Certinia ERP Cloud vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Certinia ERP Cloud
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Certinia ERP Cloud automates financial management on the Salesforce platform. The customer-centric ERP software includes a general ledger, automated billing processes, and financial intelligence.N/A
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (or Dynamics AX) was an ERP product in the Dynamics family. It has been split into separate Dynamics 365 products to provide more flexibility to customers, allowing users to pay only for the functionality they need. Microsoft Dynamics AX will reach end of support in 2021, and end of extended support in 2023. Financial tracking and budgeting features are now found in the newly launchedN/A
Pricing
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
2 Ratings
16% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
8 Ratings
21% above category average
Pay calculation8.52 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.02 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.02 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
4 Ratings
13% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.0
13 Ratings
5% below category average
API for custom integration8.84 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Plug-ins8.03 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
5 Ratings
5% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
6.0
14 Ratings
28% below category average
Single sign-on capability8.65 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.15 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
7.9
5 Ratings
12% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.3
14 Ratings
17% above category average
Dashboards8.45 Ratings9.012 Ratings
Standard reports6.55 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Custom reports8.85 Ratings9.014 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
7.9
6 Ratings
4% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.2
15 Ratings
8% above category average
Accounts payable8.05 Ratings7.015 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.14 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Global Financial Support8.01 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.01 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations6.33 Ratings7.010 Ratings
Configurable Accounting7.43 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.73 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
10.0
3 Ratings
25% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
13 Ratings
11% above category average
Inventory tracking10.03 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Automatic reordering10.03 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Location management10.03 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.1
2 Ratings
5% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.6
13 Ratings
1% below category average
Pricing8.02 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Order entry8.02 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Credit card processing8.52 Ratings3.09 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.02 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.7
1 Ratings
16% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
10 Ratings
16% above category average
Travel & Expense Management10.01 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting7.01 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Billing Management00 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings8.07 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
9.3
1 Ratings
20% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.9
7 Ratings
16% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting9.01 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Project Costing9.01 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Cost Capture10.01 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Capital Project Management9.01 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance10.01 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition10.01 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.2
1 Ratings
19% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
5 Ratings
26% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling7.01 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers7.01 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality8.01 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools8.01 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
4 Ratings
17% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.7
7 Ratings
24% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.8
2 Ratings
31% above category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Issue Detection00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
8.5
6 Ratings
24% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
Fulfillment Management00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
7.7
6 Ratings
5% above category average
Production Process Design00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Production Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Configuration Management00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Work Execution00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.2
6 Ratings
27% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings9.95 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
9.0
3 Ratings
23% above category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Small Businesses
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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Score 6.1 out of 10
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SAP Business ByDesign
Score 8.4 out of 10
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User Ratings
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(8 ratings)
8.0
(19 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Certinia ERP CloudMicrosoft Dynamics AX, discontinued
Likelihood to Recommend
Certinia
For accounting systems, users and/or evaluators often want to see some type of matrix or "heads up" comparisons of specific features and functionality of a system in key areas such as: 1) General Ledger 2) Order to Cash cycle 3) Purchase to Pay cycle 4) Cash management 5) Inventory and/or Cost Accounting (Projects/Jobs, etc) 6) Revenue Recognition 7) Fixed Assets management 8) Budgets 9) Tax 10) Reports and Analysis It would be great if this kind of matrix existed to be filled in by reviewers so that others could benefit from their perspectives about the applications and how they address or handle the specific features/functionality. With respect to FinancialForce, the company has found that nearly all the key features it needed were available from the application.
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Microsoft
It integrates fully with the other Microsoft software we use daily, and this coordination speeds up our work and gives us the agility to run easily. For example, in a purchase inquiry, the customer, after submitting a request, identifies the teams that should work on the project, and if they need further review by other people, they are added to the process, and everything is managed seamlessly rather than the sales process. Get the result as fast as possible.
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Pros
Certinia
  • User interface is more modern and user-friendly than other software
  • Dashboards allow for good visual interpretation
  • Reports are able to be customized to better fit users' needs
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Microsoft Dynamics AX's scalability to meet our regional office needs provide flexibility to the team's requirements.
  • Combined with Citrix Xenapp, the application offers seamless access for users on high latency unreliable network connection to the application.
  • Application maintenance and updates are easy which makes it possible for us to manage remotely considering the servers are located in a remote Asia site.
Read full review
Cons
Certinia
  • Since SalesForce was not made with accounting in mind, building FinancialForce as a module on top of SalesForce gives problems because the overarching architect of SalesForce cannot facilitate all the accounting requirements.
  • The FinancialForce integration team was not very good, and did not help us set up our FinancialForce very well. Their customer support is also lacking and takes a long time to respond and troubleshoot our problems.
