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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS - FAQs

What is Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting software?

Microsoft Dynamics GP is a business management solution that provides growing and midsize organizations with complete and scalable financial and operational functionality, such as advanced consolidation, robust business intelligence, rich reporting, forecasting, and budgeting.

What is Microsoft Dynamics SL accounting software?

Microsoft Dynamics SL is a business management solution specialized to help project-driven midsize organizations obtain reports and business analysis, while helping increase efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.

Why consider upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP or SL accounting solutions?

Microsoft Dynamics accounting software is very robust, scalable, and user-familiar. Microsoft Dynamics GP, for example, contains 2,550 features, 1,531 more than QuickBooks® Enterprise (Source: J. Carlton Collins, CPA, microsoft.com). These features drive better financial reporting, extensive Microsoft Office integration that’s familiar to users, and scalability for years to come.

A Product Ranking competitive analysis published by The Accounting Library (March 2008) showed that Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 met 84% of user requirements, while QuickBooks® Enterprise 7.0 met 40%.

CRN Tech Magazine addresses scalability dynamics of Microsoft Dynamics accounting solutions: “The four-pronged Dynamics suite is Microsoft's ERP crown jewel. With Dynamics, solution providers can develop warehouse management solutions using SharePoint portals. Dynamics also provides CRM, electronic banking and e-commerce…Much of the complexity doesn't end up passed on to the end user.”

Does Microsoft Dynamics GP have audit trails, enabling tracking of particular transactions?

Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting software has several features to help comply with audit standards:

• Every posting report has the name of the user who posted the batch
• Use of the Batch Control accounting services feature will add another layer of internal control with a review component
• There are fields in Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting software that store the user who entered the transaction. However, that data field is not present on most reports. Report modification would be necessary to add that user field to existing reports
• Some SQL tracking features can be activated to track minute details of activity. The downside is managing more detailed tracking
• There is a unique audit trail code number that cannot be duplicated on every transaction. Audit trail codes have prefixes to let users know where the transaction originated and the unique incrementing number
• Posted transactions can never be deleted. They must be reversed to correct the entry. Thus, users always see the in/out of mistaken transactions ultimately in the GL

What does Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management (CRM) do?

Essentially, it provides the technology to unify information about its entire contact database—including that contained in its accounting software. CRM is designed to replace spreadsheets, desktop databases and handwritten records—enabling development of one master repository that authorized employees can access from their desktops and remotely.

What are some of CRM’s benefits?

• Integration of information into one accessible database
• Improved image with customers because of the ability to access current, complete information—such as critical information residing within its accounting system software—consistently
• Time-savings because information only needs to be entered once, instead of the multiple repository/updating challenge
• Accuracy achieved by eliminating multiple manual entries in spreadsheets or redundant databases
• Better reporting, enabling production of custom reports from the centralized database, ability to develop more types of reports, more targeted reporting and faster access to reports
• Customization by division to speed workflow

How does CRM work with Microsoft Dynamics GP or SL?

Seamlessly. All Microsoft Dynamics solutions—including GP and SL accounting solutions integrate well with each other, as well as with other familiar Microsoft Office applications. This elimination of disparate, disconnected information systems and functions creates much improved workflow and productivity.

Why make a QuickBooks® upgrade or switch from another accounting software program—such as PeachTree, MAS 90, or even “homegrown” accounting solutions—to more robust accounting software?

Accounting solutions such as QuickBooks® typically have limited accounting system software features and database performance. For smaller operations, this can be appealing because of its simplicity. However, expansion dictates a change in accounting software solutions.

Determine if it’s time to upgrade your accounting system. Common warning signs are:

• Lengthy accounting system software delays in opening menus and screens
• Lack of adequate simultaneous access to the accounting application
• Slow report printing

In some cases, accounting system software problems have not yet occurred, but the handwriting is on the wall (e.g., total file size is approaching 30 MB and/or total transactions are nearing 32,000). Rapid workforce expansion—even to several hundred employees—can trigger the need for an upgrade. A Jan. 7, 2008 report on webcpa.com notes, “Most of the entry-level systems available today are limited to only a few simultaneous users, which presents a problem…to provide access to 10, 20 or even more users.”