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Microsoft Dynamics SL vs. PowerSchool Student Information System

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Dynamics SL

    Score5.1 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Dynamics SL is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. This product was acquired from Solomon 2000. The product is typically used by SMBs, particularly in project-based businesses (e.g. construction). It has strong accounting and project management capabilities.N/A

    PowerSchool SIS

    Score6.3 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    The PowerSchool Student Information System covers administrative needs, such as scheduling, attendance, reporting, data management, faculty management, emergency/medical and health management, registration, and more for K-12 schools and districts. It is easy to use and boasts an industry-leading gradebook, PowerTeacher Pro. Users enjoy a fully web-based SIS that is flexible, configurable, and scalable with real-time updates on any operating system, browser or device.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    17 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.5
    2 Ratings
    12% above category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Pay calculation9.62 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    6 Ratings
    23% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    API for custom integration6.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plug-ins6.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.7
    10 Ratings
    3% above category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Single sign-on capability7.49 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.09 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.0
    10 Ratings
    6% above category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    7.1
    11 Ratings
    8% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Accounts payable6.011 Ratings00 Ratings
    Accounts receivable6.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Global Financial Support6.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers6.63 Ratings00 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations3.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standardized Processes6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    6 Ratings
    33% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Inventory tracking5.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location management6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.2
    4 Ratings
    25% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Pricing6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order entry3.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Credit card processing7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    4 Ratings
    28% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Billing Management6.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting6.32 Ratings00 Ratings
    Period Close6.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    4.7
    3 Ratings
    47% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Budgeting and Forecasting7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Costing6.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost Capture2.12 Ratings00 Ratings
    Capital Project Management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Revenue Recognition2.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.3
    1 Ratings
    17% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Award Lifecycle Management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    22% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Production Management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    20% below category average
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    -
    Ratings
    Inventory Planning6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Student and Faculty Administration
    Comparison of Student and Faculty Administration features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and PowerSchool Student Information System
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    -
    Ratings
    PowerSchool Student Information System
    8.5
    3 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Integrations with 3rd-Party Education Technology00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    Online Registration Management00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    District Communications, such as messaging and alerting00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
    Roster Management00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Platform Customization00 Ratings7.73 Ratings
    Teacher Self-Service00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Student Data Security00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Community Support00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
    Class Scheduling00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    State and National-level Reporting00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
    Compliance Support00 Ratings7.62 Ratings
    Teacher and Parent Mobile Application00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Small Businesses
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Schoolmint Hero
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score4.8 out of 10
    Schoolmint Hero
    Score9.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.0
    (18 ratings)
    9.0
    (32 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    5.4
    (8 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    3.0
    (7 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.9
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.5
    (4 ratings)
    8.5
    (12 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    1.4
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Dynamics SLPowerSchool SIS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    For a small to mid-size business, MS Dynamics SL is effective. We are capable of managing our finances with a very low risk of error. We have worked with MS Dynamics for almost 15 years and have more than doubled the size of our business in that time with very few issues from the program. We have exponentially increased our revenue and reporting demands and have found SL to be very dependable and stable. The program does have the occasional glitch and those are sometimes outside of the realm of expertise of our IT department. SL support is excellent, but their timeliness is not as urgent as ours.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    PowerSchool Student Information System is a cool software that can be highly recommended to anyone who is living in the educational management space. It is proven that this software can reduce your manual workload massively if you use it right. Plus it is really worth the price you pay. Especially if you are in the administrative field, this software will help you to minimize manual efforts put into student registrations, staffing recruitment, and main resource management processes.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Provides flexibility for complex project based cost accounting
    • Strong and flexible allocation processer for cost allocations, markups, and pricing