  • FinancialForce doesn't actually build financial statement reports. We were only able to run a trial balance, and we had to build the statements ourselves in Excel.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • MRP can be slow to adapt to changes in actual production or supply chain transactions.
  • Setting up number sequences seems a trivial matter, but these numbers ID transactions once they are in the ledger and are key--easy to miss this point in the implementation process.
  • Bank rec being easily automated and able to quickly plug into a bank back end to get data is not the best.
  • Payment processing can be 'clunky' based on checks, ACH, Wires...as some of these items are not triggered out of the box in AX, bur are easily added --talking ACH and Wires specifically.
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Likelihood to Renew
Certinia
The company has now converted its legacy, "home grown" operations system and built it on the force.com platform, and the integration between it and FinancialForce is deeply entrenched. No other application would be able to replicate this functionality, and the company will be able to scale and leverage the force.com platform as it grows.
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Microsoft
Microsoft Dynamics continues to evolve by bringing more functionality to the customer. Also there are several independent software providers that offer a wide range of solutions for vertical markets.
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Usability
Certinia
Change management is always an issue, but the evidence of the application's usability is that both long-time employees (used to the legacy systems for many years) and newer employees have been able to learn the system and improve their business processes.
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Microsoft
Overall the product does what we need it to do in order for us to function as a company. While there are some concerns over ongoing costs, the belief is, once we have it fully acclimated to our business the cost should settle into alignment with our original expectations. The new features that are consistently being added do add value to the product as they are usually customer request directed.
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Reliability and Availability
Certinia
Unless the internet is completely unavailable - which has not happened yet - the application is always accessible. Since FinancialForce is built on the force.com platform, it's uptime is tied to Salesforce security and system performance standards
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Microsoft
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
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Performance
Certinia
If Visualforce pages are enabled, they sometimes slow down the load time.
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Microsoft
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
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Support Rating
Certinia
The response time for FinancialForce is exemplary. Immediate acknowledgement of the support request by automatically logging a case/ticket on the provider side, then less than 24-hour follow up by a support team member with specific questions, information or resolution for the issue.
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Microsoft
We use a 3rd-party Microsoft Partner for the system. They are responsive and very knowledgeable. While costs have been mentioned several times in this review they are very aware of costs and have developers who are more economical they use to help offset the level of work required to meet our changes and fix our issues.
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In-Person Training
Certinia
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
It took a lot of work, but Microsoft ultimately did a good job with in-person training, including being onsite in multiple global locations for extended periods.
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Online Training
Certinia
Through its Xtra login website available to its customers, FinancialForce offers a complete set of online, video tutorials, training and documentation. Each tutorial is "bite-sized", meaning it imparts instructional, step-by-step information in 2-3 minute narrated videos. For a particular cycle or process, like invoices to payments for example, each tutorial builds on the last so that the user can get a complete picture of the steps and process in less than 10 minutes.
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Microsoft
Our solution deviated from a number of key out-of-the-box standards that were included in Online training. We just used that for introduction to the general functionality.
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Implementation Rating
Certinia
The company decided to run parallel for three months in order to soften the impact of the change from the legacy "system" - which users had been interfacing with for over a decade - to FinancialForce. While not recommended, this did provide time for the in-house "super user" team of 2 people to become completely familiar with the application, and thus provide hands-on training and be a resource for the users who would be processing the daily accounting transactions.
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Microsoft
Some rough spots, but ultimately worked out. The contract didn't appear to be structured to support the level of overlapping facility deployments required to meet timeline commitments. Merging cultures on the program was also challenging. Overall, not an easy implementation by any stretch. Everyone did the best they could.
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Alternatives Considered
Certinia
FinancialForce Subscription & Usage Billing has more features, more useability, and manages higher numbers of customers. The systems I have used in the past are easier to navigate but couldn't handle this number of customers.
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Microsoft
I was not part of the decision making process to select Microsoft Dynamics AX, however, I do know that an exhaustive search was done and many options were considered alongside Microsoft Dynamics AX and I feel that the right decision was made in choosing this solution.
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Return on Investment
Certinia
  • Beneficial to easily be able to track impact of fluctuating currencies.
  • Integration with Salesforce.com reduced/elimintated manual entry which saves various colleagues time.
  • Increased visibility over the entire sales cycle because of the integration between Salesforce.com & FinancialForce Accounting.
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Microsoft
  • With the robust built-in reporting we were able to drop an external reporting platform that costed about $40,000.
  • API integrations have saved manual entry and reduced having to hire 2-3 people to manage data.
  • Several administrators and developers are required for this which costs about 200-300 thousand in employee costs.
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ScreenShots