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Microsoft BI (MSBI) vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft BI (MSBI)

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft BI is a business intelligence product used for data analysis and generating reports on server-based data. It features unlimited data analysis capacity with its reporting engine, SQL Server Reporting Services alongside ETL, master data management, and data cleansing.

    $14

    per month per user

    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft 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.

    $8

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Editions & Modules
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month per user
    Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members
    $8
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials
    $70
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium
    $100
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    82%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports8.546 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.653 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.951 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis8.548 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.253 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.342 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.953 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web9.348 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.444 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.547 Ratings00 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.426 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.651 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.748 Ratings00 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.745 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining8.76 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.449 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.347 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.949 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.431 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access8.239 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Application8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.739 Ratings00 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    -
    Ratings
    REST API9.221 Ratings00 Ratings
    Javascript API8.821 Ratings00 Ratings
    iFrames8.820 Ratings00 Ratings
    Java API8.718 Ratings00 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)7.319 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    6.6
    11 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings6.211 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings6.39 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings6.610 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    25 Ratings
    6% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings8.124 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings7.922 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    29 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.525 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.328 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    30 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.326 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.430 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings8.629 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    30 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.429 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.328 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings8.517 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.416 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.919 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.219 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.720 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.6
    26 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings8.526 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.618 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings8.222 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    28 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.225 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings8.925 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings7.417 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.422 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings8.313 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.2
    20 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Billing Management00 Ratings8.518 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.619 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings7.614 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
    Period Close00 Ratings8.219 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.7
    8 Ratings
    14% 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 Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.6
    11 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Project Planning and Scheduling00 Ratings7.510 Ratings
    Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings7.110 Ratings
    Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings7.19 Ratings
    Definable Resource Pools00 Ratings6.910 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.9
    8 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings6.78 Ratings
    Procurement
    Comparison of Procurement features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.9
    16 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings7.410 Ratings
    Contract Authoring00 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Contract Repository00 Ratings7.510 Ratings
    Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.114 Ratings
    Supplier Management00 Ratings7.613 Ratings
    Risk Management
    Comparison of Risk Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.3
    12 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Risk Repository00 Ratings7.211 Ratings
    Control Management00 Ratings7.411 Ratings
    Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings6.711 Ratings
    Issue Detection00 Ratings7.511 Ratings
    Remediation and Certification00 Ratings7.69 Ratings
    Logistics
    Comparison of Logistics features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.7
    10 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings7.88 Ratings
    Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
    Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings7.98 Ratings
    Fulfillment Management00 Ratings7.410 Ratings
    Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings9.27 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    10 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Production Process Design00 Ratings9.27 Ratings
    Production Management00 Ratings8.88 Ratings
    Configuration Management00 Ratings7.17 Ratings
    Work Execution00 Ratings9.27 Ratings
    Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings7.310 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.4
    12 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Forecasting00 Ratings6.412 Ratings
    Inventory Planning00 Ratings7.212 Ratings
    Performance Monitoring00 Ratings7.012 Ratings
    Product Lifecycle Management
    Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.8
    9 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Proposal Management00 Ratings7.18 Ratings
    Product Master Data Management00 Ratings7.78 Ratings
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    User Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    8.6
    (31 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    8.8
    (11 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI has a lot of features and is a very powerful tool, especially if you have folks on your team that know how to utilize all of its capabilities. To truly unlock all that it can do, it does require people to have a deep understanding of its capabilities. That's where the software really shines. If you are looking for a simpler, more basic reporting tool, there are other programs available that do not require such a steep learning curve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is well suited for inventory management in all aspects. Its accessibility, along with my other apps, when out of the office is unparalleled. I find it easy to work with on a desktop or laptop; however, it could use some work on a mobile device.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Comparatively easy to use compared to other data analytics solutions, collaborating with other colleagues on data work is simple.
    • Using Visual Studio for database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development save time and money.
    • Transfer of data from one application to another via Excel and comparison of data attributes between applications
    • Dashboard functionality, as well as Python support, are available, allowing you to add additional charts and graphs.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • MSBI designs can work on increasing data processing capabilities enough to handle the huge datasets etc.
    • It would be a lot better if it is a little low on cost.
    • it needs to create opportunities little more than they do regarding customization of some very unique visualization effects
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Some functions could be a bit more user friendly, intuitive.
    • Better migration from previous ERP software (especially other Microsoft products). "Growing pains" associated with change?! Maybe.
    • A few redundancies and procedural missteps on menus and tabs can make the portal a bit crowded.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI is fundamental to our suite of BI applications. That being said, Northcraft Analytics is focused on delighting our customers, so if the underlying factors of our decision change, we would choose to re-write our BI applications on a different stack. Luckily, mathematics are the fundamental IP of our technology... and is portable across all BI platforms for the foreseeable future.
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Microsoft
    The Microsoft BI tools have great usability for both developers and end users alike. For developers familiar with Visual Studio, there is little learning curve. For those not, the single Visual Studio IDE means not having to learn separate tools for each component. For end-users, the web interface for SSRS is simple to navigate with intuitive controls. For ad-hoc analysis, Excel can connect directly to SSAS and provide a pivot table like experience which is familiar to many users. For database development, there is beginning to be some confusion, as there are now three tool choices (VS, SSMS, Azure Data Studio) for developers. I would like to see Azure Data Studio become the superset of SSMS and eventually supplant it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Ever since we deployed it, it has been a one-stop-shop for our organization. Everything we do has been through it, and we do not need to use other vendors to access student records, accounts receivable, procurement records, grades, transcripts, and report cards... they are all in one interface, which has been a solid plus for our organization.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Microsoft
    SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can drag at times. We created two report servers and placed them under an F5 load balancer. This configuration has worked well. We have seen sluggish performance at times due to the Windows Firewall.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    MSBI natively has a site that allows you to vote on user enhancements and bug fixes. This allows the largest nagging issues to float to the top and the development team can prioritize accordingly. As mentioned earlier, the large community base of MSBI developers assist technical resources in handling technical questions.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    This training was more directed toward what the product was capable of rather than actual programming.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Microsoft
    I have used on-line training from Microsoft and from Pragmatic Works. I would recommend Pragmatic Works as the best way to get up to speed quickly, and then use the Microsoft on-line training to deep dive into specific features that you need to get depth with.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    We are a consulting firm and as such our best resources are always billing on client projects. Our internal implementation has weaknesses, but that's true for any company like ours. My rating is based on the product's ease of implementation.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    We have used the built in ConnectWise Manager reports and custom reports. The reports provide static data. PowerBI shows us live data we can drill down into and easily adjust parameters. It's much more useful than a static PDF report.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • As a SaaS provider we see being able to provide self-service BI to our client users as a competitive advantage. In fact the MSSQL enabled BI is a contributing factor to many winning RFPs we have done for prospective client organisations.
    • However MSSQL BI requires extensive knowledge and skills to design and develop data warehouses & data models as a foundation to support business analysts and users to interrogate data effectively and efficiently. Often times we find having strong in-house MSSQL expertise is a bless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots