fabric. Business Central sends an initial snapshot and then incremental changes, which Microsoft says typically synchronize within minutes.
Business Central remains the system where you process orders, post invoices, manage inventory, maintain financial records, and run day-to-day operations. Fabric gives the data generated by those processes a separate place to support analytics and data engineering without repeatedly reading it from Business Central APIs.
Let Business Central run the business. Let your analytics platform analyze the business.

What Does This Make Possible?

Fresher Data Without Another Export

An exported spreadsheet represents Business Central at the moment someone created it. As transactions continue, that file becomes increasingly out of date.
Microsoft describes mirrored tables as a near real-time replica of Business Central data, with incremental changes typically synchronizing within minutes. That does not make Fabric a replacement for Business Central as the operational system. For analytics and reporting, however, it can reduce the gap between what is happening in Business Central and what decision-makers can see.

Cross-Company Visibility

Business Central organizes information by company, which makes sense for running each business. Leadership, however, may need to understand performance across company boundaries.
Mirroring allows organizations to select Business Central companies and tables to synchronize with Fabric. From there, they can build analytical models that span multiple companies. That can be valuable for organizations with subsidiaries, acquisitions, or separate companies representing different parts of the business.

Business Central Plus the Rest of Your Data

Executives rarely care which application supplied a number. They care about the answer.
Financial transactions may live in Business Central. Customer activity may live in a CRM. Budgets and forecasts may be maintained elsewhere. Fabric provides an analytical foundation where Business Central information can be combined with those other sources.
That changes the question from “What reports can my ERP give me?” to “What can I learn from all of my business data?”

More Repeatable Power BI Reporting

If someone exports the same data every Monday, cleans it, combines it with another file, and distributes the result, that spreadsheet has become part of a business process.
Fabric creates an opportunity to build reporting against a shared analytical foundation instead of repeatedly extracting and rebuilding the same dataset. The goal is not to eliminate Excel. It is to stop relying on manual Excel processes as the integration strategy behind recurring reporting.

Broader Historical and Trend Analysis

Mirrored Business Central data can also support broader historical and trend analysis through Fabric’s data and analytics capabilities. Instead of limiting every question to an operational report inside the ERP, organizations can use transactional data in analytical models designed to identify changes over time.

Better Access Does Not Automatically Mean Better Analytics

Mirroring data into Fabric does not automatically produce accurate KPIs, useful dashboards, or better decisions. Organizations still need to define what they are trying to measure, choose the right data, decide how information from different companies and systems should relate, and control who can access it.
Data modeling, governance, and data quality still matter. A shared analytical platform can improve consistency, but it cannot decide what “revenue,” “margin,” or “active customer” means for your organization.
There is no technology shortcut around bad data or poorly defined business questions.

Is Fabric Mirroring Right for Your Organization?

Fabric mirroring is worth watching if your organization routinely exports Business Central data, combines it with other systems, struggles with cross-company analysis, or wants more current data for Power BI reporting.
The capability is currently documented by Microsoft as a preview feature, so availability, requirements, and functionality may change. It also requires Microsoft Fabric capacity. Those considerations should be weighed alongside the potential business value.

Start with One Business Problem

Do not begin by asking whether your company needs a Fabric project. Begin with a report or business question that is frustrating today.
Maybe the monthly management report requires three exports and two spreadsheets. Maybe a cross-company analysis is harder than it should be. Maybe leadership is reviewing numbers that are already stale by the time the workbook is complete.
Choose one painful report and one measurable win. Then evaluate whether mirroring can make the underlying data fresher, the process more repeatable, and the answer easier to obtain.

The real opportunity in Business Central v29 is not simply moving ERP data somewhere else. It is making the data your organization already collects more current, connected, and useful beyond the traditional boundaries of ERP reporting.

Want to understand what Fabric mirroring could mean for your Business Central reporting strategy? Contact Weidenhammer to start the conversation.

Contact Weidenhammer

The post Breaking Free from the Export-Import Loop: What Business Central v29 Fabric Mirroring Means for ERP Users appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central Version 29: What Should You Test Before Upgrading?

TMC Global — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 18:44:08 +0000

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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2026 Release Wave 2 (Version 29) introduces new functionality across Copilot, AI agents, reporting, integrations and everyday business processes.
For organizations already using Business Central, however, the most important part of a major release isn't necessarily the new features. It's making sure everything your business depends on continues working as expected.
Custom extensions, third-party applications, banking integrations, reporting tools and approval workflows all deserve attention before your production environment is updated.
So, where should you begin?

TL;DR | Preparing for the Business Central Version 29 Upgrade

Business Central Version 29 began rolling out in October 2026, introducing new AI capabilities, usability improvements and updates across finance, manufacturing and supply chain operations.
Before upgrading, organizations should review their Microsoft update schedule, verify extension compatibility, test important integrations in a sandbox and confirm that essential business processes continue working.
One particularly important change affects legacy SOAP web services, which may require organizations to update older integrations.

A little preparation now can help prevent much bigger disruptions later.

What's New in Business Central 2026 Release Wave 2?

Version 29 includes improvements designed to make Business Central more connected, easier to manage and better equipped to support modern business operations.
Several areas are worth paying attention to.

Copilot and AI Agents

Microsoft is expanding AI capabilities within Business Central. A new conversational Copilot experience is available in public preview, while agent-management improvements provide additional functionality around permissions, tasks and the review of AI-generated content.

Integration with the Power Platform

New Dataverse field-mapping capabilities provide more flexibility when connecting Business Central data with solutions built using the Power Platform.

Reporting and Analysis

Updates to reporting and data analysis can help users work with business information more efficiently and reduce certain manual tasks.

Usability Improvements

Enhancements to search, lookups, recently used values and image previews can make everyday navigation easier.

Finance and Operations

The release wave also introduces changes across finance, supply chain, manufacturing, Shopify and other business functions.

Important: Not every feature becomes available at the same time. Some are generally available, others remain in preview and additional capabilities are scheduled throughout the release wave. Review the features most relevant to your organization's workflows before enabling new functionality.

When Should You Schedule Your Business Central Version 29 Upgrade?

Business Central Version 29 became available in October 2026.
For Business Central online customers, Microsoft provides an update window during which administrators can review availability and schedule the update through the Business Central administration center.
This gives organizations an opportunity to plan around financial close periods, seasonal demand, inventory activities and other important business operations.
Rather than choosing the earliest available date, consider whether your team has had sufficient time to test its environment.

Three Stages of Upgrade Preparation

01 | Preparation
Identify customizations, dependencies, third-party applications and important business processes.

02 | Sandbox Testing
Validate functionality using an environment that reflects your production configuration.

03 | Production Readiness
Address compatibility issues, communicate with users and schedule the update around business priorities.

Microsoft's rollout also includes grace and enforced update periods, making it important to confirm the dates applicable to your environment.
For more information, review
Microsoft's Business Central documentation.

Which Business Central Extensions Should You Test Before Upgrading?

Extensions are one of the first areas to review when preparing for a major Business Central update.
Even when the core application upgrades successfully, an incompatible extension can affect the functionality surrounding it.
Begin by reviewing two categories.

1. Per-Tenant Extensions

Organizations with custom AL extensions should review code dependencies, references to Microsoft objects and any features that may have changed or become obsolete.
Developers should test those extensions against Version 29 and address compatibility issues before the production update.

2. AppSource Applications

Third-party solutions should also be reviewed.
Check with each independent software vendor (ISV) to confirm that a Version 29-compatible release is available.
This is especially important for applications supporting financial reporting, warehouse management, payroll, e-commerce or other essential operations.
An extension that works in your current environment should not automatically be assumed compatible with the next major release.

Could Business Central Version 29 Affect Your Existing Integrations?

Yes. Integrations are another important part of upgrade preparation.
Many organizations rely on Business Central to exchange information with external applications, including banking systems, payroll providers, EDI platforms, e-commerce stores and reporting tools.
These connections often operate behind the scenes, which makes them easy to overlook during testing.
Consider reviewing the following:

Banking and payment integrations
Payroll and employee-related data connections
EDI transactions with customers and suppliers
Shopify and other e-commerce integrations
External reporting and business intelligence tools
Custom API connections and automated data transfers

The goal is to confirm not only that each connection remains active but also that information continues moving accurately between systems.

Important: Review Legacy SOAP Web Services

One of the more significant technical considerations in Version 29 involves legacy SOAP web services.
Microsoft is making the restriction on publishing Microsoft UI pages as SOAP web services mandatory.
Organizations that still rely on these older endpoints should identify affected integrations and evaluate supported alternatives, such as APIs or OData, where appropriate.
An older connection may have worked reliably for years but still require modernization to remain compatible with current platform requirements.

What Business Processes Should You Validate in a Sandbox?

A successful upgrade test should go beyond confirming that Business Central opens and users can sign in.
Your team should test the workflows that keep your business running.

Business Area	Recommended Testing
Finance	General ledger posting, bank reconciliation, financial reports and period-end activities
Sales	Sales orders, pricing, invoicing and customer transactions
Purchasing	Purchase orders, approvals, receiving and vendor payments
Inventory	Item availability, inventory adjustments and warehouse transactions
Manufacturing	Production orders, planning and inventory consumption
Reporting	Custom reports, data exports, dashboards and scheduled outputs
Integrations	External applications, automated data transfers and API connections

These tests should reflect how employees use the system in real situations.
For example, a purchasing workflow may involve creating a purchase order, obtaining approval, receiving goods and posting an invoice. Testing only the first step won't reveal problems elsewhere in the process.
Consider involving representatives from each department so the people closest to the workflows can help identify issues.

What Happens if an Extension Isn't Compatible?

During Microsoft's enforced update period, extensions that prevent an environment from updating may eventually be uninstalled so the update can proceed.
The associated data is retained, but restoring the functionality requires a compatible extension.
This is one reason testing shouldn't be postponed until the production update is already scheduled.
Identifying a compatibility issue in a sandbox gives developers, administrators and software vendors time to resolve it.
Finding the same issue after production changes can interrupt business operations.

How Can You Prepare Employees for New Version 29 Features?

Technical compatibility is only one part of a successful upgrade.
New capabilities can also affect how employees interact with Business Central.
The expanded Copilot experience, AI agents and usability improvements may create opportunities to simplify existing processes, but organizations should introduce these changes thoughtfully.
Consider whether your team needs:

A brief overview of new features relevant to their roles
Updated documentation for existing workflows
Guidance on AI permissions and responsible use
Additional training for administrators and key users
A process for reporting issues after the update

Not every feature needs to be introduced immediately.
Organizations can often benefit from upgrading the environment first, validating business continuity and then adopting new capabilities according to their priorities.

Business Central Version 29 Upgrade Checklist

Before scheduling your production update, make sure your team can answer these questions:

☐ Have we reviewed our update availability and scheduling options?
☐ Have we identified our per-tenant extensions and AppSource applications?
☐ Have we confirmed compatibility with the relevant vendors?
☐ Have we tested banking, payroll, reporting and other integrations?
☐ Have we checked whether any integrations rely on legacy SOAP web services?
☐ Have we validated critical financial and operational workflows?
☐ Have the appropriate users participated in sandbox testing?
☐ Have we documented issues and assigned responsibility for resolving them?
☐ Have we planned employee communications and training?
☐ Have we selected an update date that works for our business?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Business Central Version 29 the same as 2026 Release Wave 2?

Yes. Version 29 is the major Business Central release associated with Microsoft's 2026 Release Wave 2, which began rolling out in October 2026. Additional features and updates are delivered throughout the release wave.

Do all Business Central customers need to upgrade?

Business Central online environments are subject to Microsoft's managed update lifecycle. Administrators have scheduling options, but updates ultimately become mandatory within Microsoft's rollout process.

Should we test even if we don't use custom extensions?

Yes. Even organizations without extensive customizations should validate important workflows, third-party applications, reports and integrations.

Will all new AI features be available immediately?

No. Feature availability varies. Some capabilities are generally available, while others are in public preview or scheduled for later updates. Review Microsoft's release documentation before planning to use a specific feature.

Can we test Version 29 before updating production?

Yes. A sandbox environment allows organizations to evaluate application changes, extensions, integrations and business processes before the production update.

Final Thoughts: Make Business Central Version 29 an Opportunity, Not a Disruption

Business Central 2026 Release Wave 2 brings meaningful updates, particularly as Microsoft continues expanding Copilot, AI agents and connections across its business applications.
But getting the most from Version 29 starts with understanding your current environment.
Which extensions support essential processes? Which integrations need attention? Which new capabilities could make a difference for your employees?
Answering those questions before upgrading puts your organization in a better position to adopt new functionality without unnecessary disruption.

Need Help Preparing for Version 29?

TMC Global helps organizations evaluate their Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central environments, review integrations and extensions, and plan upgrades around their business requirements.

Explore Business Central Services →

Adapted from TMC Global's

original Business Central Version 29 upgrade guide
.

The post Business Central Version 29: What Should You Test Before Upgrading? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

LATAM E-Invoice Lifecycle: From Posted Invoice to Authority Response in Business Central

Soluciones LLB — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:00:04 +0000

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Every Latin American country has its own rules, yet the LATAM e-invoice lifecycle follows a similar path. A user posts an invoice, the system builds a legal document, the tax authority or a provider checks it, and the customer receives the result. Knowing these steps helps partners scope a project, test it, and support it after go-live. This guide walks through the seven steps and shows how they change from country to country.
Key takeaway: The names change by country, but the lifecycle repeats. If you understand the seven steps, you can ask the right question in any market.

The Seven Steps of the LATAM E-Invoice Lifecycle

The table below shows each step and a few examples from the countries we cover.

#	Step	What happens	Examples
1	Post	The user posts the sales invoice in Business Central	Same in every country
2	Build	The localization creates the document in the legal format	XML or JSON, depending on the country
3	Sign	The document receives a digital signature	Requires a digital certificate
4	Send	The document goes to the authority or to a provider	Mexico uses a PAC; El Salvador sends to Hacienda
5	Validate	The authority or provider checks the document	Chile uses folios and a stamp; Peru returns a CDR
6	Respond	A code, stamp, or approval comes back	Colombia uses the CUFE; Ecuador uses a 49-digit access key
7	Deliver	The customer receives the document and its printed version	Paraguay uses the KuDE with a QR code

Step 1 to 3: Post, Build, and Sign

The first three steps happen inside the company. The user posts the invoice as usual. Then the localization builds the document in the format that the country requires. Next, the system signs it with a digital certificate.
These steps look simple. However, they depend on clean master data, such as tax IDs and addresses. A wrong value here causes a rejection later. For more on this topic, read our guide to multi-country master data.

Step 4 and 5: Send and Validate

This is where the models differ. In some countries, a certified provider receives the document first. In others, the system connects directly to the authority. Our posts on certified providers and on direct connections explain the differences.
Validation can also work in different ways. Some authorities answer in real time. Others approve numbering in advance and check the document later. For a quick overview, see the LATAM e-invoicing map.

Step 6 and 7: Respond and Deliver

After validation, the system receives a response. It can be a stamp, a code, or a receipt. Business Central stores that response with the invoice. Then the customer receives the document, often with a printed or PDF version that shows a QR code or a key.

Where the Lifecycle Breaks

Most problems appear in three places. This table lists them.

Where it breaks	Typical cause	How to prevent it
Build	Missing or wrong master data	Validate data before testing
Send	Credentials or connection issues	Test the connection early
Validate	The authority rejects the document	Define who fixes each type of rejection

Moreover, the lifecycle does not end at delivery. Companies also need to cancel documents, issue credit notes, and handle contingencies. Each country has its own rules for these cases, and we cover them in the next posts of this series.

What to Test in Every Country

Use this checklist during testing:

A normal invoice that the authority approves.
An invoice that the authority rejects, so the team sees the message.
A credit note linked to an earlier invoice.
A cancellation, if the country allows it.
The printed or PDF version that the customer receives.

How to Explain the Lifecycle to a Client

Clients often ask why a posted invoice is not final right away. The lifecycle answers that question. Posting is only the first step, because the authority or provider must still validate the document. Therefore, tell the client early that an invoice can have a status such as pending, accepted, or rejected.
In addition, assign an owner for each step. Finance owns the data, IT owns the connection, and the partner owns the configuration. When a rejection appears, the team then knows who acts first. This simple agreement saves hours during go-live week.
Finally, document the lifecycle in a one-page diagram for each country. Show the steps, the system that handles each one, and the contact person. Users read a diagram faster than a manual, and support teams use it to find the failing step.

How LLB Solutions Supports the Lifecycle

LLB Solutions provides AppSource-certified fiscal localizations for 17 Latin American countries. The localization builds the document, connects to the right provider or authority, and stores the response in Business Central. Our team supports testing, training, and updates while the partner leads the project. Learn more at LLB Solutions and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Seven steps explain most of Latin American e-invoicing. Learn them once, and every new country becomes easier to scope, test, and support. Over the next weeks, we will look at the details country by country.
Planning an e-invoicing project in Latin America? Request a demo and we will walk you through the lifecycle in your countries.

The post LATAM E-Invoice Lifecycle: From Posted Invoice to Authority Response in Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Reducing Data Pipeline Sprawl With TDS-Accessible Power BI Reporting

Bobby Williams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 13:36:20 +0000

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Reducing Data Pipeline Sprawl With TDS-Accessible Power BI Reporting

Not every Power BI dataset justifies a full ingestion pipeline. If the business needs a queryable operational dataset from a niche cloud system, building extraction jobs, staging tables, scheduled refreshes, and cleanup routines can be more architecture than the report requires.
The cost side of pipeline sprawl deserves the same scrutiny as the architecture side. COZYROC prices SSIS+ Ultimate at $1,199 per year with 2 license keys for a suite of 200+ components, and a free 30-day trial key is available (the suite is also free for development and testing in Visual Studio). The TDS pattern itself runs on COZYROC Cloud, where TDS package execution is available for pre-built Gems and for Flex packages on the Flex Managed plan ($249 per month, with a 14-day free trial). A fixed license number makes it easier to count what each additional staging pipeline really adds in storage, refresh jobs, and monitoring time.

Figure 1: Not every report needs a full pipeline: the problem, the shift and the payoff.

The Pipeline Sprawl Problem

BI teams often create persistent pipelines for three reasons:

The source system has only an API.
Power BI needs a relational shape.
The source connector is missing or too limited.

The result is a familiar stack: API script, storage landing zone, parser, SQL staging table, refresh job, monitoring, and failure handling. For high-value curated datasets, that architecture may be right. For operational reports, it can create unnecessary storage duplication and maintenance.

Figure 2: The seven-layer staging stack compared with TDS package execution, where Power BI sends a SQL query and the COZYROC TDS Service runs the package.

COZYROC TDS Service Pattern

COZYROC Cloud documents TDS package execution: a TDS-aware client sends a SQL query to the COZYROC TDS Service, which runs the package or gem and returns its result as a table. Each package resource appears as a table, such as packages.[Identifier@Resource], so reporting tools can query a virtual relational shape without a staging pipeline being built first.

Pain point	COZYROC component	Architectural result
Power BI or BI tooling needs tabular data from a package-backed source	TDS package execution	Package-backed data can be exposed through a SQL/TDS-style interface
Teams build staging jobs only for reporting	TDS virtualization pattern	Storage duplication and scheduled copy jobs can be reduced for suitable workloads
Niche APIs require reusable connection definitions	REST-based data source package or a pre-built Gem	Connection logic can be packaged once and reused through instances with separate parameters
Operational reports need package-backed reads	TDS Service reporting pattern	BI users can connect through SQL Server-style access, subject to tool support and workload fit (COZYROC documents Power BI, Tableau, Zoho Analytics and DBeaver)
Repeated connector patterns can become assets	Gem creation for partners	Partners can publish specialized connectors as gems in the COZYROC Cloud gallery, after approval

How The Pattern Works

Build the SSIS package so it ends in a DataReader Destination, using the COZYROC REST Source when the source only has an API.
Upload it to COZYROC Cloud as a Flex package.
Copy the TDS connection string and query from the package’s Resources panel.
In Power BI, use the SQL Server connector with your COZYROC Cloud email as the user name and a personal access token as the password.
Set package parameters in the query to filter the result, and add instances when several reports need the same package with different parameter values.

Figure 3: The five-step pattern from a niche API to a Power BI report.

When Virtualization Is A Better Fit

Use a TDS-style virtual layer when:

The report needs package-backed operational visibility.
The dataset is moderate enough for SQL-style package execution, because each query runs the package and its run time becomes query time.
The source API can support the query pattern.
The business does not need historical snapshots in the lake.
Avoiding staging storage is more valuable than precomputed transformation.

Use a physical pipeline when:

The data must be historized.
Queries are heavy or repeated at high concurrency.
Data quality rules require durable staging.
Downstream AI, warehouse, or compliance workflows need persisted files or tables.

Figure 4: When to use a TDS virtual layer and when to keep a physical pipeline.

TCO And ROI Framing

For the right reporting workload, virtualization can reduce:

Storage duplication.
Scheduled copy and staging refresh jobs.
Pipeline monitoring overhead.
Developer time spent building staging tables solely for reporting.

The ROI claim must be scoped. TDS virtualization is not a replacement for a lakehouse. It is a way to avoid creating a physical pipeline when the reporting use case does not need one.

FAQ

Can Power BI query a package-backed source without a staging pipeline?

Yes, for suitable workloads. TDS package execution presents package-backed data through a SQL Server-style interface, so reporting tools can query a virtual relational shape without extraction jobs and staging tables being built first. Tool support and workload fit still decide whether the pattern applies.

How does Power BI connect to a COZYROC TDS package?

Through Power BI’s standard SQL Server connector. The user name is your COZYROC Cloud account email and the password is a personal access token generated in COZYROC Cloud. Each package resource shows up as a table you can load. In Import mode, Power BI still keeps its own copy and refreshes it on a schedule, and each refresh runs the package again, so the pattern removes the staging layer, not the report refresh.

When is a physical pipeline still the right architecture?

When the data must persist beyond the query. Historized snapshots, heavy or high-concurrency queries, data quality rules that need durable staging, and downstream AI, warehouse, or compliance workflows that require persisted files or tables all justify the full ingestion stack. Virtualization is for the operational reports that never needed that stack.

Does TDS virtualization replace a lakehouse?

No, and the claim has to stay scoped. TDS virtualization avoids building a physical pipeline when the reporting use case does not need one; it does not replace lakehouse architecture for curated, historized, high-value datasets. The win is skipping storage duplication and staging refresh jobs for reports that only need package-backed operational visibility.

How do niche API connections become reusable assets?

Package the connection logic as a data source package built on the COZYROC REST Source, or start from a pre-built Gem. Instances let one package serve several reports with separate parameter values, so the next operational report against the same niche system starts from a working connector. Partners can go further and publish a repeated pattern as a gem in the COZYROC Cloud gallery, after an approval step, either free or priced. Specialized reporting connectors are assets, not project leftovers.

The post Reducing Data Pipeline Sprawl With TDS-Accessible Power BI Reporting appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Convergence 2026: AJ Ansari on Copilot Studio Skills

ERP Software Blog Writer — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 13:24:20 +0000

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Still spending hours writing long instructions for your Copilot Studio agents?

There's a better way, and AJ Ansari is going to show you.
AJ is Chief Operating Officer at DSWi and a Microsoft MVP now in his 10th year. He's leading a community session at Convergence AI+D365 2026 in Miami, and his focus is what he calls the most revolutionary change in Copilot Studio: skills.
In this short session spotlight, AJ explains why skills are replacing those long, hit-or-miss instructions, and why they're now at the center of the agents people are building. In Miami, he'll walk you through building practical, easy-to-use skills that turn ordinary agents into really smart ones.
This video also kicks off our Convergence community session spotlights, so you'll hear a little about what's planned this year, including the partner pre-day and the hands-on Microsoft workshops on Friday.
If you're building agents, or planning to, I encourage you to add AJ's session to your agenda. Register for Convergence 2026 and say hello to AJ while you're there.
Watch the full interview below.

Interview with AJ Ansari from DSWi

Bobby Small: This is the first of our community session drops. We're excited to bring Convergence back to Miami, and we've got 25 great community-led sessions. A lot of Convergence is about Microsoft talking to and working with the community, but we still wanted to carve out space for the great community folks who can show us how to extend the use of the software. We've got one of those folks right here, one of the legends in our industry, AJ Ansari. AJ, introduce yourself and tell us about your session.
AJ Ansari: I am delighted to be back at Convergence. I'm AJ Ansari, the Chief Operating Officer at a Microsoft partner called DSWi. I'm also a Microsoft MVP. It's my 10th year now: nine years completed and the 10th year started, as Microsoft counts it. I know, I know, I got the second blue disk. My areas of passion, as I like to call them, are Copilot Studio, which is Microsoft's leading AI agent platform, and Business Central, a wonderful ERP system.
My session at Convergence is going to be about Copilot Studio. The product has gone through a monumental transformation. So much has changed. I'll tell you the one most revolutionary change is the addition of skills.
Bobby, in the past a lot of people would spend a ton of time writing these long instructions. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't, and you'd run out of space. A lot of the things we do now with agents, whether it's Copilot Studio agents, Cowork agents, or OpenClaw agents, are all built around skills.
I'm going to teach our friends how to build skills: practical, easy-to-use skills, the kinds of things that are going to make your agents go from agents to really smart agents.
Bobby Small: I'm excited to see you there, and I'm excited to see everybody else who is able to join us this December 8th through 11th. There is a pre-day if you're a partner, and there are Microsoft workshops on Friday. There are going to be about 12 of them across all of the tracks: BC, CE, and F&O, as well as AI and Copilot. AJ, looking forward to seeing you, buddy.
AJ Ansari: Absolutely.

The post Convergence 2026: AJ Ansari on Copilot Studio Skills appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Top Companies To See at Convergence 2026 Expo in Miami

Anya Ciecierski — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 01:43:16 +0000

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Heading to Convergence 2026 in Miami? Many top ERP Software Blog and CRM Software Blog partners are sponsors of this year's event, giving attendees a chance to meet in person some of the companies they have been learning from throughout the year.
These are some of the top Microsoft Dynamics partners and ISVs in the industry, and they have made an ongoing commitment to educating the Microsoft community. Throughout the year, they share their expertise on ERP Software Blog and CRM Software Blog by answering real buyer questions, explaining complex topics, and helping Dynamics users make better technology decisions. At Convergence, you can meet the people behind that expertise face to face.
Convergence is Microsoft's premier Dynamics 365 event, with Microsoft product teams taking a leading role in the program. It brings together Microsoft customers, partners, business leaders, and the Dynamics User Group community to explore the future of Dynamics 365 and AI-powered business applications.
If you are evaluating business applications, planning a Dynamics 365 implementation, or looking to get more value from your Microsoft investment, I encourage you to seek out the ERP/CRM Software Blog members listed below. Introduce yourself, ask questions, and tell them you found them through ERP/CRM Software Blog.
Here is a list of ERP/CRM Software Blog members sponsoring Convergence 2026 (in alphabetical order) so you can build your short list:

Top Companies To Visit at Convergence 2026

Binary Stream
Binary Stream is a leading provider of enterprise-grade software solutions for Microsoft Dynamics ERP, offering products that streamline accounting, subscription billing, and multi-entity management. It enables thousands of organizations to optimize their financial processes.
DynaTech Systems
DynaTech is an AI-first IT consulting and Microsoft AI Cloud partner. A Microsoft Solutions Partner and CMMI Level 3 Certified organization, it builds AI-powered, cloud-native CRM and ERP ecosystems using Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure, Power Platform, Copilot, and Microsoft Fabric.
eOne Solutions
eOne Solutions' mission is to make connecting apps to apps and people to apps a simpler, developer-free experience for businesses. Its user-friendly, no-code iPaaS suite is scalable, 100% configurable, AI-ready, and covers critical ERP, CX, and CRM integration use cases.
Experlogix
Experlogix offers award-winning configure, price, quote (CPQ) solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365, providing a complete quote-to-order-to-manufacture experience across the enterprise. It empowers sales reps to deliver complex proposals derived from thousands of potential product and pricing rules.
Fastpath by Delinea
Fastpath, now part of Delinea, provides advanced security solutions designed to enhance security posture and simplify compliance processes, offering centralized, cloud-based IT General Controls (ITGC), including Segregation of Duties (SoD), across critical business applications.
HSO
HSO accelerates end-to-end business transformation through Microsoft Business Applications, Cloud and AI Innovation. A Business Transformation Partner with deep industry expertise and global reach, HSO has achieved all six Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Solution Designations.
NMB Solutions
NMB Solutions is a Microsoft ISV Partner based in Ottawa, Canada. It has been working with Dynamics AX (Axapta) since 1999 and specializes in third-party parcel and LTL shipping integration, focusing solely on AX and 365 for Operations.
OnActuate
OnActuate is a global Microsoft Dynamics 365, Dayforce and AI partner. It helps public sector, manufacturing, distribution and food & beverage organizations streamline operations through consulting, implementations, migrations and managed services.
Plauti
Plauti, based in Arnhem, the Netherlands, offers a native data-quality platform for Microsoft Dynamics that diagnoses and cleans data without it ever leaving the CRM. Its configurable, governed controls help teams trust the data behind their reports, automation, analytics and AI.
proMX
Founded in 2000 in Nuremberg, Germany, proMX is a digital transformation partner and Microsoft Solutions Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure, and Copilot. Headquartered in Germany, it has offices in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.
RSM
RSM is consistently ranked among the top Microsoft partners in the country. For more than 30 years, RSM has helped over 2,000 clients across the country implement financial, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions.
Stoneridge Software
Stoneridge Software is a Microsoft Dynamics partner offering Dynamics 365, Copilot, Power Platform, and Microsoft 365, with focused verticals in agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, and professional services. It specializes in ERP + CRM integrations, cloud upgrades, training, and support.
Sunrise Technologies
Sunrise Technologies helps apparel, retail, consumer goods, furniture, and manufacturing companies run smarter with Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and AI and Copilot. Founded in 1994, Sunrise has more than 450 successful go-lives worldwide.
Sycor Americas
Part of the global Sycor Group and headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Sycor Americas has more than 25 years' experience in the equipment rental industry. It specializes in equipment rental, MedTech, manufacturing, and healthcare, delivering tailored ERP solutions powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365.
TheTestMart
TheTestMart is the company behind Horizon, the enterprise validation platform built exclusively for Microsoft Dynamics 365. Instant Test Creation, deterministic execution, and autonomous maintenance help enterprises deploy every Microsoft update with confidence.
Truvio
DynamicWeb is now Truvio, a world-leading provider of CMS, eCommerce, PIM, and marketing solutions for mid/large and enterprise-sized companies. With more than 25 years in business and more than 12,000 websites developed, it has the experience and software to create powerful eCommerce solutions.
Velosio
Among the largest Microsoft partners in North America, Velosio supports the entire Microsoft Dynamics portfolio, Office 365 family, and Azure services. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Velosio serves over 4,000 clients from over 40 offices in the US and Canada.

View the full Convergence 2026 sponsor list

Top Sessions to Attend at Convergence 2026

Our ERP/CRM Software Blog members will also be active during the event as speakers. Check out the list below:

A BC Consulting Group – Shannon Mullins
Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Sales Customer Success Stories

Dooap – Sam Bush
Community Is the New Revenue Funnel

DSWi – AJ Ansari
PREMIERING: Skills Are the New Superpower: Building Smarter Copilot Studio Agents

Elliott Clark Consulting – Lauren Daniel
Preparing Business Central for the AI Era: The Architectural Decisions You Need to Make Today

Innovia Consulting – Shawn Dorward
The Predictive ERP: Using Business Central and AI to Ask “What If?”

proMX AG – Sebastian Sieber
Should your Agent have a Budget?

RSM US LLP – Mike Gillis
Get It Right the First Time: A Finance Leader’s Story of a Secure, AI-Ready D365 Transformation

RSM US LLP – Dian Taylor
Meet Your New AI Team: D365 Customer Service & Contact Center Agents

RSM US LLP – Tony Hemy
AI with Purpose: Get people home safely. Reinventing a Traditional Business for the Age of AI

STAEDEAN – Eric van Hofwegen
Equipment Rental 101. From Generators to Cranes

Sunrise Technologies – Cameron Caudill, Garrett Yentes
Goodwill, Feeding America, and the Case for ERP

TMC Global – Shane Young
Copilot Cowork - Getting Started

UST Pay – Kate Coffey-Bacon
Community Is the New Revenue Funnel

When and Where Is Convergence 2026?

Convergence 2026 will take place December 8 through December 11, 2026, at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The conference, expo hall, networking, and accommodation are all centered at the resort.
Here is how the week is laid out:

December 8: Partner pre-day and welcome reception
December 9 and 10: Core conference
December 11: Optional hands-on workshops

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the closest major airport, approximately 12 miles from the venue. For hotel information and travel details, visit the official Convergence venue page.

Who Should Attend?

Convergence is designed for people working with, implementing, or evaluating Microsoft business applications including Dynamics 365 F&SCM, Dynamics 365 CE and Dynamics 365 BC.

Why Should You Be There?

The biggest draw is access to Microsoft. Convergence puts you in the same room as the Microsoft product managers, engineers, architects, and executives who are shaping the future of Dynamics 365.
Among the highlights are:

100+ Microsoft-led sessions, alongside community-led sessions
Product updates and roadmap insights directly from Microsoft leaders and product teams
Sessions covering Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management, Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Customer Insights, Commerce, Business Central and more
Learning on Copilot, AI, and emerging agentic business applications
Technical deep dives, product demonstrations, customer stories, and practical sessions
Networking with Microsoft experts, partners, customers, and industry peers in the Expo Hall and at networking events
A partner pre-day, a welcome reception, and optional instructor-led workshops

Register Today!

Whether you are shaping your organization's technology strategy, leading a Dynamics 365 implementation, or looking to understand what's next for Microsoft business applications, Convergence 2026 offers direct access to product expertise, practical learning, and valuable connections.
While you are there, make time to meet the ERP/CRM Software Blog members on the list above.
General admission tickets start at $1,999 plus tax. Check the official registration page for current ticket details and availability.

The post Top Companies To See at Convergence 2026 Expo in Miami appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Production Traceability in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: How Reach Robotics Cut Reporting to Hours

Insight Works — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:54:42 +0000

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Listen to the podcast

Reach Robotics gained real-time production status and lot and serial traceability in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central by adding four Insight Works apps. Reporting now takes hours instead of days. Manual processing fell by 35–45%, and inventory was optimized by 15–25%.
The four apps are Enhanced Planning Worksheet, Multi-Level BOM Viewer, Shop Floor Insight, and Routing Analysis. Each is a Business Central extension published on Microsoft Marketplace, the kind of add-on partners use to fit Business Central to a specific industry. Microsoft Partner Dynamic Aspect designed and delivered the project.

Who Is Reach Robotics?

Image alt text: Reach Robotics technician testing a robotic system component with a multimeter at a production workbench

Reach Robotics designs and manufactures robotic manipulation and perception systems for harsh environments. The company has about 50 employees, is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and runs sales operations in North America and Europe.
Its systems support defense and commercial work, including maritime infrastructure, underwater inspection, law enforcement, marine science, mining, and autonomous robotics. That mix shapes how production runs. Defense programs bring governance and traceability expectations, so production records have to stand up to an audit.

Why Did Spreadsheets Stop Working for Production Tracking?

Spreadsheets stopped working because they could not keep up with more complex defense and industrial programs. Production tracking and labor time were recorded manually, so production status was never current. Visibility across manufacturing and projects was limited.
The gaps went beyond the shop floor. Planning and procurement ran through disconnected workflows, and finance and operations data did not always agree. Reporting depended on manual reconciliation that took days, and the reliance on spreadsheets created operational risk as the business grew.
Reach Robotics set a clear goal: one scalable, integrated platform with real-time visibility across manufacturing, inventory, planning, finance, and projects. That platform also had to meet the governance and traceability expectations of the defense industry.

How Do Insight Works Apps Add Production Traceability to Business Central?

Reach Robotics implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with four Insight Works apps covering planning, bill of materials review, shop floor execution, traceability, and process analysis. About 15 staff use the apps every day. Each app closed a specific gap the spreadsheets had left open.
Planners now use Enhanced Planning Worksheet to see supply, demand, availability by location, and vendor information in one place, and they create purchase orders directly from the worksheet. Enhanced Planning Worksheet gives the team a more disciplined, visible purchasing process in place of disconnected workflows.
Reach Robotics builds multilevel assemblies, which are hard to review in a flat list. Multi-Level BOM Viewer shows each bill of materials (BOM) as a hierarchy or tree, with supply and demand for every component. Feasibility checks flag potential shortages, so planners can spot component gaps before they hold up production.
On the shop floor, production staff use Shop Floor Insight to record labor, production progress, and quality events with barcode scanning on mobile devices. Shop Floor Insight also captures lot and serial numbers at the point of production. That record provides the traceability defense audits require.
With actual times now captured on the shop floor, the team uses Routing Analysis to compare operation times on finished production orders against each routing’s expected times. Routing Analysis flags operations that vary widely, even when the average looks acceptable. The team then corrects routings and standardizes processes.

How Was the Business Central Rollout Handled?

Reach Robotics manufactures specialized systems for highly regulated industries, so the main task was mapping those manufacturing workflows to finance, planning, quality, and reporting processes. Strong stakeholder alignment was part of that work.
Dynamic Aspect designed and delivered the Business Central solution and deployed all four Insight Works apps. The team aligned the platform with Reach Robotics’ manufacturing, defense, and business process requirements. The rollout caused minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.

What Results Did Reach Robotics See?

Reach Robotics reached a return on its ERP investment within 12 months, supported by a project structured for early operational value. Reporting cycles shortened from days to hours, giving leaders current information sooner. Manual processing fell by 35–45% across the solution, cutting re-keying and reconciliation work.
Inventory was optimized by 15–25%, with the planning apps a major contributor through stronger procurement discipline. Labor time and production status are now available in real time, and lot and serial traceability is captured on the shop floor. Finance, manufacturing, procurement, inventory, projects, and quality share a single source of truth, with improved reporting accuracy.

“This solution delivered a platform capable of providing accurate, real-time visibility across finance, manufacturing, supply chain, and operational planning while supporting the governance and reporting expectations associated with defense industry participation.”
– Nathan King, Head of Operations, Reach Robotics Pty Ltd

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Business Central add-ons did Reach Robotics use?

Reach Robotics used four Insight Works apps: Enhanced Planning Worksheet, Multi-Level BOM Viewer, Shop Floor Insight, and Routing Analysis. All four run inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central online.

How does Shop Floor Insight support lot and serial traceability?

Shop Floor Insight captures lot and serial numbers at the point of production, using barcode scanning on mobile devices. The same scans record labor, production progress, and quality events.

Is Shop Floor Insight an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three terms are correct. Shop Floor Insight is a Business Central app, published as an extension on Microsoft Marketplace, and resellers often call it an add-on.

Who implemented Business Central for Reach Robotics?

Microsoft Partner Dynamic Aspect designed and delivered the Business Central solution and deployed all four Insight Works apps.

A Defense-Ready Operating Platform Built on Business Central

By extending Business Central with four Insight Works apps and working with Dynamic Aspect, Reach Robotics replaced spreadsheets with one connected platform. Reporting takes hours instead of days, inventory is optimized by 15–25%, and lot and serial traceability is captured on the shop floor.
Read the full Reach Robotics case study, or explore Shop Floor Insight to see how production traceability works in your own Business Central environment.

The post Production Traceability in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: How Reach Robotics Cut Reporting to Hours appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Year-End Ecommerce KPIs to Review in Dynamics 365 ERP

k-ecommerce — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 14:00:07 +0000

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Year-end ecommerce performance reviews help businesses understand what drove revenue, how effectively they converted shoppers into customers, and whether their growth was profitable. By tracking the right ecommerce KPIs, including revenue growth, conversion rates, average order value, and customer retention, businesses can evaluate annual results and measure the success of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping campaigns. For companies using Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP, combining ecommerce analytics with ERP sales, cost, and customer data provides a stronger foundation for planning and decision-making in the year ahead.

Key Highlights

Measure more than revenue. Ecommerce KPIs such as conversion rate, average order value, customer acquisition cost, and customer lifetime value provide a more complete picture of business performance.
Evaluate peak-season results separately. Reviewing Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping performance helps identify which promotions, marketing activities, and sales strategies delivered results.
Look for opportunities to improve profitability. Cost of goods sold, shopping cart abandonment, and customer retention can reveal inefficiencies that revenue figures alone may miss.
Use year-end findings to guide next year's strategy. KPI trends help businesses establish realistic goals, prioritize investments, and make better-informed decisions about customer acquisition and retention.
Connect ecommerce performance with Dynamics 365 ERP data. Integrating ecommerce activity with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Dynamics 365 Finance helps businesses analyze sales, orders, inventory, and customer information together.

Why Are Ecommerce KPIs Important for Year-End Performance Reviews?

Ecommerce key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurable values that show how effectively an online business is achieving its objectives. They help businesses evaluate results, identify performance gaps, and make decisions based on actual data rather than assumptions.
Although the terms metric and KPI are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes. A metric measures a particular activity, while a KPI connects that activity to a meaningful business goal.
For example, website traffic shows how many people visit an online store. Conversion rate goes further by measuring how many of those visitors complete a purchase, making it a more useful indicator of sales effectiveness. The average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.22%, calculated by Baymard Institute from 50 separate studies.
At year-end, KPI analysis is especially valuable because it helps businesses:

Measure progress: Compare annual performance against business goals and previous results.
Make informed decisions: Identify which sales and marketing activities produced meaningful outcomes.
Allocate resources effectively: Direct budgets toward strategies that contribute to revenue, profitability, and customer relationships.
Identify problems early: Recognize issues such as declining conversion rates or increasing shopping cart abandonment before they become more costly.

Rather than simply reporting whether sales increased or decreased, a useful year-end review explains what contributed to those results and what the business should do differently.
For businesses operating on Dynamics 365, connecting ecommerce performance with ERP financial and operational information provides additional context. A related guide to ecommerce and D365 BC integration explains how that connection is built. Sales numbers are more meaningful when they are evaluated alongside product costs, order history, and customer purchasing patterns.

Which Ecommerce KPIs Should Dynamics 365 Businesses Track at Year-End?

The most useful ecommerce KPIs measure sales performance, customer acquisition, purchasing behavior, and profitability. Reviewing these indicators together provides a clearer understanding of overall results and helps identify opportunities for improvement.

1. Revenue Growth: Did Ecommerce Sales Increase?

Revenue growth measures the change in ecommerce sales over a specific period, typically expressed as a percentage. It provides a starting point for determining whether the business expanded, maintained its performance, or experienced a decline.
For a year-end review, compare total annual revenue with the previous year and examine individual periods to identify seasonal trends. As a baseline, US retail e-commerce sales were an estimated $304.2 billion in Q2 2025, up 5.3% year on year, and accounted for 16.3% of total retail sales.
Pay particular attention to revenue generated during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the broader holiday shopping season. A record 202.9 million consumers shopped over the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday in 2025, with online shoppers up 9% year on year to 134.9 million, according to the National Retail Federation. Strong sales during these periods can contribute significantly to annual performance, but revenue growth alone does not establish whether the additional sales were profitable.
Comparing revenue with average order value, customer acquisition costs, and cost of goods sold helps reveal what actually drove the results.
Businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central can also examine recorded sales and financial information to understand how ecommerce revenue contributes to overall business performance.

2. Conversion Rate: How Effectively Did Visitors Become Customers?

Ecommerce conversion rate measures the percentage of website visits that result in purchases. It helps businesses evaluate how effectively their online stores turn browsing activity into completed transactions.
A store might attract significantly more visitors during holiday promotions without seeing a proportional increase in orders. This would result in a lower conversion rate, suggesting that the additional traffic was less likely to convert into paying customers. Businesses should investigate whether their promotions attracted the right audience or whether issues with pricing, product offerings, or the shopping experience prevented visitors from completing purchases.
During your year-end review, consider:

Did conversion rates improve during promotional periods?
Were visitors more likely to purchase during Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
Were there periods when conversion rates declined unexpectedly?

These findings can help businesses identify opportunities to improve the online shopping experience and refine future campaigns.

3. Average Order Value (AOV): How Much Did Customers Spend Per Order?

Average order value (AOV) measures the average amount customers spend each time they place an order. It is calculated by dividing total order revenue by the number of orders.
AOV provides insight into purchasing behavior, including whether customers tend to purchase multiple products, choose higher-value items, or favor lower-priced alternatives.
Year-end analysis should compare AOV across the full year and during peak shopping periods. A holiday promotion may increase the number of orders while reducing average order value, making it important to evaluate both measures.
Businesses looking to improve AOV can consider several approaches:

Cross-selling: Recommend complementary products, such as ink cartridges or paper alongside printers.
Upselling: Encourage customers to consider higher-value products or premium versions that better meet their needs.
Free shipping thresholds: Offer free shipping once an order reaches a specified purchase amount.
Product bundling: Group related products into packages that encourage customers to purchase multiple items together.

The order and sales records in Dynamics 365 provide useful information for calculating AOV and examining changes in purchasing behavior over time.

4. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How Much Did It Cost to Gain New Customers?

Customer acquisition cost (CAC) measures the average amount a business spends to acquire a new customer. It is calculated by dividing relevant acquisition expenses by the number of new customers acquired during the same period.
CAC is particularly useful when reviewing promotional campaigns and marketing investments. For example, an increase in holiday sales may appear successful until the business considers how much it spent attracting those customers.
Compare acquisition costs across marketing activities such as paid advertising, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and affiliate marketing.
If acquisition costs rise without a corresponding improvement in customer value, it may be worth reconsidering how marketing resources are distributed.

5. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): What Are Customer Relationships Worth Over Time?

Customer lifetime value (CLV) estimates the total value a customer generates throughout their relationship with a business. It helps ecommerce companies look beyond individual transactions and evaluate the longer-term contribution of customer relationships.
This is especially relevant when examining the customers acquired during major holiday promotions. A campaign may attract a large number of first-time buyers, but the longer-term results depend partly on whether those customers return.
Comparing CLV with CAC helps businesses assess whether their customer acquisition investments are supported by the value those relationships generate.
Year-end findings can also inform retention strategies designed to encourage repeat purchases and strengthen existing customer relationships.

6. Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate: Where Are Potential Sales Being Lost?

Shopping cart abandonment rate measures the percentage of shopping carts that do not result in completed purchases. It can help businesses identify problems in the purchasing process.
A sudden increase in abandonment may indicate an issue with the checkout experience. During peak shopping periods, when online stores experience heightened purchasing activity, this KPI deserves particular attention.
When evaluating year-end results, compare abandonment rates during normal sales periods with those recorded during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday promotions.
If abandonment increased, review the checkout process to identify possible obstacles. Improving the experience may help convert more existing shopping activity into completed orders without relying entirely on additional marketing investment.

7. Customer Retention: Did Shoppers Come Back?

Customer retention measures a business's ability to maintain relationships with existing customers over time. It helps evaluate whether buyers continue purchasing after their initial transaction.
A related KPI, new customer orders versus returning customer orders, compares purchases made by first-time buyers with those made by existing customers.
This distinction is useful when reviewing annual ecommerce performance:

A higher proportion of new customer orders may indicate effective acquisition efforts, although the business should also examine whether those buyers return.
A higher proportion of returning customer orders may reflect customer loyalty and satisfaction, but could also highlight opportunities to expand customer acquisition.
A balanced mix can indicate that the business is attracting new buyers while maintaining relationships with existing customers.

