Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Datacor ERP

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Our analysts compared Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Datacor ERP based on data from our 400+ point analysis of ERP Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Software Tool
Datacor ERP Software Tool

Product Basics

Dynamics 365 Business Central, formerly known as Dynamics NAV, is a widely used ERP platform that benefits businesses of small and medium sizes. It’s a multi-faceted ERP product that assists in the streamlining of aspects such as accounting, contact management and inventory management. This program has high integration capabilities due to its status as a Microsoft product and is currently used by more than 100,000 companies.

Personalization is a key benefit of this tool that is expressed throughout the program’s different modules. For example, you can customize dashboards and reports to ensure that your employees are obtaining useful insights quickly and easily. The program is also highly automated and can reduce human error through its connected systems.

Pros
  • User-friendly interface
  • Seamless integrations
  • Flexible customization
  • Robust financial management
  • Strong reporting capabilities
Cons
  • Limited industry-specific features
  • Potential customization complexity
  • Scalability concerns for large enterprises
  • Reliance on third-party add-ons
  • Potentially high ownership costs
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Datacor ERP (formerly Chempax) is a comprehensive solution designed for process manufacturers and chemical distributors. It facilitates centralized inventory management and procurement, business intelligence, manufacturing, accounting, customer relationship management and more.

It helps users streamline operations in every department, maintain data integrity and develop efficient business processes to boost productivity. With a straightforward implementation process devoid of programming, users can leverage the solution to make smart business decisions and drive change.
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Product Assistance

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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Centralized Data: Dynamics 365 Business Central leans in to the essence of ERP software — data centralization. For example, the system’s contract management program maintains a shared database of customers and prospects that can be customized and filtered. The program also removes any duplicates found in the system, which is especially helpful when you have multiple people entering prospect information or liaising with customers. Customized dashboards and visualizations are also available for insights developed across your company. 
  • Accessibility: This software is available either on-premise or as a cloud-based ERP. If you opt to go with a cloud deployment, the solution will be accessible to your employees anytime and anywhere as long as an internet connection is available. This broadly increases the scope of where your employees can complete their duties and access pertinent information. 
  • Forecasting: Dynamics 365 Business Central contains forecasting tools that include the use of historical demand to estimate future demand. This is helpful because it can improve efficiency, reduce spoilage and improve the likelihood that you will be able to fulfill orders from customers. 
  • Simple Integration: As a Microsoft product, Dynamics 365 Business Central is well poised for integration. The software can work with programs such as Word and Excel and is also available across iOS, Android and Windows devices. Microsoft offers a wide variety of software solutions that can be connected to Dynamics 365 Business Central, such as Dynamics 365 for Sales. 
  • Collaboration: Dynamics 365 Business Central provides visibility and control over multiple production sites. This allows you to collaborate with employees located in that facility to determine benchmarks such as optimal inventory level. Additionally, because of Dynamics 365 Business Central’s availability as a cloud-based solution, it is easy for employees to collaborate on and access materials whether they are in a corporate office or at a production facility. 
  • Security: With this program, you can configure user access to different components of the software. For example, if you don’t want an account representative to have visualization of the payroll, you can limit the scope of a user’s access to the application. Disaster recovery tools also assist with security measures. 
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  • Leverage Data: Leverage data to identify quality trends in the product before it reaches the consumer. It helps improve customer satisfaction. 
  • Optimize Resource Planning: Assess inventory levels and forecasted demands across multiple parameters to optimize resource planning and utilization. Optimizing resource planning ensures improved process efficiencies, reduced costs and increased profits. 
  • Automate Inventory Control: Automate inventory control through daily order entry, invoicing, purchasing, manufacturing and forecasting. Automation saves time and boosts productivity. 
  • Time-Saving: Free your managers, sales team and customer service representatives from the tedious tasks of manual data entry. It enables them to focus more on tasks that require their undivided attention. 
  • Promote Sales: Users can provide their staff with the necessary tools to sell effectively and efficiently. It aids in managing the customers better and providing them with timely information, facilitating better sales. 
  • Improved Business Insight: Retrieve, view and analyze critical business information from one centralized location. Accessing data from a centralized location enables decision-makers to find the right solutions, make future predictions with confidence and drive business success. 
  • Streamline Operations: Streamline operations within every department to maintain data integrity and develop efficient internal processes. It enables users to coordinate activities and boost productivity. 
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  • Sales Order Management: Dynamics 365 Business Central’s sales order management module allows you to alter quantity available amounts based on posted invoices. You can also use the program to create prepayment invoices and to manage partial shipments. 
  • Analysis Reports: The analysis reports tool is based on helping decisionmakers within your company gain meaningful insights that will positively influence daily decisions. With this customizable tool, you can use factors such as customers, items and vendors to view information such as inventory turnover and customer behavior. You can also use this tool to more accurately pinpoint problems across your business that are creating bottlenecks or inefficiencies. 
  • General Ledger: Accounting and financial reporting tools are a commonly requested feature in ERP software. Dynamics 365 Business Central offers a general ledger in its base package that includes internal and external reporting tools, ability to export data in various formats, employee ledger entries, linking to external documents and reporting in your company’s preferred currency format. 
  • Requisition Management: Dynamics 365 Business Central’s Requisition Worksheet allows you to optimize your inventory based on factors such as predicted demand and material availability. You can also set minimum and maximum quantity levels to determine a reordering point in your manufacturing center. 
  • Multi-Site Functionality: With this software, you can track inventory levels across multiple distribution centers, warehouses, production plants, showrooms and more. You can also track inventory as it moves from different locations while accounting for its value during transit. 
  • Contact Management: The contact management feature allows you to input and maintain a list of your business contacts and prospects. The tool lets you know when duplicate contact information is entered, enables you to issue quotes or sales documents, allows for the categorization of people associated with a specific contact and segments people based on profiling questions. 
  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Dynamics 365 Business Central includes support for Kofax Invoice Capture Service (ICS) out of the box. This tool can take information from unstructured PDFs, extract it, and turn it into structured data. 
  • Currency Exchange Rates: This system allows you to update currency exchange rates as they shift. This can be done either manually or automatically. Dynamics 365 Business Central supports Yahoo and European Central Bank (ECB) currency feeds out of the box, but you can add other currencies to the tool using the currency exchange rates setup. 
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  • Quality Control: Track and control the quality of the manufacturing process from inception to delivery with the help of unlimited quality control tests and maintaining robust product specification documents. 
  • Batch Production: Automate production scheduling and procurement process with production cost and yield analysis, finite scheduling and production dashboards. 
  • Order Management: Users can access four ways to enter orders via web, telephone, fax or email. It has an integrated shipping and truck routing module. 
  • Financial Management: Manage customer accounts with detailed credit history and periodic transaction reports. Track payment due dates and available discounts to manage cash flow. Gain in-depth financial reporting, including balance sheets, income statements and much more. 
  • Plant Maintenance: Schedule preventive maintenance with flexible maintenance scheduling. The repository for asset blueprints and specifications serve as an excellent database for effective plant maintenance. 
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Product Ranking

#18

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ERP Software

#114

among all
ERP Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Good User Sentiment 366 reviews
Great User Sentiment 38 reviews
75%
of users recommend this product

Dynamics 365 Business Central has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 75% when considering 366 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

80%
of users recommend this product

Datacor ERP has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 80% when considering 38 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

