Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

is a business management solution that helps companies connect their financials, sales, service and operations to streamline business processes, improve customer interactions and make better decisions. With this modern business platform, you can easily and quickly tailor, extend and build applications so they fit your specific needs — with little to no code development.

 

AppSource is Microsoft’s marketplace for your Dynamics 365 Business Central offerings and there are several reasons why going to market with Microsoft AppSource is a great idea. For example, it allows you to promote your brand, expand your reach, accelerate the customer journey and upsell your solutions, and helps connect you with millions of Office 365 and Dynamics 365 business users.

 

General & Microsoft Go-to-Market

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What is Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central is an online service by Microsoft - sold vis CSP (Cloud Solution Provider Program) by Microsoft partners on Microsoft Azure. It is an all-in-one business management solution that helps organizations connect their financials, operations, sales and service. Business Central brings the product maturity and full power of Dynamics NAV in the cloud, with capabilities spanning financial management, supply chain and inventory management, sales and service management, project management, and operations management. It also offers multi-company, multi-currency and advanced reporting capabilities.

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What is Dynamics 365 and how does it benefit customers?

Dynamics 365 takes a new approach to business applications. It brings together the best of our CRM and ERP cloud offerings into one cloud service with specific, purpose built, apps for each of your key business processes. Dynamics 365 provides customers a modern and familiar experience with built-in insights, intelligence and workflow. Customers also use a common data model and consistent application platform to ensure consistency, interoperability, and extensibility.

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What type of customer is Dynamics 365 Business Central meant for? 

Dynamics 365 Business Central is targeted towards a wide variety of customers within multiple industries with enhanced emphasis on the Manufacturing, Distribution, and Services Industry. 

 

How can customers buy Dynamics 365 Business Central?

The only way to currently purchase Dynamics 365 Business Central is via partners such as Solution Systems, who participate in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. 

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With this new SaaS offering - Business Central, will Microsoft eventually start selling directly to customers?

Currently, Microsoft has no plans to sell Dynamics 365 Business Central directly to customers. The only way to purchase Dynamics 365 Business Central is via partners such as Solution Systems, who participate in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program. Microsoft relies on their network of global partners to use their expertise to help customers create and deploy a solution that meets their industry-specific needs.

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Product

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What are the capabilities of Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central capabilities Please see more details at the Dynamics 365 Business Central website today.

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What is the difference between Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics NAV is software, available via perpetual, subscription, and/or SPLA licensing, that can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and extended using Dynamics NAV customizations or extensions.

 

Dynamics 365 Business Central is available on-premise but also offers a new online service from Microsoft, available only via CSP that can be extended via apps (validated extensions) in Microsoft AppSource.

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How will Dynamics 365 for Sales and Business Central work together?

With Business Central, customers can process orders and finances and have seamless integration in the lead-to-cash process.

 

When an application is set up to integrate with Dynamics 365 for Sales, the Sales data from Business Central is accessible and vice versa in some cases. This integration allows for working with and synchronizing data types that are common to both services, such as customers, contacts, and sales information, and keep the data up to date in both locations.

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For example, a sales person in Dynamics 365 for Sales can use the price lists from Business Central when creating a sales order. When an item is added to the sales order line in Dynamics 365 for Sales, this item is available also to see on the inventory level (availability) of the item from Business Central.

 

Conversely, order processors in Business Central can handle the special characteristics of sales orders transferred automatically or manually from Dynamics 365 for Sales, such as automatically create and post valid sales order lines for items or resources that were entered in Sales as write-in products.

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Which Dynamics NAV functionality is/isn't included in Dynamics 365 Business Central?

All of the capabilities available in Dynamics NAV are also available in Dynamics 365 Business Central.

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Does Dynamics 365 Business Central include payroll?

Dynamics 365 Business Central does not include native payroll capabilities; however, customers can continue using their payroll solution of choice and integrate with the payroll solution by leveraging apps available in Microsoft AppSource

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How will customers upgrade to new versions of Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central customers will receive service updates automatically (approximately one update/month).

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Is Dynamics 365 Business Central a true SaaS/public cloud/multitenant offering managed by Microsoft?

Yes. It’s a full online service managed by Microsoft on Microsoft Azure. The price per user includes all costs associated with running the software. It includes SQL, Azure consumption, backup/restore, availability according to the SLA, upgrades etc. It also accommodates for customizations not only in the form of ISV solutions that can be found on AppSource.microsoft.com but also customizations made per customer or tenant.

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Is Dynamics 365 Business Central available on mobile devices?

Yes, Dynamics 365 Business Central mobile app is available in various mobile app stores.

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Is Dynamics 365 Business Central built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV/GP/SL?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the latest offering from Microsoft Dynamics family of products that is based on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV platform and several other Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Dynamics GP best practices.

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Will customers buy Dynamics 365 Business Central directly from Microsoft?

The only way to purchase Dynamics 365 Business Central is via partners such as Solution Systems, who participate in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.

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Is a Dynamics 365 Business Central trial available, and how long is the trial? 

Yes, you can sign up for a free trial from the Dynamics 365 Central web page. Users who sign up for the free trial can use the demo company (with demo data) for as long as they'd like. However, if you choose to set up a new company within the trial tenant (for example, to view your own data in the system), you will have access to the new company data for 30 days. However, you will be able to continue to use the demo company (with demo data) for as long as you'd like (no expiration).

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Does a customer need to have an Office 365 subscription to use Dynamics 365 Business Central?

No. However, to seamlessly experience Dynamics 365 Business Central from within Office 365, customers must have an Office 365 subscription that includes Exchange Online.

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What’s the difference between the opportunity management capabilities in Dynamics 365 Business Central and the CRM capabilities in Dynamics 365 for Sales?

The opportunity management capabilities in Business Central focus on sales transactions in the quote-to-cash process including quotes, orders and invoices. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales offers much richer marketing, opportunity management and sales forecasting capabilities. 

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Who can install / uninstall Dynamics 365 Business Central apps from Microsoft AppSource?

When using the Dynamics 365 Business Central trial, any user who is an admin or a delegated admin (customer/partner) can install an extension at any time (regardless of the license state).

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