If new customer orders are lagging, businesses can revisit acquisition activities such as paid advertising, SEO, social media, and email marketing.
If returning customer orders are declining, loyalty initiatives and exclusive offers for existing customers may help encourage additional purchases.
Year-end analysis should also consider whether customers acquired during previous promotions became repeat buyers. That information helps businesses distinguish short-term sales increases from sustained customer growth.
Dynamics 365 ERP users have customer records and order histories available, providing a valuable starting point for analyzing repeat purchases and changing buying patterns.

8. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Were Sales Profitable?

Cost of goods sold (COGS) represents the costs directly associated with producing or acquiring the products a business sells. Depending on the business, these may include manufacturing or purchasing costs and associated production expenses.
COGS is essential for understanding profitability because gross profit is calculated by subtracting COGS from revenue.
This makes it particularly important when evaluating holiday promotions. Higher sales figures do not necessarily produce stronger financial results if product costs or promotional pricing significantly reduce margins.
If your year-end review reveals high or increasing COGS, possible improvements include:

Purchasing in bulk when doing so reduces per-unit costs.
Comparing supplier quotes to identify more cost-effective purchasing options.
Negotiating pricing with existing suppliers.
Improving operational efficiency, including automating manual order-processing activities.

Dynamics 365 ERPs provide financial, inventory, and purchasing information that businesses can use to examine product costs alongside sales performance. This helps decision-makers evaluate whether ecommerce growth is translating into stronger financial results.

How Can You Measure Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Holiday Ecommerce Success?

The most effective way to measure peak-season ecommerce performance is to evaluate revenue, customer behavior, acquisition costs, and profitability together. This helps distinguish genuinely successful campaigns from those that simply generated more transactions.
Once the holiday shopping season concludes, follow a structured review process.

Step 1: Compare Peak-Season Results with Previous Periods

Start by comparing Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping results with equivalent periods from the previous year. Review revenue, orders, conversion rates, and average order value to determine where performance improved or declined.
Compare holiday results with normal selling periods to understand how seasonal promotions affected purchasing behavior.

Step 2: Evaluate the Cost of Generating Holiday Sales

Revenue should be considered alongside customer acquisition cost and cost of goods sold. Where relevant, return on ad spend (ROAS) can provide another useful measure of advertising performance.

Step 3: Examine Customer Behavior During Promotions

Review conversion rates, cart abandonment, AOV, and the balance between new and returning customer orders. Determine whether promotional activities encouraged purchases, attracted first-time customers, or increased spending among existing buyers.

Step 4: Identify Which Results Are Worth Repeating

For example, if revenue increased while AOV declined, investigate whether the growth came primarily from additional orders or lower-value purchases. If conversion rates improved but acquisition costs climbed, examine whether the marketing investment remained worthwhile.
Looking at several KPIs together helps businesses avoid making decisions based on a single favorable number.

How Should Businesses Interpret Their Year-End Ecommerce KPI Results?

Individual KPIs are more useful when businesses examine the relationships between them. A change in one metric often needs context from another before it points to a clear course of action.

Year-end finding	What it may indicate	What to investigate
Revenue increased, but conversion rate declined	More traffic or larger orders may be driving growth despite weaker conversion	Traffic quality and the purchasing experience
AOV increased, but profitability declined	Larger orders may not be producing stronger margins	Product costs, pricing, and promotions
New customer orders increased, but repeat orders lagged	Acquisition efforts may be working better than retention efforts	Loyalty programs and repeat-purchase strategies
CAC increased while CLV remained unchanged	Customer acquisition spending may be outpacing the value generated	Marketing efficiency and customer retention
Cart abandonment increased during holiday promotions	Customers may be encountering purchasing obstacles	Checkout usability and possible friction

Other supporting indicators, including customer satisfaction score (CSAT), churn rate, and total cost of ownership (TCO), may also be relevant depending on the business's goals.

How Can Ecommerce KPIs Guide Next Year's Strategy and Budget?

The first step is identifying which ecommerce KPIs most closely reflect the business's objectives. A company focused on acquiring customers may prioritize conversion rate and CAC, while a business seeking stronger profitability may place greater emphasis on AOV, COGS, and retention.
From there, businesses can translate their findings into practical actions.

Set Measurable Business Objectives

Use current performance as a baseline for next year's goals. Rather than setting only a general revenue target, establish supporting objectives related to conversion rates, average order value, customer acquisition, or retention.
Choose KPIs that are measurable, understandable, and directly connected to business outcomes.

Allocate Marketing Budgets Based on Results

Review which marketing activities attracted customers and how their costs compared with the value generated. This will help businesses decide where to increase investment, which campaigns require adjustment, and whether more attention should go toward retaining existing customers.

Prioritize Operational Improvements

If high product costs or manual processes affected profitability, consider whether purchasing changes or greater automation could improve efficiency. Likewise, elevated abandonment rates may justify improvements to the ecommerce checkout experience before increasing advertising spending.

Prepare for the Next Peak Shopping Season

Use this year's Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday results to establish a stronger plan for future promotional activity. The KPIs that proved most useful should become part of ongoing performance monitoring, not just an annual reporting exercise.

How Can Dynamics 365-Integrated Ecommerce Improve Reporting and Efficiency?

An ERP-integrated ecommerce solution connects online sales activity with the information maintained in the ERP system, reducing the need to manage disconnected records across multiple applications. See also how Dynamics 365 Business Central ecommerce integration increases productivity.
With an ERP-integrated ecommerce platform from k-ecommerce, businesses can connect their online stores with their ERP environments, including Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance.
Instead of evaluating website sales in isolation, teams can examine how online selling contributes to broader financial and operational objectives.

Why Can Businesses Trust k-ecommerce for Dynamics 365 ERP-Integrated Ecommerce?

Founded in 1999, k-ecommerce brings more than 25 years of experience developing ERP-integrated ecommerce and payment solutions. It supports 1,500 websites worldwide, with approximately $2 billion in transactions processed annually through its PCI-certified cloud infrastructure. Its experience spans manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, and other industries where complex pricing, customer-specific catalogs, and high-volume order processing make reliable ERP integration essential.
As a certified partner for Microsoft Dynamics, k-ecommerce specializes in connecting online stores with established business management systems. The company offers purpose-built ecommerce integrations for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Dynamics GP, and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. Its proprietary synchronization technology connects ecommerce storefronts with ERP information, including customer records, product pricing, inventory, and orders. This helps businesses reduce manual data entry, maintain consistent information across systems, and analyze ecommerce performance alongside their financial and operational results.

Turn Your Year-End Ecommerce Results Into a Plan for Growth

A successful year-end ecommerce review should do more than summarize sales. By analyzing the KPIs that matter most, businesses can better understand their annual performance, evaluate holiday campaigns, identify opportunities for improvement, and establish clearer priorities for the coming year.
For organizations using Microsoft Dynamics 365, connecting ecommerce activity with ERP data adds important financial and operational context to that analysis. It helps businesses evaluate not just how much they sold, but how those sales contributed to profitability and customer relationships.

Are you looking for a Dynamics 365-connected B2B Ecommerce platform?
Learn how our solutions can support your reporting, operational efficiency, and business planning objectives.

Learn More

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important ecommerce KPIs to review at year-end?

Key year-end ecommerce KPIs include revenue growth, conversion rate, average order value (AOV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), cart abandonment, and customer retention. Cost of goods sold (COGS) is also important for evaluating profitability.

How can ecommerce businesses measure Black Friday and Cyber Monday success?

Compare revenue, orders, conversion rates, AOV, acquisition costs, and profitability with previous periods. Reviewing these measures together helps determine whether promotions generated meaningful business results.

Can businesses track ecommerce KPIs using Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Yes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP systems, including Business Central, provide sales, customer, order, and product cost information that supports several ecommerce KPIs. Website conversion rates, cart abandonment, and marketing acquisition costs require additional ecommerce or marketing analytics.

How can year-end ecommerce KPIs improve next year's business strategy?

KPI analysis helps businesses identify successful activities, uncover performance gaps, establish measurable objectives, and allocate resources toward initiatives that support revenue growth, profitability, and customer retention.

How does k-ecommerce support Dynamics 365 ecommerce performance analysis?

k-ecommerce provides ERP-integrated ecommerce solutions that connect online selling with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and other ERP platforms. This helps businesses access consistent sales, order, inventory, and customer information for performance analysis.

What is the difference between an ecommerce metric and a KPI?

A metric measures a particular activity, while a KPI connects that activity to a meaningful business goal. k-ecommerce gives the example of website traffic, which shows how many people visit an online store, against conversion rate, which measures how many of those visitors complete a purchase. That makes conversion rate a more useful indicator of sales effectiveness than traffic alone.

How do you calculate average order value?

Average order value is calculated by dividing total order revenue by the number of orders. It shows the average amount customers spend each time they place an order and indicates whether customers buy multiple products, choose higher-value items, or favor lower-priced alternatives. The order and sales records in Dynamics 365 provide useful information for calculating AOV and examining changes in purchasing behavior over time.

How can an online store increase average order value?

k-ecommerce lists four approaches: cross-selling complementary products, such as ink cartridges or paper alongside printers; upselling to higher-value or premium products that better meet customer needs; offering free shipping once an order reaches a specified purchase amount; and bundling related products into packages that encourage customers to buy several items together. Year-end analysis should compare AOV across the full year and during peak shopping periods.

What is the average shopping cart abandonment rate?

The average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.22%, calculated by Baymard Institute from 50 separate studies. Shopping cart abandonment rate measures the percentage of shopping carts that do not result in completed purchases, and a sudden increase may indicate an issue with the checkout experience. The KPI deserves particular attention during peak shopping periods, when purchasing activity is heightened.

Why did my cart abandonment rate rise during Black Friday?

A sudden increase in abandonment may indicate an issue with the checkout experience, which matters most during peak periods when online stores see heightened purchasing activity. k-ecommerce recommends comparing abandonment rates in normal selling periods with those recorded during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday promotions, then reviewing the checkout process for obstacles. Improving that experience can convert existing shopping activity into orders without further marketing spend.

How do you calculate customer acquisition cost?

Customer acquisition cost measures the average amount a business spends to acquire a new customer, and is calculated by dividing relevant acquisition expenses by the number of new customers acquired in the same period. k-ecommerce suggests comparing acquisition costs across paid advertising, social media, SEO, email marketing and affiliate marketing, and reconsidering how marketing resources are distributed if costs rise without a matching improvement in customer value.

What does comparing customer lifetime value with acquisition cost tell you?

Customer lifetime value estimates the total value a customer generates across their relationship with a business, looking beyond individual transactions. Comparing CLV with CAC helps businesses assess whether their customer acquisition investments are supported by the value those relationships generate. This is particularly relevant for customers acquired during major holiday promotions, where a campaign may attract many first-time buyers but longer-term results depend on whether they return.

What does the mix of new versus returning customer orders mean?

A higher proportion of new customer orders may indicate effective acquisition, though the business should check whether those buyers return. A higher proportion of returning orders may reflect loyalty and satisfaction but could highlight room to expand acquisition. A balanced mix suggests the business is attracting new buyers while maintaining existing relationships. Dynamics 365 ERP customer records and order histories support this analysis.

How can ecommerce businesses reduce cost of goods sold?

k-ecommerce lists purchasing in bulk where this reduces per-unit costs, comparing supplier quotes to find more cost-effective options, negotiating pricing with existing suppliers, and improving operational efficiency, including automating manual order-processing activities. COGS matters because gross profit is revenue minus COGS, so higher holiday sales do not guarantee stronger results if product costs or promotional pricing reduce margins.

By k-ecommerce | k-ecommerce.com

The post Year-End Ecommerce KPIs to Review in Dynamics 365 ERP appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Reach Robotics: Achieving Real-Time Production Visibility and Traceability with Business Central and Insight Works Apps

Insight Works — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 22:00:15 +0000

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About Reach Robotics

Reach Robotics designs and manufactures advanced robotic manipulation and perception systems for harsh environments. Headquartered in Glebe, New South Wales, Australia, with sales operations in North America and Europe, the company supports defense and commercial applications including maritime infrastructure, underwater inspection, law enforcement, marine science, mining, and autonomous robotics.

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CHALLENGES: Replacing Spreadsheets with Business Central at a Growing Defense Manufacturer

As Reach Robotics took on more complex defense and industrial programs, its spreadsheets and fragmented systems began to strain. Production tracking and labor time were recorded in manual spreadsheets, so production status was never current and visibility across manufacturing and projects was limited.
Planning and procurement ran through disconnected workflows, and finance and operations data did not always agree. Reporting depended on manual reconciliation that took days, and the reliance on spreadsheets created more operational risk as the business grew.
The goal was a scalable, integrated platform with real-time visibility and control across manufacturing, inventory, planning, finance, and projects, one that also meets the governance and traceability expectations of the defense industry.

SOLUTION: How Reach Robotics Extended Business Central from Planning to the Shop Floor

Working with Microsoft Partner Dynamic Aspect, Reach Robotics implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with four Insight Works apps covering planning, bill of materials review, shop floor execution, traceability, and process analysis. About 15 staff use the apps every day.
1. Purchase and Production Planning on One Screen with Enhanced Planning Worksheet:
Enhanced Planning Worksheet is used by planners to see supply, demand, availability by location, and vendor information in one place, and to create purchase orders directly from the worksheet. Planning and procurement previously ran through disconnected workflows; Enhanced Planning Worksheet gives the team a more disciplined, visible purchasing process.
2. Clear Visibility into Complex Bills of Materials with Multi-Level BOM Viewer:
Multi-Level BOM Viewer is used by planners to review Reach Robotics’ multi-level assemblies, which are hard to read in a flat list. Multi-Level BOM Viewer shows each bill of materials as a hierarchy, with supply and demand for every component and feasibility checks that flag potential shortages, so planners can spot component gaps before they hold up production.
3. Real-Time Shop Floor Execution and Traceability with Shop Floor Insight:
Shop Floor Insight is used by production staff to record labor, production progress, and quality events with barcode scanning on mobile devices, replacing manual spreadsheets. Shop Floor Insight also captures lot and serial numbers at the point of production, providing the traceability that defense audits require.
4. Process Insight from Actual Production Times with Routing Analysis:
Routing Analysis is used by the team to compare the operation times recorded on finished production orders against each routing’s expected times. With actual times now captured on the shop floor, Routing Analysis flags operations that vary widely, even when the average looks acceptable, so the team can correct routings and standardize processes.
Together, the four apps give Reach Robotics one Business Central platform from planning to the shop floor, with shop floor data feeding the process analysis that keeps routings accurate.

IMPLEMENTATION: A Low-Disruption Implementation Built on Process Mapping

Reach Robotics manufactures specialized systems for highly regulated industries, so the team’s main task was mapping those manufacturing workflows to finance, planning, quality, and reporting processes. Strong stakeholder alignment was part of that work.
Dynamic Aspect designed and delivered the Business Central solution and deployed all four Insight Works apps, aligning the platform with Reach Robotics’ manufacturing, defense, and business process requirements. The rollout caused minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.

RESULTS: Faster Reporting, Leaner Inventory, and a Fast Return

Reach Robotics reported measurable improvements across planning, production, and reporting.

Return on the ERP investment within 12 months, supported by a project structured for early operational value.
Manual processing reduced by 35–45% across the solution, cutting re-keying and reconciliation work.
Reporting cycles shortened from days to hours, giving leaders current information sooner.
Inventory optimized by 15–25%, with the planning apps a major contributor through stronger procurement discipline.
Labor time and production status available in real time, replacing manual spreadsheets.
Lot and serial traceability captured on the shop floor, supporting defense audit and compliance requirements.
A single source of truth across finance, manufacturing, procurement, inventory, projects, and quality, with improved reporting accuracy.

Reach Robotics now runs on current, connected data instead of spreadsheets reconciled after the fact.

“This solution delivered a platform capable of providing accurate, real-time visibility across finance, manufacturing, supply chain, and operational planning while supporting the governance and reporting expectations associated with defense industry participation.”
— Nathan King, Head of Operations, Reach Robotics Pty Ltd

CONCLUSION: From Spreadsheets to a Defense-Ready Operating Platform

By extending Business Central with four Insight Works apps and working with Dynamic Aspect, Reach Robotics replaced spreadsheets and disconnected workflows with one connected platform. Planners, production staff, and leadership now work from the same current data, from purchase planning through shop floor execution. With reporting in hours, leaner inventory, and lot and serial traceability captured where the work happens, Reach Robotics has a foundation that meets defense industry expectations as its programs grow.

Additional Information

About Insight Works
Insight Works is a leading Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ISV (independent software vendor) specializing in warehouse management, manufacturing, and productivity solutions. With a portfolio of apps available on Microsoft Marketplace, Insight Works helps distributors, manufacturers, and wholesalers extend Business Central to fit the way they actually work. Learn more at Insight-Works.com.
Related links:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Enhanced Planning Worksheet
Multi-Level BOM Viewer
Shop Floor Insight
Routing Analysis

The post Reach Robotics: Achieving Real-Time Production Visibility and Traceability with Business Central and Insight Works Apps appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why GOIS Is the Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses?

Andrew Scotts — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 20:35:52 +0000

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Running a small business means handling a lot of things at the same time. You have to look after customers, manage orders, track products, handle payments, and make sure everything is running smoothly.
But have you ever thought about how much time you spend managing your inventory?
Imagine a customer visiting your store and asking for a product. You check your records, but the quantity mentioned there does not match your actual stock. Or perhaps you order more products because you forgot how much inventory you already had.
These small mistakes can create bigger problems. They can waste your time, increase business expenses, and even result in lost customers.
This is why having the right inventory management software is important.
A good inventory management system makes it easier to track products, manage sales, keep records organized, and understand what's happening in your business.
GOIS (Goods Order Inventory System) is designed to help businesses manage inventory and POS-related activities more efficiently. It gives businesses a more organized way to handle everyday operations instead of depending completely on spreadsheets and manual records.
Let's explore nine reasons why GOIS can be a great choice for small businesses.

GOIS Named Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses
3 Years in a Row

Get Free Trial and Demo of GOIS

1. Manage Your Entire Inventory Without the Headache

When your business has only a few products, managing inventory manually may seem easy. You can simply use a spreadsheet or write down the stock details in a notebook.
But what happens when your product range grows?
You have more items to track, more orders to process, and more stock information to update. Keeping everything organized becomes difficult.
GOIS helps simplify inventory management by bringing important inventory activities together in one system.
You can manage your product information, keep track of stock-related activities, and maintain more organized inventory records.
Instead of searching through different spreadsheets whenever you need information, you have a more structured way to manage your inventory.
This means less confusion and more time to focus on running your business.

2. Spend Less Time on Manual Work

Let's be honest. Nobody starts a business because they enjoy updating spreadsheets all day.
Yet, many small business owners and employees spend hours entering product details, updating stock quantities, and maintaining sales records.
Apart from consuming valuable time, manual work also increases the chances of mistakes.
For example, forgetting to update the stock quantity after a sale can create confusion when another customer wants to purchase the same product.
GOIS helps reduce dependence on manual inventory management by providing a dedicated software platform for managing inventory and sales-related activities.
This helps employees spend less time on repetitive administrative tasks and more time serving customers, processing orders, and growing the business.
Even saving a few hours every week can make a difference when you are running a small business.

3. Know What You Have in Stock

Have you ever purchased products you already had in your inventory? Or discovered that your best-selling product was out of stock when a customer wanted to buy it?
These situations are quite common when businesses do not have proper stock management processes.
The solution is simple: you need better visibility into your inventory.
GOIS helps businesses organize and monitor their inventory information, making it easier to understand what products they have and what stock-related activities need attention.
With better inventory visibility, you can make smarter purchasing decisions.
For example, when you know which products need replenishment, you can plan purchases more effectively rather than ordering products at the last minute.
It also helps you avoid unnecessarily purchasing products that are already available in sufficient quantities.
For small businesses, better stock control means better use of money and resources.

4. Keep Sales and Inventory Connected

Your sales and inventory are connected. Whenever you sell a product, your available stock changes.
Managing these activities separately can create unnecessary confusion.
For example, your sales records may show that a product has been sold, but your inventory spreadsheet may still show the old quantity. This can lead to incorrect information and create problems for your employees.
GOIS offers inventory management and POS-related capabilities that help businesses manage sales and inventory activities in a more organized way.
This is particularly useful for:

Small retail stores.
Wholesale businesses.
Product-based startups.
Small distributors.
Growing ecommerce businesses.

When your sales and inventory activities are better organized, it becomes easier to manage everyday transactions and maintain business records.

5. Make Your Employees More Productive

In a small business, employees often have to handle multiple responsibilities.
One person may be responsible for receiving products, updating inventory, processing sales, and answering customer questions.
When too much time goes into manual inventory work, employees have less time for other important responsibilities.
GOIS helps bring inventory-related activities into a dedicated software platform, making everyday processes easier to organize.
Your employees can spend less time searching for product information or maintaining scattered records.
Instead, they can focus on activities that directly support business growth.
As a business owner, this also gives you more time to work on marketing, customer relationships, sales, and expansion.
Remember, improving productivity does not always mean hiring more employees. Sometimes, it simply means giving your existing team better tools.

6. Understand Your Business and Make Smarter Decisions

Running a business involves making decisions every day.
Which products should you purchase next? Which items are selling well? Do you have too much stock? Are there products that have been sitting in your inventory for months?
Without proper records, answering these questions can be difficult.
GOIS helps businesses maintain organized inventory and sales information that can support everyday business decisions.
For example, reviewing your inventory information can help you identify products that need replenishment and those that require closer attention.
This makes it easier to plan future purchases and manage your available resources.
Instead of relying only on guesswork, you can use your business information to make more informed decisions.
That is especially important for small businesses, where every purchasing decision can affect cash flow.

7. Grow Your Business Without Making Inventory Management Complicated

Every small business owner wants to grow.
You may start with 50 products and eventually expand to hundreds or thousands. You may begin with one store and later open additional locations.
But growth also brings new challenges.
More products mean more stock to manage. More customers mean more orders. And more sales mean you need better control over your inventory.
A manual system that works today may become difficult to manage tomorrow.
GOIS provides a software-based approach to inventory management that helps businesses organize their operations as their requirements develop.
Instead of waiting for inventory problems to become serious, you can start building better processes early.
This makes inventory management an important part of your business growth strategy.

8. Give Your Customers a Better Experience

Think about the last time you visited a store and were told that a product was available, only to discover later that it was out of stock.
It is frustrating, right?
Your customers feel the same way.
Incorrect stock information, order-related confusion, and delays can affect customer satisfaction. They may even decide to purchase from another business.
Better inventory management helps reduce these problems.
With GOIS, businesses can organize inventory and sales activities more efficiently. Better access to inventory information can also help employees respond to customer questions with greater confidence.
This can make everyday customer interactions smoother.
And remember, customer satisfaction is not just about selling a good product. It is also about providing a reliable buying experience.
When customers trust your business, they are more likely to return.

9. Get an Organized Way to Manage Your Business Operations

Many small businesses use different tools for different activities.
One application for billing, another spreadsheet for inventory, and separate records for sales.
Managing everything this way can become confusing, especially as the business grows.
You may spend more time switching between tools than actually managing your business.
GOIS brings inventory management and POS-related capabilities into one software solution, helping businesses organize important operational activities.
This gives business owners a more structured way to manage inventory and sales-related processes.
Rather than depending entirely on scattered spreadsheets and manual records, you can move toward a more organized business management system.
For small businesses looking to improve efficiency, this can be a valuable step.

GOIS vs. Traditional Inventory Management: What's the Difference?

Many small business owners still use Excel, notebooks, or basic spreadsheets to manage their inventory.
There is nothing wrong with starting this way. These methods can work when your business has only a few products and limited transactions.
But as your business grows, managing everything manually becomes increasingly difficult.
Here is how GOIS compares with traditional inventory management methods:

Business Requirement	Traditional Method	GOIS
Inventory Tracking	Manual stock updates	Software-based inventory management
Product Records	Multiple spreadsheets or files	Organized inventory records
Sales Activities	May require separate records	Inventory and POS-related capabilities
Stock Visibility	Requires manual checking	Easier access to inventory information
Daily Management	Repetitive manual activities	More organized inventory processes
Business Growth	Manual work increases with business size	Provides a dedicated inventory management platform

The idea is not just to replace spreadsheets with software. It is to make everyday business management easier and more organized.

Is GOIS the Right Inventory Management Software for Your Small Business?

Every business has different requirements. A small retail shop may need POS capabilities, while a distributor may focus more on managing products and stock.
So, how do you know whether GOIS is worth considering?
GOIS may be a good option when:

You are finding it difficult to manage inventory manually.
Your stock records are not always accurate.
You want to manage inventory and sales activities more efficiently.
Your employees spend too much time updating spreadsheets.
You want better visibility into your inventory.
Your business is growing, and your existing system is becoming difficult to manage.

Before making a decision, explore the available GOIS features and compare them with your business requirements.
The right software should make your everyday work easier, not more complicated.

Final Thoughts: Make Inventory Management Easier with GOIS

Running a small business already comes with enough challenges. Managing inventory should not be one of the things that takes up most of your time.
Whether you own a retail store, manage a wholesale business, or run a growing product-based company, having proper inventory management software can make everyday operations easier.
GOIS offers businesses a dedicated platform to manage inventory and POS-related activities, reduce dependence on manual processes, and build a more organized way of working.
You don't have to wait until your business becomes large to improve your inventory management.
Start with better processes today and give your business the right foundation for tomorrow.
Ready to spend less time managing inventory and more time growing your business?
Explore GOIS and discover how it can help simplify your inventory management. Request a demo today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best inventory management software for small businesses?

The best inventory management software depends on your business requirements, budget, and the number of products you manage. GOIS is worth considering for small businesses looking for an organized platform with inventory management and POS-related capabilities.

2. Why should a small business use inventory management software?

Inventory management software helps small businesses track products, maintain organized stock records, manage inventory-related sales activities, and reduce manual work. It also helps business owners make better purchasing decisions.

3. Is GOIS suitable for startups and small businesses?

Yes, GOIS is worth exploring for startups and small businesses that want to improve inventory management and organize their sales-related operations. It is important to review the available features and select a setup that matches your business needs.

4. Can GOIS help reduce inventory management errors?

GOIS provides a software-based approach to managing inventory and sales activities. By reducing dependence on scattered manual records, businesses can improve the consistency of their inventory management processes.

5. Can small retail stores use GOIS?

Small retail businesses can consider GOIS for managing inventory and POS-related activities. These capabilities can help organize product records and sales operations.

6. Is inventory management software better than Excel?

Excel can be useful when a business has limited inventory and a small number of transactions. However, as the business grows, maintaining spreadsheets manually becomes more difficult. Inventory management software provides a dedicated platform for organizing stock-related activities.

7. How much does inventory management software cost for a small business?

The cost depends on the software provider, available features, number of users, and business requirements. Small businesses should compare pricing, functionality, and long-term value before choosing an inventory management solution.

8. What should I look for when choosing inventory management software?

Look for important features such as inventory tracking, product management, sales management, reporting, POS capabilities, ease of use, and scalability. Also consider pricing, available integrations, and customer support.

9. How can I get started with GOIS?

Visit the official GOIS website to explore its features and inventory management capabilities. You can also contact the GOIS team to discuss your requirements and request a product demo.

Other Related Blogs:

The post Why GOIS Is the Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

LATAM Partner Objections: 7 Concerns Business Central Partners Hear and How to Answer Them

Soluciones LLB — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 17:00:40 +0000

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When partners consider Latin American projects, the same worries appear again and again. Some come from clients. Others come from the partner's own team. These LATAM partner objections are fair, and each one has a practical answer. This guide lists the seven most common objections and suggests how to respond.
Key takeaway: Most objections come from uncertainty. Clear answers, backed by a specialist partner, turn most of them into manageable tasks.

Why LATAM Partner Objections Deserve a Real Answer

Objections are not a sign that the opportunity is weak. In fact, they show that the client or the team is thinking seriously about the project. A partner that answers clearly earns trust. A partner that avoids the question loses it.
Therefore, prepare your answers before the conversation. Know the facts, know the limits, and know when to bring in a specialist.

The 7 Objections at a Glance

#	Objection	Short answer
1	"We do not know the tax rules."	You do not need to. A certified localization carries that knowledge.
2	"Each country is too different."	True, so scope each country separately and reuse the pattern.
3	"Our team does not speak Spanish."	Specialist partners can support the Spanish-language parts.
4	"It will need custom code."	Extension-based localizations avoid custom fiscal code.
5	"The rules will change and we will be stuck."	The vendor maintains the localization.
6	"The vendor may take our client."	Choose a partner-only vendor.
7	"The project is too small."	A small entity often anchors a larger account.

Objection 1: "We Do Not Know the Tax Rules"

This is the most common concern, and it is understandable. Each country has its own authority and formats. However, a partner does not need to become a tax expert in 17 countries. A certified localization contains the fiscal logic, and the vendor keeps it current. Your team focuses on the business processes.

Objection 2: "Each Country Is Too Different"

The differences are real. Some countries use provider-based models, others connect directly, and others rely on different tax logic. For that reason, scope each country as its own workstream. Our LATAM e-invoicing map shows the differences at a glance.
At the same time, the project pattern repeats: discovery, design, pilot, and waves. Once you learn it, you can reuse it.

Objection 3: "Our Team Does Not Speak Spanish"

Language matters for training, authority messages, and user support. Nevertheless, you can lead the engagement in English and rely on a specialist partner for the Spanish-language parts. Also consider a local consultant for training sessions.

Objection 4: "It Will Need Custom Code"

Custom fiscal code creates a long-term burden. An extension-based localization avoids that. It changes no core objects, so your upgrade path stays clean. Read more in Localization vs Custom Development in Business Central.

Objection 5: "The Rules Will Change and We Will Be Stuck"

Rules do change. That is exactly why maintenance should sit with a specialist. With a certified localization, the vendor follows each country and delivers updates. Your team does not carry that work alone.

Objection 6: "The Vendor May Take Our Client"

Channel conflict is a real risk in the market. Ask every vendor how it handles it. LLB Solutions works only through partners, so you keep the customer relationship. Our localization vendor checklist includes this question.

Objection 7: "The Project Is Too Small"

A small country entity may not look worth the effort. Yet it often belongs to a larger client. If you decline it, the client may move the whole project to another partner. We discuss this risk in Turning Down LATAM Projects.

A Note on Honesty

Never promise more than you can deliver. If you do not know the answer, say so and offer to find it. For example, if a client asks about a country, check the coverage list first. A short, honest answer builds more credibility than a confident guess.

How to Use This List in Your Next Conversation

Try these steps:

Listen for the objection behind the question.
Answer with a clear fact, not a promise.
Offer a next step, such as a short call or a scoping session.
Follow up with a summary in writing.

In addition, if you are not sure which partnership model fits you, read LATAM Partnership Models.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides AppSource-certified localizations for 17 Latin American countries through a 100% partner channel. We support scoping, demos, testing, training, and updates. Browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource and learn more at LLB Solutions.

Objections are a normal part of any new market. Each one points to a question that deserves a clear answer. With the right partner, those answers become simple.
Do you have an objection we did not cover? Contact our team and let's talk about it.

The post LATAM Partner Objections: 7 Concerns Business Central Partners Hear and How to Answer Them appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Manufacturing ERP Implementation Timeline: What to Expect Month by Month

Trango Tech Dynamics — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:41:32 +0000

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Quick Answer (TL;DR)

A manufacturing ERP implementation usually takes 3 to 9 months for a single-plant mid-market company and 9 to 18 months for multi-site operations. Expect discovery in month 1, design and build in months 2 to 4, data migration and testing in months 3 to 5, go-live around month 6, then 30 to 60 days of hypercare.

Key Takeaways

Scope, not software, sets your timeline. Plant count, BOM complexity and integrations add the most weeks.
Business Central manufacturing projects typically run 12 to 16 weeks. Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management runs 24 to 52 weeks.
Start data cleanup in month 1. Late BOM and routing cleanup is the most common reason go-live slips.
Run at least two data migration trials and one mock cutover before go-live.
Go live at the start of a fiscal period, right after a physical inventory count.
The project ends at the first clean month-end close, not on go-live day.

Every manufacturer that evaluates Dynamics 365 ERP for manufacturing asks the same question early: how long until we are actually running on it? The honest answer is "it depends," but that is not useful when you are planning around production schedules, peak season and a fiscal year end.
This guide gives you something better. It breaks a typical manufacturing ERP implementation into months, shows what your team and your partner should be doing in each one, and flags the points where projects usually slip. The month-by-month plan below reflects a single-plant, mid-market manufacturer moving from a legacy system or spreadsheets to Microsoft Dynamics 365. Multi-site and highly regulated projects follow the same sequence, just stretched out.
If you are still comparing platforms, start with our breakdown of the best ERP software for manufacturing and come back here once you have a shortlist.

How Long Does a Manufacturing ERP Implementation Take?

Most manufacturing ERP implementations take between 3 and 18 months from kickoff to go-live. Independent benchmarks from Ultra Consultants put small businesses at 3 to 4 months, mid-sized businesses at 6 to 9 months and large businesses at 9 to 18 months. Multinational rollouts can run 12 to 36 months.
Manufacturing sits at the longer end of each range for a simple reason. A distributor buys and sells finished items. A manufacturer also has to model how those items are made: multi-level bills of materials (BOMs), routings, work centers, capacity, scrap, costing and quality checks. Every one of those needs clean data, configuration and testing.

Manufacturer profile	Typical platform	Kickoff to go-live	Hypercare after go-live
Small, 1 plant, make-to-stock, under 50 users	Business Central Premium	3 to 4 months	30 days
Mid-market, 1 plant, mixed make-to-stock and make-to-order	Business Central Premium	4 to 6 months	30 to 60 days
Mid-market, 2 to 3 plants or multiple legal entities	Business Central or D365 F&SCM	6 to 9 months	60 days
Enterprise, multi-site, process or regulated manufacturing	D365 Finance and Supply Chain Management	9 to 18 months	60 to 90 days

Want a number for your own operation? Our ERP implementation cost calculator estimates budget and duration from your users, modules and integrations.

Month-by-Month Manufacturing ERP Implementation Timeline

The plan below assumes a six-month project for a single-plant manufacturer, followed by two months of hypercare. Phases overlap on purpose. Data work starts long before go-live, and testing begins while the last integrations are still being built.

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Data migration runs from month 3 to month 5 alongside build and testing, which is why late data cleanup is the most common cause of a slipped go-live.

Month 0: Readiness, Partner Selection and Team Setup

The weeks before kickoff decide more about your timeline than any later month. This is where you confirm scope, budget and who on your side will own each process.

Name an executive sponsor and a full-time internal project lead.
Pick process owners for planning, production, purchasing, inventory, quality and finance.
Freeze the scope for phase one and park everything else on a phase two list.
Agree on success metrics, such as inventory accuracy, on-time delivery or days to close.

A structured ERP readiness assessment surfaces data gaps, process conflicts and resourcing risks before they turn into change orders. If you are still evaluating implementers, use this guide on how to choose the right Dynamics 365 partner to compare manufacturing experience, methodology and support terms.

Month 1: Discovery and Fit-Gap Analysis

Month 1 is about understanding how your plant really works, not how the old system says it works. Your partner runs workshops across the core manufacturing flows: plan to produce, procure to pay, order to cash and record to report.
What happens this month:

Current-state process mapping, including the spreadsheets and workarounds people rely on.
Fit-gap analysis against standard Dynamics 365 manufacturing features.
A first audit of BOMs, routings, item cards and work centers.
Decisions on manufacturing strategy: make-to-stock, make-to-order, assemble-to-order or a mix.

The deliverable is a signed scope and a fit-gap document that separates configuration from true custom work. A dedicated Dynamics 365 ERP discovery phase is the cheapest place to find problems, because changing a document costs far less than changing a configured system.

Month 2: Solution Design and Configuration Starts

In month 2, the fit-gap turns into a solution design your team signs off on. This is where the biggest manufacturing decisions get locked in.

Costing method: standard, average or FIFO, and how variances post to the ledger.
Planning setup: MRP parameters, reorder policies, lead times and safety stock.
Production flow: production order types, output and consumption posting, and scrap.
Chart of accounts, dimensions and inventory posting groups.
Warehouse setup: bins, put-away and pick logic.

Configuration of the base environment starts in parallel. The rule that saves the most time is simple: configure first and customize only when a gap blocks a critical process. When a gap does need code, keep it in well-scoped Business Central customization built as extensions, so future Microsoft updates do not break it.

Month 3: Build, Integrations and the First Data Migration Trial

Month 3 is the heaviest build month. Your partner configures the agreed design, builds approved extensions and starts connecting the ERP to the rest of your stack.
Common manufacturing integrations include MES or shop floor systems, warehouse management, EDI with key customers, CAD or PLM for engineering BOMs, and payroll. Planning these early through a structured Business Central integration approach avoids last-minute surprises in testing. If you run a separate warehouse system, our guide to WMS integration with ERP covers the sync points that matter most.
The first data migration trial also happens now. It usually covers master data only: items, BOMs, routings, work centers, vendors, customers and the chart of accounts. Expect it to fail in places. That is the point of a trial. Here are the exact steps we use to migrate messy legacy data into Business Central, including how we handle duplicate items and broken BOM structures.
For teams setting up make-to-order production, this walkthrough of Business Central production orders and BOM setup shows how the configuration should look before testing begins.

Month 4: Conference Room Pilots and System Integration Testing

In month 4, your team stops reviewing documents and starts running real scenarios in the system. A conference room pilot walks key users through full end-to-end flows, such as a sales order that triggers MRP, a production order, material consumption, output, shipment and invoice.

System integration testing confirms data flows correctly between ERP, MES, WMS and EDI.
Data migration trial 2 adds open transactions: open sales and purchase orders, open production orders, inventory balances and open AR and AP.
Reports and dashboards get built and validated against known numbers.

This is the right time to design operational reporting, because the data model is now stable. Teams that want plant-level KPIs, such as OEE, scrap rate and schedule adherence, often pair the ERP with Power BI services from day one.

Month 5: User Acceptance Testing, Training and Mock Cutover

Month 5 is where the business, not the partner, decides whether the system is ready. Key users run user acceptance testing (UAT) with real scripts and sign off on each process.

Role-based training for planners, buyers, shop floor supervisors, warehouse staff and finance.
A train-the-trainer model so your super users can support colleagues after go-live.
A cost parallel: compare standard costs and a sample of production order costs against the old system.
A full mock cutover, timed, so you know exactly how long the real one will take.
A go or no-go meeting with clear criteria agreed in advance.

Use a structured ERP go-live checklist to make sure nothing on the readiness list is based on assumptions.

Month 6: Cutover and Go-Live

Most manufacturers go live at the start of a fiscal month, right after a physical inventory count. That gives you clean opening balances and a natural cutoff for open transactions.
A typical cutover window looks like this:

Freeze transactions in the legacy system.
Count inventory and load final balances.
Migrate open orders, open production orders and open AR and AP.
Reconcile the trial balance and inventory valuation.
Release the first production orders and ship the first orders in the new system.

If you cannot afford to stop the line, plan the cutover around a weekend or a planned shutdown, or phase it by plant or product line. This guide to zero-downtime manufacturing go-lives explains how phased Dynamics 365 deployments keep production running.

Months 7 and 8: Hypercare, Stabilization and Optimization

Go-live is not the finish line. The first 30 to 60 days after go-live are hypercare, when your partner provides priority support while users settle in. A practical way to define the end of the project is the first clean month-end close, which usually lands 4 to 6 weeks after go-live.
During hypercare you should expect to:

Fix data issues and small configuration gaps that only show up at full volume.
Tune MRP parameters once you see real planning suggestions.
Review production order variances and correct standard costs.
Close the first month and compare results against your legacy reports.

After hypercare, move into ongoing Business Central support and start the phase two list you parked in month 0. Common next steps are advanced quality management, Copilot features and Dynamics 365 predictive maintenance for critical equipment.

Business Central vs Dynamics 365 F&SCM: How the Timeline Changes

The Dynamics 365 product you choose changes the length of every phase. Business Central is built for small and mid-sized manufacturers and is usually implemented in weeks. Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (F&SCM) is built for complex, multi-site operations and is measured in quarters.

Factor	Business Central (Premium)	Dynamics 365 F&SCM
Typical manufacturing timeline	12 to 16 weeks, up to 22 weeks with multiple entities	24 to 52 weeks
Best fit	1 to 3 plants, discrete manufacturing	Multi-site, process, mixed-mode or regulated manufacturing
Manufacturing license	Premium, $110 per user per month (US list)	Supply Chain Management licensing
Implementation budget	From about $50K for manufacturing scope	From about $110K to $500K+
Design workload	Mostly configuration of standard features	Heavier design, more integrations, more testing cycles

Note that Business Central manufacturing features (production BOMs, routings, production orders and capacity planning) require the Premium license. They cannot be added to Essentials. For a full side-by-side comparison, read Business Central vs Finance and Operations.
If Business Central fits your operation, our Business Central implementation services follow fixed-scope tiers with published timelines. For multi-site or complex supply chains, see our approach to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations implementation.

What Stretches a Manufacturing ERP Timeline

Most delays are predictable. They come from the same handful of causes, and almost all of them show up in months 3 to 5, when data migration and testing collide.

Dirty BOM and routing data. Obsolete components, missing scrap factors and routings that do not match the floor. Cleanup started in month 4 instead of month 1 is the single most common reason go-live moves.
Scope creep after design sign-off. Every "small" request added in month 3 pushes testing back.
Over-customization. Rebuilding old workflows in code instead of adopting standard processes adds build and testing time, and it makes every future update harder.
Key users who are not available. If your best planner is still running the schedule full time, design decisions and UAT stall.
Integration surprises. An MES or EDI partner that cannot deliver test data on time blocks system testing.
Legacy system complexity. Moving from old Dynamics GP or NAV versions, or from several disconnected tools, adds mapping and reconciliation work. A planned Business Central migration path keeps that work inside the plan instead of on top of it.

We break down these patterns in detail in the reasons D365 implementations fail. And if your project is already off track, this story of how we rescued a failed Business Central implementation shows what a reset looks like in practice.

How to Shorten Your Timeline Without Raising Risk

You cannot skip phases, but you can remove waiting time between them. These are the moves that consistently save weeks:

Start data cleanup on day one. Assign an owner for items, BOMs and routings before kickoff.
Fit to standard. Adopt Dynamics 365 processes wherever they are good enough, and keep a short, justified list of gaps.
Phase the scope. Go live with core manufacturing, inventory and finance first. Add advanced planning, quality or service in phase two.
Free up your key users. Plan for process owners to spend one to two days a week on the project during design and testing.
Make decisions in days, not weeks. Give the project lead authority to close open design questions quickly.
Time go-live around your calendar. Avoid peak season, the last month of your fiscal year and the same week as a major Business Central update.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Business Central implementation take for a manufacturer?

A Business Central implementation with manufacturing usually takes 12 to 16 weeks for a single company with standard production processes. Projects with multiple legal entities, several integrations or heavy data cleanup can take up to 22 weeks. Add 30 days of hypercare after go-live.

Can a manufacturing ERP go live in 30 days?

Core financials can go live in 4 to 6 weeks, but full manufacturing rarely can. BOMs, routings, MRP and costing need clean data and real testing. A 30-day manufacturing go-live usually means skipping data trials or UAT, which moves the risk into your first month of production.

What is the longest phase of a manufacturing ERP implementation?

Build, data migration and testing together take the most time, usually months 3 to 5. Data migration is the phase most likely to overrun because BOM, routing and item data in legacy systems is rarely as clean as teams expect.

Should manufacturers use a phased or big-bang go-live?

A big-bang go-live works for a single plant with a clear cutover window. Multi-plant manufacturers, or those who cannot stop production, usually do better with a phased rollout by plant, product line or module. Phasing takes longer overall but lowers the risk at each cutover.

When is the best time to go live with a new ERP?

The best time is the first day of a fiscal month, right after a physical inventory count and outside your peak season. Avoid your fiscal year-end month, since closing the year in two systems adds work and audit risk.

How much does a manufacturing ERP implementation cost?

Cost tracks timeline. Business Central manufacturing projects typically start around $50K, plus Premium licenses at $110 per user per month. Dynamics 365 F&SCM projects usually start above $100K. See our full guide on how much an ERP implementation costs for line-item detail.

Plan Your Timeline Before You Commit

A manufacturing ERP implementation is a six-month project for most single-plant manufacturers and a year or more for complex, multi-site operations. The schedule rarely slips because of the software. It slips because data cleanup starts late, scope keeps growing or key users are not available when decisions are needed.
If you map your plant against the month-by-month plan above, you will see where your risks sit before you sign a contract. When you are ready to turn that into a real plan, talk to our certified Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner team for a timeline built around your BOMs, routings, plants and integrations.

The post Manufacturing ERP Implementation Timeline: What to Expect Month by Month appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why Your Dynamics 365 Licence May Not Cover Your Model-Driven Apps

Rohinii K By Dax software solutions — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:30:46 +0000

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Many firms that run Dynamics 365 have built something next to it. For example, there might be a model-driven app for supplier onboarding. Another might handle internal requests. A project team may have built a third on the same Dataverse data. Since the users already hold Dynamics 365 licences, few people asked if those apps were covered.
That is about to matter. From February 2027, Microsoft enforces Power Apps licensing for model-driven apps. However, the Power Apps rights inside a Dynamics 365 licence are narrower than many teams assume. So model-driven apps licensing needs a fresh look. At DAX Software Solutions, we see this as a choice about which apps your business relies on. It is more than a licence clean-up.

Why do model-driven apps need a premium licence?

Because they run on Dataverse, and Microsoft treats Dataverse apps as premium. Microsoft's Power Apps licensing FAQ states that model-driven apps use Dataverse. As a result, they are premium apps by default. So every user who runs one needs a licence with Power Apps premium use rights.
The same FAQ also lists what makes any app premium. Dataverse is on that list. Premium connectors, on-premises data gateways and custom APIs are on it too.

What Power Apps rights does a Dynamics 365 licence include?

Limited rights, inside the licensed app's own context and environment. Microsoft states that Dynamics 365 licences include some Power Apps use rights. However, these apply only within the context of the licensed Dynamics 365 app. They also apply only in the same environment as that app.
The Power Platform Licensing Guide calls these limited use rights. They let users customize and extend Dynamics 365 apps. In addition, the guide notes that the rights vary by licence type.
In practice, both of these tests must pass:

Context: the app extends the licensed Dynamics 365 app. It does not serve an unrelated purpose.
Environment: the app runs in the same environment as that licensed app.

Where do Dynamics 365 rights stop?

At the edge of the licensed app. Microsoft's FAQ is clear on this point. Say you use an app in an environment not enabled for Dynamics 365. Then the included rights do not apply. Instead, you need separate Power Apps licensing.
Take a common example. A service team runs Dynamics 365 Customer Service. Its agents are licensed. The team then adds extra forms and views to the app. That work sits inside the licensed context, so it is covered.
Later, however, the operations team builds a separate model-driven app for supplier quality issues. It lives in its own environment. Then the same agents get access to it. This app sits outside the context and outside the environment. So the agents' Dynamics 365 licences do not cover it.
Microsoft adds one more detail. Some Dynamics 365 licences carry only limited Power Apps rights. In that case, canvas apps with premium features must be embedded in a model-driven app. They must use the supported custom page method. Users cannot play them on their own in a browser or the mobile player.

Does a Power Apps licence cover Dynamics 365 data?

Not all of it. In fact, the boundary runs both ways. Microsoft's restricted tables guidance explains this. Some Dataverse tables belong to Dynamics 365 apps. To create, update or delete rows in them, users need the matching Dynamics 365 licence.
For example, the Goal table needs a licence such as Dynamics 365 Sales Professional or Sales Enterprise. Similarly, the Knowledge article table needs a licence such as Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise. Microsoft does list a few exceptions. For instance, Power Apps users can create and manage their own cases. Also, read-only access to these tables does not need the Dynamics 365 licence.
So the rule cuts both ways. A Dynamics 365 licence does not cover Power Apps beyond its own app. Likewise, a Power Apps licence does not cover writing to Dynamics 365 data. Each licence has a boundary. And model-driven apps on shared Dataverse data often cross both.