    • A "Flexible Billing" module under the project controller series that allows for multiple billing formats ranging from fixed price schedule of values, T&M or Cost Plus, and scheduled billing.
    • Flexible reporting with options using Crystal Reports, SSRS, a Quick Query tool, and ability to tie into MS Office tools such as MS Access and MS Excel
    • Tight integration with Financials, but also the ability to integrate with modules such as Sales Order, Inventory, and Field Service
    • Customization abilities ranging from a VBA (visual basic for application) foundation to allow customizing existing forms to the ability to use the SDK (Software Development Kit) to build more complex customizations that integrate with Dynamics SL.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • PowerSchool houses student or staff information that can be easily accessed by those teachers and administrators who need the information. This allows everyone to go to one place to access information.
    • Parents can view their child's grades at any time with their protected login on a parent portal. This allows teachers to keep parents informed and involved in their child's progress at school. When everyone works together it increases our students' chance for success.
    • PowerSchool offers videos to train new users. When we have new employees, the videos can be accessed at any time the employee needs as opposed to them waiting for someone to help them.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Microsoft
    • Reporting in the Project module is lacking functionality. I understand that most companies have specific needs when it comes to tracking project information but the standard reports are not good.
    • I would recommend a product like Management Reporter that is for Projects only. Project Reporter should allow users to pull in all Project related data into reports.
    • Fixing suspended batches. Obviously all of us users have experienced this mess. SL knows what needs to be corrected and there could be some step by step fixes in a separate repair module to do the steps we do in Query Analyzer.
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • Does not consistently communicate with related software such as Illuminate for Special Education Students.
    • Drop down menus frequently refresh as data is entered which slows down the user's ability to enter information.
    • Icons are sometimes unclear and not easily understandable. Word labels for some items might be more effective.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    Unfortunately, Dynamics' lack of ability to smoothly integrate with our CRM system is causing us to look at other solutions. The efficiencies that we gain by using Dynamics for our day to day accounting are lost in the constant headaches of getting sales quotes to import properly into the system for invoicing. Another major issue for us has been budgeting and reporting. We currently do all of our budgeting and board reporting in Excel, which is too time consuming and inefficient, especially when a system as robust as Dynamics should easily be able to handle this relatively simple task.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    We would be starting over at square one if we did not continue our PowerSchool subscription. We do not have a program in a place that would take its place.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Microsoft
    I rate it a 10 because we have removed the fields we don't need so users can really crank the data into the system. The software was designed for the professional services firm in mind but does a tremendous job for construction firms and "blended" companies that are both distribution firms but project centric as well. Perhaps they drop ship inventory to a project where their employees or subs need to work on a project for example.
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Great features, but it can feel very cumbersome at times
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    We have had only one unplanned outage for 2 hours in the last 30 months. We shut down for 30 min to 1 hour once a month, but that is for Microsoft OS updates to the servers. Being a 24/7 world wide operation, the reliability is really important. We do get an 8 hour window on the weekend that we can be down for a short period to install Microsoft Dynamics SL updates, but we do not have many of those. On our last version upgrade, we shut the users out at 9:30 am and were fully operational in less than 6 hours. The upgrade was New SQL server, New SL server and 2 new Citrix servers.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    Support is only used when needed, so unfortunately ,they get all the odd issues. It's a difficult business, but Microsoft and our firm do a great job of meeting customer needs. We get routine feedback that our support services are very good.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Overall, I have not had to use support for PowerSchool Student Information System because our school district gives us training in each area in which we will be utilizing PowerSchool Student Information System. In terms of in-user support, I feel that there is mild to moderate user support that is built into PowerSchool SIS.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    Just to let it take its course. The implementation for me once I became a part of my former organization was pretty seamless. Just get to know the basics and call the support team to ask questions if you need help on an issue, should they arise. They are ready, willing, and able to help!
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    Of the comparable mid-range ERP systems, Dynamics SL competes at the lower end based on price, but also above the high-end based on flexibility, data, and reporting. Being able to stay with the same core accounting from a $100 million dollar company to a $3 billion dollar company shows the range of capabilities.
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    I have heard good things for Infinite Campus and Skyward. I would [evaluate] each of them and see what fits your needs. Each has their strengths and weaknesses and so picking the right one for your needs is important. PowerSchool [Student Information System] does have some great features, but lacks some fundamental reports and functions to make it top notch.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    Since the backbone of the database is MS SQLServer, the database can be easily scaled.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • More time is spent on manipulating reports which can and should be automated.
    • Lack of electronic invoicing process and other green technology features creates more cost on printing and storage costs.
    • The lack of a user friendly interface requires more training and a bigger learning curve for staff.
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • It has created shortcuts for all staff members, saving us time.
    • In creating shortcuts and combining many different systems into one, it is saving our school money.
    • It has created a safety net for teachers because grades and student information is stored electronically, which means teachers not having to worry about losing or misplacing their grade books.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    PowerSchool SIS Screenshots

    Screenshot of Student attendanceScreenshot of Standards-based gradingScreenshot of At-risk dashboardScreenshot of Parent view of student schedule