Confused about Microsoft Dynamics 365? Let us simplify your understanding…

Wednesday, May 16, 2018Lauren Macdonald There’s a lot of buzz and enthusiasm out there about Microsoft Dynamics 365 and its capabilities, but rarely does anything new and exciting come along without its fair share of confusion as well, and 365 has been no exception.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about MS Dynamics 365:

“How is 365 different from what I already have? (i.e. MS Dynamics NAV, AX, or CRM)?”

“What is the difference between MS Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition and MS Dynamics 365 Business Edition?”

“What are modules in regards to 365?”

“Are all modules included or do they come separately for an additional cost?”

“What is happening with older MS Dynamics products?”

“How will changes to my MS Dynamics ERP affect my already-in-place integration solution with eCommerce, CRM, EDI, etc.?”
 

Trust me, we had all of these questions, too.  But now we have some answers and we’re happy to share what we’ve learned.

High-level Overview of MS Dynamics 365:

• Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based combination of ERP and CRM
• It was built by Microsoft for maximum flexibility and extensibility
• It is unlikely that Dynamics 365 will fit an organizations’ needs perfectly, but Microsoft’s vision is that businesses will find the customizations they need on Microsoft AppSource
• It is built on a common data model which allows for tighter integrations with other apps that have a standardized API
• There are 2 Editions of Dynamics 365: Enterprise Edition and Business Edition

Dynamics 365, Enterprise Edition:

• The “Enterprise” version is a newly developed combination of Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• Microsoft recommends Dynamics 365, Enterprise Edition for companies with more than 250 employees
• It is the higher-powered of the two offerings
• Includes 6 Modules:
  1. Finance & Operations (Previous core functionality of MS Dynamics AX)
  2. Sales (Previous core functionality of MS Dynamics CRM)
  3. Marketing (Through partnership with Adobe)
  4. Customer Service (A combination of functionality from MS Dynamics CRM, functionality from Parature, and new functionality)
  5. Project Service (Previously available as an extension for MS Dynamics CRM)
  6. Field Service (Also previously available as an extension for MS Dynamics CRM).
• Has 2 additional modules that can be purchased separately. They are:
  1. Talent (This is the HCM module of Dynamics AX)
  2. Retail (This is the retail module of Dynamics AX)

Dynamics 365, Business Edition:

• The “Business” version of Dynamics 365 is a newly developed combination of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• Microsoft recommends Dynamics 365, Business Edition, for companies with somewhere between 10-250 employees.
• Included 3 Modules:
  1. Finance & Operations (Previously MS Dynamics NAV but with manufacturing functionality removed)
  2. Sales (Previously MS Dynamics CRM, and optimized for SMB customers)
  3. Marketing (Through partnership with Adobe)

The outcome 365 is having on older versions of Microsoft Dynamics:

• Dynamics CRM and Dynamics AX are combining to become Dynamics 365, Enterprise Edition, and you will likely not hear Microsoft talk about AX or CRM for much longer.
• Microsoft Dynamics GP, NAV, and SL, however, are sticking around. They have a large userbase and do an excellent job of addressing the on-premise market.

What this means for your existing integration solution:

If you have an integration solution in place that currently integrates your MS Dynamics NAV or AX ERP with your eCommerce store (like Shopify, BigCommerce, or Amazon, for example), and you plan on upgrading to MS Dynamics 365, your integration solution will undoubtedly be affected.

This is because MS Dynamics 365 uses different modules for what used to be NAV and AX and your current integration solution will need to be adjusted to accommodate.

The good news is, if you’re using a vendor like eBridge Connections for your integration solution, a universal integration platform with a large repository of pre-built connectors, will make it easier for you to ‘unplug’ your old connectors and ‘plug in’ your new ones. A team of smart implementation specialists will support your upgrades and help you get your integration solution back up and running with your new MS Dynamics 365 product. 

See a live Microsoft Dynamics 365 and eCommerce integration in action

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