What changes in February 2027?

Enforcement. Microsoft lists model-driven apps among the areas it will now enforce. This also covers apps used outside a Dynamics 365 environment. Until now, these rules were applied loosely. From February 2027, users without the right licence will not be able to open those apps until someone assigns one. Microsoft also notes that the rule itself is not new.

How should leaders check model-driven apps licensing?

Run three tests on every model-driven app:

Premium: every model-driven app is premium, so every user needs premium Power Apps rights from somewhere
Context: does the app extend a licensed Dynamics 365 app that its users hold?
Environment: does it run in the same environment as that app?

If an app fails test 2 or test 3, you have three options. You can buy separate Power Apps licences. You can move the app inside the licensed app, where that truly fits. Or you can retire it.
To start, use Microsoft's licensing reports in the Power Platform admin center. They show which users need a licence, so they give you a first list. This also links to two related topics: Managed Environments eligibility versus app rights and Dynamics 365 licence validation.

Who should own the review?

One named owner, with authority across licences, apps and environments. Today, these often sit with different teams. For example, procurement or IT asset management owns licences. The teams that built the apps own the apps. Meanwhile, the platform team owns environments. When each group owns only its piece, nobody owns the key question. Is this user covered for this app?
The fix is simple. Give one person that question. Also give them the licensing reports and the authority to license, move or retire each app. That way, you avoid finding the answer only when an app stops opening.

Frequently asked questions

Are model-driven apps always premium? Yes. Microsoft states that model-driven apps use Dataverse and are premium by default.
Does a Dynamics 365 Sales licence cover any model-driven app? No. The included Power Apps rights apply only within the context and environment of the licensed Dynamics 365 app.
Does a Power Apps licence let users update any Dataverse table? No. Some restricted tables belong to Dynamics 365 apps. To create, update or delete rows in them, users need the matching Dynamics 365 licence. Microsoft lists a few exceptions.
When does enforcement start? February 2027. Microsoft has not published a specific day.

DAX Software Solutions: Planning Before Enforcement

DAX Software Solutions implements Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service. We also build and support Power Apps on Dataverse. In addition, our managed services teams help keep those apps stable over time. Has your Dataverse estate grown beyond your licensed apps? If so, now is the time to map it. Talk to our team.
Microsoft's licensing terms may change. Check the current terms for your tenant and agreement before you act.

The post Why Your Dynamics 365 Licence May Not Cover Your Model-Driven Apps appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot Pricing: Licensing, Features and Business Value

Dynamics Square UK — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:09:51 +0000

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Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses manage sales, customer service, finance and daily operations. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot brings AI-powered capabilities into business applications, helping employees automate tasks, analyse information and make faster decisions.
However, businesses considering AI adoption often ask: How much does Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot cost, and what licences are required?
The answer depends on the Dynamics 365 application, available Copilot features, user licences and additional AI agent requirements. This guide explains Dynamics 365 Copilot pricing, licensing options, key features and business benefits for UK organisations.

How Much Does Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot Cost in the UK?

Microsoft does not offer one universal Copilot price for every Dynamics 365 application. Some Copilot capabilities are included with eligible Dynamics 365 licences, while advanced agent functionality and additional AI usage may require separate licensing or Copilot Credits.
The main pricing considerations include:

Dynamics 365 licences: Subscription costs depend on the applications and user plans selected.
Included Copilot features: Certain AI capabilities are available as part of eligible Dynamics 365 subscriptions.
Copilot Studio: Businesses building and deploying additional AI agents may require Copilot Studio licensing.
Copilot Credits: AI agent interactions and certain advanced capabilities consume credits based on usage.
Implementation services: Configuration, integrations, custom agents and training may involve additional consultancy costs.

Businesses should evaluate their existing Microsoft licences before purchasing additional AI subscriptions.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot Licensing Options

Understanding the different licensing options helps businesses avoid unnecessary expenditure.

1. Dynamics 365 Application Licences

Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Finance and other applications offer different Copilot capabilities depending on the subscription.
Some advanced Premium application licences also include monthly Copilot Credits. For example, Microsoft lists 1,000 Copilot Credits per user per month for eligible Sales Premium, Customer Service Premium, Finance Premium and Supply Chain Management Premium licences.

2. Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio allows businesses to create, customise and deploy AI agents for internal and external business processes.
It offers different purchasing options:

Pre-purchase Copilot Credits.
Pay-as-you-go usage.
Eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences for internal agent creation.

The right option depends on agent complexity, expected usage and deployment requirements.

3. Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a separate subscription designed to bring AI assistance into applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams.
It should not be confused with Copilot capabilities included within Dynamics 365 business applications.

Key Features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot

Dynamics 365 Copilot offers AI-powered capabilities across different business functions.
1. Sales automation
Copilot can help sales teams summarise customer interactions, prepare emails, identify opportunities and reduce administrative work.
2. Customer service assistance
AI capabilities help customer service teams summarise cases, generate responses and access relevant information more efficiently.
3. Finance automation
Copilot capabilities can assist finance teams with financial analysis, reporting and selected routine processes.
4. Supply chain management
AI-powered insights can help businesses understand operational information, improve planning and respond to supply chain changes.
5. AI agents and workflow automation
Businesses can use Microsoft Copilot Studio to build agents that automate repetitive tasks, retrieve business information and support complex workflows.

What Is the Business Value of Dynamics 365 Copilot?

Investing in AI should deliver measurable business improvements rather than simply introducing new technology.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot can help organisations:

Reduce repetitive administrative tasks.
Improve sales team productivity.
Support faster customer service responses.
Improve access to business information.
Automate selected operational workflows.
Support better decision-making through AI-assisted insights.

The actual return on investment depends on adoption, usage, business processes and the suitability of the selected AI capabilities.

How to Choose the Right Dynamics 365 Copilot Solution

Before investing in Dynamics 365 Copilot, businesses should evaluate their existing systems and AI requirements.
Consider these factors:

Identify which business processes need automation.
Review existing Dynamics 365 licences and included Copilot features.
Estimate the number of users and expected AI usage.
Evaluate whether Copilot Studio is required for custom agents.
Review data security, permissions and governance requirements.
Calculate implementation, licensing and ongoing usage costs.

Dynamics Square helps UK businesses assess their Microsoft Dynamics 365 requirements, identify suitable AI capabilities and plan implementations that align with their operational goals.
From Dynamics 365 consultation and implementation to integration, customisation and support, businesses can get guidance on adopting Microsoft business applications effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot included in the licence?

Some Copilot features are included in eligible Dynamics 365 subscriptions. However, additional AI agents, advanced capabilities and usage-based services may require separate licensing or Copilot Credits.

2. How much does Microsoft Copilot Studio cost in the UK?

Microsoft offers prepaid and pay-as-you-go options for Copilot Studio. The cost depends on the purchasing model and credit requirements. Businesses should check Microsoft's latest UK pricing before purchasing.

3. Is Microsoft 365 Copilot the same as Dynamics 365 Copilot?

No. Microsoft 365 Copilot focuses on productivity across applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams. Dynamics 365 Copilot provides AI capabilities within business applications such as Sales, Customer Service and Finance.

4. Can businesses create custom AI agents for Dynamics 365?

Yes. Microsoft Copilot Studio allows businesses to build and customise AI agents that can connect with business data, applications and workflows, subject to the required licensing and configuration.

5. Can Dynamics Square UK help with Dynamics 365 Copilot implementation?

Yes. Dynamics Square UK helps businesses with Dynamics 365 consultation, implementation, customisation, integration and support. Its team can help assess AI requirements and identify suitable Microsoft solutions.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot can help businesses improve productivity, automate selected processes and make better use of business data. However, understanding the licensing structure is essential before investing in AI capabilities.
The right combination of Dynamics 365 applications, Copilot features and Copilot Studio can help organisations build an AI-enabled business environment.
If your organisation is planning to adopt Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot or explore AI-powered business automation, Contact Dynamics Square UK for expert consultation and implementation guidance.

The post Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot Pricing: Licensing, Features and Business Value appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Dynamics Square USA Upgrades Adams Recycling from Dynamics NAV 2018 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Dynamics Square USA — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:06:29 +0000

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The cloud ERP upgrade modernizes financial management, inventory tracking, procurement, and warehouse operations for a South Carolina-based recycling company.
IRVINE, California — November 6, 2026 — Dynamics Square USA, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, has successfully upgraded Adams Recycling, a recycling and materials recovery company based in South Carolina, from Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS. The project modernizes the company's ERP infrastructure, improves operational visibility, and establishes a scalable foundation for future business growth.
Adams Recycling handles a diverse range of recyclable materials, including scrap metals, electronics, vehicles, and consumer recyclables. Its daily operations require accurate inventory tracking, efficient procurement, reliable financial management, and coordination across multiple business functions.
However, its legacy Dynamics NAV 2018 environment presented several operational challenges. The on-premises infrastructure required ongoing server maintenance, while system limitations affected performance, reporting, and scalability. Limited Microsoft 365 connectivity and dependence on external technical support further complicated day-to-day operations.

Modernizing Legacy ERP Infrastructure with Business Central

To address these challenges, Dynamics Square USA led the upgrade from Dynamics NAV 2018 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS.
The project covered essential business functions, including finance, procurement, inventory management, warehouse operations, and basic sales activities. The objective was to replace the aging infrastructure with a modern cloud-based ERP platform while maintaining structured business processes and improving data reliability.
Key components of the upgrade included:

Unified ERP Operations: Integrated finance, procurement, inventory, warehouse, and sales activities into a centralized Business Central environment.
Improved Inventory Management: Established structured inventory workflows to support accurate material tracking, stock movement, and operational visibility.
Microsoft 365 Alignment: Improved document sharing and communication between operational and financial teams.
Automated Approval Workflows: Introduced structured approval processes for procurement and financial activities to strengthen accountability and consistency.
Enhanced Financial Reporting: Implemented standard reporting capabilities to support financial reviews and operational planning.
Power BI Readiness: Prepared the ERP environment for future Power BI reporting and advanced business performance analysis.
Cloud-Based Accessibility: Transitioned away from server-dependent infrastructure, reducing maintenance requirements and supporting more reliable system access.

Strengthening Financial and Operational Visibility

The Business Central upgrade provided Adams Recycling with a more stable and connected ERP environment. Teams can now manage financial transactions, purchasing activities, inventory records, and warehouse operations through a unified platform.
The modern interface and structured workflows also support easier user adoption and reduce repetitive manual activities. Improved reporting capabilities help management review financial performance, material movements, and operational activities with greater consistency.
By eliminating dependence on its previous on-premises server environment, Adams Recycling has also reduced infrastructure-related operational concerns and established a stronger foundation for future technology initiatives.

Building a Scalable Foundation for Future Growth

The upgrade represents an important step in Adams Recycling's digital transformation journey. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS, the company now has a modern ERP foundation designed to support evolving operational requirements.
Future development opportunities include expanded Power BI reporting, enhanced business intelligence, and additional digital capabilities such as customer portal functionality.
The project demonstrates how businesses operating on legacy ERP platforms can modernize their systems, improve operational processes, and prepare for future growth through a structured migration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Dynamics Square USA: Your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Upgrade Partner

The successful ERP upgrade for Adams Recycling reflects Dynamics Square USA's expertise in helping organizations modernize legacy Microsoft Dynamics environments.
From Dynamics NAV and Dynamics GP upgrades to Business Central implementations, Dynamics Square provides end-to-end consulting, migration, implementation, integration, and support services tailored to business requirements.
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Dynamics Square focuses on delivering practical ERP solutions that improve operational efficiency, strengthen financial visibility, and support long-term business scalability.

About Dynamics Square USA

Founded in 2011, Dynamics Square USA is a Microsoft Solutions Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM solutions. With 150+ Microsoft-certified consultants and 500+ implementation projects completed, the company helps businesses across the USA, UK, and Canada modernize their operations through Microsoft business applications.
Its services include Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation, NAV-to-Business Central upgrades, Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, CRM implementation, system integration, and ongoing support.
Visit the official website: https://www.dynamicssquare.com/

The post Dynamics Square USA Upgrades Adams Recycling from Dynamics NAV 2018 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

When to Choose Embedding Data or Traditional Integration for D365 Business Central

eOne Solutions — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 22:23:02 +0000

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Your business data rarely lives in one place. Without integration, finding an order means locating the invoice in Business Central, then searching other systems for support tickets, contract terms, and account history. Integrating your systems gives your team more visibility, cuts manual re-entry, and helps workflows run more efficiently. You can physically move data between systems, or embed it as a window into another system.

Syncing Data Between Systems with Traditional Integration

Traditional integration copies records between D365 Business Central and third-party systems, either on a schedule or whenever something changes, so each system has its own copy. It makes sense when data needs to live in Business Central, like when you want to report on it or build processes around it. The tradeoff is that the data has to be mapped and the copies kept in sync. If this is the route you choose, SmartConnect makes it easy, with drag-and-drop mapping and support for multiple data sources.

Embedding Data with Virtual Integration

With virtual integration, the data stays where it is, and you view it from the system you already work in. Popdock lets you embed external data inside Business Central, or Business Central data inside a different system, so there’s no more tab-hopping. It can also save on licensing costs, since not everyone needs direct Business Central access if the data already shows up in the system they use every day.

Ask Questions of Your Data with AI Integration

AI integration connects your business data to your AI client, so you can ask questions in natural language and get real-time answers no matter where the data lives. The biggest concern is security, and that’s where PopdockAI comes in. It sits between your AI and your business data, controlling what your AI can see and do, with a built-in audit trail of everything it touched.

What to Do Before Starting an Integration Project

Clean your master data. Look for duplicates, agree on naming, and decide who owns data quality.
Understand your setup. Know which systems hold what data and where your source of truth lives.
Plan for the future. Assign an owner, decide how you’ll know when something stops working, and review the integration whenever connected systems change.

Choosing the Right Approach

You don’t have to choose just one. Traditional integration fits when data needs to live in Business Central. Virtual integration is best when you want to see data in one place without copying it there. AI integration works when you want answers from across your systems without hunting for them.
Want to learn more? Contact eOne Solutions to explore the eOne iPaaS and see how the team can help with Dynamics 365 Business Central integration.

The post When to Choose Embedding Data or Traditional Integration for D365 Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

License Plate vs Pallet ID: What the Business Central Add-on Tracks

Insight Works — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:05:18 +0000

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License plate vs pallet ID: the two terms often mean the same barcode on a pallet. A license plate goes further, because it also identifies boxes and crates and records what is inside. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, License Plating is an app for Warehouse Insight. It installs as an extension and assigns license plate numbers (LPNs) to pallets and other containers.
Warehouse Insight is a Business Central app that helps you improve warehouse accuracy and boost efficiency with mobile device and barcode integration.
This article explains where the terms overlap, where they differ, and how each one fits a Business Central warehouse.

Why does one barcode have so many names?

Ask three people in a warehouse what to call the label on a pallet, and you may hear three answers. One says pallet ID, another says LPN, and a third says handling unit. In food and beverage, you may hear container instead.
The overlap is real. In practice, many label suppliers use LPN label and pallet ID label interchangeably. Likewise, GS1, the global standards organization, calls the same kind of thing a logistic unit.
The phrase license plate adds its own confusion. To someone new to warehousing, it sounds like something on a truck in the yard. The warehouse meaning borrows the vehicle idea. The number says little on its own, but it points to a complete record.

What is a license plate in a warehouse?

A license plate is a unique number, usually printed as a barcode, that identifies one unit of stock: a pallet, a box, a crate, or a tote. Food and beverage teams often call that unit a container. The number links to a record of what is inside.
That record lists the items, their lot or serial numbers, their quantities, and their location. As a result, a worker scans one barcode instead of many. Because the plate already knows what is inside, there is less chance of scanning the wrong thing.

Is a license plate the same as a pallet ID?

Often, yes. Many teams use the two terms for the same barcode on a pallet. The difference is scope.
A pallet ID identifies a pallet. A license plate, however, identifies any container and can hold mixed contents, such as different items with different lot or serial numbers. In Warehouse Insight with License Plating, plates can also nest. A pallet carries its own plate, and each box on it keeps another.
The table compares license plate vs pallet ID alongside the other common terms.

Term	What it means	Where you will see it
License plate (LPN)	A number that identifies any container and links to what is inside	Warehouse systems, including Business Central with License Plating
Pallet ID	A number or label that identifies one pallet	Pallet labels and everyday warehouse talk
Handling unit or logistic unit	Any unit handled and stored as one	Standards documents and partner conversations
Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC)	An 18-digit GS1 number that identifies a logistic unit across the supply chain	Shipping labels and shipping notices
Container	The everyday term, especially in food and beverage, for the unit that holds product, such as a tote, case, or pallet	Food and beverage warehouses and floor talk
Palletization	The work of stacking and securing goods on a pallet. It is not an identifier	Process descriptions and warehouse floor talk

How does palletization relate to a license plate?

Palletization is the work. In practice, your team stacks and secures goods on a pallet so they move as one unit load. Some warehouses say palletizing, and others say pallet building.
A license plate, by contrast, is the record. It captures what went onto the pallet, so you can find, move, and ship the pallet without opening it. The two meet when you build the pallet. Then someone creates the plate, adds the items, and prints the label as the pallet takes shape.

How does a license plate relate to an SSCC?

The Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is the outward-facing version of the same idea. GS1 UK notes that the SSCC is “sometimes known as ‘the license plate.'” It is an 18-digit number built from your company’s GS1 Company Prefix, so it stays unique outside your warehouse.
License Plating creates the internal license plate. It does not generate SSCC numbers, because only a company that holds a GS1 Company Prefix can create them. In most setups, your electronic data interchange (EDI) provider supplies the compliant label. It also sends the advance ship notice (ASN) that ties each SSCC to what is on the pallet.
For the handoff in detail, read License Plating in Business Central: One Scan Per Pallet.

How does License Plating track a license plate in Business Central?

License Plating is an add-on to Warehouse Insight. It requires Warehouse Insight, and it works with every current Warehouse Insight license.
Business Central tracks inventory by item, bin, and lot. License Plating therefore adds the license plate as one more thing a worker can scan. Here is how it works:

Create a license plate for a location and, if you use bins, a bin.
Add the items and quantities for the container, including mixed lot and serial numbers.
Print the label from the handheld or from the license plate list.
Scan the label to receive, move, pick, or ship everything on the plate.

The same plate follows the goods through receiving, movement, picking, production output, and shipping.

Frequently asked questions

Is License Plating an app or an extension?

Both words describe it. Microsoft Learn says, “These apps are also called extensions because they extend Business Central.” License Plating is an add-on to Warehouse Insight, and it is listed on Microsoft Marketplace.

Why does Microsoft Marketplace list License Plate Management?

License Plating is the official product name. License Plate Management is the name of the Business Central extension and its Microsoft Marketplace listing. Both names refer to the same product.

Do food and beverage teams call this a container?

Often, yes. In food and beverage, container is the everyday word for a unit that holds product, such as a tote, a case, or a pallet. A license plate identifies that container and lists the items, lots, and quantities inside it. Here, container means a unit of stock, not an ocean freight container.

Can one license plate hold different items and lots?

Yes. A single plate can hold mixed items, including different lot or serial numbers, so one scan covers all of them.

Can license plates nest inside each other?

Yes. A pallet plate can contain box plates, and each level has its own barcode.

See how this works with your own pallets

To see how license plates would work in your warehouse, contact your Microsoft Partner or visit the License Plating page.

The post License Plate vs Pallet ID: What the Business Central Add-on Tracks appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Multi-Country Support Model for Business Central After Go-Live

Soluciones LLB — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:00:33 +0000

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Many projects plan the go-live carefully and the support afterward poorly. In a regional implementation, that gap hurts more. A user in Colombia, a user in Peru, and a controller in Miami may all report issues on the same day. A clear multi-country support model tells everyone where to go, who answers, and how fast. This guide helps partners design one.
Key takeaway: Decide who owns each type of issue before go-live. Unclear ownership is the main cause of slow support.

Why a Multi-Country Support Model Is Different

In a single country, support is mostly about the system and the users. In several countries, three more factors appear: different time zones, different languages, and different tax authorities. In addition, some issues come from outside the ERP, such as an authority rejection or a provider problem.
For that reason, a good support model separates issues by type.

Four Types of Issues

Type	Example	Who usually leads
How-to questions	A user cannot find a posting option	Client key user, then partner
System issues	A report fails or a process stops	Implementation partner
Fiscal issues	A document does not meet a local format	Localization vendor
Authority or provider issues	The authority rejects a document	Client, provider, and localization vendor

Defining these four types in writing prevents a lot of confusion.

Three Support Levels

A simple structure uses three levels.

Level 1: Client Key Users

Each country should have at least one key user who knows the processes. Key users answer how-to questions and collect details for harder issues. Consequently, the partner receives clear tickets instead of vague complaints.

Level 2: Implementation Partner

The partner handles system issues and configuration questions. It also coordinates with the localization vendor when an issue touches fiscal logic.

Level 3: Localization Vendor

The vendor handles fiscal functionality: document formats, tax logic, and updates to the localization. LLB Solutions supports partners with testing, training, and ongoing support, so the partner does not carry this work alone.

What to Agree Before Go-Live

Write down these points and share them with the client.

Topic	What to define
Channels	How users report issues, such as email or a ticket system
Languages	Which languages support covers in each country
Hours	Which time zones and working hours apply
Response times	How quickly each type of issue gets a first answer
Escalation	Who takes over when an issue stays open
Updates	Who installs updates and when

Handling Issues That Come From the Authority

Some problems start outside the ERP. For example, a tax authority may reject a document because of a data error. The team needs a simple path: identify the error, fix the data, resend the document, and record the cause.
Moreover, keep a log of repeated errors. Patterns often show a training need or a master data problem. Our guide to multi-country master data explains how to prevent many of them.

Keep Support Simple for Users

Users do not care who owns an issue. They want one place to ask. Therefore, create a single entry point, and let the support team route the issue internally. Also publish a short guide in the users' language that explains what information to include in each request.

Common Support Mistakes

Partners often repeat the same mistakes:

Giving users several different email addresses for support.
Not defining who talks to the tax authority.
Forgetting to train key users in each country.
Leaving updates without an owner or a calendar.
Closing tickets without recording the cause.

Furthermore, document each fix in a shared knowledge base. The same question often returns from another country a few months later.

Review Support Every Quarter

After go-live, review the support log every quarter. Look at the most common issues, the time to resolve them, and the countries that raise the most tickets. Then adjust training, documentation, or processes.

Plan for Peak Periods

Support demand is not constant. It rises after each go-live and around month-end closings. Therefore, schedule extra attention for those moments, and tell the client when to expect faster responses.

How This Fits the Rollout Plan

Support planning belongs in the last phase of a rollout. See our multi-country rollout plan for the full sequence. For the vendor side, our localization vendor checklist lists the support questions to ask.

About LLB Solutions

LLB Solutions provides AppSource-certified fiscal localizations for 17 Latin American countries through a 100% partner channel. Our team supports testing, training, and updates while your team leads the client relationship. Learn more at LLB Solutions and see certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Final Thoughts

A good multi-country support model is not complicated. Define issue types, assign owners, agree on channels and response times, and review the results regularly. The client will notice the difference long after go-live.
Want to plan support for your next regional project? Request a demo and let's talk.

The post Multi-Country Support Model for Business Central After Go-Live appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why not a generic automation tool?

Dooap — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:48:05 +0000

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Why Dooap Studio

Why not a generic automation tool?

Fair question. Workflow platforms are everywhere, and most of them now have an AI node. The difference is what happens when the work has consequences: when being wrong posts a payment, books an accrual, or pays the wrong vendor.

The short answer
Dooap Studio is the only layer that pairs a builder your finance team can own with production-software rigor (confidence gates, human review, full traces, evaluation) for processes where being wrong has consequences.

If you’re comparing

Download Our Governance Whitepaper

Four ways to almost solve this.

Generic automation platforms

An AI node is not a trust layer.

Workflow tools now ship an agent node. But tools get wired to that node alone, confidence is not gated, changes ship without evaluation, and any step can call out anywhere.
In Dooap Studio an endpoint is wired once and reused from Agent, Code, or Tool Call steps, inside an admin-locked perimeter, with confidence gates and dataset evaluations on every change.
agent → any endpoint it likes
gate: none · evals: none
prompt edited friday → live friday

RPA suites

Bots that click are bots that break.

Screen-scraping retrofitted with “agents” still reads pixels, not meaning, and still snaps when a screen changes.
Dooap Studio is API- and LLM-native: agents reason over your data and call governed endpoints. Nothing breaks because a UI shipped on Tuesday.
click #submit-btn → not found ✗
cause: vendor shipped new UI
queue: waiting · bot: broken

AP point solutions

The black box can’t explain itself.

Closed AP tools automate their roadmap, their way. You can’t inspect why the AI decided, extend beyond their scope, or evaluate a change before it ships.
Dooap Studio shows the reasoning behind every decision, and lets you build any financial process, not just the ones in the brochure.
"why did this post?"
reasoning: not available
custom process: roadmap, maybe

Developer LLMOps stacks

Real rigor, for engineering teams.

Eval-and-observability stacks bring genuine discipline, to teams that write and ship code. Finance gets a ticket queue.
Dooap Studio delivers the same rigor (evaluations, traces, versioning) through a visual builder and governed connectors your finance team can own.
change request → ticket #4821
owner: engineering backlog
finance: still waiting

Side by side

What each approach actually gives you.

Capability	Generic automation	RPA	AP point tools	Dev LLMOps	Dooap Studio
Visual builder business users can own	±	—	—	—	✓
Confidence gates with human escalation	—	—	±	—	✓
Per-run trace: prompt, tool calls, confidence	—	—	—	✓	✓
Evaluations against real-run datasets	—	—	—	✓	✓
Admin-locked tool perimeter (OpenAPI + MCP)	—	—	—	—	✓
Versioning, dry-run, promote & rollback	±	±	—	±	✓
Finance-native: OCR, matching, grounded retrieval	—	—	✓	—	✓
Open platform beyond AP	✓	✓	—	✓	✓

✓ built in · ± partial, or technical users only · — generally absent. Category-level by design; specific products vary. Bring yours to a demo and we’ll map it honestly.

Take these to every demo

Six questions to ask any vendor. Including us.

Show me a run from last quarter. Can I see the exact prompt, every tool call, and the confidence?

Our answer
Every execution keeps its resolved prompt, inputs, each tool call with parameters and result, confidence, and provenance through chained Actions, stored and searchable.
What happens when the AI isn’t sure?

Our answer
Each agent step has a Required Confidence Level — MED (≥60%) or HIGH (≥85%). Dooap Studio checks the step’s confidence against your threshold after it runs; below it, the step is recorded as confidence-not-met and routed to its error Action — a human task, a fallback, or a hard stop. And because you can require a structured-output schema and add a Code or Switch step that validates the result, the deciding check can be deterministic, not the model grading its own work.
Can I test a prompt change against last month’s invoices before it goes live?

Our answer
Promote real runs into datasets, evaluate the draft against them, dry-run with write tools stubbed. Promote when it wins, roll back if it doesn’t.
Can my finance team change the logic without filing a ticket?

Our answer
Describe the change to Dooap Shepherd in plain language; it builds the preview, you approve, and rolling back doesn’t need a developer either.
What stops the AI from calling an endpoint nobody approved?

Our answer
Agents and code reach only the Apps and tools admins authorized. Nothing else leaves the perimeter, and every call is logged with its parameters and result.
Will our auditors accept the answer to “why did this post?”

Our answer
The trail exists because the system can’t run without it: reasoning, confidence, and every side effect, per run, exportable for review.

The post Why not a generic automation tool? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Reporting Differences of Microsoft Business Central vs. Power BI

Qixas Group — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:00:30 +0000

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Reporting Differences of Business Central vs. Power BI: Where the Line Should Sit

Here's a scenario: Your finance team runs reports in Business Central, but your managers use Power BI. Finance says revenue is $2.4 million but Power BI shows $2.35 million. And now, both teams are meeting to see whose report is correct, rather than spending the time to focus on strategizing what the business should do next.

This is one of the most common problems we see when organizations add Power BI to Business Central without defining which system is responsible for what.

In this article, we will clarify the differentiating factors of Business Central reporting vs Power BI. The reporting decision is not so much about which tool produces better-looking reports. It is about where calculations belong, how current the information needs to be and who is responsible for keeping the numbers consistent.

What native Business Central reporting actually does: financial reporting, list views, analysis mode

Business Central has more reporting capability than many organizations use. So the suggestion is to understand what is already available, before building another Power BI dashboard,

Financial reporting: Business Central includes financial reports built around row and column definitions. Finance teams can create income statements, balance sheets, cash-flow-related financial views and comparisons between actuals, budgets and accounting periods. Reports can use general ledger accounts and dimensions to analyze financial performance by department, business unit or other categories.
- For a controller reviewing monthly expenses or comparing actual results against budget, this may be all that is required.
List views: Business Central pages let users filter, sort and examine operational records.
- For example: a purchasing manager can review overdue purchase orders,accounts receivable can filter outstanding customer balances and a warehouse manager can examine inventory by location.These are not so much sophisticated analytical dashboards, than they are standard operational views of the transactions people need to manage.
Analysis mode: Business Central also provides analysis mode on supported list pages. Users can group, pivot, filter and summarize information directly within the application without exporting everything to Excel or requesting a custom report.
- For example: a sales manager can analyze posted sales information by customer, item or another available field.

Therefore, before commissioning development, check whether the answer is already available through a filtered list, analysis mode or an existing financial report.

What belongs inside the ERP: operational, transactional, and anything you act on immediately

Business Central should remain the primary place for reports that support immediate operational decisions.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Think about a purchasing manager reviewing orders that have not arrived. They need the purchase order number, supplier, expected receipt date and outstanding quantity. More importantly, they need to open the transaction and act on it. That report belongs in Business Central.
These reports share three characteristics - They use current transactional information, support a specific operational process, and the person reviewing the information needs to take action in the ERP.

Moving those reports into Power BI can introduce unnecessary complexity. Power BI reports often rely on imported data that refreshes on a schedule. Depending on the model and connectivity approach, the information may not reflect the latest transaction. But, there are exceptions. Power BI supports different connectivity approaches, including DirectQuery for supported sources, but that does not automatically make it the right interface for operational work.

If someone needs to inspect a transaction and correct it immediately, start with Business Central. Do not make employees switch applications to perform work the ERP already supports.

What belongs in Power BI: trend, cross-system, and anything a board sees

Power BI becomes more valuable when the question moves beyond individual transactions.

Your CFO wants to understand margin trends over 36 months.
Operations wants to compare inventory turnover across multiple warehouses.
Sales wants customer profitability by channel.
Leadership wants one view of revenue, margin, inventory and working capital across several companies.

These are analytical questions - they require consistent calculations across periods, categories and potentially multiple data sources.

Power BI is designed for that work. It can combine Business Central information with CRM, e-commerce, payroll, warehouse, freight and other systems. It also provides semantic models, allowing organizations to define measures and relationships that can be reused across reports.

That matters more than the visualizations. A well-designed semantic model means gross margin can have one agreed definition rather than being calculated differently in every dashboard. For board reporting, Power BI is generally the better starting point when the report requires historical comparisons, cross-company analysis or information beyond Business Central.

But do not confuse Power BI with a data warehouse. Power BI can retrieve and model data directly from Business Central. For larger datasets, complex transformations or numerous source systems, a separate analytical data layer, such as Microsoft Fabric, may be appropriate.

The duplication trap — the same number in two places, disagreeing

This is where reporting projects lose credibility. Business Central shows one revenue figure. Power BI shows another. Both may be technically correct but simply be calculating different things.

Business Central financial reporting may use posted general ledger entries.A Power BI sales report may use posted sales invoice lines.

Those are different datasets.

Posting dates, document dates, credit memos, discounts, adjustments and account mappings can all affect the results. Refresh timing introduces another difference. Business Central may reflect transactions posted five minutes ago. An imported Power BI model may reflect data from its last successful refresh. Neither number is necessarily wrong. But if both reports are labelled "Revenue," users will reasonably expect them to agree.

The solution is not to eliminate every difference. It is to define the metric. For each important KPI, document the source, calculation, date basis, exclusions, refresh frequency and owner. Do not allow two departments to maintain competing definitions of the same financial measure.

A simple rule for deciding where a new report goes

When somebody requests a report, ask three questions.

Is the information needed to complete or correct a transaction?
- If yes, start with Business Central.
Does the report compare performance across time, companies, departments or external systems?
- If yes, evaluate Power BI.
Does the report require substantial historical data or repeated integration of multiple systems?
- If yes, consider whether you need a separate analytical data layer before building the report.

This is a decision framework, not a technical restriction. Some operational analysis belongs in Power BI. Some historical reporting works perfectly well in Business Central.

The reports most companies build in the wrong place

A few reporting requests repeatedly end up in the wrong tool.

Overdue purchase orders in Power BI

If purchasing needs to follow up on orders and update expected dates, a Business Central list or operational report is usually more practical.

Three-year customer profitability inside Business Central

You can develop custom reporting for this, but Power BI is generally better suited to historical comparisons, segmentation and margin analysis.

Warehouse picking performance in a board dashboard

Leadership may need summarized warehouse productivity trends. The warehouse team needs current work queues and actionable exceptions.
Those are different reports for different users.

Consolidated inventory analysis built as a custom BC report

Business Central can report on inventory and supports multiple companies. But if the requirement is one analytical view across many companies, Power BI may provide a cleaner approach.

Budget versus actual rebuilt unnecessarily in Power BI

Business Central already supports financial reporting against G/L budgets.
If finance needs a conventional budget-versus-actual statement and the data is already in Business Central, use the native capability unless there is a clear reason not to.

What You Can Do Next

Before building another report, review the ones you already have. Identify which support immediate operational decisions, which support historical analysis and which combine information from multiple systems.

Find the KPIs that appear in several places with different calculations. Assign owners. Agree on definitions and retire reports nobody uses.

Qixas Group works across Business Central, Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. We also help organizations recover reporting environments where years of custom development and disconnected dashboards have made simple questions unnecessarily difficult to answer.

The post Reporting Differences of Microsoft Business Central vs. Power BI appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Excel Month-End Close Checklist Risks and the Business Central Alternative

Catapult — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:21:47 +0000

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Running the month-end close from an Excel checklist exposes a finance team to recurring risks, including manual setup every period, support documents spread across several locations, approvals that nothing enforces, reconciling items whose age goes unmonitored, and no dependable record of who did what. Teams on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can remove these risks by moving the close into Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central, a close workspace that runs inside the ERP itself.

This article covers each risk, explains why a workbook cannot fix it, and shows how a close system built for Business Central handles it. It is written for controllers, finance managers, and CFOs who still run their close from a workbook.

Why does an Excel close checklist create extra work every period?

An Excel close checklist creates extra work because it cannot generate itself, so a person has to produce a fresh copy for every period.

How does the monthly copy-and-edit routine work?

Most teams duplicate the prior period’s workbook, update the due dates, clear the completion marks, and email the file to each preparer. That setup can consume one to two hours before a single close task has been started.

What does repeated setup cost over time?

Repeated for every period across every year of operation, the administrative effort can total several weeks over a controller’s career. That time goes to maintaining a file rather than reviewing financial results.

How does a close system remove the setup?

In Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central, a team defines a reusable task template one time. Opening a new period then produces that month’s task list automatically. Due dates are calculated relative to the close deadline, and tasks that depend on each other stay in sequence.

Where should month-end close documentation be stored?

Month-end close documentation should be stored alongside the task it supports, as an attached file inside the close system.

What goes wrong when support documents are scattered?

In spreadsheet-based closes, bank statements, reconciliation support, and journal backup typically end up in email threads, shared folders, and local drives. Finding a document depends on recall by whoever saved it. The gaps appear when an auditor requests a file, when the preparer is out of the office, or when a team has to reconstruct a period from eighteen months earlier.

How does Business Central close software attach evidence to each task?

Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central can require evidence as an attached file instead of a checkbox. The document stays linked with the work it supports, so the support is already in place whenever a later request comes in.

How should segregation of duties work during a month-end close?

Segregation of duties means the person who prepares close work is not the person who approves it, and a system has to enforce that separation for it to count as a control.

Why are spreadsheet sign-offs a weak control?

A close workbook can display a series of green check marks, but it cannot stop a preparer from approving their own work or stop a reviewer from signing without reading anything. The control exists only as written policy. That creates audit exposure and a finding that management must answer for before the audit committee.

How are approvals enforced in the module?

In Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central, the preparer who completes a task cannot approve it by default. Reviewers approve each task, reconciliation, journal review, and variance analysis, or return it with a reason. The module uses five roles, Preparer, Reviewer, Manager, Auditor, and Admin, and the Auditor role is read-only, so an external auditor can see everything without changing anything.

What is reconciliation aging, and why does it matter?

Reconciliation aging measures how long an open item has stayed unresolved in an account reconciliation, and the older an item gets, the more risk it carries.

Why do spreadsheets hide old reconciling items?

In a standard workbook, a reconciling item that is 45 days old appears identical to one entered yesterday unless somebody works out its age manually for each line and each account, every month. Stale items can sit unnoticed for months.

How do automatic aging buckets work?

Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central pulls G/L balances and subledger open items automatically and shows the reconciling difference as it stands. Open items are sorted into aging buckets of 0 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 90, and more than 90 days. Automatic recertification also applies when a G/L balance changes after a reconciliation has been approved.

What record of the close does an auditor expect to see?

An auditor expects one permanent record showing who completed each task, who approved it, when each step happened, and whether the period was ever reopened.

What can a workbook-driven close actually show?

A workbook combined with email threads and document revision history can be pieced together after the fact, but doing so takes days and still does not produce one trusted sequence of events. Questions such as who finished a March task, when it was approved, and why a period was reopened are difficult to answer with confidence.

How does the module record every action?

Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central writes each action to an append-only Close History. The recorded actions are complete, submit, approve, return, reject, reconcile, lock, and reopen. Locking a period closes it to further changes, and reopening it requires a reason, which becomes part of the permanent record.

What should a month-end close system for Business Central include?

A month-end close system for Business Central should include these capabilities:

Reusable task templates that produce each period’s checklist
Supporting evidence attached directly to each task
Role-based approvals with enforced segregation of duties
Reconciliations with automatic aging buckets
Journal review and variance explanations when a materiality threshold is crossed
An append-only history, with the ability to lock and reopen a period

Why use a close tool that runs inside Business Central?

Catapult’s Financial Close and Audit Module for Business Central runs natively inside the ERP, so there is no separate platform to buy, host, or integrate. Finance teams keep working where their ledger already lives.

Summary

Workbook-based closes create repeated setup effort, scattered support, unenforced approvals, unwatched aging items, and a weak record of activity. A purpose-built module inside Business Central replaces each of those with a function of the system itself. For a closer look, check out our full Financial Close and Audit Module Demo or access the pricing guide to learn more.

The post Excel Month-End Close Checklist Risks and the Business Central Alternative appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Cin7 Alternatives in 2026: 10 Tools Worth Considering

Cin7 — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 14:44:59 +0000

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Choosing stock software can feel hard. You may sell in stores, online, or through wholesale orders. You may also buy from many suppliers, work in more than one warehouse, or make products from parts. A good system should show what you have, where it is, and what needs to happen next.
This guide to Cin7 Alternatives compares ten systems for those jobs. GOIS, MetaWMS and other eight options cover different business needs, such as production, online sales, accounting, and large warehouse operations.
Cin7 Core and Cin7 Omni connect stock with sales and order work. Their feature sets include stock control, buying, warehouse tasks, channel connections, and, in some plans, production tools. The right alternative depends on which of these jobs matter most to your team. Cin7 Core and Cin7 Omni have different plans and tools, so check which product you are using before you compare replacements.
The ranking below is a practical guide based on product fit and tools listed by each vendor.

Quick review: 10 Cin7 competitors

Rank	Product	Best for
1	GOIS (Goods Order Inventory System) Request Free Trail	Offers best value for money. Suitable for businesses that need stock, orders, warehouse work, and sales tools in one system
2	MetaWMS Request Free Trail	Businesses already running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
3	NetSuite	Larger teams that want stock as part of a broad ERP
4	Odoo	Teams that want connected business apps and flexible workflows
5	Fishbowl	Manufacturers and distributors that use QuickBooks or Xero
6	Katana	Product makers that need a clear link between stock and production
7	Zoho Inventory	Small and growing sellers that want simple stock and order control
8	inFlow	Small and mid-sized teams that need easy stock, purchase, and sales workflows
9	Unleashed	Wholesalers and makers that need detailed stock control and tracking
10	Finale Inventory	Ecommerce sellers with several sales channels or busy warehouses

What should you look for in Cin7 Alternatives?

Start with your daily work, not a long feature list. Write down how an order moves through your business. For example, it may start in an online store, reserve stock, go to a warehouse picker, ship to a customer, and then sync to accounting. The best inventory management software should support those steps with as little double entry as possible.
Think of the Cin7 Alternatives in this guide as choices for different jobs, not exact copies of Cin7. Compare their inventory management software, warehouse management system, multichannel stock, and order control tools against your own needs. Use these questions to compare each system:

Where do you sell? List your web store, marketplaces, retail stores, wholesale customers, and sales reps.
How many stock locations do you manage? Include warehouses, stores, bins, vans, and third-party logistics partners.
Do you make or assemble products? If yes, check bills of materials, work orders, production planning, and raw material tracking.
Do you need tracking? Food, medicine, electronics, and other sensitive products may need batch, lot, serial, or expiry tracking.
What does the warehouse team need? Check barcode scanning, receiving, put-away, picking, packing, stock counts, and shipping labels.
Which systems must connect? Confirm accounting, online sales, shipping, EDI, and any system that your staff use every day.
Who will set it up? A broad ERP can cover many jobs, but it may need more planning and setup than a focused stock tool.
What will the full cost be? Include the plan, extra users, extra channels, add-ons, onboarding, links, scanners, and support.

When a vendor says a feature is available, ask which plan includes it. Ask for a demo that follows one of your real orders from purchase or production through delivery. This is the easiest way to see whether a product fits your actual process. During the demo, test multi-channel inventory syncing with one order from each store. Ask how barcode inventory management works for receiving, picking, and stock counts. Good order management software should reserve stock, flag backorders, and send order data to accounting without repeat entry.

1. GOIS: Best overall Cin7 alternative for connected stock and warehouse work

Best for: Retailers, wholesalers, distributors, online sellers, and multi-location teams that want stock, orders, and warehouse tasks together.
Request a Free Trial and Demo for GOIS
GOIS, or Goods Order Inventory System, is our top pick for teams looking for one place to manage stock, buying, sales, and warehouse work. It offers tools for warehouse locations and bins, product movement, available stock, barcode scanning, serial and batch tracking, and stock reporting. The company also lists order, purchase, point-of-sale, mobile, and online sales tools. GOIS feature list

Key tools

Stock across locations: View stock by warehouse, location, and bin. Track movement and available quantities.
Warehouse operations: Support receiving, put-away, picking, packing, and shipments. GOIS says its warehouse tools work across more than one location. GOIS warehouse management
Barcode and product tracking: Scan barcodes and track serial numbers, batches, and expiry dates.
Sales and buying: Manage orders and purchases, and connect stock changes to these transactions.
Store and mobile tools: Use POS and mobile apps for sales and stock work, according to the product feature pages.
Connections: GOIS lists QuickBooks, Shopify, EDI, APIs, and custom links.

Pros

It brings stock, warehouse, buying, and order tasks into a broad platform.
It supports several stock locations and warehouse bins.
Barcode and batch tracking can help teams reduce manual stock updates.
It includes POS and mobile options for teams with both store and warehouse work.
QuickBooks and Shopify connections may help firms that already use those tools.

Cons

The breadth of the product means you should ask for a guided demo and map your workflow before setup.
Confirm that each channel, accounting connection, report, and industry feature you need is included in your offer.
Some teams may not need the full set of tools, such as POS, procurement portals, or industry extensions.
Ask the vendor to confirm migration steps, onboarding effort, support hours, and total cost in writing.

Why it ranks first: GOIS is a strong first option when your main goal is to connect stock, orders, and warehouse work without choosing a full enterprise ERP. It has tools for more than one location, barcode use, reporting, POS, and online sales connections. The best fit still depends on your needs and the exact products and plans offered to you. Ask GOIS to show your main sales channel and warehouse steps in a live demo.

2. MetaWMS: Best for Business Central warehouse teams

Best for: Companies that already use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and need more detailed warehouse workflows.
Request a Free Trial and Demo for MetaMWS
MetaWMS has the requested number two spot, but it has a specific use case. It is a warehouse add-on built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It does not replace the whole Cin7 platform on its own. If your company already runs Business Central, MetaWMS may add the warehouse controls you need. If you do not use Business Central, you would first need to review that ERP as well. MetaWMS product details and Microsoft Marketplace listing

Key tools

Warehouse structure: Manage bins, pallets, and storage locations.
Mobile scanning: Use handheld 1D and 2D barcode scanning and label printing.
Receiving and put-away: Record inbound stock and direct it to a warehouse location.
Picking and shipping: Support sales orders, transfer orders, picking, packing, and shipments.
Inventory checks: Run cycle counts and track lots, serials, and expiry dates.
Warehouse view: View stock across several locations and use warehouse reports.

Pros

Its connection to Business Central can keep warehouse work close to ERP stock and finance records.
It includes barcode workflows and detailed warehouse steps.
Lot, serial, and expiry tracking can help teams with tracking needs.
It may suit warehouses with bins, pallets, directed picking, and repeatable receiving steps.

Cons

It depends on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It is not a stand-alone stock system.
A company considering MetaWMS must include the cost and rollout of Business Central if it does not already use it.
It focuses on warehouse operations. You should check whether the wider sales-channel and order tools match your Cin7 setup.
More complex warehouse rules may need configuration, training, and help from an setup partner.

Bottom line: Consider MetaWMS if Business Central is already central to your business and the main gap is warehouse control. Ask the vendor to show your receipt, put-away, restocking, pick, and shipment process. Also confirm which parts come from MetaWMS and which parts come from Business Central.

3. NetSuite: Best for a larger business that needs an ERP

Best for: Growing or large companies that want stock connected with finance, buying, order control, and other business functions.
NetSuite is a broad cloud ERP, not only an stock app. Its stock tools can give a company a view of stock across warehouses, stores, drop shippers, and third-party logistics locations. NetSuite also lists restocking, cycle counting, lot and serial tracking, and warehouse control tools. NetSuite Inventory Management

Key tools

Multi-location view: See stock across several locations in one system.
Replenishment: Use reorder points and demand planning to support buying decisions.
Warehouse control: Use mobile warehouse tools for receiving, putting stock away, picking, packing, and shipping.
Cycle counting: Count selected items without stopping all activity in the warehouse.
Traceability: Track lot and serial numbers and support expiry-based picking.
ERP connection: Link stock with broader business records and processes.

Pros

It can connect stock with other business functions instead of managing stock alone.
Its feature set suits companies with many locations and more complex workflows.
Lot, serial, bin, and cycle count tools support detailed control.
Businesses can add more ERP capabilities as needs grow.

Cons

A full ERP may be more system than a small business needs.
Setup can take planning because finance, sales, stock, and warehouse processes are connected.
Confirm the complete cost for software, setup, training, support, and any needed modules.
Teams should plan data cleanup and process changes before moving from an stock tool.

