Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Catalyst, by EBM Software
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Catalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. The technology is based on the Navision product acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This product is the best-selling Microsoft ERP platform, and is often used by companies in the manufacturing and distribution verticals.N/A
Pricing
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFlexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
13% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Customizable dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
8% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Publish to PDF7.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
9% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
0% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
4% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Long-term financial planning7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial budgeting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Scenario modeling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management reporting8.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
12% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Financial data consolidation9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Journal entries and reports8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Financial Statement Reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Reporting9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
2 Ratings
11% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Personalized dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
KPIs7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
12% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ratings
Flat file integration8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel data integration7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
6 Ratings
5% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings7.86 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.35 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
16 Ratings
10% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.0
20 Ratings
10% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings9.020 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.1
21 Ratings
31% below category average
Dashboards00 Ratings5.117 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings5.121 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings5.120 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.8
21 Ratings
14% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings9.020 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.419 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
16 Ratings
10% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.79 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.9
19 Ratings
2% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings7.117 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings10.011 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.4
11 Ratings
13% above category average
Billing Management00 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings7.86 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings8.37 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
8 Ratings
13% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
4 Ratings
12% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.7
3 Ratings
25% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
6 Ratings
14% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings7.55 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.6
3 Ratings
38% above category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings9.32 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings9.32 Ratings
Issue Detection00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings9.72 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
3 Ratings
12% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Fulfillment Management00 Ratings7.93 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.1
3 Ratings
6% below category average
Production Process Design00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Production Management00 Ratings5.83 Ratings
Configuration Management00 Ratings1.32 Ratings
Work Execution00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings8.63 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.5
5 Ratings
27% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.3
2 Ratings
25% above category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Small Businesses
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IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.4 out of 10
Acumatica
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Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
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Score 7.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
8.0
(21 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(2 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(2 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Likelihood to Recommend
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
Read full review
Microsoft
It addresses well some integration and connectivity issues with other software and adapted technologies: formulation and manufacturing batching software, scanners and bar codes, inventory, financials, emailing of invoices and statement, sales and purchasing... etc. I believe it to be better suited to a medium to large company. Not as simple and seamless as we expected for migrating from another Microsoft Dynamics software product (we moved from GP to NAV). Our staff is going through a tougher time than we thought to learn some procedures. Normal growing pains?!
Read full review
Pros
EBM Software
  • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
  • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
  • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Automate the creation of bills of materials for production. We can now generate a BoM from a sales order.
  • Organization of all data pertaining to thousands of parts, assemblies, and finished goods. Engineering and purchasing have a common portal.
  • We can create sales orders from quotations instead of re-entering them (this did require some bolt-on software). Less redundant work with fewer entry errors.
  • Accounting can provide reports based on specific criteria stored in NAV. We can pull better and more detailed intelligence.
Read full review
Cons
EBM Software
  • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
  • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
  • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
Read full review
Microsoft
  • The version of software that we currently use isn't compatible with Windows 7, therefore we had to install it using the virtual computer under Windows XP. This created a few additional steps that the users had to go through in order to access the software which generated more calls to our IT Helpdesk.
  • We did research how much it would cost to upgrade the software so that we could get a version compatible with Windows 7, but the cost was way too expensive for our organization. Also, when we need to make updates or changes to the software, there are very few consultants who are familiar with the software so we are limited in who we can use for consulting services. Since we are limited in choosing consultants who can make updates and changes to the software the fees are usually really expensive for their services.
  • There is a .zup file that we constantly have to delete in order for the database to work properly and update. Users get a pop-up about once a week asking if they want to replace the .zup file and if the file is not deleted then the opening page for the software will not show up correctly and the database will not have the most up to date information.
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Likelihood to Renew
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
We've already decided to continue using this software. It is too expensive for us to upgrade so we made a workaround by using the virtual computer with Windows XP installed on it. We did research replacing this software, but it was a better financial decision to keep what we had instead
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Usability
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
Read full review
Microsoft
It has simplified all processes and reduces turnaround time for month end processes. You can easily navigate through the dashboard which is very user friendly and easily guides you to different functionalities. Duplications of Invoices is avoided because NAV rejects posting of an invoice number already in the system so you increase accuracy.
Read full review
Support Rating
EBM Software
The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
Read full review
Microsoft
It provides one to efficiently be able to manage bookkeeping and inventory without much challenges. One can easily navigate through workflow processes while managing usages and budgets. Being able to produce reports in Word, Excel or PDF means one is able to have a working document to produce trends and graphs or produce pivot tables.
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Alternatives Considered
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
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Microsoft
I have personally supported all of the Dynamic family of ERP systems and made the decision to concentrate on NAV as the solution of choice. From a support and development standpoint there are few if any packages that can compare. It is not uncommon for most of the companies that I support to only call me once or twice a month after the first year. This is due to the ease of tracking down problems and errors and the ability for a developer to provide the end-user with routines that automatically correct the most basic kind of error
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Return on Investment
EBM Software
  • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
  • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
  • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
  • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
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Microsoft
  • Automation processing, including EDI functionality, has increased employee efficiency and prevented the need for adding additional employees.
  • Implementation of the warehouse functionality, including cycle counts, has resulted in better inventory control/less shrinkage.
  • Implementation of e-Ship and e-Receive, has resulted in greater efficiency and order accuracy.
Read full review
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