Posts

Dimensions: The Secret to Better Decisions.

In any growing business, finance isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes anymore. It’s about staying in control, spotting trends early, and making confident decisions—fast. That’s exactly where financial dimensions in Dynamics 365 Finance come into play. Think of them as a smarter way to organize your numbers. They give finance teams the flexibility they need to adapt on the fly, and they give leadership the kind of clear, real-time visibility that helps drive better business calls  What Are Financial Dimensions? At the core, financial dimensions are labels you attach to transactions. These labels tell you: • Who spent the money (department, employee) • Where it was spent (branch, region) • Why it was spent (project, cost center) So instead of tracking expenses only by account (e.g., Travel Expenses), you can track: • Travel by Department • Travel by Project • Travel by Location All this without creating hundreds of extra GL accounts. Why Should Management Care? Here’...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Project-Based Firms Should Embrace AI Now (Not Later)

In project-based businesses, reporting is the final word. It tells you what was planned, what actually happened, where you made money—and where you lost it. But ask any project manager or CEO what they really think about project reporting today, and you'll hear this: “It’s late. It’s manual. It’s siloed. And by the time I see it, it’s too late to act.” This is exactly why AI is no longer optional—it’s essential. Whether you’re in construction, consulting, IT services, or professional engineering, AI can elevate your project reporting from a reactive chore to a strategic asset. Here's how. The Problem with Traditional Reporting Let’s be honest. Most reporting today involves: • Chasing updates from different departments • Exporting data from multiple tools • Cleaning and merging spreadsheets • Building charts that reflect the past but not the future And even then, it’s often: • Outdated by the time it reaches leadership • Missing key context (why was a task delayed? w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Choosing the Right WIP Method for Your Business Central Projects.

Image
Managing projects in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central isn’t just about tracking tasks—it’s about timing your revenue and cost recognition. That’s where WIP (Work in Progress) methods come into play. Whether you’re in construction, services, or implementation—your project accounting can get messy fast. WIP helps clean that up. Let’s explore the five WIP methods through simple scenarios to help you choose the right one. 5 WIP Methods in Business Central—With Scenarios! 1. Cost Value "I spend a lot upfront, billing comes later." This method calculates WIP based on actual project costs. It defers those costs to the balance sheet until you're ready to recognize them.   Scenario: You're building a factory. You spend ₹25 lakh on materials and labor in the first 3 months but won't invoice the customer until completion. You don’t want those ₹25 lakh to hit your P&L yet. What happens: Costs get moved to a WIP account, so your P&L stays clean. WIP = Costs Incu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Out-of-the-Box or Open-Source? Choosing Between Business Central and Odoo

Out-of-the-Box or Open-Source? Choosing Between Business Central and Odoo As businesses grow, the need for a solid, scalable ERP system becomes clear. Two popular names  frequently pop up in these  exchanges Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Odoo. Both have their strengths, and both  pledge to streamline operations but the real question is which one’s the better fit for your business?   Let’s break it down, not in tech slang, but in real- world, business-leader language.   The Core Philosophy   Business Central is a Microsoft product built for businesses that want a solid, all-inclusive ERP solution with advanced financial capabilities and seamless Microsoft 365 integration. Odoo, on the flip side, is modular and open-source. It appeals to businesses that need a flexible system they can customize heavily to match specific processes. What Business Leaders Need to Know  •  Ease of Use   Business Central feels famil...
Post a Comment
Read more

Introducing the Page Scripting tool in D365 Business Central.

Image
Introduction:  I recently encountered a situation where I needed to test the same scenario multiple times. That's when I discovered the page scripting feature introduced by Microsoft in 2024. This tool aims to improve User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by enabling users to record and replay their actions within the Business Central web client. It simplifies the UAT process by automating repetitive tasks and ensuring consistency across tests. Capabilities and Usage: The Page Scripting tool, records user interactions such as opening pages, entering data, and navigating through the system. These interactions can be saved and replayed, making it easier to validate the system's behavior under various conditions. The tool records actions in a YAML file format, which can be shared and reused, promoting collaboration and efficiency. Let's get started with how page scripting works:  • Setup: To use the Page Scripting tool, users must have specific permission sets assigned.  Once thes...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dynamics 365 Business Central: Setting Up an Approval Workflow with Flexible Approvers

Image
Introduction: In today’s busy work environment, having a smooth approval process is important for keeping things running efficiently. Dynamics 365 Business Central makes it easy to set up workflows that help manage approvals effectively. One great feature is the option to allow approval from "one of" several chosen approvers. This flexibility helps avoid delays and allows different team members to take part in the approval process. By letting any of the designated approvers approve requests, your organization can work faster and better together. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a simple approval workflow in Dynamics 365 Business Central that requires just one approver from a group, making your approval process quicker and more efficient. Scenario: The purchase order has two approvers but if any one of them approves the approval workflow will be fulfilled. Hence, if one approver approves, all open approval entries will be closed.  A. Workflow user group As shown...
Post a Comment
Read more