Bottom line: NetSuite is worth a look when stock is one part of a broader systems change. If you only need to replace stock and order control, compare a focused tool first. Ask NetSuite and its partner to show the full workflow and a detailed setup plan.

4. Odoo: Best for flexible connected business apps

Best for: Teams that want stock to work with sales, buying, production, accounting, online sales, and other business apps.
Odoo offers a suite of business apps, including stock and warehouse control. Its stock tools include storage locations, put-away rules, barcode operations, stock counts, multi-warehouse control, restocking, and advanced routes. Some workflows connect to other Odoo apps, such as accounting or production. Odoo Inventory features

Key tools

Warehouse locations: Organize stock by warehouse and smaller places such as aisles, shelves, and bins.
Warehouse routes: Set rules for receipts, transfers, put-away, delivery, and other steps.
Barcode tools: Scan products and warehouse actions.
Replenishment: Use rules to suggest or create purchase and production orders.
Stock valuation: Connect stock value to accounting when the relevant apps and setup are in place.
Connected apps: Add business tools such as sales, online sales, accounting, and production.

Pros

Its app suite can reduce the number of separate tools a company uses.
Flexible routes and warehouse rules can support different business processes.
Barcode operations and multi-warehouse tools support day-to-day stock work.
The range of apps can help a business connect stock with other teams.

Cons

Flexibility can mean more setup choices. Define the process before you configure the system.
Some teams may need expert help to tailor workflows, migrate data, or connect outside apps.
Check which apps, tools, hosting options, and setup services are part of the quote.
A highly customized setup may need care when the business changes its workflows or upgrades.

Bottom line: Odoo may be a good Cin7 competitor if you want stock plus a wider group of business apps. It is important to plan the setup. Ask for a demo using your real warehouse flows, and get the app and service costs in one proposal.

5. Fishbowl: Best for QuickBooks users and product makers

Best for: Manufacturers and distributors that need stock and warehouse controls, especially if they use QuickBooks.
Fishbowl offers stock, warehouse, and production tools. Its product pages describe real-time stock, barcode scanning, multi-location stock, order control, and production tools. Fishbowl also promotes connections with QuickBooks and Xero, so it may suit a company that wants to keep its current accounting system while adding more stock control. Fishbowl inventory features and production tools

Key tools

Inventory control: Track quantities, stock movement, and stock across locations.
Warehouse work: Use barcode scanning for receiving, storage, picking, and shipping.
Manufacturing: Manage production orders and related stock needs.
Accounting links: Connect stock activity with QuickBooks or Xero.
Order workflows: Manage purchase and sales orders alongside stock records.

Pros

It combines stock and production functions in one product family.
QuickBooks and Xero links may fit companies that want to keep their accounting system.
Barcode and multi-location tools can help reduce manual stock work.
Manufacturing workflows can suit companies that build or assemble products.

Cons

Review the exact Fishbowl product, since feature sets and links can differ by product or plan.
A company with many online sales channels should test each required order connection before it commits.
Manufacturing and warehouse tools still need clean product data and a clear setup.
If your goal is a very simple stock list, Fishbowl may offer more tools than you need.

Bottom line: Fishbowl is a sensible option for manufacturers or distributors that want stock connected to accounting. During the demo, ask the vendor to show a purchase receipt, a production or assembly step, and a finished sale. Confirm how each event appears in your accounting records.

6. Katana: Best for makers that need stock and production in one view

Best for: Small and mid-sized product makers that sell through online sales, wholesale, or several locations.
Katana connects stock, orders, buying, and production. This makes it useful for a business that turns raw materials into finished products. Its product material describes real-time stock view, multi-location stock, production orders, sales channels, and lot or serial tracking. Katana lists connections to online sales and accounting tools. Katana product overview and manufacturer setup guide

Key tools

Production tracking: Connect materials, work orders, and finished items.
Make-to-order and make-to-stock: Plan products made for a specific customer order or made in advance.
Inventory view: See stock and requirements across locations.
Purchasing: Create purchase orders for missing materials.
Traceability: Track batches and serial numbers.
Ecommerce connections: Sync orders and stock with supported channels such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce.

Pros

Production and stock can be viewed together.
It supports both make-to-order and make-to-stock workflows.
Its sales and online sales connections can reduce duplicate entry.
The product is aimed at product teams, rather than being a general ERP for every industry.

Cons

Check whether your sales channels connect directly or need another link.
Some production, warehouse, tracking, or planning tools may be add-ons. Confirm the plan details.
Businesses with complex distribution or large ERP needs may need a broader system.
Map your production steps before you import data or start using work orders.

Bottom line: Katana is a strong option for a brand that produces its own goods and needs to see materials and finished stock together. It is less likely to be the best fit if production is not part of your daily work. Ask for a demo with one real product recipe and a real sales order.

7. Zoho Inventory: Best for small and growing sellers

Best for: Small teams that want a cloud stock and order system with multi-warehouse and online sales tools.
Zoho Inventory handles items, orders, buying, shipping, and stock by warehouse. Its official feature list includes composite items, barcode support, batch and serial tracking, reorder points, sales orders, purchase orders, shipping, and connections to other Zoho apps. Available links and limits can differ by region and plan. Zoho Inventory

Key tools

Multiple warehouses: Track stock at different locations and transfer it between them.
Order control: Process sales orders, purchase orders, packages, shipments, and returns.
Product tracking: Manage composite items, batches, and serial numbers.
Barcode workflows: Generate or scan barcodes for stock work.
Channel connections: Connect supported online sales, shipping, and accounting tools.
Zoho apps: Link with Zoho Books, CRM, and other apps in the Zoho suite.

Pros

It offers a clear set of stock and order tools for a smaller team.
Multi-warehouse and transfer tools help a business grow beyond one stock room.
Composite items, batch tracking, and serial tracking support a range of product types.
It may suit teams already using Zoho for finance or customer control.

Cons

Check current limits for orders, users, warehouses, and links in each plan.
Confirm that your country's shipping carriers, tax needs, and selling channels are supported.
A business with advanced factory planning may need a separate production tool.
Larger or complex warehouse teams should test its picking and put-away process in a live demo.

Bottom line: Zoho Inventory may fit a small business that wants cloud-based stock, purchase, and sales order tools. It can be a particularly useful option if the company already uses Zoho apps. Check regional availability and plan limits before you make a change.

8. inFlow: Best for small teams that want simple stock workflows

Best for: Small and mid-sized teams that need stock, buying, sales, barcode, and light production tools.
inFlow offers an stock system for tracking stock, orders, purchases, and sales. It has mobile tools and barcode workflows. Its separate Manufacturing product adds tools for assemblies or kits, including bills of materials and production steps. The vendor lists different feature sets across its products and plans, so compare them closely. inFlow Inventory and inFlow Manufacturing

Key tools

Stock tracking: Monitor available stock and product costs.
Purchasing and receiving: Create buying documents and record incoming goods.
Sales orders: Manage orders and related fulfillment steps.
Barcode tools: Print labels and scan items using supported devices.
Mobile access: Use the system on phones or tablets.
Manufacturing option: Track assemblies, kits, bills of materials, and operations in the Manufacturing product.

Pros

It groups core stock, purchase, and sales workflows in one system.
Barcode tools can help teams speed up receiving and picking.
A separate production option gives makers a way to add assembly tracking.
Its interface and feature scope may suit teams that do not need a broad ERP.

Cons

Confirm order volume, location limits, and add-on needs for the plan you are considering.
The manufacturer tools are separate from basic stock tools.
Some plans require a one-time onboarding package, according to inFlow's pricing information.
Check each link you rely on rather than assuming it comes with the product.

Bottom line: inFlow is worth comparing if your team wants practical stock and order control without a large ERP project. If you make products, compare the Manufacturing package too. Ask for a written price that includes users, locations, order limits, onboarding, and the links you use.

9. Unleashed: Best for wholesale stock control and tracking

Best for: Product teams, including wholesalers and manufacturers, that need detailed stock, buying, and tracking tools.
Unleashed focuses on stock control for product teams. Its feature pages describe real-time stock view, sales orders, purchase orders, supplier records, production, multi-warehouse control, barcode scanning, stock counts, and serial number tracking. The vendor notes that some tools may be optional modules or part of a higher bundle. Unleashed feature list

Key tools

Real-time stock: View quantities across warehouses and transactions.
Purchasing and suppliers: Manage purchase orders, supplier details, and supplier pricing.
Sales orders: Manage sales and allocate stock to orders.
Manufacturing tools: Plan and track production against available stock.
Barcode scanning: Scan during receiving, shipping, and stock counts.
Stock tracking: Use serial numbers and other product details to follow items.

Pros

The product is built around stock needs for wholesale and product teams.
It has multi-warehouse, stock count, and barcode workflows.
Manufacturing and tracking options can support growing product teams.
Reporting can help teams review stock, sales, and warehouse information.

Cons

Some tools is optional or may require a particular bundle.
It may not be the best match for a company that mainly needs a simple retail stock app.
Confirm accounting, online sales, and shipping connections for your exact setup.
Ask for a demo with your purchase, transfer, stock count, and production use cases.

Bottom line: Unleashed can work well for companies that care about stock accuracy, supplier buying, and tracking. Make sure the tools you need are part of your package. Compare the full yearly cost, including modules and links, with the other Cin7 competitors on this list.

10. Finale Inventory: Best for multi-channel online sales and warehouse teams

Best for: Ecommerce sellers that manage several marketplaces, stock locations, and busy order fulfillment.
Finale Inventory, also known as Descartes Finale, focuses on stock and warehouse operations for online sellers. Its current product pages describe stock syncing, purchase and sales orders, multi-warehouse control, barcode scanning, cycle counts, lot and serial tracking, and links with online sales and accounting systems. Finale lists more than 40 links, though the right connections for your business depend on your channel mix. Finale Inventory features and link list

Key tools

Multi-channel stock: Sync stock across supported marketplaces and online sales platforms.
Warehouse tasks: Use barcode scanning for receiving, picking, counts, and transfers.
Order control: Track purchases and customer orders in one stock hub.
Inventory tracking: Use cycle counts, lots, serial numbers, and returns workflows.
Reporting: Review stock and sales information for buying and operations.
Accounting connections: Connect with supported finance tools, including QuickBooks Online.

Pros

It is aimed at online sales teams with several channels.
Barcode workflows can help a warehouse team work through orders and stock counts.
It supports several warehouse and tracking needs.
A wide link list may help sellers with a mixed online sales stack.

Cons

Check whether all your channels connect directly and whether any link needs an extra fee.
Businesses should test the setup with their real order volume and warehouse flow.
It may be more warehouse-focused than a company that wants built-in production or broad ERP tools.
Confirm price by users, links, order volume, and add-ons, since Finale says these can affect pricing.

Bottom line: Finale can suit online sellers that need better control across channels and warehouse locations. It deserves a place on your shortlist if stock sync, scanning, and order fulfillment are major needs. During the demo, test the full flow from online order to pick, pack, ship, and accounting update.

Which Cin7 alternative should you choose?

The best choice depends on what is causing trouble today. Use this short guide to narrow the list:

Choose GOIS if you want stock, orders, buying, warehouse tasks, and POS options in one broad system.
Choose MetaWMS if your company already runs Business Central and wants deeper warehouse workflows.
Choose NetSuite if you are ready to review a full ERP for a larger or more complex business.
Choose Odoo if you want stock connected to a wide set of business apps and are ready to plan the setup.
Choose Fishbowl if production or QuickBooks-linked stock is central to your work.
Choose Katana if you make products and need production planning tied to stock.
Choose Zoho Inventory if you are a small seller and want straightforward cloud stock and order tools.
Choose inFlow if you want simple stock, barcode, and purchase or sales workflows.
Choose Unleashed if detailed stock control, buying, and tracking matter most.
Choose Finale if you sell on several online sales channels and need warehouse scanning and fulfillment support.

Before you switch, review your shortlisted Cin7 Alternatives in a live demo and make a list of the Cin7 tools you use every week. Compare the same warehouse control and stock control tasks in every system. Include any work that happens outside the software, such as stock adjustments in spreadsheets or manual uploads. Then rank those tasks as must-have, useful, or not needed. This helps you avoid paying for functions that your team will not use.
Next, test a sample workflow in each finalist. Use the same product, supplier, sales order, stock location, and accounting system. Check the steps needed to receive stock, update quantities, reserve an order, pick and ship it, and view the final reports. A system that looks simple in a sales demo may work differently with your own data.
Finally, build a full cost estimate. Ask about setup, data migration, staff training, extra users, scanners, support, and all links. Prices and plans can change, so use a current written quote rather than an old review article.

FAQs about Cin7 Alternatives

What is the best Cin7 alternative in 2026?

There is no single best choice for every company. This guide places GOIS first for its broad stock, buying, order, warehouse, and sales tools. MetaWMS is number two for companies that already use Business Central and need more warehouse control. A manufacturer, small online sales shop, and large ERP team may each need a different product.

Is MetaWMS a stand-alone alternative to Cin7?

No. MetaWMS extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It can add warehouse tools such as scanning, bin control, receiving, put-away, picking, and cycle counting. A company needs to consider Business Central as part of the total solution.

Which Cin7 competitor is best for production?

Fishbowl, Katana, inFlow Manufacturing, Unleashed, Odoo, and NetSuite all offer production-related tools. Their workflows are not identical. Compare bills of materials, work orders, production steps, raw material tracking, and costing. Then test a real product build in a demo.

Which option is best for a small online sales business?

Zoho Inventory, GOIS, inFlow, Katana, and Finale may be worth comparing. The best fit depends on order volume, sales channels, number of stock locations, and how much warehouse support you need. Confirm which links are included in each plan.

What should I check before I move away from Cin7?

List your active sales channels, warehouses, users, product records, open orders, supplier data, reports, barcode labels, accounting links, and production workflows. Ask each vendor what data it can import and what must be entered again. Plan a test migration before you set a final go-live date.

Are all tools included in the base price?

Not always. Vendors may place tools in higher plans, paid modules, add-ons, or setup packages. Check the latest pricing page and ask for a written quote with the tools and links you need. Include onboarding and support in the total cost.

How do I compare inventory management software fairly?

Use the same business example in each demo. Follow one product from purchase to receipt, storage, sale, picking, shipment, and accounting. Include a stock count and a return if those matter to your business. Track the number of steps, manual entries, and extra tools needed.

Final thoughts

The right software should make stock easier to trust and orders easier to fulfill. Start with your team's real work, then compare the tools that fit those needs. GOIS is a broad option for connected stock, order, and warehouse work. MetaWMS is a warehouse choice for Business Central users. NetSuite and Odoo offer broader business systems, while Fishbowl, Katana, Zoho Inventory, inFlow, Unleashed, and Finale suit more specific needs.
The strongest shortlist is not always the one with the most tools. It is the one your team can use each day, with the links and reports your business needs. Compare current plan details, run a workflow demo, and confirm total costs before you move.

Other Related Blogs:

The post Cin7 Alternatives in 2026: 10 Tools Worth Considering appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central: The Dimension Dilemma Part Two

Rob Hansen — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 14:05:20 +0000

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Here we continue the discussion started in The Dimension Dilemma Part 1.
In part one of our post on the dimension dilemma, we covered a couple of challenges with base Business Central dimensions and they ways the dimension relation functionality provided by our DimensionPath app addresses them. Here we look at additional complaints we’ve heard around dimension usage, and the features in DimensionPath that address them.
The recurring theme when people talk about challenges managing a large number of dimensions, is the burden put on users and the data integrity problems caused by missed setups/entries. In part one we outlined how DimensionPath’s dimension relations provide automation and control to reduce that burden. Another pain point though, is the work needed when a decision is made to carry certain data through for analysis using a dimension. As an example, there might be a need or desire to analyze and report profitability by general product posting groups (GPPG). Simple enough…we just need to create a dimension where we define a value matching each GPPG, then we need to attach it as a default dimension on each item. This is where manual steps are introduced and the risk of missed or incorrect setups comes into play. Sure, an item template could be created for each GPPG, but if there are already item templates for some other purpose/difference, then the number of templates starts to snowball. All of this becomes a non issue when DimensionPath is introduced with its dimension synchronization functionality.
DimensionPath provides a simple setup to link master tables (customers, items, projects, etc.) or supporting tables like posting groups, to dimensions. An example is shown below linking Gen. Prod. Posting Groups to a GPPG dimension.

So what happens with this setup? Every General Product Posting Group value automatically gets a matching dimension value created, and new values are automatically added going forward when new GPPGs are defined. In addition, when a General Product Posting Group is assigned to an item, a Default Dimension is automatically created for the linked GPPG Code. All of these setups are fully locked down so users cannot break them. One simple setup and GPPG codes immediately start posting through to the G/L for full analysis.
The setups we’ve looked at to this point are all intended to automate dimension population on transactions so users don’t need to do anything manually. Good clean data, automatically. There are absolutely scenarios though, where we do need users to select or enter dimensions on transactions. Sometimes there is no way to link dimensions to master records so they come in automatically – users need to populate them. And sometimes, there are multiple dimensions that need to be selected by users on a given transaction. When this is the case, we have to worry about users selecting combinations of values that are not valid. Users also have to deal with selection lists that show all values even when some values may not be valid based on other dimensions.
Business Central has dimension combinations to limit pairs of dimension values that can be used together, but it is a very limited setup that is not the most intuitive…and it doesn’t affect the list of values that the user sees. It will just throw errors at the time of posting if there is an invalid combination. DimensionPath provides a better mechanism here.
DimensionPath’s Dimension Subsets have several advantages over dimension combinations. Relationships do not have to be the same in each direction (unlike simple pairs) which provides added flexibility for various scenarios. Setups have a very intuitive structure through a clear user interface. And…subset limitations DO control lookup lists so that the user only sees valid options. It is a much tighter control enforced up front at the time of data entry, as opposed to being stopped during posting.
To provide a simple example, let’s assume we have an Entity dimension and a Department dimension. Not all of the entities (dimension values) have all of the departments that are defined. So, a very simple setup can implement the required limitation…in this case, to limit the department options to only SALES or IT for ENTITYC:

As an aside, a more interesting example of this functionality being applied is outlined in our post on Item Categories.
Of course, challenges around dimensions can go deeper and get more complex, which is why DimensionPath provides other tools like Multi-Dimension Subsets and Allowed Dimension Combinations. The gist of everything here though, is that dimensions should not be avoided out of concern around complications. Base Business Central has setups that help, and an app like DimensionPath provides plenty of additional functionality to automate and control dimensions effectively. The value provided by dimensions cannot (in my personal opinion) be understated. Businesses that don’t leverage them to the full extent simply do not benefit the way they should from a Business Central implementation. Dimensions are powerful…they just need the right setups and controls to ensure they aren’t cumbersome. There is a better path!
Learn more and download DimensionPath from AppSource and please visit our Website.

The post Business Central: The Dimension Dilemma Part Two appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Fixing Time Leaks in Equipment Rental

Dan Kosanovic, Reach International — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:56:32 +0000

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A customer calls to say a machine is ready for pickup. What time gets written down?
If the honest answer is “whenever someone gets to it,” you have a revenue leak. In rental, the invoice is built from time, and every rental business runs on the gap between something happening in the real world and someone recording it in the system. When that gap grows, money moves. Sometimes away from you. Sometimes into a dispute you can’t win.
Most of these leaks are not fraud and not big mistakes. They live in the small handoffs where a job passes from one person, or one system, to the next.

Three ways time gets lost

It helps to give these leaks names:
Unbilled time. The customer used the machine, but it never made it onto the invoice. Extra hours past the daily limit are the classic example.
Unrentable time. Nobody pays because the machine is stuck between steps, like sitting off rent on a job site waiting for a truck.
Disputed time. You billed it, but the customer disagrees and you have nothing to prove your side. Your system says Friday. The customer swears they called Tuesday.
These three show up again and again in five spots.

Where the handoffs break down

Delivery. Does the clock start when the machine leaves the yard, when it arrives on site, or when the customer signs? If the contract says one thing and the system does another, you lose time or start a dispute on invoice one.
On rent. A machine gets swapped. It moves sites. It pulls a double shift. Each change should land on the contract that day. Too often it lives in a driver’s head or a text message instead.
The call off. This is the moment the customer says they’re done, and it is the single most important timestamp in the whole rental. It usually arrives by phone, email, or a word passed to a driver. Record it late and you bill too long, then issue a credit note. Stop billing too early and you lose rent you earned. Either way, the customer remembers.
Pickup and return. After the call off, the machine is still yours to collect, and every day it waits on site or sits in the yard for inspection is a day you can’t rent it to someone else.
Inspection. Damage you can’t prove is damage nobody pays for. Without a photo, a meter reading, and a signature at both ends, you can’t show who caused what. That’s the difference between recovering the cost and writing it off.
One more thing worth saying: a leak runs both directions. Billing too long isn’t free money. It comes back as a credit note, a late payment, and a customer who trusts you a little less.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

Fix the rule before you fix the system

Software helps, but only once the rules behind it are clear. Six things close most of these gaps:

Write the stop rule into the contract. Billing stops at call off, at pickup, or when the machine lands back in the yard. Pick one and make it plain to the customer.
Record who and when, not just what. Every call off should carry a timestamp, the name of who took it, and how it came in.
Log changes the same day. Swaps, site moves, and extra hours belong on the contract immediately, not at month end.
Read the meter at every handover. Out, transfer, and return. Meter hours are revenue and maintenance in one number.
Inspect the same way, every time. Same checklist, same photos, same signature at delivery and at return.
Measure the gaps themselves. Time from call off to pickup, and from return to rent ready. If nobody measures it, nobody owns it.

Here’s why it matters at scale. Say a branch has 40 machines a week sitting an extra day before pickup. That’s 40 unrentable days a week. Over a year, that’s close to 2,000 days, roughly five or six machines standing idle in the yard the whole year.

What to look for in Dynamics 365

If you’re running Dynamics 365, or planning to move to it, use these six rules as a test for any rental solution you’re evaluating. Can it capture the time of a call off and who took it? Can a meter reading at handover flow into the contract and the service plan? Do inspection photos and signatures travel with the machine record? Ask to see each one in a demo, using your own contract rules, not a generic script.

What changes when the handoffs tighten up

Fewer credit notes and fewer disputes, because every stop has a time and a name attached
More rentable days out of the same fleet, because machines come back and get turned around faster
Damage costs land with whoever actually caused them
Finance can trust the invoice run instead of checking it line by line

Start with one question

Ask your team: when a customer calls off a machine, what time does the system actually show, and who entered it? If nobody can answer that cleanly, that’s where to start.
This is the kind of gap we find constantly in Project Assessments and Audits, long before it ever shows up as a line item on someone’s P&L. And if your rental process was already live and the handoffs were never properly mapped in the first place, that’s exactly the kind of mess our ERP Rescue and Recovery team gets called in to untangle.
If your rental operation runs on Dynamics 365, or you’re evaluating a move to it, Reach can help you map your handoffs and set the rules before they cost you.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

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Four Questions Community Summit NA 2026 Left Dynamics Teams With

Data Courage — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:54:49 +0000

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Walk any aisle of the expo hall at Community Summit North America in Nashville last October and you'd see the same two letters on almost every stand. AI is now the default claim for Dynamics 365 and Business Central vendors, which makes it less useful as a buying signal, not more.
We spent the week at our booth, at our own session, and in a long run of hallway conversations with customers, partners, and other ISVs. This isn't a full recap. Instead, here are four questions we think every Dynamics team should take home from the week, whether or not they were in Nashville.

1. Is the AI you're being shown actually running anywhere?

When every product carries the same badge, the badge stops telling you anything. The better question is no longer whether a tool has AI, but who uses it, on what data, and how often.
We saw this play out at our session, which drew more than 100 people. The strongest response wasn't to a vision slide. It was to tools built around one specific business problem, such as our conversational analytics. People had clearly sat through enough broad AI pitches and wanted to see something do a real job.
A simple test for your next vendor meeting: ask for a live answer on your own data rather than a prepared sample, and ask who in a customer's team uses it every week.

2. Is your reporting setup still worth what it costs to maintain?

Microsoft Fabric came up constantly. Nobody we spoke to was claiming on-premises SQL reporting is dead; plenty of those setups run fine. The real question was whether the chain of extraction jobs, staging tables, a warehouse and an imported Power BI model still pays for the effort it takes to keep it running.
Direct Lake is a big part of why that question is being asked now. It lets Power BI read Delta tables in OneLake directly, without copying the data into the model on a refresh schedule. For Business Central and Dynamics 365, where tables like general ledger and item ledger entries grow quickly, that means teams no longer have to trim history or squeeze refreshes into an overnight window just to keep reports usable. It still runs within the limits of your Fabric capacity, so it needs proper design rather than a straight lift-and-shift.
If you're weighing this up, our Microsoft Fabric team is happy to look at your current setup.

3. Do you need an autonomous agent, or a good assistant?

Agents owned the keynotes. The deployments people actually described to us were mostly narrower: assistants and bots that help someone finish a specific task, often built with Copilot Studio, with a person still making the final call.
That gap isn't a sign the agent story is hype. It reflects how much has to be in place before software can safely act on its own in an ERP: reliable access to the right data, permissions that mirror what the equivalent employee could do, an audit trail, a plan for exceptions, and clear limits on what it may change.
For most Dynamics customers, the sensible route is to start with one well-defined task, keep a human approving the output, and widen the scope once the results have earned some trust.

4. Where does your ERP data go when people use AI on their own?

This got the least airtime in Nashville, and we think it's the most pressing. Finance and operations staff are already using AI to save time, and some of them do it by exporting ERP data and pasting it into a consumer chatbot: an aged receivables list to draft chasing emails, a pipeline report to get a quick summary.
The issue isn't that every free AI service misuses data. Terms, retention and training settings differ between consumer and enterprise plans, and between accounts on the same plan. The issue is that most employees can't say which rules apply to the window they just pasted into. And Business Central's role-based security doesn't travel with an export.
Banning AI tends to push people toward riskier workarounds. What works better is an approved enterprise tool that's good enough to use, a short plain-language policy, a clear line between personal and work accounts, and training that explains the reasons. It's also worth asking why people are pasting data into a chatbot at all. Often it's because their reports can't answer the question they have.

The thread running through all four

Each of these questions ends up in the same place: the data underneath. Copilot features in Business Central and Dynamics 365 will keep arriving with every release, and they're welcome. But whether they help a controller close faster or a sales director see margin by customer depends far more on clean, well-modeled data than on how many AI features ship in the box.
Summit is still one of the best places to have these conversations face to face, and Nashville made it an easy week to enjoy (we came home with cowboy boots to prove it).
We've published the full version of our takeaways on our own blog, including a closer look at how Direct Lake changes Power BI models for ERP data, what good AI governance looks like for finance teams, and a short FAQ: What Community Summit NA Told Us About Where Data and AI Are Heading.

The post Four Questions Community Summit NA 2026 Left Dynamics Teams With appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Power Apps Licence Enforcement: The Last Stage Is a Locked App

DAX Software Solutions — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:30:09 +0000

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Many firms treat Power Apps licensing notices like a fuel light that has been on for weeks. The car still runs, so nobody stops. That logic holds until February 2027. Then the notices stop being notices.
Microsoft has confirmed the change. From February 2027, some users will try to open an app in a managed environment and find it locked. These are users without the right licence. Admin notices have run since March 2026. In addition, end users have seen in-app notices since June 2026. So the final stage of Power Apps licence enforcement is not another warning. Instead, it is a blocked app. At DAX Software Solutions, we think leaders face one simple question. Which business processes depend on people who are not covered?

What is Power Apps licence enforcement?

Power Apps licence enforcement is Microsoft's move from warning unlicensed users to blocking them. From February 2027, users without the right licence cannot open in-scope apps. They stay locked out until someone assigns a licence.
Microsoft's Power Apps licensing FAQ is clear that the rule itself is not new. Users of premium apps, or apps in managed environments, already needed a qualifying licence. What changes is the enforcement. Until now, Microsoft applied the rule loosely in some areas. That ends in February 2027. In other words, this is not a new charge. It is the end of a grace period that many firms did not know they were in.

Key dates at a glance

March 2026: admin notices began in the Microsoft 365 Message center and the Power Platform admin center.
June 2026: in-app notices for end users began, and they continue.
1 January 2027: the Power Apps Premium list price rises for terms that start on or after this date.
February 2027: users need the right licence to open an app in a managed environment. Microsoft has not published a specific day.

What happens at each stage?

The notices get stronger every seven days. Then, from February 2027, the app locks. Microsoft's managed environment licensing guidance describes the steps:

Information: the app needs a valid Power Apps licence, so the user is asked to request one. After seven days without a licence, the notice moves up a level.
Warning: the same message, but stronger. After another seven days, it moves up again.
Error: the user must act to keep access.
Blocked: from February 2027, the app does not open. Instead, the user sees that they need a Power Apps licence.

Microsoft states that it does not remove apps from the environment. Also, access returns once the system detects the right licence. So the block can be undone. However, the lost working time cannot.

Which apps and users are in scope?

Microsoft names three areas, and it says the list is not complete:

Apps in managed environments. Every user who runs an app is in scope, even for standard apps. This is because the rule follows active use in the environment, not the type of app.
Model-driven apps. They use Dataverse and are premium by default. So every user needs premium Power Apps rights.
Apps used outside a Dynamics 365 environment. Dynamics 365 licences include Power Apps rights only within the licensed Dynamics 365 app. Those rights also apply only in the same environment.

That third area is most likely to surprise Dynamics 365 customers. For example, a user with a Dynamics 365 licence can still be blocked from a custom app. This happens when the app runs in a separate environment.

Why this is a business decision, not an IT ticket

Power Apps rarely looks critical at first. For example, operations builds an approval app. A team adds a field inspection form. Someone creates a model-driven app over customer data. Each one starts small. Over time, however, each becomes the way work gets done.
So when one of those apps locks, the process takes the hit. Approvals wait. Inspections go back to paper. Records stop being updated. In short, the cost of Power Apps licence enforcement shows up as delayed work. And it arrives the first morning someone opens the app and cannot get in.

Which licences qualify?

For apps in managed environments, Microsoft lists:

Power Apps Premium or Power Automate Premium.
A Dynamics 365 Enterprise licence that gives premium Power Apps rights.
Power Apps per app plans assigned to the environment, for firms that use capacity-based licensing.

Microsoft also sets some limits. First, the Developer Plan does not include the managed environment entitlement when users run their own assets. Second, trial licences cover users for only 30 days. Third, Power Apps rights in Dynamics 365 Pro licences apply only within the licensed Dynamics 365 app. For the full and current list, Microsoft points to the Power Platform Licensing Guide.
Timing matters too. Microsoft announced a price rise for terms that start on or after 1 January 2027. Power Apps Premium goes from $20 to $22 per user per month. Similarly, the 2,000-seat minimum plan goes from $12 to $14. Existing subscriptions keep their current price until their term ends.
So if you close a gap only when enforcement hits, you will likely pay the new price. That is a good reason to size the gap now, rather than in a hurry.

How do you find who is affected?

Download the "Users requiring licenses in Managed Environments" report from the Power Platform admin center. First, go to Licensing, then Power Apps. Next, open the Summary tab and select Download report. Then choose that usage type and pick a monthly lookback window.
The report lists users who opened at least one app in a managed environment without the right licence that month. Run it across several months, because occasional users will not appear every time. Then decide, app by app, what to do. You can license its users, merge it into another app, or retire it.
Once you close the gap, keep it closed. Admins can act on user requests in the Power Platform admin center, under Actions and Recommendations. They can also use the Microsoft 365 admin center, under Billing, Licenses, Requests. In addition, an auto-claim policy can assign licences to active users when the tenant has spare licences.
This belongs in the same review as two related topics: Dynamics 365 licence validation and Power Platform self-service purchase.

Frequently asked questions

When does Power Apps licence enforcement start? February 2027. Microsoft has not published a specific day.
Will apps be deleted? No. Microsoft states that it does not remove apps. Access returns once the system detects the right licence.
Do standard apps count in managed environments? Yes. The rule applies to active use in the environment, not to the type of app.
Does a Dynamics 365 licence cover every Power App? No. Dynamics 365 Pro rights apply only within the licensed Dynamics 365 app. Apps outside a Dynamics 365 environment need separate Power Apps licences.

DAX Software Solutions: Planning Before the Lock

DAX Software Solutions builds and supports Power Apps alongside Dynamics 365. Our managed services teams also help clients keep their everyday apps stable. Has your app estate grown faster than anyone has tracked? If so, February 2027 is the date that makes it visible. Talk to our team before it does.
Microsoft's licensing terms may change. Check the current terms for your tenant and agreement before you act.

The post Power Apps Licence Enforcement: The Last Stage Is a Locked App appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central: How to Protect B2B Ecommerce

k-ecommerce — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 03:25:51 +0000

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Migrating from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central affects more than your accounting and ERP systems. For businesses with an integrated B2B ecommerce store, the transition also involves protecting customer-specific pricing, product catalogs, inventory accuracy, and online order processing. Planning your ecommerce migration alongside your ERP migration helps you keep customers ordering while your business moves to Business Central.

Key Highlights

Your ecommerce store needs its own migration plan. Microsoft's migration tools transfer ERP data, but they do not automatically migrate your storefront or its third-party integrations.
Customer pricing, catalogs, and inventory need careful validation. Differences between Dynamics GP and Business Central data structures can affect what customers see and purchase online.
Online ordering can continue during migration. The right staging, testing, and cutover process can help avoid unnecessary disruption to your web store.
You may not need to replace your ecommerce platform. Solutions such as k-ecommerce that support both Dynamics GP and Business Central can allow businesses to retain their storefront while changing ERP systems.
Preparation matters more than the cutover itself. Testing integrations, validating data, and documenting fallback procedures help reduce the risk of ecommerce problems after go-live.

How Does Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central Affect Ecommerce?

A Dynamics GP to Business Central migration changes the ERP system that supplies essential information to your ecommerce store. While your customers may continue using the same website, the systems responsible for providing product information, calculating account-specific prices, tracking inventory, and recording orders must transition successfully to Business Central.
Microsoft's migration tools focus on ERP data, including customer and vendor records, items, account information, and transaction history. They do not automatically transfer or reconfigure the ecommerce applications that depend on that data.
For businesses that rely on online ordering, four areas deserve particular attention.

1. Product Catalogs and Customer-Specific Pricing

Your B2B ecommerce store depends on accurate information from Dynamics GP to display the correct products and prices to each customer. During migration, this information must be mapped into Business Central and made available through the ecommerce integration.
Special care should be taken by companies with negotiated pricing arrangements or customer-specific catalogs.
Information that requires validation includes:

Product records and catalog availability
Customer accounts and customer classes
Customer-specific pricing and historical pricing agreements
Item classifications and related ERP information

Although Microsoft's migration tools can transfer many underlying records, your team still needs to verify that Business Central supplies the information your storefront expects.

2. Online Orders and Inventory Synchronization

Your ecommerce store must continue to communicate with the operative ERP system throughout the migration. Otherwise, customers could place orders against outdated inventory information, or orders might not reach the system responsible for processing them.
During a GP to Business Central migration, your team needs to establish which ERP system serves as the authoritative source for inventory and order information at each stage.
That means verifying:

Inventory quantities displayed on the storefront
The transfer of new online orders into the ERP
Order records and historical transaction information
The transition of order and inventory synchronization from GP to Business Central

For a B2B company processing orders throughout the day, even a temporary synchronization problem can create additional work for sales, customer service, and fulfillment teams.

3. Ecommerce Storefront Availability

Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central does not automatically require taking your ecommerce website offline. Microsoft's migration approach allows your existing on-premises GP environment to remain operational while data is prepared and transferred to Business Central.
This provides an opportunity to test Business Central separately while your current storefront continues processing transactions through Dynamics GP.
The critical step is the final cutover, when your ecommerce integration changes from the existing GP environment to Business Central.
Your team should plan this transition carefully, preferably during a period of lower order volume. Any expected interruption should also be communicated to employees and customers in advance.

4. Ecommerce Integrations and Third-Party Applications

Your online store may depend on additional applications that exchange information with Dynamics GP. These connections need to be reviewed individually because transferring ERP data does not automatically make existing integrations compatible with Business Central.
Common examples include:

Payment processing systems
Sales tax calculation services
Shipping carrier integrations
Ecommerce-to-ERP synchronization tools
Other connected applications and add-ons

Each integration should be tested against Business Central before your company switches production operations away from Dynamics GP.

Why Should Dynamics GP Ecommerce Businesses Start Planning Their Migration?

Microsoft has announced that product enhancements, regulatory and tax updates, and technical support for Dynamics GP will end on December 31, 2029. Security updates and patches, when needed, will remain available through April 30, 2031. (Source: Microsoft Learn)
NOTE: Microsoft originally announced September 30, 2029, as the support end date before extending it to December 31.
These deadlines give businesses time to prepare, but companies with integrated ecommerce operations need to consider more than the ERP implementation schedule.
As Microsoft directs its development investments toward Business Central, organizations still using Dynamics GP must also consider the future availability of GP expertise and the growing differences between the two systems.
For an ecommerce business, the preparation period is an opportunity to evaluate existing integrations, identify potential compatibility problems, and determine whether its current storefront can continue operating with Business Central.

How Does the Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration Process Work?

Microsoft's cloud migration process follows eight main phases. Understanding these stages helps ecommerce teams determine when to review integrations, test their storefront, and prepare for the final transition. (Source: Microsoft Learn)

Migration assessment: Evaluate your Dynamics GP environment, identify potential problems, and determine readiness for Business Central.
Preparation: Develop the migration plan, clean up data, and verify requirements. Microsoft's standard cloud migration process requires Dynamics GP 2015 or later.
Cloud migration setup: Establish the connection between the on-premises Dynamics GP database and Business Central online.
Company configuration: Select the companies and data that will be migrated.
Data replication: Copy GP data into Business Central, typically starting with a sandbox environment where the results can be reviewed and replication repeated if necessary.
Data upgrade: Convert the replicated information to the appropriate Business Central structure. Once this upgrade succeeds, data cannot be replicated again from an earlier version.
Data validation: Compare migrated records against their Dynamics GP sources to identify discrepancies.
Completion and go-live: Configure the Business Central environment, establish user permissions, and make Business Central the operational ERP system.

Why Is Sandbox Testing Important for Ecommerce?

Microsoft recommends testing the migration in a Business Central sandbox before running it in production. For ecommerce teams, this is an opportunity to verify the connection between the storefront and Business Central without disrupting the live Dynamics GP environment.
Testing should cover actual ecommerce workflows, including product synchronization, customer account information, pricing, inventory updates, and order submission.
There is also an important access consideration during migration. Once cloud migration is configured, Business Central assigns most existing non-administrator users to an Intelligent Cloud permission set that restricts data modifications.
This protects replicated information from being overwritten during migration, but it also means ecommerce integrations that write information into Business Central would be blocked. During migration, that's the safest path. When data migration is complete and go-live is imminent, your team should verify the appropriate read and write permissions before switching live order processing to the new ERP.

Ecommerce Migration Checklist: Before, During, and After Moving to Business Central

A practical ecommerce migration plan should cover what happens to the web store throughout the ERP transition, not simply whether the website remains accessible.

Before Migration: Review Your Ecommerce Environment

Document existing integrations. Identify how your ecommerce platform communicates with Dynamics GP, along with payment, tax, shipping, and other connected applications.
Confirm Business Central compatibility. Determine whether your current ecommerce platform supports Business Central or requires changes or replacement.
Prepare a test environment. Verify that your ecommerce platform can connect to a Business Central sandbox while the existing GP storefront remains operational.
Coordinate the cutover schedule. Select a lower-volume ordering period and inform IT, sales, customer service, and other affected teams.

During Migration: Protect Online Order Processing

Monitor order and inventory synchronization. Verify that data continues flowing through the appropriate ERP system before and during cutover.
Prepare a manual order process. Document how employees will capture orders if synchronization is temporarily delayed.
Communicate planned interruptions. If the storefront requires downtime, give customers advance notice rather than allowing them to encounter unexpected checkout problems.

After Migration: Validate the Customer Experience

Check customer records and pricing. Make sure accounts, historical orders, and customer-specific pricing arrangements appear correctly.
Retest connected services. Confirm that payment processing, shipping, tax calculation, and other integrations function properly with the live Business Central environment.
Verify synchronization permissions. Ensure that the ecommerce integration has the appropriate access to read and write information now that migration restrictions no longer apply.

Do You Need to Replace Your Ecommerce Platform When Migrating from GP to Business Central?

Not necessarily. If your existing ecommerce solution supports both Dynamics GP and Business Central, you may be able to keep your current storefront while migrating the underlying ERP system.
Replacing an ecommerce platform introduces another major change at the same time your business is implementing a new ERP. If your storefront supports only Dynamics GP, or was custom-developed around GP's database structure, a separate ecommerce replatforming project may be necessary.
An ecommerce platform with native integrations for both ERP systems offers a more manageable approach. Your business can concentrate on changing the ERP connection without necessarily rebuilding the customer-facing website.

How k-ecommerce Helps Businesses Move from Dynamics GP to Business Central

k-ecommerce specializes in ERP-integrated ecommerce, with native integrations for both Microsoft Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central. This provides an advantage for companies that want to modernize their ERP while preserving their existing online shopping experience.

Test Business Central Without Interrupting Your Existing Store

Because k-ecommerce supports both systems, businesses can use a sandbox or phased rollout approach to evaluate the Business Central integration while their existing Dynamics GP environment remains active.
This allows teams to examine how the storefront handles customer information, orders, pricing, and other ERP-dependent operations before committing to the production transition.

Preserve the Customer-Facing Ecommerce Experience

A GP to Business Central migration should not require customers to learn an entirely new website simply because the underlying ERP has changed.
With k-ecommerce, businesses can preserve their existing storefront, including its branding, customer accounts, and order history, while transitioning the ERP integration to Business Central.
For the platform-specific details on either side of this migration, see the Dynamics GP pillar guide and the Business Central pillar guide.

Why Businesses Can Trust k-ecommerce for ERP-Integrated Ecommerce

Founded in 1999, k-ecommerce brings more than 25 years of experience helping manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers connect their online sales operations with ERP systems. K-ecommerce supports more than 1,500 websites and processing $2 billion in transactions annually through its PCI-certified cloud infrastructure. This experience gives k-ecommerce a strong understanding of the complex pricing, customer accounts, inventory management, and order processing requirements that distinguish B2B ecommerce from traditional online retail.
Unlike ecommerce platforms that rely heavily on custom connectors, k-ecommerce specializes in native ERP integrations, including Microsoft Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central. Its platform synchronizes customer-specific pricing, product catalogs, inventory, and orders with ERP data, reducing manual entry and helping businesses maintain accurate information across systems. The company also offers a Microsoft AppSource-listed Business Central solution, integrated payment capabilities, and dedicated implementation and support services.
For businesses migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central, this expertise offers a practical advantage: the ability to retain an established ecommerce storefront while transitioning to a new ERP. Rather than managing an ERP migration and ecommerce platform replacement simultaneously, companies can work with k-ecommerce to test their Business Central integration, protect existing customer experiences, and coordinate a more controlled transition.

Frequently Asked Questions About GP to Business Central Ecommerce Migration

Q: Will my ecommerce store stop working when I migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central?

A: Not necessarily. Your existing Dynamics GP environment can remain operational during migration. With appropriate sandbox testing and cutover planning, you can reduce or avoid customer-facing downtime.

Q: Can I keep my current B2B ecommerce website after moving to Business Central?

A: Yes, provided your ecommerce platform supports Business Central. Platforms designed only for Dynamics GP, including certain custom-built solutions, may require additional development or replacement.

Q: How does k-ecommerce simplify the GP to Business Central migration?

A: k-ecommerce integrates natively with both ERP systems, allowing businesses to retain their storefront while changing the underlying ERP connection. Sandbox testing and phased deployment can help protect customer accounts, order history, and ongoing online operations.

Q: How long does a Dynamics GP to Business Central ecommerce migration take?

A: The timeline depends on the amount of data, existing customizations, and number of integrations involved. Your Microsoft partner and ecommerce provider should evaluate your environment before estimating the migration schedule.

Q: What version of Dynamics GP is required for Microsoft's Business Central cloud migration tools?

A: Microsoft's standard migration process requires Dynamics GP 2015 or later. Businesses using an earlier version must upgrade to a supported GP release before using those tools.

Plan Your Ecommerce Migration Alongside Your ERP Migration

Moving from Dynamics GP to Business Central is an opportunity to modernize your ERP without disrupting the online buying experience your customers already depend on. However, maintaining that continuity requires careful attention to ecommerce integrations, pricing accuracy, order processing, and inventory synchronization.
The earlier you include ecommerce in the migration plan, the more opportunities you have to identify problems, test integrations, and prepare for a controlled transition.

Planning to migrate from GP to BC?
See how your existing B2B storefront can continue supporting customers throughout the process.

Schedule a Demo

By k-ecommerce | www.k-ecommerce.com

The post Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central: How to Protect B2B Ecommerce appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Compare Dynamics 365 Business Central Reporting Tools

Thomas Werkhoven, Exsion365 — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 03:25:48 +0000

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Are you looking for alternative Dynamics 365 Business Central reporting tools? Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central users rely on Excel reporting to analyze financial data, prepare month-end reports, and support business decisions. When Jet Reports, an Excel-based tool for financial reporting in Dynamics 365, slows down, becomes hard to maintain, or costs too much to license, Exsion Reporting offers an alternative worth evaluating. The right choice depends on how your organization builds reports, shares information, handles large datasets, and manages reporting costs.
Key Highlights

Exsion Reporting connects directly to the Business Central API and retrieves data in sets rather than relying on individual worksheet requests.
Its Excel-based query definitions make reports easier for your team to understand, modify, and maintain.
Exsion can load large datasets directly into Excel's PivotTable data model, bypassing the worksheet's 1,048,576-row limit.
Organizations can evaluate a migration by rebuilding priority reports and comparing results before committing to a wider transition.
Jet Reports remains a reasonable choice for organizations that need cross-ERP reporting or are satisfied with their existing setup.

Why Should You Compare Dynamics 365 Business Central reporting tools?

Jet Reports, owned by InsightSoftware, has a long history in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Business Central ecosystem. Its Excel add-in enables finance teams to retrieve data, combine tables, and build reports without writing SQL queries. Its established partner network and scheduling capabilities are also useful for organizations that distribute reports regularly.
However, some finance teams encounter limitations as their reporting needs grow.
Cost, report maintenance, and performance are common reasons to explore alternatives. Jet Reports uses worksheet functions such as NL, NF, and GL to retrieve lists, field values, and general ledger balances. Reports containing thousands of functions can generate numerous requests to Business Central, making performance tuning important for complex workbooks.
Sharing reports can also create challenges. Jet separates Design Mode, where licensed designers create and edit reports, from Report Mode, which displays report output. Colleagues who receive only the output may be unable to modify the underlying report logic without the appropriate license and design file.
These limitations do not affect every organization equally, but they are worth considering when evaluating reporting tools for Business Central.

How Does Exsion Reporting Compare with Jet Reports?

Exsion Reporting is an Excel add-in designed specifically for Business Central. It connects directly to the Business Central API, retrieves data in sets, and stores the report definition in a readable grid within the workbook.
The differences are particularly relevant in five areas.

1. Reporting Speed and Excel Performance

Exsion retrieves data in sets rather than making a separate request for every worksheet function. According to Exsion, a query containing 700,000 general ledger entries can load in under five seconds, and a report that took approximately 20 minutes in Jet Reports ran in about 20 seconds during a recent demonstration.
These are vendor-reported results, not guarantees for every environment. Actual performance depends on the report, data volume, and configuration, so organizations should test representative workloads before choosing a solution.

2. Report Sharing and Maintenance

Exsion stores its query definition in a readable grid within the Excel workbook. Users can see which tables, companies, fields, filters, and joins the report uses, making it easier to understand how the results were produced.
Licensed recipients can change filters, add fields, and refresh reports without depending entirely on the original author. This can reduce reliance on a single reporting specialist and make routine adjustments more accessible to finance teams.

3. Handling Large Business Central Datasets

Excel worksheets have a limit of 1,048,576 rows. For organizations working with large general ledger, value entry, or item ledger entry tables, that restriction can complicate reporting.
Exsion can send query results directly to the Excel PivotTable data model instead of placing every record on a worksheet. Exsion reports having loaded 25 million Business Central rows into a single pivot using this approach.
Because the data resides in the model rather than worksheet cells, the approach can also reduce workbook size. Exsion reports typical file sizes of 6 to 7 MB for pivot-only workbooks, compared with 30 to 40 MB for a worksheet containing around one million rows.

4. Joining Tables Without Writing SQL

Both Jet Reports and Exsion support joining tables, an important capability for finance users who need to combine related Business Central information.
In Exsion, the query builder proposes a join key when a user adds another table. Users can accept the suggested relationship or change it, then select the additional fields they need. Available join types include inner, outer, inner top 1, and not exists.
For example, a user can join Customer Ledger Entry records to Customer records using the customer number. This makes related information easier to combine and gives report users a visible explanation of how the data connects.

5. Live Data and Security

Exsion connects directly to the Business Central API rather than requiring a separate data warehouse, Azure SQL replica, gateway, or scheduled data load.
It also inherits Business Central permissions, so users see the information they are authorized to access in Business Central. This avoids maintaining a separate reporting security model.
For organizations that already use Power BI, Exsion can complement that environment. However, Power BI is not required to use Exsion Reporting.

What Should You Consider Before Migrating from Jet Reports?

Migrating reporting tools does not have to mean rebuilding every report at once. A practical approach is to begin with a report that causes a recurring problem, such as a slow month-end workbook or a report that only one person knows how to maintain.
Exsion describes a migration process that uses AI to identify the tables and fields referenced in a Jet workbook and rebuild the report as an Exsion query grid. For teams migrating from Jet, the first report is rebuilt together at no charge.
A typical evaluation involves these steps:

Install and connect. Install the Exsion extension through Business Central's Extension Management, download the Excel add-in, create a connection, and sign in. Administrator assistance may be needed for restricted devices or initial connection consent.
Choose a priority report. Start with a workbook that is slow, difficult to maintain, or important to month-end reporting.
Compare the results. Run the old and new reports side by side to check the figures before relying on the replacement.
Migrate in stages. Rebuild remaining reports in order of importance during the 30-day trial rather than attempting to convert the entire library immediately.
Review unused reports. Use the transition to identify reports that are no longer needed.

Exsion also offers a way to convert formulas to static values for sharing a spreadsheet with an auditor or bank. Recipients without a license can work with pivot-only files, change filters, and drill into detail, although refreshing the data requires a license.

When Does Jet Reports Still Make Sense?

Switching reporting tools is not automatically an improvement. Jet Reports may remain the better choice for organizations that use Business Central alongside other ERP systems and rely on Jet to provide a common reporting layer.
It may also make sense to stay with Jet if existing reports run efficiently, users can maintain them without difficulty, licensing costs are acceptable, and scheduling meets the organization's needs.
The decision should be based on specific business requirements rather than the assumption that a newer tool is necessarily better. If reporting works well today, there may be no compelling reason to migrate.

What Other Excel Reporting Tools Are Available for Dynamics 365 BC?

Exsion and Jet are not the only options for reporting on Business Central data.
Two other products worth knowing about are:

Cosmos: Uses a dedicated Azure reporting database containing a copy of Business Central data and offers prebuilt data models and Power BI report packs. Organizations should evaluate its data-refresh arrangements and infrastructure requirements when comparing it with a direct connection.
Velixo: Provides Excel-based reporting for several ERP systems, including Business Central, Acumatica, and Sage Intacct. It has a particular focus on project and construction reporting.

The best fit depends on whether your priority is live Business Central data, reporting across multiple ERP systems, specialized industry requirements, or integration with an existing analytics environment.

What Questions Should You Ask When Evaluating Business Central Reporting Tools?

Before selecting a reporting solution, ask vendors to demonstrate how their products handle your actual reports and data volumes.
Use these questions to guide the evaluation:

Does the tool retrieve live Business Central data or work from a separate copy?
Can users report on the tables and fields they need, including extension tables and flowfields?
Can colleagues understand and modify a report without relying on its original author?
How does the solution handle datasets exceeding Excel's worksheet row limit?
How quickly can it retrieve a representative general ledger dataset, and can users continue working in Excel during the process?
Can finance users join tables themselves, and which join types are supported?
Does drill-down show the underlying Business Central records used in a calculation?
Does the tool inherit Business Central security permissions?
What are the installation requirements, licensing costs, and trial options?
How does the solution handle multiple companies, environments, and financial consolidation?

These questions help separate marketing claims from capabilities that matter in day-to-day financial reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dynamics 365 Business Central reporting tools

Q: What is a good alternative to Jet Reports for Dynamics 365 Business Central?
A: Exsion Reporting is an Excel-based alternative designed specifically for Business Central. It connects directly to the Business Central API, supports table joins, and stores report definitions in the workbook.
Q: Why might Jet Reports run slowly?
A: Jet Reports uses worksheet functions that can generate individual requests to Business Central. Reports containing many functions may require significant processing, making performance tuning important.
Q: Can Excel reporting tools handle more than one million Business Central records?
A: Exsion can send data directly to Excel's PivotTable data model, avoiding the worksheet's 1,048,576-row limit. Exsion reports loading as many as 25 million Business Central rows into a single pivot.
Q: Does Exsion Reporting require a data warehouse or Power BI?
A: No. Exsion connects directly to the Business Central API without a separate data warehouse or scheduled data load. Power BI is optional.
Q: How difficult is it to migrate from Jet Reports to Exsion?
A: Exsion uses AI to identify the tables and fields referenced in Jet workbooks and helps rebuild reports in its query grid. Organizations can begin with one priority report, compare the results, and migrate additional reports during the 30-day trial.
H2: How Should You Choose the Right Reporting Tool for Business Central?
Choosing between Jet Reports and Exsion Reporting comes down to how well each tool supports your organization's reporting requirements. Speed, large datasets, report sharing, maintenance, security, and licensing costs all deserve consideration, but their importance will vary by business.
The most useful next step is to evaluate a reporting tool using a real Business Central report rather than relying on a standard demonstration. Compare the results, assess the effort required to maintain the report, and determine whether the change solves a problem that matters to your finance team.
Review the available product documentation, pricing, and trial options before making a decision. A measured evaluation can help you improve Business Central reporting without introducing unnecessary disruption.
Our experts at Exsion365 would be glad to help you learn more about Dynamics 365 Business Central reporting tools. Contact us today.

Start your free trial

By Exsion365, exsion365.com

The post Compare Dynamics 365 Business Central Reporting Tools appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How to Design Custom Report Layouts for Business Central Documents

Eclipse Corporation — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 03:25:45 +0000

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Custom report layouts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central control how invoices, statements, and other customer-facing documents present business information. Well-designed layouts make important details easier to find, while reusable templates, dynamic content, and accessible formatting help maintain consistent communications. For businesses with more complex document requirements, solutions like Eclipse DocOrigin provide additional design flexibility.

Key Highlights

Custom report layouts control how Business Central documents display transaction details, text, images, and branding.
Reusable templates maintain consistent formatting across invoices, statements, and other customer communications.
Dynamic content and conditional logic help deliver relevant instructions, notices, and information to individual recipients.
Accessible design improves readability through clear language, logical structure, and appropriate formatting.
Eclipse DocOrigin offers flexible document templates, conditional content, and design tools for more complex business communication requirements.

What Are Custom Report Layouts in Dynamics 365 Business Central?

A custom report layout determines how information from Business Central appears in a printed or digital document. According to Microsoft's report layout documentation, layouts control the placement of data fields, text formatting, images, logos, and page settings.
Business Central supports Word, RDLC, Excel, and external report layout types. Word and RDLC are particularly useful for printable documents such as invoices and order confirmations, while Excel layouts are primarily suited to analytical reporting.
A layout controls the presentation of fields available in the report's dataset. If additional information is required, a developer may need to extend the underlying report dataset before it can appear in the document.

Why Does Document Design Matter for Business Central Users?

Invoices, statements, and other business documents often represent direct interactions between a company and its customers. Confusing layouts, inconsistent formatting, or difficult-to-find information can lead to misunderstandings, payment questions, and avoidable errors.
For example, an invoice might contain all the required transaction details but still frustrate customers if the payment amount or due date is difficult to locate. A well-designed document places essential information where recipients expect to find it and makes the next action clear.
Document clarity is especially important in healthcare, insurance, and financial services, where communications may also need to meet regulatory requirements.

How Should You Design Business Central Invoices and Statements?

Effective document design starts with what the recipient needs to know, not with colors, fonts, or decorative elements.

Organize Information Around the Recipient's Needs

For an invoice, prioritize the customer details, invoice number, transaction information, total amount, payment deadline, and payment instructions. For a statement, make account activity, outstanding balances, and contact information easy to locate.
Group related information into sections and use tables where they improve readability. Avoid making customers search through unnecessary details to understand their account or transaction.

Use a Clear Visual Hierarchy

Headers, spacing, font sizes, and alignment help readers distinguish important information from supporting details. A clearly labeled amount due, for example, should stand out without competing with excessive design elements.
Business Central users can customize many of these elements with Word layouts. Microsoft's guide to customizing reports and documents explains how to modify existing layouts, adjust fields and formatting, and test the results.

How Do Reusable Templates Keep Business Central Documents Consistent?

Reusable templates establish a common structure for business documents while allowing transaction and customer information to change.
Organizations can standardize logos, colors, fonts, headers, footers, and document sections instead of designing each invoice or statement independently. This reduces duplicate design work and helps maintain a consistent appearance across departments.
Business Central supports user-defined layouts based on existing designs. With the Document Report Experience feature enabled, compatible Word body layouts can also use reusable themes and header/footer layouts, allowing organizations to manage shared branding elements.
Eclipse DocOrigin also supports reusable templates and fragment libraries that allow organizations to share common document elements across multiple forms. This helps maintain consistent branding and formatting while reducing the need to recreate or update the same content in different documents.

How Does Dynamic Content Improve Business Central Customer Documents?

Dynamic content allows a document to display information based on the underlying customer or transaction data. Instead of sending every recipient the same generic message, businesses can present instructions and details that apply to their circumstances.
For example, an invoice may need different payment instructions depending on the customer's location. A customer statement might include account-specific contact information, while regulated communications could require particular notices or disclaimers.
Business Central Word layouts can display data from the report dataset. The Business Central Word add-in also provides options for hiding certain empty fields, rows, and tables.
For more advanced requirements, DocOrigin supports conditional logic that determines which document sections appear based on defined rules. This makes it possible to tailor information without creating a separate template for every customer scenario.
However, personalization depends on accurate data. Data quality, privacy, and appropriate personalization are some of the challenges of variable data-driven documents.

How Can You Make Business Central Documents More Accessible?

Accessible documents are easier to read, navigate, and understand. They also help organizations address communication requirements in industries where readability and accessibility may have legal implications.
Three design practices make a meaningful difference:

Use plain language. Replace unnecessary jargon and complex explanations with clear instructions that customers can understand.
Organize content logically. Use descriptive headings, appropriate spacing, and tables or lists to separate information.
Choose readable formatting. Use legible fonts, sufficient text contrast, and layouts that work across print and digital viewing formats, including mobile devices.

For organizations with formal accessibility requirements, document composition tools may offer additional capabilities. For example, DocOrigin supports PDF/UA (ISO 14289), an accessibility standard for PDF documents.

How Can Businesses Maintain Consistent Customer Communications?

Consistency extends beyond using the same company logo. Invoices, statements, notices, and other documents should also follow recognizable standards for structure, terminology, and presentation.
Customers should encounter familiar formatting whether they receive a printed invoice, a digital statement, or another business communication. This makes documents easier to recognize and reduces the confusion caused by inconsistent instructions or layouts.
Centralized templates and established design guidelines help organizations maintain those standards as document requirements change.
Effective business documents should provide information that is relevant, understandable, and useful to the recipient.

Why Consider Eclipse DocOrigin for Business Document Design?

Eclipse Corporation brings more than 30 years of document generation experience to helping organizations design business forms, transactional documents, and customer communications.
Its DocOrigin platform provides a visual form designer, customizable templates, reusable document components, and support for dynamic data and conditional content.
These capabilities help businesses:

Build professional document layouts with less manual design work.
Maintain reusable templates and consistent branding.
Display customer-specific information and instructions.
Create documents that accommodate varying business and communication requirements.
Support accessible document formats and international communication needs.

DocOrigin is a separate document composition platform, rather than a built-in Business Central report layout editor. Organizations evaluating it alongside Business Central should consider their document requirements and how the two systems work together.
Eclipse's experience with business-critical documents makes it a useful resource for organizations that need greater flexibility in document presentation, personalization, and consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Central Report Layouts

Q: Can you customize invoices and statements in Business Central?

A: Yes. Business Central supports user-defined report layouts that control how available data fields, text, branding, and other elements appear in customer-facing documents.

Q: Which report layout format is best for Business Central invoices?

A: Word layouts are a practical choice for many customer-facing documents, particularly when adjusting formatting and branding. RDLC layouts offer more advanced control over precise document presentation.

Q: How do templates improve document consistency?

A: Reusable templates standardize fonts, colors, headers, footers, and document structure. They help organizations maintain consistent branding without recreating layouts for every document.

Q: What is dynamic content in a business document?

A: Dynamic content changes according to customer or transaction data. It can include relevant payment instructions, notices, contact information, or other details that apply to a particular recipient.

Q: How does Eclipse DocOrigin help with document design?

A: Eclipse DocOrigin provides visual design tools, reusable templates, conditional logic, and dynamic content capabilities. These features help organizations create consistent, personalized business documents.

Improve Your Business Central Document Design with Eclipse

Well-designed business documents help customers find information, understand their transactions, and take the appropriate next steps. For Business Central users, improving invoice and statement layouts is a practical way to strengthen everyday customer communications. Take the time to review your existing documents for clarity, consistency, and accessibility.

Want more advanced custom report layouts for Business Central?
If your requirements extend beyond Business Central's standard report layouts, DocOrigin delivers what you need.

Book a Demo

By Eclipse Corp. | eclipsecorp.us

The post How to Design Custom Report Layouts for Business Central Documents appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Connecting the Shop Floor to the General Ledger: GovCon365 for Contract Manufacturing

Paul Skurpski — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 23:46:31 +0000

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As the U.S. Government increases investments in manufacturing—from building prototypes to retrofitting commercial products—contractors are seeing a surge in demand. However, many manufacturers struggle with systems that disconnect their shop floor operations from their project accounting. GovCon365 solves this by leveraging the world-class capabilities of Business Central’s base manufacturing system and adding unique government contractor features.
Unified Inventory and Project Management The GovCon365 app provides a prebuilt connection between the manufacturing system and project accounting. This integration is critical for contractors who need to support inventory control specifically by project, rather than just by aggregate totals.
Flexible Billing for Diverse Contracts Government manufacturing contracts rarely fit a "one size fits all" billing model. GovCon365 enables you to bill manufacturing projects according to the specific contract type, including:

Time & Materials (T&M)
Fixed Unit Price
Milestone Billing
Cost Reimbursable

Whether you are handling long-run manufacturing or custom prototypes, this solution ensures you can effectively manage the business while adhering to DCAA compliance.

Schedule a Demo Today!

The post Connecting the Shop Floor to the General Ledger: GovCon365 for Contract Manufacturing appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Business Central Barcode Receiving App: No Warehouse Receipt Required

Insight Works — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:40:57 +0000

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Yes, you can do Business Central barcode receiving without warehouse receipts. Warehouse Insight is a Business Central warehouse management app, published on Microsoft Marketplace as an extension. It lets workers scan inbound goods directly against the purchase order. Warehouse Insight works as an add-on to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and follows the setup each location already has.

Do you need warehouse receipts for Business Central barcode receiving?

No. Warehouse receipts are a Business Central location setting, not a scanner requirement. Microsoft’s own training material explains that receiving with a warehouse receipt “requires that the Require Receive option is selected on the Warehouse FastTab of the location card.” When that option is off, receipts post straight from the purchase order.
Many warehouses leave it off on purpose. For a small receiving team, a separate receipt document often adds a step without adding control. Others simply have not turned it on yet. Either way, the question is usually the same. Does moving to barcode scanning force a change to how the location is set up?
With Warehouse Insight, it does not. The handheld applications follow the warehouse setup of each location. You can start scanning without redesigning your locations first. Which Business Central warehouse configurations Warehouse Insight supports covers this in more detail.

How does receiving against a purchase order work on the handheld?

At a location without warehouse receipts, the purchase order itself is the receiving document. Here is what a receiver does on the device:

The receiver opens the receiving application and selects the purchase order.
The receiver scans each item barcode. Warehouse Insight matches the scan to the open purchase order line.
Business Central updates as each scan is confirmed. The office sees progress without waiting for paperwork.
Once quantities are confirmed, the receipt is posted from the device or by a supervisor, depending on your posting setup.

Because the purchase order is the document, anything attached on the handheld goes to the purchase order too. A photo of a damaged carton lands on the purchase order in Business Central as soon as it is taken. If a vendor barcode is not recognized, the worker can link it to the right item on the spot. The carton does not have to be set aside.

What happens at locations that do require warehouse receipts?

Warehouse Insight handles that case too, and it removes a desk step along the way. Say a location requires warehouse receipts and none exists yet. Opening the purchase order on the handheld creates the warehouse receipt automatically. Nobody has to create the receipt in Business Central before the truck is unloaded.
That matters for companies that run different setups at different sites. A distribution center might use warehouse receipts and put-aways. A branch location might receive directly against purchase orders. Each device follows the location it is working in, so one mobile solution covers both. Workers do not need to learn a different tool.

Which documents support Business Central barcode receiving?

Warehouse Insight supports four receiving scenarios in Business Central:

Purchase orders
Transfer orders
Sales return orders
Inventory receipts

Warehouse Insight receiving also works across all three Business Central warehouse configurations: basic, standard, and advanced warehousing. The Warehouse Insight receiving page covers lot and serial capture, vendor barcode linking, and photo attachments.

Who controls when a scanned receipt posts?

You do, from inside Business Central. Scanning and posting are separate decisions. A warehouse can capture every scan in real time and still review before anything is committed. Warehouse Insight offers three posting modes:

Auto-post on exit: The receipt posts when the worker leaves the document.
Manual posting: The worker posts from the device after confirming quantities.
Supervisor-only posting: Workers scan, and a supervisor reviews and posts.

All posting controls are configured in Business Central, not on the device. There are no separate device settings to manage.

Which Business Central barcode receiving setup fits your warehouse?

Both setups work with Warehouse Insight. The choice depends on how your receiving process is organized, not on the scanner.

Consideration	Receive directly against the purchase order	Receive with warehouse receipts
Location setting	Require Receive is off	Require Receive is on
Receiving document	The purchase order	A separate warehouse receipt
Steps for the office	None before receiving	None with Warehouse Insight, since opening the purchase order creates the receipt
What warehouse staff see	The purchase order lines	A warehouse document focused on items and quantities
Good fit for	Smaller teams that receive and put away in one pass	Operations that separate receiving from put-away

Frequently asked questions about Business Central barcode receiving

Do I have to turn on Require Receive to use Warehouse Insight?

No. Warehouse Insight works with the receiving setup a location already has, including receiving directly against purchase orders.

Can I switch a location to warehouse receipts later?

Yes. The handheld follows the location setup in Business Central, so changing that setup changes what the device shows. There is nothing to reconfigure on each device.

Does scanning update Business Central right away?

Yes. Each confirmed scan updates the document in Business Central immediately. When the receipt actually posts depends on the posting mode you choose.

Is Warehouse Insight an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three describe the same product. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse management app for Business Central. It installs as an extension from Microsoft Marketplace, and resellers often call it an add-on.
To see how receiving fits into the rest of the warehouse, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.

The post Business Central Barcode Receiving App: No Warehouse Receipt Required appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How Can Small & Midsize Businesses Use AI and Dynamics 365 BC?

Innovia Consulting — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:00:15 +0000

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Artificial intelligence (AI) offers small and midsize businesses new ways to reduce repetitive work, improve processes, and make better use of business information. For organizations using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the most effective approach is to start with a specific business problem, identify the outcome that needs to improve, and then determine whether AI can deliver measurable results. Let's see how you can use AI and Dynamics 365 BC to improve your processes.
Rather than adopting AI simply because it is gaining attention, focus on practical opportunities to improve productivity, profitability, customer service, and decision-making.
Key Highlights

Start with a business problem: Identify inefficient processes before deciding which AI tools to use.
Focus on measurable outcomes: Evaluate AI by its impact on capacity, profit margins, cash flow, customer service, and decision-making.
Look for everyday inefficiencies: Repetitive data entry, manual reporting, and information scattered across systems can reveal opportunities for improvement.
Build on your existing ERP environment: Consider how Dynamics 365 Business Central and AI capabilities can support better use of business information and business processes.
Start small and measure results: Test one process against one business objective before expanding an AI initiative.

Why Should You Identify a Problem Before Adopting AI?

The best starting point for an AI initiative is not choosing a technology. It is identifying a business process that needs to work better.
For small and midsize businesses, the challenge is rarely a lack of available technology. Instead, employees often spend too much time moving information between systems, assembling reports, searching through emails, or reentering data that already exists somewhere else. These tasks can become accepted parts of daily operations, even when they add little value.
Businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central should examine how information moves through their financial, inventory, purchasing, sales, and operational processes. Where are employees spending time gathering information rather than using it? Which tasks create delays, errors, or unnecessary administrative work?
Answering these questions will help you identify where technology might make a meaningful difference. Discover how AI and Dynamics 365 Business Central can help SMBs improve efficiency, protect margins, accelerate cash flow, and make better decisions. The goal is not to eliminate the people involved in a process, but to reduce routine administrative work so employees can spend more time applying their knowledge, judgment, and problem-solving skills.

How Can AI with Dynamics 365 BC Support Business Value?

You should evaluate AI by the business results it can help achieve, not simply by the amount of time it saves.
Saving employees 30 minutes on an unimportant task may have limited value, while improving a process that affects billing, customer response times, or profitability could make a much greater difference. For Business Central users, the important question is how a potential improvement supports the organization's broader objectives.
Five areas offer a useful framework for evaluating AI opportunities.

1. Increase Capacity Without Simply Adding Staff

AI and automation may help employees accomplish more by reducing repetitive work. When people spend less time transferring information, preparing routine reports, or reviewing large volumes of material, they have more time available for higher-value responsibilities.
For businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central, an assessment of reporting and administrative workflows can help reveal where unnecessary manual effort is limiting the team's capacity.

2. Protect Profit Margins

Errors, omissions, and rework consume resources and can reduce profitability. Identifying opportunities to catch missing information, improve consistency, or reduce avoidable mistakes can help you address these problems.
The first step is understanding where errors occur and what they cost the organization. AI may be useful in some situations, but a clearer process or conventional automation may be sufficient in others.

3. Improve Cash Flow

Processes involving billing, collections, approvals, and purchasing can affect how efficiently your business manages its cash flow.
Investigate whether AI can identify overdue receivables sooner, reduce delays in approvals, or make relevant information easier to access. These are practical areas to examine when evaluating whether AI or other process improvements could support cash flow.

4. Deliver Better Customer Service

Customers benefit when employees can provide accurate answers without spending excessive time searching for information.
Look for situations in which staff must consult several systems, review multiple emails, or manually assemble details before responding to a customer. Reducing that effort may help employees respond more efficiently while maintaining the accuracy customers expect.

5. Make Better Decisions

Timely information helps business leaders and employees recognize problems and respond before opportunities pass.
AI may help make information easier to summarize, compare, and organize, allowing your team to spend less time assembling details and more time evaluating what those details mean. The objective is to make useful information available when it can still influence a decision.

Where Should You Look for AI with Dynamics 365 BC Opportunities?

Some of the most promising opportunities are hidden in ordinary work rather than in large, highly visible projects.
Employees may regularly export reports, clean up spreadsheets, enter the same information into multiple systems, or spend an hour preparing a weekly summary. Others may need to review a long email chain or consult several different sources before they can answer a straightforward question.
These activities are worth examining because they reveal where people spend time gathering, organizing, comparing, and transferring information instead of acting on it.
A practical review of Business Central-related workflows might include questions such as:

Which reports require substantial manual preparation?
Where do employees repeatedly enter or reconcile information?
Which tasks depend on searching through emails or documents?
Where do delays occur because information is spread across multiple systems?
Which recurring errors or omissions create the most rework?

The answers provide a starting point for deciding whether a process needs AI, traditional automation, better reporting, or a simpler workflow.
The distinction matters. Technology should address the underlying problem rather than add another layer of complexity to an inefficient process.

Do You Need Perfect Data Before Using AI with Dynamics 365 BC?

Good data matters, but you do not necessarily need to organize every piece of information perfectly before exploring AI.
Business information often exists in several forms, including structured ERP records, spreadsheets, emails, documents, and informal notes. While data quality remains important, AI may help make some unstructured information easier to work with by summarizing, categorizing, comparing, and organizing it.
For organizations exploring the use of AI with Dynamics 365 Business Central, this is an opportunity to examine both the quality of existing information and how it can be better prepared for use.
In some projects, data cleanup will be an essential first step. In others, improving how information is organized may be part of the AI initiative itself. The right approach depends on your business objective, the information involved, and the requirements of the process being improved.
The key is to understand the quality of the available information and address any limitations that could affect the result, without assuming every data issue must be resolved before any progress is possible.

When Is AI Not the Right Solution?

AI is not the answer to every business problem, and recognizing that early can save time and resources.
Some challenges are better addressed through straightforward process improvements, conventional automation, or better reporting. A workflow may need to be redesigned because it requires unnecessary approvals, or a report may simply need to present existing information more clearly.
For Dynamics 365 Business Central users, the decision should depend on what is preventing the process from working well. If the underlying issue is poor workflow design, adding AI may not solve it. If a conventional automated task can achieve the desired result more reliably and simply, there may be little reason to introduce AI.
The objective is business improvement, not AI adoption for its own sake. Choosing the simplest effective solution is often the more practical approach.

How Can You Start an AI Initiative and Measure Results?

You do not need to begin with a company-wide AI transformation. A small, well-defined project can provide a more useful starting point.
A practical approach involves four elements:

Choose one process. Identify a recurring task or workflow that consumes time, creates errors, or delays an important business activity.
Define one business objective. Decide what needs to improve, such as customer response time, the accuracy of information, or the speed of a financial process.
Establish one measurable result. Determine how you will evaluate success, using a relevant measure rather than relying on general impressions.
Assign one accountable owner. Make someone responsible for evaluating the process, monitoring the outcome, and determining what should happen next.

For example, you might investigate reducing weekly report preparation time, identifying missing information before a quote is approved, responding to customers more quickly, or surfacing overdue receivables sooner.
Once the initial project is in place, compare the results with the original objective. Did the process improve in a meaningful way? Did it reduce errors or delays? Did it free employees to focus on more valuable work?
If the results justify the effort, you can consider extending the approach to other processes. If they do not, the findings can help determine whether a different tool, a workflow change, or a more clearly defined objective is needed.

What Does This Mean for Businesses Using Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central provides an important context for evaluating how business information and operational processes can be improved. However, choosing an AI initiative should begin with the organization's needs rather than assumptions about what any particular technology can accomplish.
Business leaders should identify the processes that most affect capacity, profitability, cash flow, customer service, and decision-making. From there, they can determine whether Business Central capabilities, available AI tools, conventional automation, or process changes offer the most appropriate solution.
This approach keeps the focus on practical results. It also helps businesses avoid investing time and resources in technology that may be interesting but does not address a meaningful operational need.
The organizations most likely to benefit from AI are not necessarily those adopting the greatest number of tools. They are the ones that understand where improvements matter, select an appropriate solution, and measure whether it makes a difference.

Frequently Asked Questions About AI with Dynamics 365 Business Central

Q: How should a small or midsize business get started with AI?
A: Start by identifying a business problem, defining the outcome you want to improve, and determining whether AI is an appropriate solution.
Q: What business benefits should you measure when evaluating AI?
A: Relevant areas include employee capacity, profit margins, cash flow, customer service, and decision-making.
Q: Do you need perfect data before implementing AI?
A: No. Data quality matters, but AI may also help organize and summarize unstructured information. The appropriate starting point depends on the information and the intended use.
Q: Does every inefficient business process need AI?
A: No. Better reporting, conventional automation, workflow changes, or simpler processes may solve some problems more effectively.
Q: How can you determine whether an AI project is successful?
A: Begin with one process, one business objective, one measurable result, and one accountable owner. Evaluate the outcome before deciding whether to expand the project.

Start with Business Value, Then Evaluate the Technology

AI can create opportunities for small and midsize businesses, but the best results begin with a clear understanding of what needs to improve. For organizations using Dynamics 365 Business Central, reviewing everyday workflows can help uncover opportunities to reduce administrative effort, improve the use of information, and make business processes more effective.
The next step is to identify one recurring challenge, establish a measurable objective, and evaluate which solution best addresses it. By focusing on business value first, you can make more informed decisions about where AI belongs in your technology strategy.
Our team at Innovia Consulting would be glad to help you determine where AI could help you benefit from its use with your Dynamics 365 BC solution. Contact us today.

Empower your team with Dynamics 365 BC

By Innovia Consulting, innovia.com

The post How Can Small & Midsize Businesses Use AI and Dynamics 365 BC? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Secure? What Businesses Should Know Before Deployment

OmniVue — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 20:19:55 +0000

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Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed for enterprise security and respects the access permissions employees already have. However, safe deployment also depends on your Microsoft 365 configuration, governance policies, and employees' readiness to use AI responsibly.

Get a free Copilot Readiness Assessment

Key Highlights

Microsoft 365 Copilot follows existing permissions. It cannot grant employees access to files, emails, or conversations they are not already authorized to view.
Business data receives enterprise protections. Copilot operates within Microsoft's security, privacy, and compliance framework rather than requiring employees to use an unapproved consumer AI service.
Oversharing is a major deployment concern. Broad file access, outdated permissions, and unmanaged SharePoint sites should be reviewed before rollout.
An approved AI tool can help address Shadow AI. Providing a governed alternative may reduce reliance on consumer tools used without organizational oversight.
Readiness includes people and processes. Licensing, security, use cases, employee training, and measurable outcomes all belong in the deployment plan.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Secure for Business Use?

Yes. Microsoft 365 Copilot works with the security and identity controls already established across Microsoft 365. It supports work in Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using authorized content from services such as SharePoint and OneDrive.
Employees can draft, summarize, and analyze information in familiar applications instead of copying company documents into an unapproved consumer AI tool. This allows organizations to introduce AI-powered productivity features while maintaining their established security and governance practices. Gartner predicts that by 2027 more than 40% of AI-related data breaches will be caused by improper cross-border use of generative AI, because adoption has outpaced governance.
Still, secure by design does not mean secure regardless of configuration. Existing permissions and governance practices determine how effectively Copilot protects information, making organizational readiness an important part of any deployment. Microsoft states that Copilot is covered by its existing privacy, security, and compliance commitments to Microsoft 365 commercial customers, including GDPR and the EU Data Boundary.

How Does Microsoft 365 Copilot Protect Company Data?

Microsoft 365 Copilot protects company data by building on the security, privacy, and compliance controls already available in Microsoft 365. Three aspects are particularly important for businesses evaluating its security: how it accesses organizational data, respects user permissions, and supports existing governance policies.

It Uses the Existing Microsoft 365 Environment

Copilot uses organizational context to generate content, summarize conversations, and find relevant material without requiring employees to move their work into a separate, unmanaged AI service.
Microsoft explains that Copilot processes organizational data under its Microsoft 365 privacy and security commitments. This lets IT teams build on established company policies rather than starting from scratch.

It Respects Existing User Permissions

Copilot only surfaces organizational content a user is already authorized to access. An employee who lacks access to a confidential document, email, or Teams conversation does not gain that access simply by asking Copilot about it. Microsoft documents that Copilot only surfaces organizational data to which the individual user already has at least view permissions, using the same access controls as other Microsoft 365 services.
However, someone who already has overly broad access may still retrieve shared content through Copilot. That makes permission reviews essential, particularly for organizations with extensive shared file libraries and collaboration environments.

It Supports Established Governance and Compliance Controls

Copilot works with Microsoft 365 security, privacy, and compliance measures, allowing organizations to apply established controls for identity, information protection, and retention.
Regulatory requirements and internal policies still need to be reviewed, but organizations can evaluate Copilot within their existing security programs rather than developing a separate approach to workplace AI.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Safer Than Public AI Tools?

For organizations concerned about uncontrolled employee AI use, Microsoft 365 Copilot offers an important advantage: it can be adopted as an approved, governed workplace tool.

What is Shadow AI and why does it matter for Microsoft 365?

Employees may already use ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI services without company guidance. This practice, known as Shadow AI, involves using AI outside organizational oversight, leaving leaders uncertain about what information employees share and which security rules they follow.
Offering Copilot through Microsoft 365 creates an opportunity to establish clearer policies and greater oversight while allowing employees to benefit from AI-powered productivity.
Copilot does not automatically eliminate unauthorized AI use, however. Employees still need guidance on approved tools, acceptable handling of company information, and the responsibilities that accompany AI adoption.

What Is the Biggest Security Risk When Deploying Copilot?

A major risk is existing oversharing within Microsoft 365, not a new permission weakness introduced by Copilot.
As organizations accumulate files, Teams channels, and SharePoint sites, permissions may no longer reflect employees' current responsibilities. Information that was originally shared for a specific purpose can remain accessible long after that need has passed.
Common warning signs include:

Confidential or operational files shared more broadly than intended.
Permissions that were never updated after roles changed.
SharePoint sites without consistent oversight.
Employees with more access than their work requires.
Inconsistent practices for organizing and managing data.

Copilot does not create those permission gaps, but it can make already accessible information easier to discover and use.
This is why it is important to review access and correct oversharing before deployment. Organizations must know whether their existing information boundaries accurately reflect who should see sensitive business content.

How Should Businesses Prepare for a Secure Copilot Deployment?

A responsible rollout starts with a readiness assessment rather than a company-wide license purchase. Security planning should reflect how employees work, what information they need, and where AI could provide measurable business value.

Review data access. Check shared files, Teams content, SharePoint sites, and existing user permissions. Pay particular attention to confidential information and material that should have restricted access.
Evaluate governance requirements. Confirm that information-handling practices, security policies, and compliance obligations can support the intended use of Copilot.
Plan licensing and access. Determine which employees need Copilot and how the organization will manage usage, permissions, and deployment.
Select useful starting scenarios. Focus on practical tasks such as meeting summaries, email drafting, document preparation, and information analysis rather than introducing AI without clear goals.
Prepare employees and measure results. Explain approved uses, provide training, and assess whether selected workflows save time or improve collaboration.

This approach helps organizations address preventable security issues while giving employees practical ways to work with AI. It also connects deployment decisions to business outcomes rather than treating Copilot licensing as the final objective.

What Business Value Can Secure Copilot Adoption Deliver?

Security supports the broader goal of Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption: reducing repetitive administrative work while helping employees use existing business information more effectively.
Copilot helps teams summarize meetings and conversations, draft content, analyze information, and collaborate more efficiently. These capabilities also support faster decisions by reducing the time employees spend gathering and reviewing information.
For professional services firms, financial services organizations, and nonprofits, these potential gains are relevant wherever employees spend substantial time communicating, reviewing documents, or coordinating work.
Results still depend on selecting appropriate use cases, encouraging employee adoption, and measuring improvements. Purchasing Copilot licenses alone does not guarantee meaningful productivity gains.

Why Trust OmniVue for Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness?

OmniVue is a Microsoft business applications partner founded in 2003, with more than two decades of experience implementing, customizing, and supporting business systems. Its expertise spans Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Marketing, Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, and Power Platform.
This experience gives OmniVue a practical understanding of the business processes, connected systems, and information-management requirements that organizations must consider when adopting AI.
OmniVue approaches Copilot planning from both a technology and business perspective. Its services address security and permission reviews, governance, licensing, implementation, and employee adoption, with attention to where the investment can produce measurable results.
OmniVue's Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Assessment helps organizations evaluate their people, processes, data, security, and potential use cases before expanding deployment.

Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment: what Copilot handles and what the organization must handle
Microsoft 365 Copilot inherits the permissions and compliance controls already set in Microsoft 365, which means the security of a deployment is decided by how well those permissions were maintained before Copilot arrives — a point underlined by Gartner's prediction that more than 40% of AI-related data breaches by 2027 will stem from governance failing to keep pace with adoption.

Security area	What Microsoft 365 Copilot provides	What the organization must do before rollout
User access to content	Only surfaces organizational data the individual user already has at least view permissions for, using the same access controls as other Microsoft 365 services	Review shared files, Teams content, SharePoint sites and user permissions, since users with overly broad access can still retrieve that content through Copilot
Privacy and compliance commitments	Covered by Microsoft's existing privacy, security and compliance commitments to Microsoft 365 commercial customers, including GDPR and the EU Data Boundary	Confirm information-handling practices, security policies and compliance obligations support the intended use
Model training on business data	Prompts, responses and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train foundation large language models, per Microsoft's data privacy documentation	—
Oversharing within Microsoft 365	Does not create permission gaps, but makes already accessible information easier to discover	Correct permissions never updated after role changes, SharePoint sites without consistent oversight, and files shared more broadly than intended
Shadow AI	An approved, governed alternative to consumer services used without organizational oversight	Issue guidance on approved tools and acceptable handling of company information; Copilot does not automatically eliminate unauthorized AI use
Licensing and access control	Organizations can manage licensing, user access, governance policies and the pace of deployment	Determine which employees need Copilot and how usage, permissions and deployment will be managed
Cybersecurity controls	A productivity tool, not a replacement for cybersecurity practices	Maintain identity management, permission reviews, compliance policies and ongoing governance

Frequently asked questions

Can Microsoft 365 Copilot expose confidential company information?

Copilot respects existing Microsoft 365 permissions, so it does not give users new access to restricted content. However, information that was already shared too broadly may still be accessible. Reviewing permissions before deployment is essential.

Does Microsoft use Microsoft 365 Copilot business data to train public AI models?

No. According to Microsoft's data privacy documentation, prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train foundation large language models.

Can a business control who uses Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Yes. Organizations can manage licensing, user access, governance policies, and the pace of deployment according to their business and security requirements.

Does Microsoft 365 Copilot replace cybersecurity protections?

No. Copilot is a productivity tool, not a replacement for cybersecurity practices. Identity management, permission reviews, compliance policies, and ongoing governance remain necessary.

How can OmniVue help businesses deploy Copilot securely?

OmniVue helps organizations assess data security, governance, licensing, implementation requirements, and employee readiness so they can determine where and how to introduce Copilot.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot safe to use with company data?

Yes. Microsoft 365 Copilot works with the security and identity controls already established across Microsoft 365, and Microsoft states that Copilot is covered by its existing privacy, security and compliance commitments to Microsoft 365 commercial customers. Secure by design does not mean secure regardless of configuration, however. Existing permissions and governance practices determine how effectively Copilot protects information, so organizational readiness matters before deployment.

How does Copilot decide what data a user can access?

Microsoft documents that Microsoft 365 Copilot only surfaces organizational data to which the individual user already has at least view permissions, using the same access controls as other Microsoft 365 services. An employee who lacks access to a confidential document, email or Teams conversation does not gain that access by asking Copilot. Someone who already holds overly broad access, though, can still retrieve that shared content through Copilot.

What is the biggest security risk of using Microsoft Copilot?

A major risk is existing oversharing within Microsoft 365, not a new permission weakness introduced by Copilot. As files, Teams channels and SharePoint sites accumulate, permissions may no longer reflect current responsibilities. Warning signs include files shared more broadly than intended, permissions never updated after role changes, and SharePoint sites without consistent oversight. Copilot does not create those gaps, but makes already accessible information easier to discover.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot safer than ChatGPT or other public AI tools?

Microsoft 365 Copilot can be adopted as an approved, governed workplace tool, so employees draft, summarize and analyze in familiar applications instead of copying company documents into an unapproved consumer AI service. Employees may already use ChatGPT, Claude or similar services without guidance, a practice known as Shadow AI. Offering Copilot creates clearer policies and oversight, but does not automatically eliminate unauthorized AI use.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot GDPR compliant?

Microsoft states that Microsoft 365 Copilot is covered by its existing privacy, security and compliance commitments to Microsoft 365 commercial customers, including GDPR and the EU Data Boundary. Organizations should still confirm that their own information-handling practices, security policies and compliance obligations support the intended use of Copilot, since regulatory requirements and internal policies remain the organization's responsibility rather than something Copilot settles on its own.

How do I stop Copilot surfacing sensitive files to the wrong people?

Review data access before rollout. OmniVue advises checking shared files, Teams content, SharePoint sites and existing user permissions, with particular attention to confidential information and material that should have restricted access. Correct permissions never updated after role changes, SharePoint sites without consistent oversight, and files shared more broadly than intended. Organizations need to know whether existing information boundaries reflect who should see sensitive business content.

What should be in a Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment plan?

A responsible rollout starts with a readiness assessment rather than a company-wide license purchase. The plan should cover reviewing data access, evaluating governance and compliance requirements, deciding which employees need licenses and how usage will be managed, selecting practical starting scenarios such as meeting summaries or document preparation, and preparing employees through training while measuring whether the chosen workflows save time or improve collaboration.

Which Microsoft 365 apps does Copilot work in?

Microsoft 365 Copilot supports work in Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, using authorized content from services such as SharePoint and OneDrive. Within those applications employees can draft, summarize and analyze information, and Copilot uses organizational context to generate content, summarize conversations and find relevant material without requiring employees to move their work into a separate, unmanaged AI service.

Take the Next Step Toward Secure Copilot Adoption

Microsoft 365 Copilot offers a way to bring AI into familiar business workflows with enterprise security controls, but the right deployment plan depends on your data, permissions, people, and goals.

Ready to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Before committing to a broad rollout, contact OmniVue to discuss a Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Assessment and plan an adoption strategy that supports measurable business value.

Readiness Assessment

By OmniVue | www.omnivue.net

The post Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Secure? What Businesses Should Know Before Deployment appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Bill of Materials and Routings in Business Central: A Practical Guide

iCepts Technology Group, Inc. — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 19:37:50 +0000

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Your bill of materials tells Business Central what you build. Your routing tells it how. Get both right and costing, purchasing and scheduling start working for you. Get either wrong and every production order inherits the mistake.

Why BOMs and routings matter most

Every other manufacturing function in Business Central reads from these two records. MRP uses the BOM to calculate what to buy. Production orders copy the BOM and routing to tell the floor what to do. Costing multiplies BOM quantities by item costs and routing times by work center rates. Capacity planning loads your work centers based on routing times.
If your BOM says six bolts and the floor uses eight, purchasing runs short and your margin report lies. If your routing says six minutes and the real run time is eleven, your schedule looks fine on paper and fails on the floor.
The return on investment we covered in How Discrete Manufacturers Achieve 209% ROI with Business Central starts with data this accurate. Clean structures give you the inventory accuracy, cost visibility and reliable schedules that the numbers depend on.

Production BOM or assembly BOM: which do you need?

Business Central offers two kinds of BOM. They look similar but serve different jobs.

Production BOM compared with assembly BOM
Question	Production BOM	Assembly BOM
Typical use	Items you make on a production order	Items you assemble from stock components, often to order
Routing and capacity	Uses routings, work centers and machine centers	No routing. Uses assembly orders and a simple lead time
What goes on the lines	Items and other production BOMs	Items and resources
Where you run it	Production orders	Assembly orders

Most discrete manufacturers need production BOMs. Use assembly BOMs when you build finished goods from stock components with little or no shop routing, such as kits or configure-to-order products.

How a production BOM works

A production BOM has a header and lines. The header carries the number, description, unit of measure and status. Each line is either an item or another production BOM. That second option is how you build multi-level structures.
Watch these line fields closely:

Quantity per. How much of the component you use for one unit of the parent.
Scrap percent. The expected loss at that line. MRP and costing include it, so your purchasing covers the real need.
Routing link code. Ties the component to a routing operation so it consumes at the right step.
Starting and ending dates. Control when a line is active.

Status controls what you can use

Every BOM carries a status of New, Under Development, Certified or Closed. Only certified BOMs work on production orders. That rule protects you from running work against a structure engineering has not approved.

Versions protect your history

When a design changes, create a new version instead of editing the live BOM. Each version carries its own lines, status and starting date. Business Central picks the version that applies on the order date, so you can schedule a design change without rewriting history.
Before you change or retire a component, run the Where-Used function. It shows every parent BOM that uses the item.

HP-200 Hydraulic Pump Assembly

HP-200Hydraulic pump assemblyFinished item1 each
- HP-210Pump housingNested production BOM1 each
  - RM-1010Aluminum casting1 each
  - HW-2040Mounting bolt2% scrap6 each
- HP-220Rotor kitNested production BOM1 each
  - RM-1180Steel shaft1 each
  - HW-2210Bearing2 each
- HW-3005Seal kit1 each

An illustrative multi-level BOM. The two nested production BOMs hold their own components and roll up into the finished pump.

How a routing works

A routing is the ordered list of operations needed to make an item. Each operation points to a work center or machine center and carries four times: setup, run, wait and move. Business Central uses those times to schedule the order, load capacity and calculate cost.

Work center. A group of capacity such as an assembly cell or paint line. It holds a calendar, capacity, unit cost and overhead rate.
Machine center. A specific machine inside a work center, with its own efficiency and rate.
Serial or parallel routing. Serial routings run operations in order. Parallel routings let operations run side by side.
Routing link code. Matches BOM components to operations so material consumes at the right step.
Status and versions. Routings use the same New, Under Development, Certified and Closed statuses as BOMs. They support versions too.

Routing for HP-200 Hydraulic Pump Assembly
Operation	Description	Work center	Setup (min)	Run (min per unit)	Components consumed
10	Assemble housing	ASM-01	15	6	RM-1010, HW-2040, HW-3005
20	Install rotor kit	ASM-02	10	8	RM-1180, HW-2210
30	Pressure test	TST-01	20	5	None
40	Pack and label	PCK-01	5	2	None

An illustrative routing. Routing link codes tie each component in the BOM to the operation that consumes it.

How BOMs and routings connect on the item card

A BOM and a routing do nothing until you attach them to an item. On the item card, set Replenishment System to Prod. Order. Then choose the Production BOM No. and the Routing No.
Check three more settings while you are there:

Manufacturing Policy. Make-to-Stock builds to forecast and reorder points. Make-to-Order builds against demand.
Flushing Method on component items. Choose Manual, Forward, Backward, Pick plus Forward or Pick plus Backward to control when consumption posts.
Costing Method. Standard, FIFO or Average. This decides how BOM and routing data turn into inventory value.

Set up BOMs and routings in seven steps

Order matters. Follow this sequence and you avoid the rework that slows most manufacturing go-lives.

Build your capacity first. Create work centers and machine centers. Assign calendars and set capacity, efficiency and rates. A routing cannot exist without them.
Create the routing. Add operations in sequence with setup and run times. Use times from observed production, not engineering estimates.
Build production BOMs from the bottom up. Start with the lowest-level subassembly. Nest it inside its parent through a production BOM line.
Add routing link codes. Match each component to the operation that consumes it.
Certify. Set the status to Certified on every routing and BOM you plan to use.
Attach to item cards and roll up cost. Set the replenishment system, BOM number and routing number. If you use standard costing, run the standard cost roll-up so the item picks up cost from both records.
Test before you trust. Create a simulated production order and refresh it. Review the components, operations and calculated cost. Then compare the result against a real job from your floor.

