What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is part of the wider Microsoft Dynamics 365 business management solution that aims to help businesses manage and improve their processes and customer interactions.
Specifically, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system within the Dynamics 365 suite.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is entirely cloud-based, so you won’t need to maintain a server on-premises, meaning you have access to the system’s advanced functionality from anywhere, backed up by Microsoft’s best-in-class security.
Getting started with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
As with many products on the Microsoft Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is only available to purchase through approved Microsoft partners, like Bam Boom Cloud. Working with an experienced Microsoft partner means Business Central can be deployed by expert consultants in as little as one week, offering rapid return on investment.
Once Business Central has been set up by your Microsoft partner, it can be accessed on any web browser from anywhere. It is also accessible from mobile phones using the app that can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. To log in on a web browser, simply go to businesscentral.dynamics.com
From the Role Centre, you can navigate to all areas of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. There are several ways to do this:
- Navigation menu – Along the top of the screen, you can find key areas of the navigation menu. To visit any of these pages, simply click on the name of the page in the menu. If the page you are looking for isn’t on the top nav menu, click the hidden menu on the top right-hand corner of the page. Here you will find the full navigation suite.
- Shortcuts – Just below the navigation bar, you will find shortcuts that are set by the individual user. To add a page to the shortcut bar, click the bookmark icon for the relevant page. This can be found on the top right-hand corner of the page you want to bookmark or in the search results.
- Interactive tiles – The interactive tiles displayed in the Role Centre are clickable, taking the user to key areas of the application.
- Search function (aka ‘Tell Me’) – Use the ‘Tell Me’ function to search for the page you need by keyword. ‘Tell Me’ results are split into three categories: relevant pages on the current page, specific pages throughout the application and reports.
Key pages in Business Central
The role centre
The Role Centre is the homepage of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This page is made up of interactive tiles that display up-to-date figures for the different areas of Business Central, giving users a snapshot overview of activities for that day.
If at any point you want to navigate to the Role Centre within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, simply click the name of your business in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
As Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a role-based business application, the layout of the Role Centre will vary based on the role assigned. This is because the tools required for an accountant are very different to the tools needed for a sales processor, for example. The role-based model allows Dynamics 365 Business Central to be completely tailored to the user, giving them the right information to do their job with ease.
It’s important to note; role assignments are different to permissions. Roles are more focussed on user experience, showing the most relevant pages to the user, while permissions are more granular and control what areas of Business Central can be accessed.
Customers page
The customers page is a key page for many Business Central users. This is where your team can see a full list of customers on the Business Central database, which can be organised and filtered in lots of different ways to improve customer interactions.
To personalise the customer list, navigate to the settings and choose the personalise option. From here, you can choose the fields you want to see.
All customer list customisation is done on a user-by-user basis, meaning changes made by one user won’t affect how the whole business sees the list. That being said, the changes will be saved to that users’ account, meaning the changes will appear on any web browser or application that the account is logged into.
Integrations with the Microsoft Suite
One of the key benefits of Dynamics 365 Business Central is its integrations with the rest of Microsoft’s business applications, such as Outlook and Teams.
These integrations mean automation between applications is really simple, making life much easier for your team.
Microsoft Outlook
Business Central is linked closely with Outlook, allowing users to create and send important documents seamlessly, ultimately helping to improve customer interactions.
When a contact emails a Business Central user, information from the Business Central can be accessed by clicking the logo within the email. From here, information about the client will pop up, and Business Central can be accessed through the pop-up. Tasks like creating sales quotes, invoices or credit memos can all be completed on the pop-up.
Business Central can also pull information from the content of the email to fill out relevant areas. For example, in a sales quote, if the customer has mentioned what product they want, Business Central will suggest this as an option. However, if the information pulled is not correct, the user can enter data manually too.
Plus, if a new customer has emailed before they have been added to the Business Central database, they can be added easily from the Outlook pop-up.
Microsoft Teams
Many businesses rely on Microsoft Teams to communicate internally, so it only makes sense for it to integrate with Business Central.
When in Teams, users can search for contacts and data that will be pulled from Business Central, bringing up a pop up with all the customer’s information. This information can be viewed or edited within Teams.
Business Central records can also be tagged on Teams by copying the URL of the record from Business Central on a web browser and pasting it into the Teams message. This gives you and others in the conversation the ability to view or edit the record without leaving Teams.
Quick Tip: How to process a sales order
One of the most common tasks performed on Business Central is a sales order, so here’s how to do it:
- Navigate to the sales orders page.
- Click “new” on the sales order navigation menu above the list of records to create a new sales order.
- Choose the customer you want to create a sales order for. If you want to create a sales order for a new customer, they will have to be added to the customer list first.
- Add details of the order, such as the item being purchased.
- Using the ‘post’ button at the top of the sales order, you can choose to ship and/or invoice the specific sales order.
- The sales order is now ready to be sent to the client. It can be sent directly to the contact via the Outlook integration.
Business Central with Bam Boom Cloud
We hope you found this Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Demo helpful. Our team of Business Central gurus are always on hand to help you understand the ins and outs of the business management solution.
You can find more information about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and how it can improve business processes here. Or, to give it a go yourself in a demo environment, give us a call.