3.6 (142)
2.5 (2)
3.7 (85)
4.1 (36)
4.3 (9)
n/a
3.9 (130)
n/a

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Easy to Learn: Precisely 53% of users say the system has a simple implementation process and helpful training materials.
Extensive Features: Features include BOM management, finance management, document management, reporting, search filters, accounting and other modules, according to 79% of users.
Intuitive Interface: Familiar layout and guided workflows simplify data entry and task completion for non-technical users.
Automated Processes: Reduce manual tasks and errors with automated workflows for finance, inventory, sales, and customer service.
Actionable Insights: Gain real-time visibility into business performance through comprehensive dashboards and reporting tools.
Powerful Integrations: Connect seamlessly with Microsoft 365, Power BI, and other popular business applications for a unified data ecosystem.
Cloud-based Scalability: Adapt to growth with a flexible cloud infrastructure that supports diverse user needs and data volumes.
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Improved Efficiency: Streamlines processes, automates tasks, and centralizes data, saving time and resources.
Enhanced Visibility: Provides real-time insights into business performance across departments, enabling data-driven decision making.
Scalability and Flexibility: Adapts to your growing needs with modular functionality and cloud-based deployment options.
Improved Collaboration: Connects teams and departments, fostering better communication and workflow.
Reduced Costs: Optimizes inventory, minimizes waste, and automates processes, leading to cost savings.
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User Interface: Of the users who discussed the interface, 46% said it was not intuitive and the layout is old-fashioned.
Glitchy Performance: Approximately 67% of users said the program's overall performance is slow and glitchy.
Industry Gaps: While strong for core ERP functions, may require additional add-ons or integrations for complex industry-specific needs like manufacturing or healthcare.
Customization Curve: While offering customization options, extensive modifications might require developer expertise, increasing costs and implementation time.
Large Enterprise Scalability: While cloud-based and scalable, very large enterprises with intricate operations might encounter limitations or require additional configuration.
Add-on Dependence: Fulfilling specific needs may rely on third-party add-ons, introducing potential compatibility and support challenges.
Cost Considerations: While offering subscription plans, total cost of ownership can be influenced by user licenses, customization needs, and add-on integrations.
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Implementation Complexity: Initial setup and configuration can be complex for larger organizations, requiring IT expertise or consulting services.
Customization Costs: Extensive customization beyond core functionalities can lead to increased costs and development time.
Integration Challenges: Integrating Datacor ERP with existing systems and databases may require additional development work.
Learning Curve: Users may require training and adaptation to navigate the new interface and functionalities.
Limited Scalability for Small Businesses: Datacor ERP's feature set and pricing may be overkill for smaller businesses with simpler needs.
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Users appreciated Dynamics 365 Business Central's user-friendly interface and automation capabilities, highlighting its ease of use even for non-technical personnel. The streamlined workflows and intuitive layout simplified data entry and task completion, especially compared to competitor solutions with steeper learning curves. The automated processes proved beneficial in eliminating manual work and errors, boosting efficiency in areas like finance, inventory, and customer service. However, some users pointed to limitations in industry-specific features compared to more specialized competitors like SAP Business One or Acumatica. While Business Central excels in core ERP functions, complex needs in manufacturing or healthcare might require additional add-ons or integrations, increasing complexity and potentially cost. Customization, while available, also presented a potential hurdle. While offering flexibility, extensive modifications could necessitate developer expertise, raising implementation time and costs compared to competitors with more drag-and-drop customization options. Business Central's cloud-based scalability was praised, accommodating growth and diverse user needs effectively. This stood out compared to some on-premise competitors with less flexibility. However, very large enterprises with intricate operations might encounter limitations or require additional configuration compared to solutions like Oracle NetSuite designed for such complexity. Overall, user reviews suggest Dynamics 365 Business Central shines for its user-friendliness, automation, and cloud-based scalability. However, limitations in industry-specific features and potential customization complexity compared to some competitors are important considerations, especially for niche businesses or large enterprises.

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Datacor ERP's user reviews paint a picture of a powerful, industry-specific solution with some caveats to consider. Many users cite its deep functionality for chemical distributors and manufacturers as a major draw. "Datacor understands the nuances of our business," one reviewer says, "from formula management to batch tracking, it has everything we need." This focus translates to improved efficiency and accuracy, with users reporting streamlined processes and fewer errors. "We've seen a significant reduction in waste and improved on-time deliveries," another reviewer shares. However, Datacor's implementation complexity is a recurring theme. "The initial setup was quite involved," admits one user, "and we needed some consulting help to get things running smoothly." Additionally, some reviewers mention limited scalability for smaller businesses, suggesting that Datacor's robust features and pricing might be overkill for simpler needs. "For a small startup, it felt a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut," one reviewer comments. When compared to competitors like SAP Business One and Acumatica, users highlight Datacor's industry-specific strengths and user-friendly interface. "Datacor feels more intuitive for our line of work," one reviewer explains, "while SAP felt too generic." However, some users also mention concerns about Datacor's pricing structure compared to its competitors. "Acumatica's subscription model seems more predictable," one reviewer notes. Overall, Datacor ERP seems to be a powerful solution for businesses in the chemical industry, offering deep functionality and improved efficiency. However, its implementation complexity and potentially higher costs for smaller businesses require careful consideration. As one reviewer wisely concludes, "Datacor is a great fit if you need a tailored solution for your specific industry, but be prepared to invest the time and resources to get it up and running."

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