How BOMs and routings drive product cost

Business Central builds the cost of a manufactured item from two sources.

Material cost comes from the BOM. It multiplies each component quantity by its unit cost and includes scrap.
Capacity cost comes from the routing. It multiplies setup and run time by the work center or machine center rate and adds overhead.

Add the indirect cost percentage and you get the rolled-up cost of the item. With standard costing, wrong quantities or times show up as variances. With average or FIFO costing, they distort your unit costs and margins. Either way, you see the problem in your reports long after the root cause sits in a setup record.

Six mistakes that wreck costing and scheduling

Editing live BOMs instead of using versions. You rewrite history for every future order. Use versions with starting dates.
Entering engineering time instead of real time. Standard times from a design sheet rarely match the floor. Time a few real runs and use those numbers.
Ignoring scrap. Zero scrap looks clean and guarantees shortages. Add realistic scrap percentages to lines and operations.
Skipping routing link codes. Components consume at the wrong operation or on the wrong date. Your inventory and work in process drift from reality.
Building top down. Start at the lowest level so every nested BOM is certified and ready before its parent.
Letting engineering and ERP BOMs drift apart. If a CAD or PLM system holds a separate BOM, decide who owns it and how changes reach Business Central.

Where add-ons fit

Standard Business Central handles BOMs, routings, costing and MRP. Many manufacturers add tools for what happens next, such as shop floor data collection, graphical scheduling and finite capacity views. Partners such as Insight Works build add-ons for these needs.
For more on planning and scheduling, read our posts on MRP in Microsoft Business Central and the Graphical Scheduler for Business Central.

Frequently asked questions

What is a bill of materials in Business Central?

Fill Vendor Records Fast with Business Central Copilot

CAL Business Solutions, Inc. — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 18:46:24 +0000

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Key Takeaways
Here is what Business Central users need to know about Copilot autofill before enabling it:

Business Central Copilot autofill searches the web via Bing to suggest contact field values for new vendor and customer records, including address, phone, email, and website
Every suggestion includes a source citation with a direct link so your team can verify before accepting; no black-box output
Administrators enable the feature once on the Copilot and agent capabilities page by toggling on Bing search; no per-user configuration is required after that
Microsoft does not use Business Central customer data to train its AI models; data handling details are documented in the Copilot data security and privacy FAQ for Dynamics 365

Setting up a new vendor record is one of those tasks that looks simple on paper and wastes serious time in practice. The information exists somewhere on the internet. Your team knows that. So, they open a browser, track it down field by field, and key it into Business Central one piece at a time. Then they do it again for the next vendor. And the next.
The problem is not that your team is slow. It is that gathering contact data from external sources and typing it into a database is pure transcription work. It adds no judgment, no expertise, and no value beyond the record itself. And every minute spent on transcription is a minute not spent on something that actually requires a person.
Business Central Copilot autofill exists to handle that transcription work automatically. When your team starts a new vendor or customer card, Copilot searches the web and returns suggested values for the contact fields. Your team reviews, verifies, and confirms. The record gets built in a fraction of the time, with a lower error rate than manual entry produces.

Why Does Manual Vendor Data Entry Create Problems Beyond Wasted Time?

Manually typed data has an error rate. A digit transposed in a zip code, a phone number misread from a website, an email address with a period in the wrong place. None of these fail at the moment of entry. They fail later, when a payment goes to the wrong address or an EDI transmission is rejected at validation. By the time the error surfaces, tracing it back to the original entry compounds the original cost.
The time cost compounds too. One purchasing team CAL worked with was spending ten to fifteen minutes per new vendor record before enabling Copilot autofill. After turning the feature on, that dropped to roughly two minutes. When Copilot pulls contact data from a verified web source and shows your team where it came from, the verification step replaces the transcription step entirely.

How Does Business Central Copilot Autofill Actually Work?

The mechanic is straightforward. On a new vendor or customer card in Business Central, type the company name and optionally indicate the state. Then activate autofill using the sparkle icon or the keyboard shortcut Alt+I. Copilot searches the web via Bing and returns suggested values for the contact field group within seconds.
What comes back is not a populated form. It is a set of suggestions; each displayed with a tooltip identifying the exact source and a direct link to the page where the data was found. Your team reviews each suggestion against its source before accepting it. When everything looks right, a single "keep all" action populates the fields, and Business Central validates each value for data integrity before saving.
For high-volume users, Alt+I triggers autofill, Alt+Up toggles source tooltips, and Tab moves between suggested values. A team member who has used the feature for a few weeks can move from a blank vendor card to a complete contact record in under two minutes without switching applications.

How Do You Enable Business Central Copilot Autofill for Your Organization?

Enabling the feature is a one-time administrator task. In Business Central, navigate to the Copilot and agent capabilities page and enable the Bing search toggle. Once on, the feature is immediately available to every user in the environment with no per-user setup or role assignment required. For organizations that need tighter access control, work with your implementation partner to understand the available configuration options.

What Should Finance and Procurement Teams Know Before Enabling Copilot Autofill?

On accuracy: every suggestion is traceable to a specific web page, which replaces the transcription step with a verification step. The oversight level is not meaningfully different from spot-checking manual entry. It is just faster.
On data privacy: Microsoft does not use Business Central customer data to train its AI models. Suggestions are generated from Bing web search results, not your organizational data. The

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Central Copilot Autofill

Does Business Central Copilot autofill work for customer records as well as vendor records?
Yes. The web search autofill works for both vendor and customer cards. Any record type where contact information is sourced from publicly available data is a candidate for autofill assistance.
Can autofill be restricted to specific users or departments in Business Central?
The Bing search toggle on the Copilot and agent capabilities page is an environment-level setting. Once enabled, it applies to all users in that Business Central environment. If your organization needs more granular control, work with your implementation partner to understand the configuration options for your specific deployment.
Does Business Central Copilot autofill work in on-premises deployments?
Copilot features in Business Central are built for cloud-hosted SaaS environments. On-premises and private cloud deployments may have limited or no access depending on how the environment is configured. If you are on a non-SaaS deployment, your implementation partner is the right starting point.

How CAL Business Solutions Helps You Roll Out Business Central Copilot

If you are running Business Central and want to understand which Copilot features make the most practical difference for your team, CAL Business Solutions can help you evaluate what is worth turning on and how to roll it out effectively. Contact CAL to talk through your current setup.

CAL Business Solutions is an Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation partner serving distribution, manufacturing, brick & block, and professional services businesses across the United States. Our team helps organizations implement, optimize, and get full value from Business Central's evolving Copilot capabilities.

The post Fill Vendor Records Fast with Business Central Copilot appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Multi-Country Master Data in Business Central: Tax IDs, Currencies, and Chart of Accounts

Soluciones LLB — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:00:30 +0000

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Most multi-country projects do not fail because of the software. They struggle because of the data. Multi-country master data, such as customer tax IDs, currencies, and the chart of accounts, decides how smoothly invoices, reports, and consolidations run. This guide shows consultants what to define early in a Latin American Business Central project.
Key takeaway: Clean master data before testing saves more time than any other single task in a multi-country project.

Why Multi-Country Master Data Needs Its Own Plan

In a single-country project, the team knows the formats. In a regional project, every country brings its own tax IDs, currencies, and accounting habits. If the team loads data without checking it, errors appear late, often when the tax authority rejects a document.
Therefore, treat master data as a workstream with an owner and a deadline.

Tax IDs: Different Names, Different Rules

Every country uses its own tax identification number. The names and formats vary.

Country	Common name of the tax ID	Where it appears
Mexico	RFC	Customers, vendors, company
Colombia	NIT	Customers, vendors, company
Peru	RUC	Customers, vendors, company
Argentina	CUIT	Customers, vendors, company
Chile	RUT	Customers, vendors, company
Honduras	RTN	Customers, vendors, company
Dominican Republic	RNC	Customers, vendors, company
Venezuela	RIF	Customers, vendors, company

This list is only a sample. Formats and validation rules differ, so confirm them with the tax authority and with the localization you use. In addition, a wrong tax ID on a customer record is one of the most common reasons for rejected invoices.

Tips for Tax ID Data

Store the ID exactly as the authority expects it.
Decide how to handle customers that have more than one registration.
Validate the data before you load it, not after.

Currencies and Exchange Rates

Each entity usually transacts in its local currency. Corporate finance often reports in another currency. Business Central supports several currencies, but the team must decide a few rules first:

Which currency is the local currency of each company?
Which currency does the group use for reporting?
Where do exchange rates come from, and who updates them?
How often are open items revalued?

Moreover, agree early on how the entity handles foreign-currency invoices, because local rules may affect them.

Chart of Accounts

There are two common approaches. Some groups use one chart for all entities. Others keep a local chart in each country and map it to a group chart. The next table compares them.

Approach	Advantage	Challenge
One chart for all entities	Simple consolidation	May not match local statutory needs
Local chart plus mapping	Fits local reporting	Needs careful mapping and maintenance

Many Latin American countries require local statutory books. As a result, the local chart often must meet local rules, even when the group wants a common structure. Dimensions in Business Central can help you add a group view without changing the local accounts. See the Business Central documentation for features such as companies, currencies, and dimensions.

Customers, Vendors, and Items

Clean data in these three lists prevents many issues:

Remove duplicates before migration.
Standardize names and addresses.
Check payment terms and tax groups for each country.
Confirm that each item has the right tax treatment.

Common Data Problems

Watch for these issues in every country:

Tax IDs with spaces, dashes, or missing digits.
Customers loaded twice under slightly different names.
Foreign-currency customers without a clear currency code.
Items with no tax treatment.
Old accounts that no longer match local reporting.

Therefore, run a simple data review for each country before the first test. A short list of errors at that stage is much cheaper than a long list after go-live.

Intercompany and Consolidation

If entities trade with each other, define the intercompany partners and the accounts they use. Then decide how consolidation will work at the group level. Plan these items in the design phase, as our multi-country rollout plan explains.

A Master Data Checklist

Item	Owner	Deadline
Tax ID list per entity	Local finance	Before design sign-off
Currency and rate policy	Corporate finance	Design phase
Chart of accounts and mapping	Finance and partner	Design phase
Customer and vendor cleanup	Business units	Before first test
Intercompany setup	Corporate finance	Before pilot

How LLB Solutions Fits

LLB Solutions provides AppSource-certified fiscal localizations for 17 Latin American countries. Each country runs in its own company, with its own fiscal rules, inside one environment. We work through partners and support the fiscal layer. Learn more at LLB Solutions and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

Final Thoughts

Good master data does not look exciting, but it keeps the project on schedule. Define tax IDs, currencies, and the chart of accounts early, assign owners, and validate before you test.
Need help planning a multi-country project? Request a demo and we will review your scope.

The post Multi-Country Master Data in Business Central: Tax IDs, Currencies, and Chart of Accounts appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Inventory Management for Small Business: Beginner’s Guide

Andrew Scotts — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 16:27:31 +0000

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You do not need a large warehouse to have inventory problems. A small shop can run out of its best-selling item. A maker can discover that a key material is missing. An online seller can sell the same last item twice because two sales channels did not update together.
A simple system can help you avoid these surprises.
Inventory Management for Small Business means keeping track of the products and materials you buy, store, make, and sell. It helps you answer everyday questions: What do I have? Where is it? What should I order next? Which products are taking up space without selling?
You can start with a spreadsheet or a basic stock list. The important part is to keep it up to date. This guide explains how to build a practical system, step by step.

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Get Free Trial and Demo of GOIS

What is inventory management?

Inventory is the stock your business holds to sell or use to make products. It can include products ready for customers, materials used in production, and goods you buy to resell. For example:

A gift shop tracks cards, mugs, and candles.
A baker tracks ingredients and packaged items.
A furniture maker tracks wood, hardware, and finished pieces.
A bicycle shop tracks bikes, spare parts, and accessories.

The exact items you track depend on your business. The IRS lists merchandise, raw materials, work in progress, and finished products as inventory categories for businesses that need to account for inventory. Tax and accounting rules vary by country, so check the rules that apply where your business operates. IRS guidance on inventory
Inventory management is the process of recording what comes in, what goes out, and what remains. It also includes deciding when to reorder, checking physical stock, and reviewing items that are not selling.

Why does inventory management matter?

Your stock is part of your business’s money. If you buy too much, that money sits on a shelf instead of being available for other needs. If you buy too little, you may not be able to fill an order or serve a customer.
A clear inventory record can help you:

See what is available before promising it to a customer.
Notice when popular products are running low.
Avoid reordering items that are already overstocked.
Find products that are damaged, missing, or slow to sell.
Plan purchases with more confidence.
Keep stock organized across shelves, storage rooms, or locations.

Inventory software cannot make every decision for you. Sales can change, suppliers can run late, and products can become less popular. But accurate records give you a better starting point than guesswork.

How to start managing inventory

You do not need to change your whole business at once. Start with the items you sell most often or the products that cause the biggest problems when they are unavailable.

1. Make a list of the items you need to track

Create one main list of your products and materials. For each item, include details that will help you identify it and plan when to reorder:

Product name and description
A unique code, such as a SKU
The unit you count, such as each, box, or case
The quantity on hand
The supplier
The usual delivery time
The storage location
The purchase cost
A reorder point, once you have set one

A SKU is a code you use to identify a product. If you sell a shirt in three sizes, you may want a separate SKU for each size so you can see which one is actually in stock.
Use clear product names and codes. “Blue mug, large” is easier to understand than “Item 17.” Keep units consistent, too. If you buy a case of 12 but sell each unit separately, record how the case converts into individual items.

2. Choose one place to record stock

A spreadsheet, a notebook, a point-of-sale system, or inventory software can all be used to track stock. Choose one main record and make sure everyone who handles inventory knows how to use it.
A spreadsheet may suit a business with a small number of products and a simple sales process. It is easy to set up, but people need to update it every time stock changes. Multiple versions or missed updates can quickly make the numbers unreliable.
A dedicated system may be useful when you have many products, several people handling stock, or more than one sales channel or location. A manual system can still work for a small range of stock. The best choice depends on what your business needs to track. Business Queensland’s stock control guide
Whatever tool you choose, avoid splitting important information across disconnected lists. If the shop has one count and the online store has another, it can be difficult to know which number to trust.

3. Record every stock change

Your stock changes whenever you receive, sell, use, move, return, damage, or discard an item. If a change is not recorded, your inventory list can become inaccurate.
Use a simple routine:
When a delivery arrives: Compare the items and quantities with the purchase order or delivery paperwork. Check for damage or missing goods. Record what you received before putting it away.
When you make a sale: Record the sale so the available quantity goes down. If you sell in person and online, make sure each sale reaches the same stock record.
When you use materials: If you make products, record the materials used and the finished goods you add to stock. This helps you understand what is available to sell and what you need to buy again.
When stock moves: Record the move from one place to another, even if the total quantity stays the same. A record that says “12 in stock” is less useful if nobody knows where to find them.
When items are returned or damaged: Record the item’s condition and update the quantity of stock that is actually available to sell. Add a short note about what happened.

4. Set a reorder point

A reorder point is the stock level that tells you it may be time to buy more. It gives you a prompt to review an order before the product runs out.
A common starting formula is:
Reorder point = average daily sales × supplier lead time in days + safety stock
Supplier lead time is how long it usually takes to receive an order after you place it. Safety stock is extra stock kept as a buffer in case sales rise or a delivery takes longer than expected. This formula is also used in Square’s small-business inventory guide. Square’s guide to inventory management
Example: You sell an average of 4 units a day. Your supplier usually takes 7 days to deliver. You decide to keep 8 extra units as a buffer.

4 units × 7 days = 28 units needed while you wait for delivery.
28 + 8 buffer units = a reorder point of 36 units.

When stock gets close to 36 units, review whether you should place an order. The number is a useful starting estimate, not an instruction to buy without checking. Consider any open purchase orders, upcoming promotions, seasonal changes, supplier delays, and available cash.
The reorder point tells you when to consider ordering. It does not tell you how much to order. For the order quantity, consider how quickly you sell the item, the supplier’s minimum order, storage space, product shelf life, and your budget.

5. Count the physical stock

Your records may say you have 20 units, while the shelf has 18. That can happen because of missed updates, damage, mistakes, or misplaced items. Physical counts help you find differences.
You can count everything at once in a stocktake, or count smaller groups of products on a repeating schedule. The second method is often called cycle counting. For example, you might count a few high-selling products every week, then count other products on a different schedule. Shopify’s inventory management guide
A basic count routine looks like this:

Choose the products or storage area to count.
Pause stock movement there while you count, if you can.
Count the items and compare the result with your records.
Recount if the difference is unexpected.
Look for a likely reason, such as a missed sale or damaged item.
Update the record and note why you changed it.

Count high-value or fast-selling items more often if that makes sense for your business. A stocktake can also help you find expired, broken, or unsellable products. Australian Government guidance on managing inventory

6. Organize stock so it is easy to find

Give shelves, bins, and storage areas clear labels. Keep similar products together, but make different sizes, colors, or product versions easy to tell apart.
If you store products in more than one location, record the location for each item. This matters even if the total quantity is correct. Knowing there are 10 items somewhere is less helpful than knowing 6 are in the shop and 4 are in the storeroom.
If you sell products with use-by dates, keep dates visible and follow the storage and handling rules for those goods. When appropriate, use older-dated products first to reduce waste.

7. Review products that are not selling

Some products sell every day. Others may sit on the shelf for weeks or months. Set a regular time to review items that have not sold recently.
For each slow-moving product, ask:

Is it seasonal, or has demand dropped?
Is the item hard to find or understand?
Could you bundle it with a popular product?
Should you discount it or return it to the supplier?
Should you stop ordering it for now?

There is no single right answer for every item. A winter product may not sell in summer but may still be useful next season. The goal is to make a decision based on what you know, instead of reordering automatically.

8. Review your suppliers and delivery times

Your reorder plan depends partly on how quickly and reliably suppliers deliver. Record the date you place an order and the date it arrives. Over time, this can show whether the usual delivery estimate is realistic.
If one supplier often delivers late, you may need to order earlier or keep a larger buffer for the affected products. If deliveries are reliable and demand is steady, you may be able to keep less extra stock. Review these decisions occasionally because supplier performance and sales patterns can change.

Useful inventory numbers to watch

You can learn a lot from a few simple records:

Stock on hand: The quantity your system says you have.
Sales by item: How many units you sold over a chosen period.
Supplier lead time: How long deliveries take.
Slow-moving items: Products with little or no sales in a chosen period.
Inventory turnover: How often stock is sold and replaced over a period.

A common inventory turnover calculation is:
Inventory turnover = cost of goods sold ÷ average inventory value
Use figures from the same time period. Turnover can vary widely between types of businesses, so one number is not automatically good or bad. Compare your own results over time, and ask your accountant for help if you use these figures for financial reporting.

Common inventory mistakes to avoid

Keeping several stock lists. Different spreadsheets can show different quantities. Choose one main record and keep it current.
Waiting until stock reaches zero. Suppliers need time to deliver. Set reorder points for important products and review them as sales change.
Guessing how much to order. Check recent sales, supplier lead times, and stock already on order before buying more.
Forgetting returns and damaged goods. A returned item may not be ready to sell again. Record its condition and availability.
Counting only after a problem. Regular counts can uncover errors sooner and help you understand where they come from.
Buying extra just to get a discount. A lower price per unit may not be worth it if the product takes up space or ties up cash for a long time.
Using the same process for every product. Fast-selling, high-value, seasonal, and perishable items may need different review routines.

A simple four-week plan

You can build a better stock routine in small steps.
Week 1: List key items. Start with products that sell often or cause problems when they run out. Record a clear name, code, quantity, and location for each.
Week 2: Track stock changes. Choose one place to record deliveries, sales, movements, returns, and damage. Show staff how to update it.
Week 3: Set reorder points. Estimate average sales and supplier lead time for your key products. Add a reasonable buffer where delays or demand changes are a concern.
Week 4: Count and review. Count a group of products, check for differences, and review items that have not sold. Adjust your process based on what you learn.
After the first month, keep the routines that are working. A simple system that people use is more helpful than a complicated system that is often out of date.

Final thoughts

Inventory management does not have to be complicated. Start with a clear stock list, record every change, count products regularly, and use sales and delivery information to guide reorders. As your business grows, you can add tools and routines to handle more products, people, and locations.
If you have outgrown spreadsheets and need to coordinate stock and orders across locations, GOIS may be worth exploring. GOIS describes its platform as cloud-based inventory and order management for growing businesses, with stock visibility across locations and tools for sales, purchases, transfers, and returns. Its website lists integrations including QuickBooks and Shopify. Explore GOIS and check whether its current features fit your business.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is inventory management for small business?

It is the process of tracking products and materials as they come into your business, move between locations, get used, or are sold. It helps you understand what is available and when you may need to reorder.

2. How can I track inventory when I am just starting?

Make a simple product list in a spreadsheet or inventory tool. Record each item’s name, code, quantity, and location. Update the list when stock arrives, sells, moves, or is damaged.

3. Can I manage inventory with a spreadsheet?

Yes. A spreadsheet can work for a small product range and a simple sales process, as long as it is kept up to date. It can become harder to manage when several people or sales channels need to change stock records.

4. What is a reorder point?

It is the stock level that tells you it may be time to place an order. A basic estimate is average daily sales multiplied by supplier lead time, plus safety stock.

5. How much safety stock should I keep?

There is no one amount that fits every business. Consider how much demand changes, how reliable your supplier is, and how costly it would be to run out. Review the buffer as you learn more about your sales and deliveries.

6. How often should I count inventory?

Choose a schedule you can follow. You may count all products periodically or count smaller groups regularly. Fast-selling or high-value items may need more frequent checks.

7. What should I do with inventory that is not selling?

Check whether the item is seasonal or temporarily slow. You could try a discount, bundle it with another product, return it if your supplier allows that, or stop reordering it.

8. What is the difference between inventory and supplies?

Inventory is generally stock held for sale or materials used to make items for sale. Supplies are usually items the business uses to operate. Accounting rules can vary, so ask an accountant about how to record them in your location.

9. When should I move from a spreadsheet to inventory software?

Consider software when manual updates take too much time, records often disagree with physical counts, or you need to manage multiple people, locations, or sales channels.

10. Could GOIS help my small business manage inventory?

GOIS may be a fit if your business needs to manage stock and orders across locations or sales channels. Its website describes cloud inventory tools for stock visibility, order management, and integrations such as QuickBooks and Shopify. Review GOIS’s current features to see whether they match your needs.

Other Related Blogs:

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Community Summit Expo Vendors Turn Unused Booth Items Into Donations for People in Need

Anya Ciecierski — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:19:57 +0000

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She saw perfectly good items used to create expo booths being thrown in the trash after tradeshow events. Furniture, monitors, decorations and other items that had been used for just a few days were simply left behind. She knew those items could be put to good use by people who really needed them.
So Yvette Carter, COO of DAXDude365, decided to do something about it.
Before Community Summit North America in Nashville, she put the wheels in motion for the (newly named by me) DAXDude365 Donation Initiative and worked with Dynamic Communities to give expo vendors an easy way to donate items they didn't want to take home.
About 15 vendors participated, donating so much that they overflowed a 20-by-20-foot collection area. The donations went to Nashville Rescue Mission, whose team said they were "blown away" by how much they received.
This happened with only about 15 vendors participating out of more than 300 at the event. Just think about how much this could scale!
Yvette told me how the idea got started.

Why So Much Gets Left Behind After an Expo

If you have ever exhibited at a large conference, you know how this happens. Renting monitors, furniture, shelving and decorations at a convention venue can be extremely expensive, so often it makes more sense to run to the local Walmart or Home Depot and buy them.
But when the conference ends, shipping those items home may cost more than they're worth. Add in leftover water bottles, notebooks, T-shirts and other promotional items branded for the event, and a lot of perfectly usable things get left behind.
Yvette had seen it happen for years and decided to see if she could change it.

Dynamic Communities Said Yes

Yvette needed the support of Dynamic Communities and the people already managing the many logistics involved with Community Summit.
They were willing to help.
Dynamic Communities worked with Yvette and the venue to designate a 20-by-20-foot donation area, coordinate with the freight team, provide signage and arrange a pickup window. Yvette was also able to introduce the initiative to exhibitors during a "Know Before You Go" call.
Giuseppe Ianni, VP, Community Director at Dynamic Communities, said:
"Dynamic Communities was thrilled to work with Yvette and Justin Carter and the DAX Dude organization on this initiative. At the end of every event, a great deal of booth technology, furniture and materials gets left behind, and too often those items end up in the trash. Yvette saw an opportunity to change that and made sure those leftover items went to a worthy local cause and into the hands of people who truly need them."
He added:
"She brought our partners and sponsors together around a shared purpose and showed what our community can accomplish when we work together. We're grateful to Yvette, Justin and the entire DAX Dude team, and we look forward to building on this effort at future events."
I give Dynamic Communities a lot of credit for taking this on. An event the size of Community Summit already has a huge number of moving pieces. They were willing to add another one to make Yvette's idea work.

From Expo Booths to Nashville Rescue Mission

The donations included monitors, TVs, cabinets, shelving, chairs, a couch, water bottles, notebooks, T-shirts, socks, stuffed animals, decorative plants and other booth materials.
One of the participating companies was Syvantis, which had created a 1950s diner-themed booth for Community Summit. The Syvantis team explained:
"We put together one-of-a-kind custom booths every year, so all the furniture and decor we purchase is always specific to the theme—and that means it never makes it back home with us at the end of the show. It's important to us to extend the lifecycle of all the furniture we purchase and donating it to a local organization helps it find that new home. We're so grateful to Yvette and the Summit team for coordinating a show-wide donation effort, and we like knowing that there's somebody out there rocking authentic diner booths in their home now!"

Yvette arranged for Nashville Rescue Mission to receive the donations and pick everything up during the conference teardown window. When their team arrived, Yvette said their reaction was:
"We're blown away. This is more than we expected."
I love knowing that furniture purchased for a three-day expo booth is now being used by someone instead of sitting in a dumpster.

"People Need It"

There is an environmental benefit to keeping usable items out of a landfill, but that's not Yvette's main motivation.
"Getting stuff out there that's still usable, obviously it's better for the planet, but, I mean, people need it," she said.
This isn't the only way Yvette gives her time. She volunteers with her local PTA and is involved with A Precious Child, a Colorado nonprofit that helps children and families in need. I got to know Yvette better when Kate Coffey Bacon interviewed her on the Coffey Talks podcast about her commitment to service in the podcast episode "Linking Arms: Yvette Carter on Service, Community, and Finding Where You Fit."

How the Dynamics Community Can Help

Yvette wants to continue the Donation Initiative at future Dynamics events, including DynamicsCon and future Community Summit events. Now she needs more people to know about it and participate.

If your company is exhibiting, plan ahead to donate furniture, electronics, booth supplies and promotional items you won't be taking home.

If you're attending, volunteer to help receive and organize donations during teardown.

Suggest local nonprofits in future host cities that could receive and pick up the donations. (Note: they must be willing to pick up, that is key)

Spread the word so other exhibitors know the program exists.

If you want to participate, volunteer or recommend a nonprofit in a future host city, reach out to Yvette Carter on LinkedIn.

This Idea Hit Close to Home for Me

When Yvette explained what she was doing, I immediately thought about my aunt and uncle.
They run the Orange County, California chapter of Not Just Tourists, an all-volunteer organization that collects surplus medical supplies donated by hospitals, and gets them to clinics in third world countries.
Volunteers pack the supplies into donated suitcases. Travelers who are already going to these countries take the suitcases with them and deliver them to clinics. It turns regular travelers into philanthropists.
It's a different type of donation, but the idea is similar. Useful items are available. People need them. Someone needs to connect the two.
That's what Yvette did at Community Summit.

Let’s See This Initiative Grow

About 15 vendors filled more than a 20-by-20-foot space. Just imagine what we can do once we get the word out to all the event sponsors.
Forward this to one event sponsor for DynamicsCon or Community Summit and let’s watch it grow.
If you want to participate, volunteer or recommend a nonprofit in a future host city, reach out to Yvette Carter on LinkedIn.

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The future of project portfolio management: four trends decision-makers should watch

proMX Group — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:14:47 +0000

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When choosing a solution, it is easy to focus on how individual projects are planned and managed. But what happens when several projects need the same resources, priorities change, or a delay affects work elsewhere in the portfolio? These are the questions that make project portfolio management worth a closer look.
Project complexity is already part of everyday work. PMI’s 2026 Pulse of the Profession report found that 97% of project professionals had managed at least one complex project in the previous year. For decision-makers, the challenge is finding tools that help teams understand what is happening and decide how to respond.
So, what should decision-makers look out for? Here are four trends shaping the future of project portfolio management.

More reliable planning and scheduling

A project schedule should do more than show a delivery date. It should help teams understand which activities drive that date, where there is room to adjust, and how a delay could affect the work that follows.
For decision-makers, this is about making realistic commitments and not simply adding more detail to a Gantt chart. Clearer visibility into dependencies and schedule-critical tasks gives teams a better starting point for discussing changes before they become delivery problems.
This is the thinking behind Critical Path Management in the roadmap for proMX 365 Project Portfolio Management, which extends Dynamics 365 Project Operations. The update focuses on critical-path calculations and visualizations, helping teams identify the activities that drive the schedule and understand how much flexibility remains.

A clearer view of resources across the portfolio

A project may look manageable on its own. But when several projects depend on the same people, the picture can change quickly. Portfolio managers need to see those commitments together to understand where capacity is available and where teams are overstretched.
As portfolios grow, that information also needs to remain easy to access. Resource planning tools should help teams review availability and utilization without spending hours bringing separate plans together.
The proMX's Resource Utilization Performance Optimization update addresses this need by focusing on responsiveness and scalability with larger planning datasets and resource pools. For organizations managing many projects, the aim is to make resource insights easier to access as the portfolio grows.

Making faster and better-informed decisions

Project and portfolio data is only useful if people can turn it into decisions. AI assistants offer a more direct way to work with that information: asking questions, exploring risks, and finding relevant insights without first working through several reports.
The aim is not to take judgment away from project managers or business leaders. It is to give them more time to focus on priorities and next steps, rather than collecting information.
proMX’s Project Companion and Portfolio Companion illustrate how AI can support this shift. They bring project intelligence and portfolio insights into daily work, helping users explore risks, resource needs, and the connections between initiatives.

Connecting strategy and execution across delivery models

Choosing the right projects is only part of portfolio management. Once work begins, teams also need to keep day-to-day delivery connected to the priorities behind those decisions.
This can be harder when planning and execution happen in separate tools, or when projects use different delivery approaches. The goal is to keep information consistent without forcing every team to plan and schedule work in the same way.
Three updates in the proMX 365 PPM roadmap address different parts of this challenge. The Microsoft Scheduling Synchronization Layer is intended to exchange information with Microsoft Planner in Project Operations. Custom Scheduler Integration focuses on configurable scheduling rules and calculations, while Project-Level Scheduler Selection is designed to let projects use different scheduling engines within the same environment.

Conclusion

The future of project portfolio management is not just about adding more features. It is about helping teams plan with greater confidence, understand resource commitments, and keep delivery connected to business goals.
For more information on how proMX 365 Project Portfolio Management can support your organization, explore the proMX 365 Project Portfolio Management product page to learn more about the solution.

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How Much Does a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner Charge in the UK?

Dynamics Square UK — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 11:06:14 +0000

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Choosing a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner is an important decision for businesses planning to implement, upgrade or customise their ERP and CRM systems. However, understanding how much a Dynamics 365 partner charges in the UK can be challenging because pricing varies between providers and project requirements.
Some businesses need basic implementation support, while others require complex ERP deployment, CRM customisation, data migration and third-party integrations.
So, what should UK businesses expect to pay for Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner services? This guide explores the main pricing factors, service costs and what to consider before choosing an implementation partner.

How Much Does a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner Charge in the UK?

There is no standard pricing structure for Microsoft Dynamics 365 partners. Charges depend on the services required, project complexity, consultant expertise and implementation timeline.
Most partners offer one or more of the following pricing models:

Fixed project pricing: A pre-agreed price for clearly defined implementation or migration projects.
Hourly consultancy rates: Charges based on the time spent on technical consultancy, configuration or troubleshooting.
Daily consultancy rates: Commonly used for implementation consultants, developers and technical specialists.
Monthly support contracts: Recurring charges for maintenance, technical assistance and ongoing system support.

Businesses should request a detailed quotation that separates consultancy, implementation, licensing, customisation and ongoing support costs.

What Services Do Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partners Charge For?

The total cost depends on the services included in your project.
1. Dynamics 365 Implementation
Implementation services include business requirement analysis, solution design, configuration, testing and deployment. Complex projects involving multiple departments generally require more consultancy time.
2. Dynamics 365 Customisation
Businesses may require additional workflows, dashboards, reports, automated processes and customised functionality to match their operations.
3. Data Migration
Moving information from legacy ERP or CRM systems requires data cleaning, mapping, validation and testing to ensure accuracy.
4. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration
Connecting Dynamics 365 with Power BI, Microsoft 365, payroll, eCommerce and third-party applications can involve additional development and integration costs.
5. Dynamics 365 Support and Maintenance
After implementation, businesses may require technical support, system upgrades, performance monitoring, troubleshooting and user assistance.

What Factors Affect Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner Charges?

Several factors influence how much a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner charges in the UK.

Project complexity: Larger deployments involving multiple business functions require more planning and technical resources.
Number of users: More users can increase configuration, licensing and training requirements.
Selected Dynamics 365 applications: Business Central, Finance, Sales and Customer Service have different implementation requirements.
Customisation: Additional development and complex workflows can increase consultancy costs.
Integration requirements: Connecting multiple business applications adds technical complexity.
Partner expertise: Experience, technical capabilities and industry knowledge can influence consultancy rates.

How to Choose the Right Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner in the UK

Choosing a partner based only on the lowest quotation can create problems later. Businesses should evaluate the provider's technical expertise and ability to deliver long-term value.
Before selecting a partner, consider:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation experience.
Relevant industry knowledge and customer references.
Expertise in ERP, CRM, migration and integration.
Transparent pricing and clearly defined project scope.
Availability of post-implementation support.
Ability to understand your business requirements.

Dynamics Square helps UK businesses with Microsoft Dynamics 365 consultation, implementation, customisation, migration, integration and ongoing support. Its team works with businesses to identify suitable solutions and develop implementation plans aligned with their operational requirements and budgets.

How Can Businesses Reduce Dynamics 365 Consultancy Costs?

Businesses can manage their implementation budgets more effectively by following these practices:

Define business requirements before approaching implementation partners.
Choose only the Dynamics 365 applications your organisation needs.
Avoid unnecessary customisation.
Prepare and clean existing data before migration.
Prioritise essential integrations.
Agree on project deliverables and pricing before implementation begins.

Working with an experienced partner from the planning stage can help reduce avoidable development work and implementation risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much does a Microsoft Dynamics 365 consultant charge in the UK?

Consultancy charges vary depending on the consultant's experience, technical specialisation, engagement model and project complexity. Request an hourly or daily rate alongside a detailed project estimate.

2. Do Microsoft Dynamics 365 partners charge separately for implementation and licensing?

Yes. Implementation consultancy and Microsoft software licensing are generally separate costs. Businesses should clarify both in their project quotation.

3. Can I hire a Dynamics 365 partner for ongoing support only?

Yes. Businesses can engage a Dynamics 365 partner for ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting, system optimisation, upgrades and technical support without undertaking a new implementation.

4. What should a Dynamics 365 implementation quotation include?

A quotation should cover project scope, consultancy, configuration, customisation, migration, integrations, testing, training, timelines and ongoing support requirements.

5. How can Dynamics Square UK help with Microsoft Dynamics 365 services?

Dynamics Square UK provides Microsoft Dynamics 365 consultation, implementation, migration, customisation, integration, training and support services. Businesses can discuss their requirements to receive a tailored project proposal.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner charges in the UK depend on project scope, consultancy requirements, technical complexity and the services included. Comparing providers on expertise, transparency and long-term support is more valuable than choosing the lowest quotation.
If you are planning a Dynamics 365 implementation, upgrade or migration, Contact Dynamics Square UK to discuss your business requirements and get a tailored consultation.

The post How Much Does a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner Charge in the UK? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why Inventory Counts Still Don’t Match in Business Central

Insight Works — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 21:45:12 +0000

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Listen to the Podcast

Count day still ties up half the warehouse. Someone freezes receiving, hands out count sheets, and staff walk the aisles with a clipboard, and by the time the totals get typed in, the sheet and the system already disagree. Then the real work starts by trying to figure out which one is wrong, one bin and one lot number at a time, while the rest of the building waits to get back to work.

Why Does Inventory Counting Break Down in Business Central?

Inventory accuracy erodes gradually, one uncorrected receipt or missed adjustment at a time, and most companies do not notice until a count exposes the gap. Without disciplined cycle counting, warehouse accuracy commonly sits at 75 to 80 percent. With it, that can climb past 99 percent, according to cycle counting research from Modern Materials Handling, but getting there depends on how the counting itself gets done.
Business Central gives you two native ways to count, and both have a ceiling. The physical inventory journal works for a small, simple location, but offers little structure for splitting work across a team. The physical inventory order adds more control and can distribute a count across several employees, but it was built around a single location working from a fixed set of matching fields, and it starts to strain the moment multiple locations, bins, and lot or serial tracking all enter the picture at once.

What Does Advanced Inventory Count Add to Business Central?

Advanced Inventory Count is an Insight Works app that adds the structure Business Central's native counting tools don't provide: comprehensive count sheet generation, multi-user data entry, reconciliation, posting, and analysis, layered onto the journal and order rather than replacing them. It runs on Business Central on its own, or alongside Warehouse Insight for barcode scanning.

How Does Advanced Inventory Count Work in Practice?

Count sheets adapt to how a company actually counts: by bin, shelf, item, or a custom filter, instead of forcing everyone into one fixed layout. Microsoft's own documentation on the physical inventory order shows why that flexibility matters: the order's lines have to match exactly on item, variant, location, and bin before a recording will transfer back correctly, which is a reasonable rule for one location and a real constraint once counting spans several. Count sheets work whichever way a location is set up: with or without locations at all, bins optional or mandatory, with or without Directed Put-away and Pick, and with or without lot or serial tracking layered on top. Several people can enter counts against the same batch of sheets at the same time.
When quantities do not match, Advanced Inventory Count does not just flag a variance and move on. Recount sheets can trigger automatically on a percentage, value, or quantity threshold, and they keep a full audit trail of the original count alongside every recount that followed it. Lot and serial discrepancies reconcile automatically instead of someone tracking each one down by hand, which matters most in work-in-process counting, where a partially consumed lot can otherwise take as long to sort out as the rest of the count combined. One Insight Works customer that had been reconciling serial numbers manually cut that part of the count from about four days to roughly half a day after moving to barcode-based counting with the app, a result specific to that operation but a fair illustration of where the time actually goes.
Before anything posts, a posting test report checks the batch for the problems that usually surface halfway through a large posting run: blocked items, missing item tracking, missing posting groups. Catching those ahead of time means a count does not stall partway through because one line was set up wrong months ago.

Why Does This Matter for Partners and Business Central Users?

For the people doing the counting, Advanced Inventory Count closes the gap between what the shelf says and what Business Central says, without taking on a full warehouse management deployment to get there. For a Microsoft Partner, it is a deployable answer to a question that comes up on its own in most implementations involving inventory: why the built-in counting tools stop being enough once a client's warehouse gets more complicated than one location with no bins. It configures against however Business Central is already set up, which makes it a credible recommendation without redesigning a client's warehouse process around it.
If your next count still ends in a spreadsheet full of unexplained variances, talk to your Microsoft Partner about a demo and what implementation would look like for your setup.

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Customer Success Doesn't End at Go-Live: The Budgeting Opportunity ERP Partners Often Overlook

Jennifer Muniz — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 19:10:34 +0000

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When I worked as a Customer Success Manager, my primary goal wasn't renewals, upsells, or account growth.
It was customer satisfaction.
I wanted every customer to feel confident they had made the right decision, achieved their objectives, and had a trusted advisor they could turn to when new challenges emerged.
That mindset is more important today than ever for ERP partners supporting organizations running Microsoft Business Central, Sage Intacct, and other modern financial systems.
Implementation Is a Milestone, Not the Destination
ERP projects are often viewed as the finish line.
After months of planning, configuration, testing, training, and go-live support, the project is considered successful and everyone moves on to the next initiative.
But from the customer's perspective, that's often when new operational challenges become more visible.
The ERP has modernized financial management, reporting, and business processes. Yet many organizations continue to rely on spreadsheets for budgeting and forecasting.
Finance teams that have embraced a modern ERP frequently discover that their planning processes haven't evolved at the same pace.
The Spreadsheet Problem Persists
Talk to enough CFOs, Controllers, and Finance Directors, and you'll hear familiar concerns:

Budgeting cycles that take weeks or months to complete
Countless versions of spreadsheets circulating through email
Manual consolidation of department budgets
Limited accountability for budget owners
Forecasts that become outdated almost immediately
Excessive time spent managing data rather than analyzing it

In many cases, the ERP has eliminated inefficiencies in daily operations while budgeting remains largely unchanged.
The result is a disconnect between financial management and financial planning.
The Conversations That Create Value
This is where Customer Success Managers, Account Managers, and ERP Consultants have an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
The best customer conversations rarely begin with a product discussion.
Instead, they start with simple questions:

How are you managing budgeting today?
How long does your annual planning cycle take?
How confident are you in your forecasts?
Where do department managers contribute to the process?
What would you change if you could redesign budgeting from scratch?

These discussions often uncover challenges that customers assumed were simply part of the budgeting process.
More importantly, they reveal opportunities for partners to provide additional value beyond the original ERP implementation.
Moving Customers Beyond Excel
Many ERP partners are helping customers modernize budgeting and forecasting in the same way they modernized their ERP systems.
By introducing purpose-built planning solutions, organizations can:

Reduce budgeting cycle times
Improve forecast accuracy
Increase accountability across departments
Eliminate spreadsheet version control issues
Provide better visibility into financial performance
Support more agile decision-making

The benefits extend beyond operational efficiency. Organizations gain a planning process capable of supporting growth and change.
A Win for Customers and Partners
When partners help customers solve budgeting challenges, everyone benefits.
Customers gain a more efficient, collaborative, and accurate planning process.
Partners strengthen their advisory relationship, expand service opportunities, and create additional recurring revenue streams through complementary solutions and services.
Most importantly, they continue delivering value long after the ERP implementation has ended.
Final Thoughts
The most successful ERP partners understand that customer success is a continuous journey.
Go-live is not the end of the conversation. It's the beginning of identifying the next opportunity to help customers improve how they operate.
If your clients are still budgeting in spreadsheets despite investing in a modern ERP, it may be time to start a new conversation.
Sometimes the greatest value we deliver isn't in the implementation itself.
It's helping customers solve the next challenge they didn't realize could be solved.

Learn More

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Shipping Software for Small Business on Business Central

MetaOption LLC — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 19:07:15 +0000

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What type of shipping software for a small business is an ideal choice? The one that helps automate routine tasks or the one that can scale with your increasing orders and able to manage everything in one connected system?
Well, the ultimate choice depends on multiple factors!
Let's picture a familiar situation of distributors during a scaling time. Orders are 30% up from last year. You ship with UPS and FedEx, and USPS for the small stuff. One person runs the shipping bench, and they live in three carrier portals at once.
They copy each address from Business Central into a carrier site, buy the label, then paste the tracking number back. When they get to it. When they don't, customer service has nothing to share, and the invoice goes out without freight on it.
None of this feels broken on a quiet day. On a busy one, it quietly costs you hours, margin, and customer trust.
This guide explains how to choose shipping software for small business teams on Business Central and what separates a good fit from an expensive detour.

Why Shipping Gets Harder as SMBs Grow

At 20 orders a day, manual shipping is still considered a manageable job. At 150, it becomes the troubling bubble that nobody planned for.

The first strain is the carrier portals. Each carrier has its own site, login and label format. Your shipper checks rates in one tab, books in another and prints from a third. Every order means retyping an address that already sits in Business Central, and every retype is a chance for a typo error that turns into a returned parcel.
The second strain is tracking. Someone has to copy each tracking number back into the sales order. On a busy afternoon, that step slips. Customers call to ask where their order is, and customer service has to call the warehouse to find out.
The third strain hits finance. When freight is booked outside the ERP, the cost often never reaches the invoice. You pay the carrier, but you don't bill the customer. Across hundreds of orders a month, those small gaps add up to real margin.

Then there are rate increases, which depend on zones, weights, and surcharges. Without rate shopping on every parcel, you rarely notice which carrier got more expensive for which lanes.
But most importantly, none of these problems come from your team. They come from a process that never moved inside the system where your orders live.

Three Types of Shipping Solutions for Small Business

Most small-business shipping solutions fall into one of three categories. Each one is the right answer for someone. The question is whether it's the right answer for you.

1. Carrier Websites and Desktop Tools

UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS all let you create labels on their own sites at no software cost. For a business shipping a handful of parcels a day with one carrier, that's often enough.
The catch is that every step stays manual. You enter addresses by hand, compare rates by switching tabs, and copy tracking numbers back yourself. There's no link to your ERP, so freight costs and tracking live wherever someone remembers to put them.
Note: Works well with low volume, one carrier, no plans to scale soon.

2. Standalone Multi-Carrier Platforms

Platforms like ShipStation, Shippo, and Easyship pull orders from storefronts and marketplaces and let you rate-shop across many carriers from one screen. They're quick to start, and they're strong for e-commerce teams whose system of record is Shopify, Amazon, or WooCommerce.
For Business Central users, the trade-off is that the platform is a second system. Orders flow out through a connector, and shipment details need to flow back. When an order is edited, split, or partially shipped, someone has to make sure both systems still agree.
Note: Works well for storefront-first sellers, or teams willing to own an integration.

3. Native ERP Shipping Apps

Native apps are built inside Business Central and installed from Microsoft AppSource. The sales order, the package, the label, the tracking number, and the freight charge all sit on the same record. There's nothing to sync because there's only one system.
The trade-off is that they're tied to your ERP. If you ever leave Business Central, your shipping tool goes with it. They also vary widely in depth, from simple label printing to full packing-station workflows.
Note: It will be an ideal choice for companies that run orders, inventory, and invoicing in Business Central and want multi-carrier shipping software that works where those records already live.

What to Look For While Choosing Shipping Software for Small Business: An 8-Point Checklist

Feature lists all start to look the same after the third vendor site. These eight points are the ones that decide whether the best shipping software for your business actually removes work, or just moves it somewhere else.

Supported Carriers- Start with the carriers you use today and the ones you'd like to test. Confirm the software works with your own negotiated account rates, not just list rates, and check whether LTL freight or regional carriers are covered if you need them.

Live Rate Shopping- The software should compare carriers on every parcel in real time, based on actual weight, dimensions and destination. Shipping rules that pick the cheapest or fastest option automatically save your shipper from making that call 200 times a day.

Labels From the Sales Order- Your team should be able to create a label directly from a sales order or warehouse shipment. If they have to open another screen and re-enter the address, you haven't fixed the core problem.

Tracking Written Back to Business Central. Once the label prints, the tracking number should land on the sales order and posted shipment automatically. That's what lets customer service answer "where's my order?" without walking to the warehouse.

Freight Added to Invoices- Ask how shipping charges reach the customer's invoice. Good tools add the actual freight cost, or a marked-up amount, as an invoice line. This is the single biggest margin leak for most SMBs.

Third-Party and Recipient Billing- Many B2B customers want shipments billed to their own carrier account. Check that the software handles third-party and collect billing without workarounds.

Packing and Cartonization. Look for packing lists, barcode scanning into packages, multi-package shipments and smart box selection. A slow packing bench costs more in labor than most software subscriptions.

Pricing Model and Setup Time. Ask whether pricing is per user, per shipment, per label or a flat license, and whether carrier fees are separate. Then ask how long setup takes for a company your size, and who does it.

Best Shipping Software Options for SMBs on Business Central

There is no universal winner here. The right pick depends on how many carriers you use, how much you ship, and whether you want shipping inside Business Central or beside it. The table below compares five options using what each vendor publishes.

Option	Type	How it works with Business Central	Carriers (per vendor)	Published pricing
MetaShip	Native BC app	Built inside BC; rates, labels and tracking without leaving the ERP; Essential and Premium editions	UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, Purolator	Quote from MetaShip
Order Ship Express (Insight Works)	Native BC app	Labels from sales orders via an EasyPost connection; domestic parcel only	Up to 3 carriers through EasyPost	License-free; postage billed through EasyPost
ShippyPro Connector (Modasystem)	BC app linked to ShippyPro	Labels, tracking and bulk shipments managed inside BC	UPS, FedEx, DHL and 180+ more	Free trial listed; see vendor
ShipStation	Standalone platform	Separate system; BC link through third-party connectors or a partner app	200+ parcel carriers, 50+ LTL	From $14.99/mo for 50 shipments; 30-day trial
Shippo	Standalone platform	Separate system; no BC connector among its listed store integrations	40+ carriers	Free up to 30 labels/mo; Pro from $17/mo

A few details matter more than the table shows. Order Ship Express is a fair choice if you ship domestic parcels with three carriers or fewer and don't need packing workflows. ShipStation's Starter plan doesn't let you connect your own carrier accounts; that starts on Standard at $29.99 a month. Shippo charges 5 cents per label on its free plan when you use your own carrier account.
For standalone tools, budget for the connector too. Its cost and upkeep belong in your total, alongside the subscription and the labels.

Important Questions to Ask in a Demo

A polished demo can make any tool look like a well-oiled machine. These five questions pull the conversation back to your real workflow. Ask the vendor to show each one live, on a sales order, not on a slide.

"Show me a label created straight from a Business Central sales order, start to finish."
"Show me the tracking number saved back to the sales order and the posted shipment."
"How does the freight charge get onto the customer's invoice, and can I add a markup?"
"What happens with a partial shipment, a multi-box order or a shipment billed to the customer's own carrier account?"
"What does setup look like for a company our size, who does it, and what will we pay in year one?"

If a vendor answers with "we can build that," note it. Custom work is fine, but it should be priced and scheduled before you sign.

Choosing Your Next Step

When it comes to deciding the best shipping software for small businesses, remember it's the one that fits your order workflow. Instead of just checking the best tags, start by listing your carriers, your average daily order volume, and the steps your team still does by hand. That short list will tell you whether a standalone platform or a native Business Central app makes more sense.
If your orders live in Business Central, it’s worth seeing what shipping looks like without the retyping. Explore MetaShip on Microsoft AppSource, or book a free demo and see it running on your own sales orders.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is shipping software for small business?

Shipping software for small business helps teams create labels, compare carrier rates and track parcels from one place, instead of logging in to each carrier’s website. Better tools also connect to your ERP, so addresses, tracking numbers and freight charges move between orders and shipments automatically.

2. Do I need shipping software if I only ship a few orders a day?

Not always. If you ship a handful of parcels a day with one carrier, the carrier’s own website is often enough. Shipping software starts to pay off when you use several carriers, retype addresses, copy tracking numbers by hand, or find that freight isn’t reaching your invoices.

3. How much does small business shipping software cost?

It depends on the pricing model. Some tools charge per shipment or per label, others per user, and some use a flat license. Carrier postage is usually billed separately. For standalone platforms, include the cost of the connector to your ERP when you compare.

4. What’s the difference between standalone shipping platforms and native Business Central apps?

A standalone platform is a separate system that exchanges orders and shipment data with Business Central through a connector. A native app runs inside Business Central, so the sales order, label, tracking number and freight charge stay on the same record, with nothing to sync.

5. Can I use my own negotiated carrier rates?

Most shipping solutions for small business support your own carrier accounts, but some limit it to higher-priced plans. Before you buy, confirm the software uses your negotiated rates rather than list rates, and check which plan includes that.

6. Can shipping software add freight charges to customer invoices?

Some can. Look for tools that add the actual freight cost, or a marked-up amount, as a line on the customer’s invoice. Without this, many small businesses pay the carrier but never bill the customer for shipping, which quietly reduces margin.

7. Which shipping software works best with Business Central?

If your orders, inventory and invoicing run in Business Central, a native app avoids syncing between two systems. Options include MetaShip and Order Ship Express, both available on Microsoft AppSource. Compare carriers, packing features and pricing against your own workflow before choosing.

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Dynamics GP or NAV to Business Central: Don't Let the Webstore Wait

ProjectThunder — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 19:06:55 +0000

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A lot of Dynamics GP and NAV customers are planning their move to Business Central right now. When we talk to them about ecommerce, we hear the same sentence almost every time:
"We'll deal with the website after the ERP project."
It sounds sensible. One big project at a time. In practice it usually means the webstore sits frozen for a year or two while customers keep emailing orders, and then the store project starts from scratch after go-live with a tired team and a spent budget.
There's a better order of operations.

Why the store keeps getting pushed back

The worry is that anything built against the old ERP will have to be rebuilt against the new one. If the store talks directly to GP or NAV, that's true. Every field mapping, every price rule, every order export is tied to the old system.
So the store gets parked, and the parking lot gets long. Microsoft ends support for current versions of Dynamics GP on December 31, 2029, so most GP shops have a few years, but not unlimited ones, and every one of them is a year of orders arriving by email.

Put a layer in between

The way around this is to stop connecting the store straight to the ERP. Put an integration layer in the middle that owns the handful of things the store needs:

customers and their ship-to addresses
items and availability
customer-specific pricing
orders going in, order status coming back
invoices and open balances, if you have a portal

The store talks to the layer. The layer talks to the ERP. When you move from GP or NAV to Business Central, you rewrite the connection from the layer to the ERP. The store, the customer logins, the order history and the URLs your customers have bookmarked all stay put.
That turns "rebuild the store after the migration" into "swap one connector during the migration."

What this buys you

You can start now. The store or portal goes live on the ERP you have today. Your customers start reordering online within months instead of after go-live.
The migration gets a test case. Your web orders are a clean, repeatable stream of transactions. They're a good way to prove the new ERP handles pricing and order entry correctly before you cut over.
Your customers don't feel the cutover. If the layer queues orders while the ERP is down, a weekend migration is invisible to the people buying from you.

What to get right

Pricing logic stays in the ERP. Customer pricing in GP or NAV and price lists in Business Central don't map one to one. Read prices from the ERP through the layer instead of copying the rules into the website, or you'll be maintaining them in two places.
Item numbers may change. If the migration cleans up your item master, plan the cross-reference early so past orders still reorder correctly.
Don't make payments wait on the ERP. Card payments and order acceptance should work even when the ERP is unavailable, with orders posted when it's back. Never let a migration weekend become a weekend with no orders.
Agree who owns the layer. Your ERP partner is focused on the migration. Make sure someone owns the web side and the connection, and that both teams meet before the cutover plan is final.

Questions we hear

Should we wait until Business Central is live to start the webstore? No. Build on the ERP you run today and put an integration layer between the store and the ERP, so the move to Business Central replaces one connection instead of the whole store.
What changes in the store when the ERP changes? Very little, if the layer is in place. Customers, logins, order history and URLs stay the same. The work is in the connector and in mapping prices and item numbers to the new system.
Who should own the integration layer? Someone outside the migration team. Your ERP partner already has a full plate. Name an owner for the web side and the connection, and get both teams in the same room before the cutover plan is final.

The short version

Treat the ERP migration as the reason to build the webstore the right way. Connect it through a layer, go live on the system you have, and let the new ERP slot in underneath when it's ready.
We wrote up how this works on BigCommerce for Dynamics GP and for NAV and AX.
Calvin Luttrell is the founder of ProjectThunder, a California B2B ecommerce and ERP integration studio founded in 2004. The team has launched 150 B2B storefronts across Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and other ERPs, builds on Sana Commerce, BigCommerce and DynamicWeb, and works as a Sana-certified agency for storefront design alongside clients' ERP partners.

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Extensions vs Core Modifications in Business Central: Why It Matters for Upgrades

Soluciones LLB — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 17:00:26 +0000

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Every Business Central partner faces the same choice at some point: extend the product or change it. Extensions vs core modifications sounds like a technical topic. However, it decides how painful every future update will be. This guide explains the difference in plain terms and shows why it matters, especially for fiscal localizations.
Key takeaway: Extensions add functionality on top of Business Central. Core modifications change the product itself. Extensions keep upgrades simple, and modifications make them risky.

Extensions vs Core Modifications: The Basic Difference

An extension is a separate package of code that adds or adjusts features through the points that Microsoft provides. The base application stays untouched. A core modification changes the base objects directly.
The table below compares them on the points that matter most.

Factor	Extension	Core modification
Base application	Stays unchanged	Changed directly
Upgrades	Designed to keep working	Often need rework
Testing after an update	Focused on the extension	Wider, because core code changed
Distribution	Can be published on AppSource	Tied to one environment
Reuse across clients	High	Low
Long-term risk	Lower	Higher

Why Upgrades Are the Real Test

Business Central receives regular updates from Microsoft. Each update can change standard behavior. If your solution sits on top of the product, it usually keeps working. If it changes the base code, each update can break something.
As a result, partners with many core modifications spend more time on upgrade testing than on new work. Microsoft recommends extensions for this reason. You can read the details in the Business Central documentation.

What This Means for Fiscal Localizations

A fiscal localization adds country-specific features: tax setup, document formats, reports, and connections to authorities. It must also stay current as rules change.
When a localization is an extension, three things happen:

The vendor can update it without touching the client's base application.
The client can upgrade Business Central with less risk.
The same product can serve many clients in the same country.

Therefore, ask any localization vendor how its product is built. Our localization vendor checklist includes this question.

A Quick Example

Imagine two partners that implement Business Central for a client with a Mexican subsidiary. Partner A writes fiscal code inside the base objects. Partner B installs a certified extension. A year later, Business Central updates, and the client wants to upgrade.
Partner A must review every modified object, retest the invoicing flow, and fix conflicts. Partner B tests the extension and checks that the invoice process still works. The upgrade takes less time and carries less risk for Partner B.
This example is simple. Nevertheless, it shows the pattern that partners see again and again.

When a Core Change Might Still Seem Necessary

Sometimes a requirement seems to need a deep change. Before you accept that, ask three questions:

Can an extension achieve the same result through events or available hooks?
Can a different process solve the problem without code?
Is the requirement really needed, or is it a habit from the old system?

In most cases, one of these options works.

Questions to Ask Any Vendor or Consultant

Use these questions in your next evaluation:

Is the solution delivered as an extension?
Does it change any base objects?
Is it listed on AppSource?
How does the vendor test it after each Business Central update?
Who fixes a problem if an update breaks something?

Clear answers show that the vendor understands upgrades. Vague answers are a warning sign.

How to Review an Existing Solution

If you inherit a project, check these points:

What to check	Why it matters
Is any base code modified?	Signals upgrade risk
Are customizations packaged as extensions?	Shows how maintainable the solution is
Who owns the code?	Defines who fixes problems
When was the last upgrade test?	Reveals hidden issues

What This Means for Your Margin

Upgrade work is rarely billed in full. When a solution needs rework after every update, the partner absorbs much of that cost. Extensions reduce that risk, so your team spends more time on billable improvements and less time on repairs.

How LLB Solutions Builds Its Localizations

LLB Solutions provides fiscal localizations for 17 Latin American countries as AppSource-certified extensions. They change no core objects, and several countries can run in one environment. We work only through partners, so you keep the client relationship. Find certified apps on Microsoft AppSource and learn more at LLB Solutions.
For the cost side of this choice, read Localization vs Custom Development in Business Central.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between extensions and core modifications is a choice about the future. Extensions keep upgrades manageable, protect your margin, and make support easier. When you evaluate any Business Central solution, start with this question.
Want to see how our extension-based localizations work? Request a demo and ask us anything.

The post Extensions vs Core Modifications in Business Central: Why It Matters for Upgrades appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

15 AI Features That Make GOIS a Smarter Inventory Management Software

Andrew Scotts — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:08:32 +0000

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Imagine running a business where you never have to worry about running out of your best-selling products. You know exactly what to order, when to order it, and how much stock you need. You can also identify products that are sitting in your warehouse for months without selling.
Sounds convenient, right?
Unfortunately, inventory management is not that simple for most businesses.
Some companies order more products than they actually need. Others discover that their best-selling products are out of stock just when customers want to buy them. Warehouse managers spend hours checking inventory records, purchasing teams struggle with supplier delays, and business owners often have difficulty understanding where their money is getting stuck.
These are everyday problems for retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and growing businesses.
Traditional inventory management software helps keep track of products, purchases, and sales. But what if your software could do more than just record information? What if it could predict future demand, identify possible problems, and recommend what you should do next?
That's where AI-powered inventory management comes in.
GOIS takes inventory management a step further by bringing intelligent AI capabilities into everyday business operations. It helps businesses understand their inventory better, make smarter purchasing decisions, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve warehouse efficiency.

Request a Free Trial and Demo of GOIS

Contact GOIS Team Now

Let's look at 15 AI features in GOIS that can make inventory management easier and more effective.

1. AI Demand Forecasting: Know What Your Customers Will Need Next

One of the most common inventory problems is not knowing how much stock to keep.
For example, a retailer may sell 100 units of a product every month. Suddenly, demand increases to 180 units. If the business continues ordering the same quantity, it may run out of stock before the next shipment arrives.
On the other hand, ordering 300 units without a clear reason can create excess inventory.
GOIS uses AI-powered demand forecasting to help businesses make better decisions.
It analyzes previous sales, product movement, seasonal trends, and demand patterns to estimate how much inventory a business may need in the coming weeks or months.
With GOIS, businesses can:

Understand which products are likely to sell more.
Identify seasonal demand changes.
Predict future product requirements.
Prepare for expected increases in demand.
Make better purchasing decisions.

For example, if your sales usually increase during the holiday season, AI can identify this pattern and help you prepare inventory before demand rises.
Instead of guessing how much stock to purchase, you can make decisions using useful data.

2. Smart Reordering: Never Wait Until Products Run Out

Have you ever received an order from a customer only to discover that the product is no longer available?
This is frustrating for both businesses and customers.
Manual stock checking is not always reliable, especially when a business manages hundreds or thousands of products. Fixed reorder levels can also become outdated when demand or supplier delivery times change.
GOIS uses AI-powered smart reordering to help businesses understand when they should purchase more inventory.
The system looks at current stock levels, product sales, expected demand, and supplier lead times to recommend replenishment quantities.
For example, imagine that you sell 20 units of a product every day, but your supplier takes 10 days to deliver new stock. GOIS can help you identify when you should place your next purchase order to avoid running out.
The benefits include:

Better control over reorder levels.
Recommended purchasing quantities.
Early identification of low-stock products.
Reduced chances of stockouts.
Less manual work for purchasing teams.

You can review the recommendations and prepare purchase orders before a stock shortage affects your customers.

3. Dead Stock Detection: Find Out Where Your Money Is Getting Stuck

Not every product in your warehouse sells at the same speed.
Some products sell every day, while others may remain untouched for weeks or even months.
The problem is that slow-moving products occupy valuable warehouse space and tie up business money.
For example, imagine purchasing 500 units of a product because you expected high demand. After three months, only 100 units have been sold. The remaining 400 units are still sitting in your warehouse.
This is where GOIS's AI dead stock and overstock detection can help.
It analyzes product movement and sales activity to identify items that are not selling as expected.
GOIS helps businesses:

Find slow-moving products.
Identify excess stock.
Detect potential dead stock.
Reduce unnecessary purchases.
Identify products that may need promotional offers.
Make better use of warehouse space.

It can also help businesses understand whether excess stock should be transferred to another location or whether future purchases should be paused.
This means less money sitting idle in your warehouse.

4. Multi-Warehouse Stock Optimization: Keep Inventory in the Right Place

Managing one warehouse can be challenging. Managing five or ten warehouses can be even more complicated.
For example, your warehouse in New York may have 300 units of a product, while your warehouse in New Jersey has only 20 units. If customers are placing more orders from New Jersey, you may experience stock shortages even though you have enough inventory elsewhere.
GOIS uses AI-powered multi-warehouse intelligence to help businesses identify these stock imbalances.
It analyzes product availability, sales patterns, and warehouse requirements to recommend better stock distribution.
With this feature, businesses can:

Identify warehouses with excess inventory.
Find locations experiencing stock shortages.
Recommend stock transfers.
Improve regional inventory availability.
Reduce unnecessary purchasing.
Make better use of existing inventory.

Instead of purchasing more products unnecessarily, businesses can make smarter use of the stock they already have.

5. Intelligent Picking and Packing: Help Warehouse Teams Work Faster

Picking and packing are two activities that take up a considerable amount of time in warehouse operations.
Employees need to locate products, collect the correct quantities, prepare orders, and pack items before shipping.
If products are stored in different warehouse locations, employees may spend a lot of time walking between shelves.
GOIS uses AI-powered picking and packing intelligence to help improve these activities.
It can recommend efficient picking routes, group orders for batch picking, and suggest suitable packing options.
Some of its key capabilities include:

Recommending better picking routes.
Grouping multiple orders for efficient picking.
Identifying possible picking errors.
Prioritizing urgent orders.
Suggesting suitable packing materials.
Helping reduce unnecessary warehouse movement.

For example, if five customer orders contain products stored in nearby locations, GOIS can recommend grouping their picking activities.
This saves time and helps warehouse employees process more orders efficiently.

6. Computer Vision: Make Inventory Counting Easier

Physical inventory counting is one of those tasks that businesses cannot ignore.
However, counting products manually takes time, especially in large warehouses with thousands of SKUs.
Even small mistakes can create differences between physical stock and inventory records.
GOIS uses AI computer vision capabilities to support visual inventory monitoring and counting.
With suitable cameras and product recognition technology, businesses can use this functionality to:

Recognize products through images.
Identify empty shelf locations.
Detect misplaced products.
Compare visual inventory information with system records.
Highlight possible stock discrepancies.

For example, if a product is expected to be available in a particular storage location but the camera detects an empty shelf, GOIS can flag it for further checking.
This helps businesses improve inventory visibility and reduce dependence on manual stock checks.

7. Inventory Discrepancy Detection: Find Problems Before They Grow

Have you ever noticed that your inventory software shows 100 units of a product, but your warehouse team can only find 85?
Such differences can happen for many reasons.
An employee may have entered the wrong quantity. A product may have been damaged. A stock movement may not have been recorded correctly.
Finding the reason behind these differences can be difficult.
GOIS uses AI inventory discrepancy detection to analyze stock movements and identify unusual inventory activities.
It helps businesses:

Find unexpected stock adjustments.
Identify repeated counting errors.
Highlight unusual inventory movements.
Detect suspicious transaction patterns.
Prioritize products for physical counting.
Investigate possible inventory shrinkage.

For example, if a particular product repeatedly shows unexpected stock reductions, GOIS can highlight the pattern so managers can investigate it.
This helps businesses maintain more accurate inventory records and reduce avoidable losses.

8. Warehouse Slotting Optimization: Store Products Where They Make Sense

Think about a warehouse where the products that sell most frequently are stored at the far end of the building.
Employees have to walk long distances every time they receive an order containing those products.
This may not seem like a major problem at first, but it can waste a lot of working hours over time.
GOIS uses AI warehouse slotting optimization to recommend better product storage locations.
It analyzes picking frequency, order patterns, and warehouse location information to identify where products should ideally be stored.
This helps businesses:

Identify fast-moving products.
Recommend better storage locations.
Reduce employee walking distances.
Improve picking speed.
Use warehouse space more effectively.
Identify products that should be relocated.

For example, if a product is picked hundreds of times every week, GOIS can recommend keeping it closer to the packing area.
A small improvement in product placement can make a meaningful difference to daily warehouse operations.

9. Supplier Intelligence: Understand Which Suppliers You Can Depend On

Your inventory management process is only as reliable as your supply chain.
Even if you maintain accurate stock records and prepare purchase orders on time, delayed supplier deliveries can create serious problems.
But how do you know which suppliers are reliable?
GOIS uses AI supplier performance intelligence to analyze supplier history and purchasing information.
It helps businesses understand supplier performance by looking at factors such as delivery timelines, lead-time variations, and historical pricing.
With GOIS, businesses can:

Track supplier delivery performance.
Identify suppliers with frequent delays.
Analyze delivery time variations.
Compare historical supplier prices.
Identify unreliable suppliers.
Make better procurement decisions.

For example, if one supplier consistently delivers products later than promised, GOIS can highlight the trend.
This gives purchasing managers useful information when reviewing suppliers or considering alternative purchasing options.

10. Purchase Order Automation: Spend Less Time on Repetitive Tasks

Creating purchase orders may sound simple, but purchasing teams often handle many repetitive activities.
They need to check stock levels, identify products that require replenishment, compare supplier quotations, and prepare purchase orders.
GOIS uses AI-powered purchase order automation to simplify these activities.
Based on inventory requirements and purchasing information, it helps prepare purchase orders and reduce repetitive administrative work.
Its capabilities include:

Preparing purchase orders from replenishment recommendations.
Extracting information from supplier quotations.
Comparing supplier prices.
Identifying unusual pricing differences.
Supporting purchase order reviews.
Preparing supplier follow-up communications.

For example, if 15 products need replenishment, GOIS can help the purchasing team prepare the required purchase orders instead of checking every product manually.
The team can then review the recommendations and approve purchases.
This makes procurement more organized and saves valuable time.

11. AI Inventory Copilot: Ask Questions and Get Answers

Inventory reports contain a lot of useful information. But finding the right answer is not always easy.
A business owner may want to know which products are selling slowly. A warehouse manager may want to identify products that need replenishment. A purchasing manager may want to check which orders need attention.
Traditionally, users have to open different reports, apply filters, and analyze the results themselves.
GOIS makes this process easier with its AI Inventory Copilot.
Users can simply ask questions about their inventory in everyday language.
For example:

Which products are likely to run out this week?
Show me my top 10 slow-moving products.
Which warehouse has the highest inventory?
How much money is tied up in excess stock?
Which products should I reorder?
Which customer orders may be delayed?
What were my best-selling products last month?

The AI Copilot analyzes the relevant business data and provides useful answers, summaries, and recommendations.
You don't need to spend hours searching through reports to understand what is happening.
It's like having an intelligent inventory assistant available whenever you need information.

12. Predictive Inventory Analytics: Understand What Could Happen Next

Most inventory reports tell you what has already happened.
They show previous sales, purchases, stock adjustments, and current inventory levels.
But business owners also need to understand what might happen in the future.
GOIS uses AI predictive inventory analytics to help businesses identify future trends and potential problems.
By analyzing historical and current inventory information, it can help businesses:

Predict upcoming stock shortages.
Understand future inventory requirements.
Estimate inventory carrying costs.
Identify changes in inventory turnover.
Highlight products with declining demand.
Identify potential inventory risks.

For example, if sales of a particular product have been declining for three consecutive months, GOIS can highlight the trend.
This helps businesses review their purchasing plans before excess inventory becomes a problem.
Instead of reacting to problems, you can start preparing for them in advance.

13. AI Anomaly Detection: Get Alerts About Unusual Activities

Sometimes, inventory problems are not immediately visible.
A product may suddenly experience an unusual increase in sales. A warehouse may record unexpected stock adjustments. A purchasing team may notice a sudden increase in procurement costs.
These activities may be normal in some situations, but they can also indicate potential problems.
GOIS uses AI anomaly detection to identify unusual inventory and business patterns.
It can help identify:

Unexpected stock adjustments.
Unusual purchasing increases.
Abnormal sales patterns.
Changes in inventory valuation.
Repeated inventory discrepancies.
Possible stock shrinkage patterns.

For example, if a product normally has stable inventory movement but suddenly starts showing frequent stock reductions, GOIS can alert managers.
They can then investigate the activity and take appropriate action.
This helps businesses maintain better control over their inventory operations.

14. Order Fulfillment Risk Prediction: Identify Delays Before Customers Complain

Customers expect their orders to arrive on time.
However, several things can affect order fulfillment. A product may be unavailable, a warehouse may experience delays, or employees may face picking and packing issues.
The problem is that businesses often discover these issues when an order is already delayed.
GOIS uses AI order fulfillment risk prediction to help identify orders that may not be shipped on time.
It analyzes order details, inventory availability, and warehouse activities to highlight potential fulfillment problems.
It helps businesses:

Identify orders with insufficient stock.
Predict potential fulfillment delays.
Highlight warehouse bottlenecks.
Recommend order prioritization.
Suggest alternative warehouse fulfillment.
Focus on orders that need immediate attention.

For example, if an order cannot be fulfilled from the assigned warehouse, GOIS can highlight the issue and help the team explore whether another warehouse can fulfill it.
This helps businesses improve order processing and provide a better customer experience.

15. AI Voice Assistant: Make Inventory Management More Convenient

Warehouse employees spend most of their working hours moving products, scanning items, and processing orders.
They may not always have the time to stop and navigate different software screens to find information.
GOIS makes inventory information easier to access with its AI voice assistant.
Warehouse employees can use simple voice commands to ask questions and retrieve information.
For example:

Where can I find SKU-105?
How many units are available?
Which purchase orders are pending?
Which products need replenishment?
What is the current order status?

The voice assistant helps employees access information without depending entirely on manual navigation.
With suitable permissions and transaction confirmation, it can also support activities such as picking and receiving.
This can make daily warehouse work more convenient and reduce unnecessary interruptions.

How Does GOIS Help Businesses Manage Inventory Better?

Having AI features is useful, but what really matters is how they solve everyday business problems.
GOIS combines AI-powered inventory intelligence with practical inventory management capabilities to help businesses improve their operations.
Here are some examples:
Running out of products?
Use AI demand forecasting and smart reordering to identify potential stock shortages and plan purchases earlier.
Too much money tied up in inventory?
Use dead stock detection and overstock analysis to identify products that are not selling as expected.
Struggling with multiple warehouses?
Use multi-warehouse stock optimization to identify inventory imbalances and plan stock transfers.
Spending too much time on manual warehouse activities?
Use intelligent picking, packing, and warehouse slotting recommendations to improve operational efficiency.
Finding it difficult to understand inventory reports?
Use the AI Inventory Copilot to ask questions and get useful information in simple language.
Experiencing supplier and fulfillment problems?
Use supplier intelligence and fulfillment risk prediction to identify potential issues earlier.
The goal is simple: help businesses spend less time managing inventory problems and more time growing their business.

Frequently Asked Questions About AI Inventory Management Software

1. What is AI inventory management software?

AI inventory management software uses artificial intelligence to analyze inventory information, predict product demand, identify potential stock problems, and recommend better business decisions. It helps businesses manage inventory more efficiently.

2. How does AI help prevent stockouts?

AI analyzes previous sales, current stock levels, demand patterns, and supplier delivery times to predict when products may run out. It can recommend when and how much inventory businesses should reorder.

3. Can AI identify dead stock?

Yes. AI can analyze product sales and stock movement to identify slow-moving products, excess inventory, and products that may become dead stock. This helps businesses make better purchasing and inventory decisions.

4. Is AI inventory forecasting accurate?

AI forecasting can provide useful estimates by analyzing historical sales and other relevant information. However, accuracy depends on data quality, demand patterns, and unexpected changes in the market. Forecasts should be reviewed regularly.

5. What is an AI Inventory Copilot?

An AI Inventory Copilot is an intelligent assistant that allows users to ask questions about their inventory using everyday language. It helps them find information, understand inventory trends, and get recommendations without manually reviewing multiple reports.

6. Can AI help manage multiple warehouses?

Yes. AI can analyze stock availability and demand across different locations. It can identify stock imbalances and recommend transfers to help businesses maintain better inventory distribution.

7. How can AI reduce inventory management costs?

AI helps businesses reduce unnecessary purchases, avoid stock shortages, identify dead stock, improve warehouse efficiency, and make better purchasing decisions. These improvements can help reduce inventory-related operating costs.

8. Is AI inventory management useful for small businesses?

Yes. Small businesses can use AI to understand product demand, maintain suitable stock levels, reduce manual work, and make better purchasing decisions without needing large inventory management teams.

9. Can AI improve warehouse operations?

Yes. AI can help recommend picking routes, optimize product storage locations, identify inventory discrepancies, and predict order fulfillment problems. These capabilities can improve warehouse productivity.

10. Why should I choose GOIS for inventory management?

GOIS brings AI-powered capabilities into inventory management to help businesses forecast demand, automate purchasing activities, identify excess inventory, improve warehouse operations, and make better inventory decisions.

Ready to Make Inventory Management Smarter with GOIS?

Managing inventory shouldn't mean spending your entire day checking stock levels, preparing purchase orders, or trying to understand complicated reports.
Your inventory software should help you understand what is happening in your business and what needs your attention.
That's what AI-powered inventory management is all about.
With GOIS, businesses can use intelligent demand forecasting, smart reordering, dead stock detection, warehouse optimization, supplier intelligence, predictive analytics, and an AI Inventory Copilot to make everyday inventory management easier.
Whether you run a retail store, wholesale business, distribution company, or growing warehouse operation, GOIS helps bring better visibility and intelligence to your inventory processes.
Stop guessing. Start making smarter inventory decisions with GOIS.
Explore GOIS today and discover a better way to manage your inventory.

Other Related Blogs:

The post 15 AI Features That Make GOIS a Smarter Inventory Management Software appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

The surprising reason some finance teams aren’t using AI agents.

Binary Stream — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:00:33 +0000

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We surveyed 12 finance leaders during a recent webinar about where their teams stand with AI and what would hold them back from turning on AI agents. It’s a small pulse check, not an industry study, but the answers point to something we’ve already noticed in our conversations with teams: access is only a small barrier for teams. The real issue is trust in what the agent produces.

Most finance teams haven’t started yet.

The largest group—42%—isn’t using AI in finance at all yet. Another 25% use it in some processes, 17% are experimenting, and just 17% use it regularly.
If your team hasn’t started, you’re not behind. You’re in the majority.
That said, there is a gap between trying AI and relying on it. Plenty of teams have run a pilot or tested a tool on a single task. Far fewer have made it part of how they close the books, reconcile accounts, or run billing every month. Moving from experiment to everyday use is where most teams stall, and the rest of the survey suggests why.

A split market: 36% vs. 36%.

When we asked what would hold them back from turning on AI agents, trust in accuracy came out on top, named by 36% of respondents.
That makes sense for finance. The numbers your team produces flow into the month-end close, audits, board reporting, and tax filings. An agent that’s right most of the time isn’t good enough when one wrong entry can ripple through the ledger. For many finance leaders, the question isn’t whether AI can do the work. It’s whether they can stand behind the result.
But here’s the twist: an equal share (another 36%) said nothing would hold them back. They’re ready to turn agents on today.
So the market isn’t moving as one. It’s split down the middle between teams ready to go and teams that need proof first.
Neither camp is wrong, they’re just starting from different places. Teams that are ready need a clear first use case and a way to measure results. Teams that are cautious need visibility: the ability to see what an agent did, check it, and approve it before anything posts. Both want the same thing in the end; output they can trust.

Security came in last.

Only 9% named security and access as a blocker. That put it behind training (27%), approvals (27%), and setup time (18%).
That’s a surprise, given how often security leads the conversation about AI in business. One possible reading: teams already working inside platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 trust the security model they have, with established roles, permissions, and audit trails. The hesitation isn’t about who can get in. It’s about what comes out.
It’s a small sample, so treat this as a signal rather than a verdict. But it suggests that leading with security reassurances may miss what finance leaders actually want to hear.

What this means for your team.

If you’re weighing AI agents for finance, the results point to three practical steps.
Start where accuracy is easiest to check. Pick tasks with clear right answers and low stakes, like matching transactions, flagging exceptions, or drafting routine entries for review. Early wins on verifiable work build the confidence that bigger tasks need.
Keep a human in the loop on approvals. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) cited approvals as a concern. Rather than treating approval steps as a barrier, build them into the workflow. Let the agent prepare the work and your team sign off on it until the results have earned more independence.
Plan for training from day one. Another 27% flagged training. Budget time for your team to learn how the agent works, what it does well, and where to double-check it. People trust tools they understand.

Where does your team land?

The useful question isn’t whether you’re ahead or behind. It’s which specific, repeatable work in your finance operation is ready to hand to an agent today. Binary Stream’s AI solutions are built for that kind of work, natively inside Dynamics 365:

MEM AI assistant. Answers intercompany questions in seconds, verifies both sides of your books automatically, and drills into the exact transactions behind any number. No manual exports or spreadsheets.
Quote agent. Pulls live pricing and availability straight from the ERP and generates a consistent, customer-ready quote. Approved quotes are prepared for invoicing handoff with minimal manual effort.
Renewal agent. Spots expiring contracts, sends personalized renewal outreach, and acts on customer replies directly in the system, whether it’s a renewal, a change, or a cancellation. Every update syncs back to the contract record in real time.

Each one targets a process that is high-volume, rules-driven, and slow when done by hand. That’s usually where teams see their first measurable return from AI. If you’d like to find out more about how these solutions fit in your present systems, book a call with our experts today.

The post The surprising reason some finance teams aren’t using AI agents. appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

SAP vs Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing: A Side-by-Side Comparison for Mid-Market Companies

Folio3 Dynamics — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:18:38 +0000

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If you run a manufacturer with 250 to 1,000 employees, the SAP vs Dynamics 365 manufacturing decision usually reaches you one of two ways. You are replacing a legacy ERP and both vendors made the shortlist. Or you are on SAP ECC, and SAP’s end of mainstream maintenance in 2027 is forcing a choice.
Generic “Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs SAP” articles rarely help at this size, because they compare product families built for very different companies. This guide compares the products a mid-market manufacturer would actually buy, maps the manufacturing modules side by side, and says plainly where SAP still wins. Folio3 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner, so we flag our lean and source the key numbers.

SAP or Dynamics 365 for mid-market manufacturing?
For most 250–1,000 employee discrete, mixed-mode or light process manufacturers, especially those already on Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 Finance + Supply Chain Management is usually faster and cheaper to implement than SAP S/4HANA. SAP S/4HANA is the stronger choice for engineer-to-order with heavy variant configuration, GxP-regulated production, or companies whose parent or key trading partners already run SAP.

We compared the two at the feature level in an earlier post: a feature-level look at Dynamics 365 Supply Chain vs SAP S/4HANA. This article focuses on the buying decision for mid-market manufacturers: which products to compare, what they cost, and how long they take.

Which SAP and Dynamics 365 products should mid-market manufacturers compare?

Compare matched tiers, not brands. “SAP” and “Dynamics 365” are both product families. Comparing Business Central with S/4HANA, or SAP Business One with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, gives a meaningless answer.

Manufacturer profile	Microsoft option	SAP option	What usually decides it
250–400 employees, single site, standard discrete or assembly production	Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium (manufacturing is included only in Premium, per Microsoft’s pricing page)	SAP Business One	Ecosystem fit, licensing model, partner add-ons
400–1,000 employees, multi-site, mixed-mode or process production	Dynamics 365 Finance + Supply Chain Management	SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public or Private Edition	Manufacturing depth, global rollout needs, implementation partner

At the lower end of the band, the real contest is Business Central vs SAP Business One. We cover it in detail in our Business Central vs SAP Business One comparison. If Business Central fits your scope, a specialist Business Central implementation partner for manufacturers can configure BOMs, routings and lot tracking without moving you to a heavier platform.
In the upper half of the band, the fight is Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management vs SAP S/4HANA, and the S/4HANA edition matters:

S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition runs fit-to-standard processes with limited customization. ERP Research notes that the edition’s own listed cons say it is not suited to complex manufacturing or engineer-to-order.
S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition (sold through RISE with SAP) allows deep customization, with a longer, costlier program to match.

The rest of this article focuses on the upper-band comparison, because that is where most 250–1,000 employee manufacturers land.

Dynamics 365 vs SAP S/4HANA for manufacturing: side-by-side comparison

Dynamics 365 wins on cost, speed and Microsoft integration. SAP wins on manufacturing depth and user ratings.

Factor	Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Finance + SCM)	SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Best fit	Mid-market to large manufacturers in the Microsoft ecosystem	Large or complex global manufacturers; regulated and ETO production
List price (per user/month)	Supply Chain Management: $210, published by Microsoft	Not published per user; licensed through RISE/GROW with SAP. ERP Software Guide estimates $150–$300+ for full users
Typical mid-market implementation cost	$200K–$1.5M (ERP Software Guide)	$500K–$3M+ (ERP Software Guide)
Typical mid-market timeline	9–18 months (ERP Software Guide)	12–24 months (ERP Software Guide)
Extension model	Extensions + Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate)	ABAP, SAP BTP, “clean core” extensions
Embedded AI	Microsoft Copilot	SAP Joule
Office and analytics integration	Native Microsoft 365, Teams, Power BI	Connectors and SAP Analytics Cloud
G2 user rating	3.7/5 from 103 reviews (D365 SCM)	4.4/5 from 1,061 reviews (S/4HANA Cloud)

The G2 gap is worth taking seriously. SAP’s cloud ERP has more reviews and a higher average, so a fair evaluation should weigh reference calls from manufacturers like yours over vendor claims on either side.

SAP vs Dynamics 365 manufacturing modules: a one-to-one map

Every core SAP manufacturing module has a Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management equivalent. The gaps sit at the high-complexity end. Use this map to translate SAP terms into Dynamics 365 terms during demos.

Manufacturing need	SAP S/4HANA	Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management	Mid-market verdict
MRP and production planning	PP with MRP Live; PP/DS for advanced scheduling	Master planning on the Planning Optimization engine	Comparable for most mid-market planning; SAP deeper for multi-plant, capacity-constrained scheduling
Discrete production	Production orders, routings, work centers	Production orders, routes, operations, resource groups	Comparable
Process manufacturing	PP-PI: process orders, master recipes	Formulas, batch orders, co-products and by-products	SAP stronger in heavily regulated batch environments
Multi-level BOM	Multi-level BOMs with alternates	Multi-level BOMs with BOM versions	Comparable
Engineering change	Engineering Change Management (ECM)	Engineering change management with engineering versions	SAP deeper for high-volume engineering change activity
Variant configuration	Variant Configuration and Advanced Variant Configuration	Constraint-based product configuration models	SAP stronger for complex engineer-to-order
Quality	QM: inspection lots, quality notifications	Quality orders, test groups, nonconformance and corrections	SAP deeper for GxP and 21 CFR Part 11 documentation
Warehouse	Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)	Warehouse management with mobile app, waves and location directives	D365 simpler to deploy at mid-market scale
Shop floor	SAP Digital Manufacturing (MES)	Production floor execution interface	SAP broader MES; D365 covers mid-market shop floor needs
Maintenance	Plant Maintenance (PM) / EAM	Asset management	Comparable for preventive and corrective maintenance
Product costing	CO-PC product costing	Cost management, standard and actual costing	Comparable

BOM depth is the line item that most often decides a mid-market evaluation. For a closer look at how Dynamics 365 handles it, see multi-level BOM management in Dynamics 365.

Where SAP S/4HANA is the better choice for manufacturing

SAP wins when manufacturing complexity, regulation or an existing SAP ecosystem is the deciding constraint. A Dynamics partner who says otherwise isn’t helping you.

Engineer-to-order with complex variants. If you configure products with hundreds or thousands of options, SAP’s variant configuration is materially stronger.
Regulated process manufacturing. Pharma, chemicals and food producers that need GxP or 21 CFR Part 11 audit depth get more out of the box from SAP PP-PI and QM.
Multi-plant planning with interplant transfers. Strategypeeps, a program-management consultancy, names this as one of the scenarios where S/4HANA outperforms Dynamics 365, together with ETO and regulated production.
An SAP-run parent or supply chain. If the parent company or key trading partners run SAP, staying on SAP removes integration work.
Global rollout across many countries. SAP’s localization and multi-GAAP depth is a real advantage for multinational footprints.

Where Dynamics 365 is the better choice for mid-market manufacturers

Dynamics 365 wins when time-to-value, total cost and Microsoft integration outweigh the last 20% of manufacturing depth. EPC Group, a Microsoft partner, estimates that Dynamics 365 SCM is now competitive for 70–80% of manufacturing use cases.

Lower implementation cost. In one example Strategypeeps reports, an industrial equipment manufacturer paid £1.8M for Dynamics 365 against a £3.7M S/4HANA quote for equivalent scope.
Cheaper, more available talent. The same source puts SAP-certified manufacturing consultants at a 30–40% rate premium over equivalent Dynamics resources in UK and ANZ markets.
Published pricing. Microsoft lists Supply Chain Management at $210 per user per month and Business Central Premium at $110. That makes budgeting easier than a quoted RISE contract.
Microsoft 365 integration. Dynamics 365 shares identity, Power BI reporting and Copilot with Microsoft 365. Teams that already run Excel, Teams and Azure have a shorter learning curve.
Planning that fits mid-market teams. Microsoft runs Planning Optimization as a cloud service for master planning. It suits lean, make-to-order and job-shop environments without a dedicated planning department. See master planning and procurement capabilities in Dynamics 365 SCM for the detail.

If these factors point your way, the next step is a scoped fit-gap with a Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management consulting team before you commit to a demo script.

How long do SAP and Dynamics 365 implementations take for manufacturers?

Published estimates disagree widely, and the spread is the real lesson: scope discipline moves your timeline more than the vendor does.

Source	Dynamics 365 timeline	SAP S/4HANA timeline	Scope assumed
ERP Software Guide	9–18 months	12–24 months	Mid-size manufacturer, comparable scope
Strategypeeps	4–6 months (core Finance, SCM, manufacturing)	18–24 months	Focused D365 scope vs comparable S/4HANA scope
ERP Research	6–14 months	3–6 months (Public Edition)	S/4HANA Public Edition, fit-to-standard

Two patterns hold across sources. S/4HANA Public Edition is fast only if you adopt SAP’s standard processes, and Private Edition and on-premise programs take longest. Strategypeeps also advises reserving about 25% of total project time for data migration on either platform.
Compare 5-year total cost of ownership, not license price. Include implementation, integrations (MES, EDI, WMS), data migration, change management, internal staff time and annual support.

Running SAP ECC? The 2027 decision for manufacturers

According to SAP’s own maintenance strategy, mainstream maintenance for SAP ERP 6.0 (ECC) ends at the end of 2027, with optional extended maintenance to the end of 2030. Every ECC manufacturer now has three paths:

Brownfield conversion to S/4HANA, keeping existing configuration and custom code.
Greenfield S/4HANA, re-implementing on standard SAP processes.
Re-platforming to Dynamics 365, re-implementing on Finance + Supply Chain Management.

Re-platforming to Dynamics 365 makes most sense for mid-market manufacturers when:

Heavy custom ABAP would need rewriting for S/4HANA anyway.
The business already standardizes on Microsoft 365, Azure and Power BI.
SAP skills are scarce or expensive to retain in-house.

What an SAP-to-Dynamics 365 migration involves:

A process fit-gap of current SAP processes against standard Dynamics 365 SCM.
Master data cleansing: items, BOMs, routings and effectivity dates.
Open orders and work-in-progress cutover planning, so production keeps running.
Integration redesign for MES, EDI, WMS and supplier portals.
Rationalizing custom ABAP into Dynamics 365 extensions or Power Platform apps.

The approach you choose shapes the cost and risk. Our guide on re-implementation vs upgrade vs lift-and-shift explains the trade-offs. Folio3’s Dynamics 365 migration services start with a readiness assessment and a rollback plan before any production cutover.

SAP vs Dynamics 365: a decision framework for mid-market manufacturers

Score your company against each row. The column with more matches is your starting shortlist.

Factor	Points toward Dynamics 365	Points toward SAP S/4HANA
Company size	250–1,000 employees, one to a few countries	1,000+ employees, many countries
Production model	Discrete, mixed-mode, MTO, MTS, job shop	ETO with complex variants; regulated batch process
Compliance	ISO 9001-level quality	GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, automotive PPAP depth
Existing stack	Microsoft 365, Teams, Power BI, Azure	SAP ECC, parent company or key partners on SAP
Internal IT	Small generalist team	Dedicated SAP Basis and functional team
Go-live target	Live within 12 months	Can absorb an 18–24 month program
Budget	Implementation under ~$1.5M	Implementation of $1.5M+ is acceptable

Four questions to answer before vendor demos:

How many of your products need configure-to-order or engineer-to-order variants?
Which regulations govern your production records, and who audits them?
Which systems must the ERP integrate with on day one: MES, PLM, EDI, WMS?
Have you outgrown a mid-market ERP, or just your current one? Our guide to choosing between Business Central and Finance and Operations helps here.

Folio3 supports discrete, process and mixed-mode producers in food and beverage, automotive, chemicals and electronics through its manufacturing ERP practice.

Ready to compare SAP and Dynamics 365 against your own operations?

Whether you are weighing S/4HANA against Dynamics 365 or planning your way off SAP ECC before 2027, the decision should rest on your processes, not a vendor’s demo script. Folio3 Dynamics has more than 20 years of Microsoft Dynamics experience, has served 150+ manufacturers, and was named an ERP Software Blog Top Member for 2025.
Our free assessment covers three things:

A fit-gap of your current production, planning and quality processes against Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
A 5-year TCO comparison you can put next to your SAP quote
A phased migration roadmap with data, integration and cutover risks called out

Get a Free Implementation Assessment →

Frequently asked questions

Is SAP better than Dynamics 365 for manufacturing?

SAP S/4HANA is better for engineer-to-order manufacturing with complex variant configuration, GxP-regulated process manufacturing and multi-country rollouts. For most discrete, mixed-mode and light process manufacturers with 250–1,000 employees, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management covers the requirements at lower cost and in less time.

Is Dynamics 365 cheaper than SAP for mid-market manufacturers?

Usually, yes. ERP Software Guide estimates mid-market implementations at $200K–$1.5M for Dynamics 365 and $500K–$3M+ for SAP S/4HANA. Microsoft also publishes per-user prices: $210 per month for Supply Chain Management and $110 for Business Central Premium. SAP quotes S/4HANA through RISE or GROW contracts.

Can Dynamics 365 handle complex manufacturing?

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management handles multi-level BOMs, routings, master planning, batch and formula production, quality orders, warehouse management and asset maintenance. It is weaker than SAP at highly configurable engineer-to-order products and at GxP-level quality documentation.

How long does a Dynamics 365 vs SAP S/4HANA implementation take?

ERP Software Guide puts typical mid-size manufacturer timelines at 9–18 months for Dynamics 365 and 12–24 months for SAP S/4HANA. According to ERP Research, S/4HANA Public Edition can go live in 3–6 months, but only if you adopt SAP’s standard processes.

Should a smaller manufacturer compare Business Central with SAP Business One?

Yes. For single-site manufacturers at the lower end of the mid-market, Business Central Premium and SAP Business One are the matched pair. Business Central’s manufacturing features are included only in the Premium tier.

Can a manufacturer migrate from SAP ECC to Dynamics 365?

Yes. An ECC-to-Dynamics 365 move is a re-implementation, not an upgrade. It covers process fit-gap, master data and BOM cleansing, work-in-progress cutover, integration redesign and replacing custom ABAP. SAP’s 2027 end of mainstream maintenance for ECC is the most common trigger.

