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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Microsoft SQL Server

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Microsoft SQL Server

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft SQL Server is a relational database.

    $1,418

    Per License

    Pricing
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Editions & Modules
    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
    Subscription
    $1,418.00
    Per License
    Enterprise
    $13,748.00
    Per License
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Navision is more flexible tan SAP and also easier to configure and use. It also allows you the possibilty to integrate easily your ERP database tables witho other products.
    Comparing it aginst Oracle eBusiness Suite, Navision is clearly cheaper and easier to maintain since it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    Dynamics NAV blows the doors off of Accpac in breadth, scalability and performance. If you're looking for full functionality for a small to medium sized business that can scale as you grow with solid performance and data integrity, then Dynamics NAV is the right solution for …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    SQL Server is the standard by which others are compared. Excellent product.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    53 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    53 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    82%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    45 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    6.6
    11 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Pay calculation6.211 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration6.39 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct deposit files6.610 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    25 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    API for custom integration8.124 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plug-ins7.922 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    29 Ratings
    0% below category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Single sign-on capability8.525 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.328 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    30 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.326 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.430 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.629 Ratings00 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.4
    30 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Accounts payable8.429 Ratings00 Ratings
    Accounts receivable8.328 Ratings00 Ratings
    Global Financial Support8.417 Ratings00 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.416 Ratings00 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations8.919 Ratings00 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting7.219 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standardized Processes8.720 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.6
    26 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Inventory tracking8.526 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automatic reordering7.618 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location management8.222 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    28 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Pricing8.225 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order entry8.925 Ratings00 Ratings
    Credit card processing7.417 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold8.422 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order Orchestration8.313 Ratings00 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.2
    20 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Billing Management8.518 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management8.619 Ratings00 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management7.614 Ratings00 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
    Period Close8.219 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.7
    8 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Budgeting and Forecasting10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Costing10.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost Capture10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Capital Project Management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customer Contract Compliance10.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Revenue Recognition8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Execution Management
    Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.6
    11 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Project Planning and Scheduling7.510 Ratings00 Ratings
    Task Insight for Project Managers7.110 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Mobile Functionality7.19 Ratings00 Ratings
    Definable Resource Pools6.910 Ratings00 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.9
    8 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Award Lifecycle Management6.78 Ratings00 Ratings
    Procurement
    Comparison of Procurement features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.9
    16 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Bids Analyzed and Compared7.410 Ratings00 Ratings
    Contract Authoring7.210 Ratings00 Ratings
    Contract Repository7.510 Ratings00 Ratings
    Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated8.114 Ratings00 Ratings
    Supplier Management7.613 Ratings00 Ratings
    Risk Management
    Comparison of Risk Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.3
    12 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Risk Repository7.211 Ratings00 Ratings
    Control Management7.411 Ratings00 Ratings
    Control Efficiency Assessments6.711 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue Detection7.511 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remediation and Certification7.69 Ratings00 Ratings
    Logistics
    Comparison of Logistics features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.7
    10 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Transportation Planning and Optimization7.88 Ratings00 Ratings
    Transportation Execution Management7.48 Ratings00 Ratings
    Trade and Customs Management7.98 Ratings00 Ratings
    Fulfillment Management7.410 Ratings00 Ratings
    Warehouse Workforce Management9.27 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.0
    10 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Production Process Design9.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    Production Management8.88 Ratings00 Ratings
    Configuration Management7.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    Work Execution9.27 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manufacturing Costs7.310 Ratings00 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    7.4
    12 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Forecasting6.412 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inventory Planning7.212 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Monitoring7.012 Ratings00 Ratings
    Product Lifecycle Management
    Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
    8.8
    9 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Proposal Management7.18 Ratings00 Ratings
    Product Master Data Management7.78 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Small Businesses
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score4.8 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.6
    (31 ratings)
    7.9
    (107 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    8.8
    (11 ratings)
    7.6
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.9
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Microsoft
    Microsoft SQL is ubiquitous, while MySQL runs under the hood all over the place. Microsoft SQL is the platform taught in colleges and certification courses and is the one most likely to be used by businesses because it is backed by Microsoft. Its interface is friendly (well, as pleasant as SQL can be) and has been used by so many for so long that resources are freely available if you encounter any issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    Microsoft
    • Easy to configure and use with Visual Studio and Dot Net
    • Easy integration with MSBI to perform data analysis
    • Data Security
    • Easy to understand and use
    • Very easy to export database and tables in the form of SQL query or a script
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Microsoft
    • Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise edition has a high cost but is the only edition which supports SQL Always On Availability Groups. It would be nice to include this feature in the Standard version.
    • Licensing of Microsoft SQL Server is a quite complex matter, it would be good to simplify licensing in the future. For example, per core vs per user CAL licensing, as well as complex licensing scenarios in the Cloud and on Edge locations.
    • It would be good to include native tools for converting Oracle, DB2, Postgresql and MySQL/MariaDB databases (schema and data) for import into Microsoft SQL Server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Microsoft
    We understand that the Microsoft SQL Server will continue to advance, offering the same robust and reliable platform while adding new features that enable us, as a software center, to create a superior product. That provides excellent performance while reducing the hardware requirements and the total cost of ownership of our solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    SQL Server mostly 'just works' or generates error messages to help you sort out the trouble. You can usually count on the product to get the job done and keep an eye on your potential mistakes. Interaction with other Microsoft products makes operating as a Windows user pretty straight forward. Digging through the multitude of dialogs and wizards can be a pain, but the answer is usually there somewhere.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Its does not have outages.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    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
    Microsoft
    We managed to handle most of our problems by looking into Microsoft's official documentation that has everything explained and almost every function has an example that illustrates in detail how a particular functionality works. Just like PowerShell has the ability to show you an example of how some cmdlet works, that is the case also here, and in my opinion, it is a very good practice and I like it.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It was good
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    very hands on and detailed training
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Other than SQL taking quite a bit of time to actually install there are no problems with installation. Even on hardware that has good performance SQL can still take close to an hour to install a typical server with management and reporting services.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Microsoft
    [Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    Microsoft
    • Increased accuracy - We went from multiple users having different versions of an Excel spreadsheet to a single source of truth for our reporting.
    • Increased Efficiency - We can now generate reports at any time from a single source rather than multiple users spending their time collating data and generating reports.
    • Improved Security - Enterprise level security on a dedicated server rather than financial files on multiple laptop hard drives.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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