What is RISE with SAP?

RISE with SAP is SAP’s subscription bundle for moving customers onto S/4HANA Cloud, mainly the Private Edition. It packages the ERP, SAP Business Technology Platform and migration services under one contract, priced by quote rather than published per-user rates.

The post SAP vs Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing: A Side-by-Side Comparison for Mid-Market Companies appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Outgrown Your Systems but Dreading an ERP Rollout? Go Live in Weeks and Start 2027 Strong.

Intech Systems — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:12:52 +0000

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Tired of ERP Projects That Never End?

We get it. Long timelines, fuzzy scope, and a budget that keeps growing. It does not have to be that way.
Intech offers four fixed-scope, fixed-price packages on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Each one has a clear price and a go-live timeline you can plan around. Pick the one that tackles your biggest bottleneck today and move up when you are ready.
Need finance running quickly, but worried about a drawn-out rollout? SuperLite, Lite, Delite, and Elite run from a 2-week finance setup to a 10-week manufacturing rollout, with AI working from day one through built-in Copilot and standard Business Central agent enablement. Every package also includes hypercare, so you have hands-on help right after go-live. Microsoft licenses and applicable AI usage charges are billed separately.

Pick the Package That Fixes Your Biggest Headache

Close Your Books Faster and See Your Cash Clearly: SuperLite, 2 Weeks

From USD 12,000 | Go live in 2 weeks | 16 hours of hypercare
Outgrowing QuickBooks, Sage, or a pile of spreadsheets? SuperLite moves your finance work into one connected system.
What You Get:

Financial Management: general ledger, chart of accounts, fiscal setup, reporting dimensions, recurring journals, and budgeting
Accounts Receivable and Payable: invoices, credit memos, cash application, aging, and statements
Banking and Cash Management: bank reconciliation, check printing, EFT or ACH payments, and cash visibility
Financial Reporting: Trial Balance, Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow
Data Migration: agreed financial data, customer and vendor records, open receivables and payables, and bank balances

What changes for you: a faster month-end close, a clear view of cash, one source of financial truth, and a lot less manual work.

Know More SuperLite

Get Orders, Purchasing, and Stock Working Together: Lite, 4 Weeks

From USD 19,900 | Go live in 4 weeks | 40 hours of hypercare
Entering the same order in three places? Lite connects finance, purchasing, sales, inventory, and warehouse work on one platform. It suits growing distributors, wholesalers, and service businesses.
What You Get:

Financial Management: general ledger, receivables, payables, banking, and reporting
Purchasing Management: vendors, purchase orders, receipts, returns, and approvals
Sales Management: customers, quotes, sales orders, shipments, invoices, and returns
Inventory and Warehouse Operations: items, stock movements, receiving, put-away, picking, and shipping
Data Migration: agreed master data and operational records

What changes for you: clearer stock levels, faster order fulfillment, tighter purchasing control, and fewer manual steps.

Know More Lite

Stop Guessing on Inventory and Plan with Confidence: Delite, 6 Weeks

From USD 29,900 | Go live in 6 weeks | 40 hours of hypercare
Too much of one item, not enough of another? Delite gives distributors, inventory-heavy businesses, and assembly-based operations real control over planning and procurement.
What You Get:

Procurement Optimization: supplier management, purchasing controls, and approval workflows
Demand and Replenishment Planning: forecasting inputs, planning worksheets, and replenishment recommendations
Assembly Management: components and inventory consumption tracking
Traceability and Inventory Control: lot tracking, serial tracking, and stock movement monitoring
Multi-Location Inventory: transfers and visibility across warehouses, branches, and stocking locations

What changes for you: fewer stockouts, better use of the stock you hold, stronger procurement control, and more accurate planning.

Know More Delite

Run Your Shop Floor and Your Finances in One System: Elite, 10 Weeks

From USD 49,900 | Go live in 10 weeks | 80 hours of hypercare
If you manufacture, Elite connects production, inventory, planning, costing, and finance, so everyone works from the same numbers.
What You Get:

Production Management: production orders, workflows, execution, and tracking
Bills of Material and Routing: BOMs, routings, work centers, and machine centers
Capacity Planning and Cost Control: scheduling, capacity visibility, manufacturing costing, and variance analysis
Supply Chain Management: planning, replenishment, procurement, assembly, and traceability
Data Migration: agreed operational and manufacturing data

What changes for you: a clear view of production, sharper planning, tighter inventory control, and real visibility into what things cost to make.

Know More Elite

Which Package Is Right for You? See Them Side by Side

	SuperLite	Lite	Delite	Elite
Starting Price	$12,000	$19,900	$29,900	$49,900
Go-live	2 weeks	4 weeks	6 weeks	10 weeks
Hypercare	16 hours	40 hours	40 hours	80 hours
Focus	Finance	Operations	Supply chain	Manufacturing
Best for	Businesses leaving QuickBooks, Sage, or spreadsheets	Distributors, wholesalers, and service businesses	Inventory-driven and assembly-based businesses	Manufacturers
Covers	General ledger, receivables, payables, banking, reporting	Finance, purchasing, sales, inventory, warehouse	Procurement, demand planning, assembly, traceability, multi-location stock	Production, BOMs, routings, capacity planning, costing, supply chain
Pricing Model	Fixed scope, fixed price	Fixed scope, fixed price	Fixed scope, fixed price	Fixed scope, fixed price

A Quick Way to Choose:

Finance is your biggest pain? Start with SuperLite.
Orders, purchasing, and stock live in separate places? Lite connects them.
Stockouts or overstock keep costing you? Delite adds planning and traceability.
You make products? Elite brings the shop floor and finance together.

Turn Your Biggest Bottleneck into a Go-Live Plan
Tell us whether finance, stock, or production is slowing you down. We will walk you through scope, timeline, and investment, with no guesswork and no open-ended estimates.

Book a Discovery Session

Where Intech Helps: Clear Scope, Connected Operations

A new ERP should not take over your year. With Intech's Business Central packages, you know what you are getting, what it costs, and when it goes live. That could be two weeks for finance or ten weeks for manufacturing. As year-end approaches, take stock of the manual work, inventory gaps, and reporting delays you do not want to carry into 2027.
Start planning now so your next ERP move addresses those bottlenecks, with a clear scope, budget, and go-live timeline for the year ahead. Get started today.
Project Elevate is Intech’s optional AI adoption engagement after go-live, helping you identify and prioritize valuable AI opportunities beyond ERP.
It helps you assess business value and readiness, then build a practical roadmap for responsible AI adoption. Learn more about Project Elevate: https://intech-systems.com/services/training-and-adoption/#project-elevate.

Questions You Might Be Asking

1] Which Business Central package is right for me?
Start with your biggest pain point. SuperLite fits finance-only needs. Lite connects purchasing, sales, inventory, and warehouse work. Delite adds planning, traceability, and multi-location stock. Elite covers full manufacturing.
2] How long does implementation take?
SuperLite takes about 2 weeks, Lite about 4, Delite about 6, and Elite about 10.
3] Is the pricing fixed, and are Microsoft licenses included?
Yes. Every package is fixed scope and fixed price, starting at $12,000 for SuperLite, $19,900 for Lite, $29,900 for Delite, and $49,900 for Elite. Microsoft licenses are purchased separately.
4] What help do I get after go-live?
Every package includes hypercare: 16 hours for SuperLite, 40 hours for Lite and Delite, and 80 hours for Elite.
5] Can I move to a bigger package later?
Yes. You can start with SuperLite and move up to Lite, Delite, or Elite as your business grows.

The post Outgrown Your Systems but Dreading an ERP Rollout? Go Live in Weeks and Start 2027 Strong. appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

How Much Cash Is Sitting on Your Shelves? Understanding Days of Inventory in Business Central

Craig McCracken, Business Central Insights — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 11:02:59 +0000

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The warehouse is full. Purchasing is still placing orders. Finance wants to know why so much cash remains tied up in stock. Reviewing days of inventory in Business Central helps reveal where to investigate.
Days of inventory in Business Central helps connect those conversations. It relates the stock you hold to the rate at which it is being sold or used. That gives purchasing, operations and finance a shared starting point for reviewing excess stock and potential shortages.
Business Central Insights supports this review through its Inventory Insights app. Its Power BI reports bring inventory value, stock movements, ageing and availability into view, helping teams investigate excess stock and make informed purchasing decisions.
Our article on Business Central financial ratios introduced days sales of inventory and cash conversion. Here, the focus is the practical follow-up: finding the items behind the figure and deciding where purchasing or stock decisions need attention.

What days of inventory in Business Central tells you

A stock balance tells you what is on hand. Cover puts that balance in context. The same investment may support a few weeks of demand for one item and many months for another.
As an illustrative example, £30,000 of stock divided by average daily outflow cost of £100 gives 300 days of inventory. At £500 a day, the same stock value represents 60 days. Keep the numerator and denominator on a consistent cost basis.
Illustrative examples only. Cover reflects the selected historical usage rate and is not a forecast of future demand.
Neither result tells you automatically whether to buy, stop buying or clear the item. You still need to consider lead time, seasonality, service obligations and upcoming demand. The ratio helps identify which questions deserve attention first.

Compare days of inventory in Business Central by item and location

A company-wide figure can look reasonable while hiding expensive stock that barely moves. Fast-selling products may offset slow lines in the average, leaving purchasing and finance with very different impressions.
Review item categories and locations, then work down to the material items. Place inventory value beside days of cover so the team can distinguish a small exception from a substantial commitment of working capital.
Use the same period and calculation method when comparing results. A large receipt near month end can affect a closing stock balance differently from an average balance. Record the basis rather than assuming every figure with the same name is comparable.

Measure the demand that actually uses the stock

A component may support production even when it is never sold separately. Looking only at direct sales can make it appear inactive. Conversely, moving an item between warehouses does not establish that customers want it.
The Days of Inventory report from Business Central Insights offers sales, production consumption, assembly consumption and combined outflow options. Transfers and negative adjustments do not count as demand. Choose the basis that reflects the item’s role before interpreting the result.
The management question should determine which activity you review. Microsoft partner Advantage’s article on working capital management in Business Central explains how excess and slow-moving stock ties up cash, and why stock turnover should inform purchasing decisions.

Separate excess stock from a genuine shortage

High cover needs a purchasing conversation

An item may still sell regularly while the business holds far more than it needs. Before discounting it, check whether pausing or reducing replenishment would allow normal demand to bring the balance down.
Review outstanding purchase commitments as well. Clearing stock achieves little if another delivery of the same item arrives next week. Check minimum order quantities, reorder settings and the assumptions behind the original order.

Low cover needs a service and supply conversation

Low cover can signal a shortage, but its urgency depends on the item. Compare it with supplier lead times, confirmed receipts and customer or production commitments. A critical component deserves different treatment from an easily sourced consumable.
ICAEW’s guidance on cash flow forecasts and inventory sets out the trade-off: understocking can leave demand unmet, while overstocking ties up cash. Review expected receipts and requirements before changing a replenishment decision.

Treat blanks and old stock as review signals

A blank days figure does not automatically mean an item is obsolete. It may have no qualifying outflow on the selected basis or during the selected period. Check another relevant basis and the longer-term pattern before deciding.
Age and demand are different too. Stock received recently can have weak demand, while older stock may support seasonal sales or service commitments. Ask whether the business still needs the item and whether the quantity is justified.
Avoid a blanket instruction to reduce everything above a single threshold. The aim is to improve the mix of stock while protecting customer service, rather than achieving an attractive average at any cost.

What this looks like in practice at Stokes Seeds

Stokes Seeds’ customer story shows why timely visibility matters when managing around 3,000 SKUs and purchasing decisions made years ahead. Its wider use of Business Central Insights helped the team identify or recover more than 100 slow-moving products and find opportunities to sell stock that might otherwise have been discarded.
That result comes from the broader reporting implementation. The lesson is relevant here: identifying an exception creates value when purchasing and sales can act on it while options remain.
Published Stokes Seeds result from its wider Business Central Insights implementation. This is not a claim about the Days of Inventory report alone.

Make days of inventory in Business Central part of your stock review

Start with the highest-value exceptions and bring the relevant people into the conversation. For each material item, agree what the next review should demonstrate.

Confirm future demand and the reason for holding the stock.
Check open purchase orders and replenishment settings.
Assign an action such as adjusting purchases, transferring stock where demand exists or reviewing a sales opportunity.
Record an owner and review date, then track the remaining exposure.

Distinguish stock flagged for review from cash actually recovered. A lower book value, a completed sale and an avoided purchase are different outcomes. Report the action and its result clearly.

Analyse days of inventory in Business Central with Power BI

The Days of Inventory tutorial walks through the report within Inventory Insights, including its calculation choices and exception views. It provides a useful foundation for an item-level stock review using Business Central Power BI reports.
Use current stock when asking where you stand now, and a consistent average basis when comparing periods. Keep historical usage separate from any forecast or confirmed future requirement.

A practical next step

Pick one category with a material stock balance. Review its highest-value exceptions with purchasing, check what is still on order and agree the next action for each item. At the following meeting, assess what changed.
Explore the Days of Inventory tutorial through the link above, or book a Business Central reporting demonstration to see how these views support your stock review.

Days of inventory in Business Central: frequently asked questions

Is days of inventory a demand forecast

No. It relates stock to the selected rate of historical usage. Future orders, seasonality and changes in demand still need to be considered.

What is a good number of days of inventory

There is no universal target. Compare similar items and consider lead times, service commitments, demand patterns and supply risk.

Does a blank result mean stock should be written off

No. Check the activity basis, period and future use first. Any write-down or disposal needs the business’s normal review and approval process.

The post How Much Cash Is Sitting on Your Shelves? Understanding Days of Inventory in Business Central appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Building Resilient Web API Connections To Microsoft Fabric Without Brittle Custom Scripts

Bobby Williams — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:27:38 +0000

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The hardest API integrations are rarely the famous ones. ERP teams get stuck on proprietary warehouse systems, regional payroll providers, local tax services, legacy cloud platforms, and industry portals with unusual authentication and pagination rules.
Many integration targets are covered before any custom REST work starts. COZYROC ships 168 application integrations alongside 200+ SSIS+ components, which leaves the REST pattern below for the genuinely unusual endpoints. A 30-day trial key makes it practical to test the most awkward API first, before committing to the $1,199 per year Ultimate subscription.

Why Standard REST Connectors Are Often Not Enough

Non-standard APIs create repeating engineering problems:

Tokens expire and refresh through custom flows.
Pagination uses cursors, offsets, continuation links, or nested response objects.
Endpoints return composite records that need flattening.
Rate limits require retries and backoff.
Source filters and request bodies change by customer or tenant.

Writing a custom script for one API can be reasonable. Maintaining dozens of scripts across clients, versions, and endpoints is where TCO rises.

Building Resilient Web API Connections To Microsoft Fabric Without Brittle Custom Scripts

COZYROC Advanced REST Pattern

The COZYROC REST Connection Manager provides the API connectivity anchor inside SSIS. REST Source and REST Destination then bring that connectivity into the data flow for reads and writes. In COZYROC Cloud, REST Tokens can be created or uploaded for later package and Gem executions.

Pain point	COZYROC component	Architectural result
Custom auth and token handling create wrapper code	REST Connection Manager and REST Tokens	Authentication configuration can be reused across package executions
API pages require offsets, cursors, or continuation links	REST Source configuration	Pagination can be modeled as package configuration where supported
ERP records need to be sent to external APIs	REST Destination	Writes can be mapped through SSIS data flows instead of custom HTTP client code
Nested payloads need row-shaped output	REST Source and SSIS transformations	API responses can be parsed and transformed inside the package
Cloud execution needs scheduling or event triggers	COZYROC Cloud Flex with Scheduled Jobs/Webhooks	API loads can run on schedules or external HTTP events

Implementation Blueprint

Build API packages in layers:

Define the REST connection and token handling.
Configure endpoint, headers, query parameters, and body.
Model pagination.
Normalize nested records into staging tables.
Apply ERP-specific lookups and validation.
Write to Fabric-facing storage, SQL staging, or the target API.
Store response codes and rejected payloads for support.

TCO And ROI Framing

The cost reduction comes from making API knowledge reusable:

Less one-off Python, C#, or notebook code.
More visible package configuration for future maintainers.
Faster onboarding for new endpoints that share an auth or pagination pattern.
A path to productize repeated patterns as Gems for partners.

FAQ

How do we handle cursor or continuation-link pagination in SSIS?

Model it as REST Source configuration where supported. Offsets, cursors, continuation links, and nested response objects are handled in the component’s configuration rather than a hand-rolled loop, so the pagination knowledge lives in the package for the next maintainer. APIs that share a pagination pattern onboard faster because the configuration is reusable.

Where do API tokens live for scheduled cloud executions?

In REST Tokens managed by COZYROC Cloud. Tokens are created or uploaded for later package and Gem executions, and the REST Connection Manager anchors authentication inside SSIS, so custom auth flows stop generating wrapper code. Token reuse across executions is configuration, not engineering.

Can nested API payloads become rows without custom code?

Yes, REST Source plus SSIS transformations do the flattening. Composite records parse and transform inside the package, normalize into staging tables, and then pick up ERP-specific lookups and validation. Response codes and rejected payloads are stored for support, which is the part most one-off scripts never get around to.

What should we do with an API pattern we keep rebuilding for clients?

Productize it as a Gem. A repeated auth or pagination pattern that shows up across clients is partner IP, and packaging it turns one-off Python, C#, or notebook work into a reusable cloud offering. The package configuration stays visible for future maintainers either way, which is the cheaper habit even before monetization.

The post Building Resilient Web API Connections To Microsoft Fabric Without Brittle Custom Scripts appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Still Copying Production for Testing? Try Just-in-Time Test Data

TheTestMart — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:02:10 +0000

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Most ERP teams run more environments than they did at go-live. There might be a sandbox for user acceptance testing, another for a project team, one for training and one held back for the next Microsoft update. In Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management (F&SCM), many of them start life the same way, as a full refresh of the production database.
The habit is understandable but expensive. Each full copy carries years of posted transactions, and Microsoft's storage reporting counts every environment on the tenant against the same entitlement. For organizations with large production databases, lower environments can quietly become the biggest consumer of the capacity they pay for.

Why full copies became the default

Teams rarely copy production because they need last year's invoices. They copy it because their tests depend on finding the right data. A production copy is the simplest way to be fairly sure those records exist.
"Data is the long pole in the tent for false failures in test automation," says Aaron Glidewell, Director of Engineering at TheTestMart. "A person testing manually can change the item number when one runs out of stock. An automated test just fails."
The cost is that each environment is sized for the data rather than for the testing. A refresh replaces the target database entirely, takes the environment offline while it runs, and leaves users disabled and batch jobs on hold afterward.

Test data that arrives just in time

Test data management offers a different starting point. Instead of copying production into every environment so your tests have data to work with, Horizon can generate that test data right after a refresh. Glidewell calls this just-in-time data creation.
In F&SCM, that is rarely one record. Shipping a sales order may first need a released product, on-hand inventory in the right warehouse and a customer with valid terms. A full regression suite needs the same across procurement, sales, inventory and finance. Creating that volume through UI tests that click through forms takes far too long to be practical.
That is where The TestMart helps. Start from a lean environment, and Horizon seeds it with the test data your suites need. Because Horizon scans your environment first, it understands how your data depends on itself and creates it in a fraction of the time a UI test would take. The environment is ready for testing in hours, without carrying production's history.

Where the storage saving actually comes from

The saving comes from what the environment no longer has to hold. Microsoft has built half of this already. For environments managed in the Power Platform admin center, its transactionless copy keeps configuration and master data and leaves transactional tables behind, specifically to reduce storage. A lean environment lacks the transactions tests have traditionally relied on. Seeding it with the data your tests need is what makes it testable.
"Your storage requirements in those lower environments go from a full prod copy down to only creating as much as you need," Glidewell says. With a modest database and two sandboxes, the difference may be small. With several full copies of a very large production database, it can be most of the storage bill.

What a lean environment cannot replace

Not every environment should be lean. Performance testing, migration rehearsals and reporting validation depend on production volumes, and Microsoft warns that a customization can work on sandbox data and fail on production data. One environment close to production remains sensible before significant releases.
Generated data must also obey real business rules. Posted transactions cannot simply be deleted, so generated records accumulate across runs until the environment is refreshed.

Matching environments to what they validate

Environment strategy and test strategy are often decided separately, so each new sandbox inherits the shape of production by default. Asking what each environment is meant to validate usually shows that some need production's history and others only need the right records at the right moment. Reliable testing does not have to mean every environment is a full copy, or that every gigabyte of it is worth paying for.

Test data at the exact moment you need it

Manufacturers learned this lesson decades ago. Just-in-time production doesn't stockpile a year of parts beside every line; it delivers what each step needs as that step begins, and the savings come from everything no longer sitting in the warehouse. A full copy of production in every sandbox is that warehouse.
That is the thinking behind test data management in Horizon. Rather than storing years of production history so a test can find the records it needs, Horizon seeds the environment with the data your tests will use. The environment holds what testing consumes, not everything production has ever recorded.
If your sandboxes are pushing your Dynamics 365 storage past its entitlement, or you are weighing whether to cut environments to save capacity, look at your test data strategy first. Talk to our team about how Horizon can generate the test data your regression suites need, without a full production copy behind them.

The post Still Copying Production for Testing? Try Just-in-Time Test Data appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

You're Probably Overpaying Microsoft for Dynamics. Here's Where to Look.

Scott Burkhardt, Poize2 — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:44:37 +0000

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Last week, we wrote about files sitting in the wrong kind of storage and quietly running up a six-figure bill. This week, the same theme from a different angle: Dynamics licensing.
Almost every Dynamics environment we inherit is overpaying. Not by a little. Often by enough to fund a meaningful chunk of whatever project brought us in, and it’s almost never on purpose. Licensing gets set up once, at go-live, usually under time pressure, and then nobody revisits it. Users get added, roles change, and the license mix drifts further from what people actually do every year.
Here is where the money usually hides.

Full licenses for people who barely use the system

This is the big one. A full Dynamics user license runs anywhere from $80 to $210 per user per month depending on the app, and premium tiers reach $300. A Team Member license, which lets someone read data, run reports, and make light updates, is $8.
That is not a rounding difference. That is a full user costing ten to twenty-five times what a light user costs.
So the question for every seat is simple: does this person actually run business processes in the system, or do they mostly look at data and approve things? Executives, department heads, warehouse staff who check dashboards, anyone who views more than they build. Many of them are sitting on full licenses they do not need. Every one of those is wasted spend, every month, forever, until someone looks.
On a 50-person system, moving even fifteen read-mostly users from full licenses to Team Member seats can save well over $20,000 a year. We have seen far larger.

Paying base price for every app instead of attaching

Dynamics uses a base-and-attach model. The first app a user holds is the base, at full price. Every additional app for that same person attaches at a steep discount, usually around $20 a month instead of $105 or more.
The mistake is buying two full base licenses for someone who should have one base and one attach. If your users touch more than one Dynamics app and your license count shows full price across all of them, you are very likely paying base price where you should be paying attach.

Features that quietly trigger a premium tier

Some functionality only exists in the higher, more expensive license tiers, and it is easy to design a solution that forces everyone up a tier when only a handful of users need the premium capability. Sometimes the right answer is not a full Dynamics app at all. For the right use case, a Power App built on the same data can deliver what the business needs at a lower licensing cost than putting every user on a full seat.
The point is that the license tier should be a deliberate design decision, not an accident of how the system was first configured.

How to check your own environment

You do not need a consultant to start. Two places to look.
In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, pull your list of assigned Dynamics licenses and sort by type. Then, honestly, for each full user ask whether that person runs processes or mostly reads and approves. The gap between those two lists is your opportunity.
In the Power Platform Admin Center, review what each app and tier actually requires versus what your users are assigned. If everyone is on a premium tier and only a few use premium features, that is worth a closer look.

Why this matters beyond the savings

Licensing waste is invisible by design. It does not break anything, it does not show up in a status report, and it renews automatically every year, which is exactly why it persists. The only way it gets caught is when someone who knows the model actually looks at how the system is used versus how it is licensed.
Microsoft's pricing is not the problem. The problem is that most license setups were right on the day they were configured and have been drifting ever since. A review every year or two, matched against what people actually do, routinely pays for itself many times over.
If your Dynamics bill has been climbing and nobody can quite say why that is usually where the answer is. Often, it is a bigger number than anyone expects!

Poize2 is a senior Microsoft Dynamics team. We build real AI, including our own delivery tools, and help clients cut through the noise to find the AI uses that deliver genuine ROI. We specialize in rescuing troubled Dynamics projects and delivering ones that stay on track. Learn more at www.poize2.com.

The post You're Probably Overpaying Microsoft for Dynamics. Here's Where to Look. appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Capable-to-Promise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Realistic Delivery Dates with the MxAPS Add-on

Insight Works — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:37:35 +0000

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Capable-to-promise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central calculates the earliest date you can deliver an item that isn't already in stock or on order. With MxAPS, the date you promise on a sales order is based on production capacity and material requirements, so it is a date your shop floor can actually meet.

MxAPS is a finite capacity scheduling app for Business Central, published as an extension on Microsoft Marketplace. Its Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry feature builds on the Sales Order Promising feature already in Business Central, so order processors keep working where they always have.

What Is Capable-to-Promise in Business Central?

Capable-to-promise (CTP) answers one question: if we have to make or buy this item, when can the customer have it? It applies only to the quantity you don't already have in inventory or on scheduled orders.

Microsoft describes it this way: "Capable to promise (CTP) assumes a 'what if' scenario, which only applies to item quantities that aren't in inventory or on scheduled orders." (Microsoft Learn)

It sits beside available-to-promise (ATP), which checks unreserved inventory against planned receipts. Microsoft's own example makes the split clear. If a customer orders 10 pieces and 6 are in inventory or on scheduled orders, the capable-to-promise calculation is based on the remaining 4.

In Business Central, both checks run from the Order Promising Lines page on a sales order. The results land in two fields:

Planned Delivery Date: the date the customer can expect the goods.
Earliest Shipment Date: the first date the order can leave your building.

When the order processor accepts a capable-to-promise date, Business Central creates a planning line and a reservation entry so the supply to back that promise is already in motion.

How Does MxAPS Add Capable-to-Promise to Order Entry?

MxAPS adds a quick assessment of production capacity and material requirements to the order promising you already run in Business Central. As a result, the delivery date reflects what your plant can actually produce.

That matters because MxAPS already holds a detailed model of your plant. It schedules production orders forward against real machine capacity, using your own scheduling rules. It can also treat material, tooling, and labor as constraints. Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry puts that knowledge in front of the person quoting the date.

Mark Hamblin, Senior Solution Advisor at Insight Works, describes the product plainly: "I prefer to actually call it automated production scheduling because that's what it does." Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry extends that automation to the moment a customer asks, "When can I have it?"

Here is how the work flows for an order processor:

Enter the sales order lines in Business Central as usual.
Run order promising from the sales order.
MxAPS assesses production capacity and material requirements for the items being promised.
Review the realistic delivery date and accept it, or discuss options with the customer.

Because the feature builds on Sales Order Promising, there is no separate screen to learn. The order processor stays on the sales order, and the planner doesn't have to be asked whether every date is possible.

Business Central Order Promising vs MxAPS Capable-to-Promise

MxAPS doesn't replace order promising in Business Central; it extends it with a view of production capacity. The table shows where each check fits.

Available-to-promise (Business Central)Capable-to-promise (Business Central)Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry (MxAPS)

Question it answers

Can we ship from stock or scheduled receipts?

When could we have it if we make or buy it?

When can our plant realistically deliver it?

Quantity it covers

Unreserved inventory and planned receipts

Quantity not in inventory or on scheduled orders

Quantity being promised on the sales order

Basis for the date

Inventory, scheduled receipts, and gross requirements

Earliest date the item could be produced, purchased, or transferred

MxAPS assessment of production capacity and material requirements

Where you run it

Order Promising Lines on the sales order

Sales Order Promising, extended by MxAPS

For stocked items, available-to-promise is often all you need. For made-to-order and assembled items, the date depends on what the plant is already committed to, which is where MxAPS extends Business Central.

Who Benefits from Capable-to-Promise in Business Central?

Manufacturers who make or assemble to order benefit most, because their delivery dates depend on open capacity. Each role gets something different:

Order processors and customer service: quote a delivery date on the call, with confidence that the plant can meet it.
Production planners: work from promised dates that already consider capacity and materials, instead of reworking the schedule around dates set without them.
Operations and plant managers: keep on-time delivery commitments tied to what the shop floor can produce.
Business Central partners: give manufacturing customers a capable-to-promise answer inside the system they already run.

What Do You Need to Use It?

You need MxAPS installed and configured for your plant. Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry relies on the same setup that drives MxAPS scheduling: routings, work centers, and machine centers in good shape, assigned to MxAPS production cells.

MxAPS is sold through Insight Works resellers and priced by the number of production orders scheduled at one time, not per user. A free trial is available through the MxAPS listing on Microsoft Marketplace. Learn more on the MxAPS app page, or read how forward scheduling works in Backward or Forward Scheduling to Optimize Production?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between available-to-promise and capable-to-promise in Business Central?

Available-to-promise checks whether you can ship from stock or scheduled receipts. Capable-to-promise calculates when you could deliver the rest if you have to produce, purchase, or transfer it.

Does MxAPS replace order promising in Business Central?

No. Capable-to-Promise for Order Entry builds on the Sales Order Promising feature in Business Central. MxAPS adds its assessment of production capacity and material requirements to that same process.

Is MxAPS an app, an extension, or an add-on?

All three describe it. MxAPS is a Business Central app, installed as an extension from Microsoft Marketplace, and partners often call it an add-on.

Who should use capable-to-promise?

Manufacturers whose delivery dates depend on production capacity, especially those who make or assemble to order. Stocked items are usually covered by available-to-promise.

How do I try MxAPS?

Start a free trial from the MxAPS listing on Microsoft Marketplace, or ask your Insight Works reseller for a demonstration. For background on how MxAPS schedules, see Automated Production Scheduling Using Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The post Capable-to-Promise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Realistic Delivery Dates with the MxAPS Add-on appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

What Should CFOs Demand from an ERP Business Case to Ensure Time, Clarity, and Control?

Admiral Consulting Group — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 20:37:47 +0000

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The Critical Questions Every ERP Business Case Must Answer

Learn what CFOs should demand from an ERP business case, including ROI, automation, reporting, and how to evaluate ERP beyond features.

Every ERP vendor promises transformation.
Better dashboards. AI-powered insights. Faster implementation. Lower first-year pricing. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: ERP projects rarely fail because of bad software; they fail because of weak business cases.
For mid-market CFOs, choosing an ERP isn’t simply a technology decision. It’s a business decision that affects cash flow, reporting, operational efficiency, and the company’s ability to grow.
In a recent episode of the Admiral Consulting Group Podcast, host Mike Lordi joined Dominick Zappia and Ben Lane to discuss how finance leaders should evaluate an ERP investment. Their message was simple: stop buying features and start demanding outcomes.

Stop Buying Features. Start Buying Business Outcomes.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make during ERP evaluations is focusing on what the software can do instead of what the business needs to accomplish.
Feature lists are easy to compare.
Business outcomes are harder, but they’re the only things that matter.
As the discussion highlighted, many organizations assume implementing a new ERP automatically fixes operational problems. In reality, software exposes inefficient processes. Without redesigning workflows, investing in change management, and properly training employees, even the best ERP system will struggle to deliver measurable value.
Instead of asking:

Does it include AI?
Does it have hundreds of features?
How much is the first-year discount?

CFOs Should ask:

How much time will we save?
How many manual processes will disappear?
How quickly will we make better decisions?

Those questions strengthen the ERP business case.

Time Is the Most Valuable KPI You Can Measure

Finance leaders often think about ERP in terms of accounting.
Modern ERP should be evaluated based on business velocity.
A perfect example is the order-to-cash cycle.
Every manual handoff between sales, operations, finance, and fulfillment delays invoicing, slows collections, and increases Days Sales Outstanding (DSO). A modern ERP integrates these functions into a single workflow, reducing manual effort and accelerating cash flow.
The same principle applies across finance:

Automated reconciliation.
Real-time inventory visibility.
Integrated CRM and ERP.
Workflow automation.

Each improvement gives finance teams back what they never have enough of: time. That time isn’t simply saved; it’s reinvested into forecasting, analysis, and strategic planning.

Faster Close Means Better Decisions

Many organizations still accept a five-, seven-, or even eight-day month-end close as normal. The panel challenged that assumption with a better question:
What are those eight days costing the business?
Every day finance waits for accurate numbers is another day executives make decisions with incomplete information.
That’s not simply an accounting problem. It’s a business risk.
A modern ERP should continuously reconcile financial information, automate journal processes where appropriate, and eliminate unnecessary manual intervention. Faster closes aren’t about finishing accounting work sooner; they’re about giving leadership timely, trusted information to act on. The result is greater confidence in board reporting, more accurate forecasting, and stronger financial governance.

Excel Is Still Valuable But It Shouldn't Run Your Business

Every finance department uses Excel. The problem isn’t Excel itself; the problem begins when spreadsheets become the system of record. When multiple departments maintain different versions of the same report, organizations quickly lose confidence in their numbers.
Teams spend valuable hours reconciling files, correcting errors, and recreating reports rather than analyzing the business.
That’s why one of the most important ERP evaluation questions isn’t: “Can this ERP export to Excel?”
It’s: “Can this ERP eliminate our dependence on manually maintaining Excel?”
Finance leaders should expect their ERP to become the organization’s single source of truth, with Excel serving as an analysis tool—not the foundation of financial reporting.
Excel Is Still Valuable But It Shouldn't Run Your Business

Automation Creates Capacity for Strategic Finance

One of the strongest examples discussed during the episode was Accounts Payable automation:

Invoice capture.
Approval workflows.
OCR.
Bank integration.
Payment processing.

These capabilities reduce labor and operational risk while freeing finance professionals to focus on higher-value work. They reduce operational risk while freeing finance professionals to focus on higher-value work. The same philosophy extends across the organization:

Order processing.
Accounts receivable.
Collections.
Inventory management.
Customer self-service.

When repetitive work disappears, finance shifts from processing transactions to guiding business decisions. That transformation becomes even more powerful when paired with Microsoft Business Central and Microsoft Copilot. Instead of spending hours gathering information, finance teams can interpret it, identify trends, and plan for future growth.

What CFOs Should Demand Before Approving an ERP Investment

The conversation concluded with a practical framework that every finance leader can use to evaluate ERP solutions. A strong ERP business case should demonstrate:

Faster financial close and reporting
Lower operational costs through automation
Reduced manual processes and data re-entry
Real-time visibility across finance and operations
Flexible, scalable technology that supports future growth

These outcomes matter far more than an impressive product demonstration or an attractive first-year discount because ERP isn’t about purchasing software; it’s about building a financial operating platform that helps leadership make faster, more confident decisions.
If your ERP isn’t reducing time, improving clarity, and strengthening control, it isn’t delivering the return your business deserves.

Ready to Evaluate Your ERP Business Case?

If your finance team is struggling with lengthy month-end closes, disconnected systems, manual reporting, or a growing reliance on Excel, rethink how you evaluate ERP solutions.
Instead of asking what features a system offers, ask what outcomes it will deliver. That’s the difference between implementing new software and transforming the way your business operates.
Ready to build an ERP business case that delivers measurable ROI?
Talk to our team to evaluate your ERP strategy and see where modern finance technology can create faster reporting, stronger visibility, and better business decisions.

Talk to an expert

The post What Should CFOs Demand from an ERP Business Case to Ensure Time, Clarity, and Control? appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

6 questions to ask before choosing an intercompany solution for Business Central.

Binary Stream — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:20:59 +0000

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How do you choose the right intercompany solution? It comes down to a few key factors: How your entities are structured, whether or not the solution can automate the transactions your team still keys by hand, and the kind of reporting capabilities available to you.
Most organizations reach multiple entities through expansion, acquisitions or restructuring, not by design. Finance then carries manual intercompany entries, spreadsheet consolidations and month-end reconciliations that no longer scale. Standard Business Central covers some of this, so the question is what more you need. These six questions help you invest in what you need and skip what you don’t.

1. Does the solution support your entity structure?

Your structure should decide your software, not the other way around. Entities can sit in three arrangements: several entities inside one Business Central company, each entity as its own company, or a mix of both.
Solutions rarely support all three. Dimension-based products suit entities inside one company. Intercompany add-ons are built for separate companies. Native Business Central intercompany covers separate companies only in part. Ask any vendor to show your exact structure, not a simplified one.
Getting this wrong is expensive: changing the structure after go-live means re-implementing. Settle it in discovery, before implementation.

2. Which intercompany processes do you need to automate?

Intercompany automation is more than moving a transaction from one company to another. List the recurring processes across payables, receivables, purchasing, intercompany sales and drop shipments, and note how much manual entry and reconciliation each one takes today.
Then check scope. Some tools automate a single workflow, such as an intercompany sale between two companies. Others cover the full range of intercompany operations. If one workflow really is all you need, a narrower tool may be enough. If your team handles several, a single-purpose tool leaves the rest manual.
Start with the processes that take your team the most time.

3. What reporting and consolidation capabilities matter?

Automating transactions solves half the problem. Finance also needs reliable numbers across entities.
Check that the solution produces both individual entity reports and consolidated financials, and that it handles eliminations, which remove intercompany balances so consolidated figures are accurate. Then ask what happens at month end. If consolidation still depends on spreadsheets and manual reconciliation, the same errors and delays return.
Evaluate reporting together with transactions. Treated as separate projects, they often mean a second investment in custom reporting.

4. How much control do you need between entities?

The shape of your finance team sets how much control you need. A small, central team usually needs shared visibility and streamlined transactions. A decentralized team may need entity-level access restrictions, master data security, separate period close and allocations. High transaction volumes can add a need for batch processing across entities.
A simple test: if some users shouldn’t see certain entities, or entity owners are responsible for their own close, that is a requirement, not a nice-to-have.
Avoid paying for complexity you won’t use, and avoid overlooking controls your operations depend on.

5. Which Business Central modules must work across entities?

Financial requirements aren’t the only consideration. Check whether Fixed Assets, Projects, Assembly, Advanced Warehousing, Manufacturing or Service Management need to work across entities.
Not all intercompany solutions extend consistently across these modules. If a module is in use, confirm it is supported before you select a solution. Transactions that post to the wrong entity or stay unassigned create cleanup work later.
Assess financial and operational requirements together.

6. Can the solution grow with your business?

Choose a solution that meets today’s needs without limiting tomorrow’s. Think through what is likely to change:

More entities through future acquisitions.
Higher transaction volumes.
A move from a central finance team to entity-level ownership.
New security, reporting or module requirements.

Look for a clear expansion path rather than buying advanced functionality before you need it. A solution that scales in steps lets you add control as your structure changes.

Finding the right fit for your multi-entity requirements.

See more in the full post on Binary Stream.

The post 6 questions to ask before choosing an intercompany solution for Business Central. appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Expand to Latin America with Business Central: A 10-Point Checklist

Soluciones LLB — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:00:14 +0000

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Many North American companies plan to expand to Latin America. They open a subsidiary, buy a local business, or start selling through a branch. Soon after, finance asks a hard question: can our ERP support local operations without a separate system in each country? Business Central can, but only with good preparation. This checklist gives ten points to review before the project starts.
Key takeaway: The earlier you answer these ten points, the fewer surprises you will face during implementation.

Why Preparation Matters When You Expand to Latin America

Every country in the region has its own tax authority, invoice formats, and reporting rules. A company that starts the ERP project without a clear picture of these needs often discovers them late. As a result, budgets grow and go-live dates move.
A checklist helps your finance team and your implementation partner share the same plan from day one.

The 10-Point Checklist

#	Point	What to decide	Who usually leads
1	Countries	Which countries will operate on Business Central, and in what order	Executive sponsor
2	Legal entities	How many entities exist in each country	Finance
3	Tax IDs and registrations	Which registrations each entity holds	Local finance team
4	Current invoicing	How each entity invoices today	Local finance team
5	E-invoicing	Whether a provider is already in place	Finance and IT
6	Currencies	Which currencies each entity uses and reports in	Corporate finance
7	Statutory reporting	Which local books and filings are required	Local accountants
8	Intercompany	How entities trade with each other	Corporate finance
9	Users and language	Who will use the system and in which language	Business units
10	Partner and localization	Who implements, and who provides the fiscal layer	Executive sponsor

Points 1 to 3: Countries, Entities, and Registrations

Start with a simple list of countries and legal entities. Then write down the tax registrations of each entity. These details decide how many companies you need in Business Central and what each one must support.
In addition, rank the countries by priority. A phased plan usually works better than a single go-live. You can read more in our multi-country rollout plan.

Points 4 and 5: Invoicing and E-Invoicing

Ask each entity how it invoices today. Some use paper, some use a local system, and some already issue electronic invoices. Then check whether a provider is in place. The rules differ by country, so see our LATAM e-invoicing map for an overview.

Points 6 to 8: Currencies, Reporting, and Intercompany

Corporate finance needs a consolidated view, while each country needs its own local books. Therefore, decide which currencies each entity uses for transactions and which one it uses for reporting. Also map the trade between entities, because intercompany flows add complexity.

Points 9 and 10: People and Partners

Finally, think about the users. Local teams often work in Spanish, so training material should reflect that. Then choose the right partners. You need an implementation partner and a fiscal localization that stays current. Our localization vendor checklist helps you compare options.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Treating Latin America as one market.
Starting every country at the same time.
Leaving tax compliance for the end of the project.
Skipping local users in the design workshops.

What to Prepare for the First Meeting With Your Partner

A good first meeting saves weeks later. Bring these items with you:

The list of countries and entities, even if it is still a draft.
A sample invoice from each country.
The name of any e-invoicing provider the entity uses today.
The statutory reports that local accountants prepare each month.
A realistic target date and the reason behind it.

Moreover, invite one person from each priority country. Local knowledge often reveals details that headquarters does not know.

What Business Central Brings to a Regional Project

Business Central supports several companies in one environment, multiple currencies, and consolidated reporting. Local fiscal requirements come from localizations, which run as extensions. You can read about extensions in the Business Central documentation and browse certified apps on Microsoft AppSource.

A Realistic Timeline

Every company asks how long the project will take. The honest answer depends on the number of countries, the quality of the data, and the readiness of local teams. Therefore, avoid fixed promises in the first meeting. Instead, agree on a pilot country and a review date, then adjust the plan with real results.

How LLB Solutions Helps

LLB Solutions provides AppSource-certified fiscal localizations for 17 Latin American countries. We work through Microsoft partners, so your implementation partner leads the project and we support the fiscal layer. Several countries can run in one environment. Learn more at LLB Solutions.

Final Thoughts

A regional expansion is easier when finance and IT agree on the plan early. Use these ten points in your next planning meeting, and share them with your implementation partner.
Planning an expansion to Latin America? Talk to our team and we will connect you with the right partner.

The post Expand to Latin America with Business Central: A 10-Point Checklist appeared first on ERP Software Blog.

Why Rental Fleets Need Asset Tracking

Dan Kosanovic, Reach International — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 11:59:05 +0000

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You do not sell a machine when you run a rental business. You sell the hours that machine can work. That single fact should shape how your whole system is built, yet most rental companies are still running their fleet through tools made for counting boxes on a shelf.
Think about the difference. When a distributor ships a pallet of parts, the job is done once it leaves the warehouse. When a rental company sends out an excavator, the job has just started. That machine will work for weeks, come back for a check, maybe need a repair, then go out again. This can happen a hundred times over the life of one piece of equipment.
So the question that matters in rental is not “how many do we have.” It is “what is happening to this exact machine, right now.”

The real problem

Standard inventory tools are built to answer one question well: how many units do we have, and where are they. For a rental fleet, that is the wrong starting question.
You can usually spot the symptoms pretty quickly:

The system shows 12 excavators at a branch, but nobody can say which three are out on rent, which two are waiting on repair, and which one is promised to a customer for Monday
Hours worked sit in a spreadsheet or a telematics portal, disconnected from the contract that should be billing for them
Finance sees a fixed asset. Operations sees a stock item. Nobody sees one machine with one full story
Utilization is something someone builds by hand once a month, instead of a number you can trust on demand

The root cause is simple. A typical item record describes what a machine is. It does not tell you which specific unit you are talking about, or what that unit is doing right this minute.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

Put the machine at the center, not the count

In rental, the record that matters most is the single serialized unit. Everything else should connect back to it. For any machine in your fleet, you should be able to answer at any moment:

Is it free, booked, or already out on rent
Where is it sitting: the yard, a truck, or a job site
Is it ready to go, or stuck waiting on inspection or repair
How many hours has it worked since the last service
What has it cost you, and what has it earned you

A few principles make this work in practice.
Quote a class, deliver a unit. Customers ask for “a 20 ton excavator,” not a serial number. Pricing and availability can live at the class level. But the moment a machine leaves the yard, the contract needs to point to one specific unit, because that is how you know whose hours to bill and whose damage to check.
The machine should carry its own history. Every contract, move, meter reading, inspection, and repair stays attached to that one unit. When a customer disputes a damage charge, you pull up one record instead of digging through five systems.
Attachments are assets too. A bucket, breaker, or set of forks might travel with one machine, come back with another, or get rented on its own. Track these as their own assets linked to whichever machine they are working with, not as a generic line of stock.
Rental and maintenance need to share a calendar. A machine sitting in the workshop is not available, even if it is physically standing in the yard. Service planning needs visibility into rental bookings, and rental needs visibility into service plans. Meter hours drive both the invoice and the next scheduled service.
Finance and operations should be looking at the same machine. Each unit is usually a fixed asset, losing value over time while earning rental income. When both teams work from the same record, you can finally see what a machine actually earns against what it costs to own.
Every move gets logged. Yard to truck, truck to job site, job site to a second site, back to the yard, into the workshop. Each step should be recorded against the machine, with the time, location, and meter reading attached. Stock on a shelf does not move like this. A rental asset almost never sits still.

Where counting still makes sense

None of this means inventory logic disappears entirely. Scaffolding, fencing, road barriers, and small tools are usually counted rather than tracked unit by unit, and that is the right call for them. Spare parts and consumables fall into the same bucket.
Most fleets end up running both models side by side. The real design decision is drawing the line: which items get tracked as individual assets, and which ones just get counted.

Visit our Heavy Equipment Rental & Dealerships

What this looks like in Dynamics 365

If your fleet runs on Dynamics 365, ask this early: where does each machine actually live in the system? The same physical unit can appear as a serialized item in Supply Chain Management, as an asset in Asset Management, and as a fixed asset in Finance. For that machine to have one consistent story, those records need to be linked, and your team needs to agree on which one leads.
This is exactly the kind of gap a project assessment is built to catch, before it turns into a bigger mess down the road. And if your fleet is already live on a system that was never set up this way, that is a rescue and recovery conversation, not a rebuild from scratch.

What changes once the asset is the center of the system

You can answer “can I rent this machine on Monday” in seconds, and actually trust the answer
Hours and damage tie back to the correct contract, so billing and recovery stop being a guessing game
Utilization becomes a live number instead of a monthly chore. Two measures matter most: time utilization (days on rent against days available) and dollar utilization (rental revenue against what the fleet cost to buy)
Buy and sell decisions get easier because you can actually see which equipment classes are earning their keep and which ones are just sitting

Test it with one serial number

Pick a single machine and run it through the five questions above. If your system cannot answer most of them today, your fleet is being treated like stock on a shelf.
Reach has walked enough teams through this to know where the gaps usually sit, and our managed services team can keep your setup running clean long after the initial fix. Get in touch and we will look at it with you.

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