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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

    Vertex

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AVertex is global indirect tax compliance software for enterprise tax and finance teams. Indirect tax covers transaction-based obligations, such as sales and use tax, value-added tax (VAT), and goods and services tax (GST). Vertex supports tax determination, electronic invoicing (e-invoicing), reporting, filing, and audit-readiness workflows. Vertex’s official website Key Capabilities Tax determination: Calculates applicable indirect taxes…N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    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 SLVertex
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Vertex Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Would buy again
    69 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    54 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    69 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    38 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    50 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.5
    2 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    Pay calculation9.62 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    6 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    API for custom integration6.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plug-ins6.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.7
    10 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    8.0
    10 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    7.1
    11 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    6 Ratings
    33% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    Inventory tracking5.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location management6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.2
    4 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    5.7
    4 Ratings
    28% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    4.7
    3 Ratings
    47% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    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 Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.3
    1 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    Award Lifecycle Management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    22% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    Production Management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Vertex
    -
    Ratings
    Inventory Planning6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Type of tax
    Comparison of Type of tax features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    -
    Ratings
    Vertex
    8.2
    142 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Sales and Use Taxes00 Ratings9.3139 Ratings
    Cross-border Taxes00 Ratings7.945 Ratings
    VAT / GST Taxes00 Ratings8.568 Ratings
    Energy and Fuel Taxes00 Ratings7.311 Ratings
    Tax Reporting & Compliance
    Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Vertex
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics SL
    -
    Ratings
    Vertex
    8.6
    136 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Geolocation for Tax Assessment00 Ratings8.6103 Ratings
    3rd-Party Software Integrations00 Ratings8.795 Ratings
    Tax Data Reporting00 Ratings8.7122 Ratings
    Compliance Administration Management00 Ratings8.786 Ratings
    Tax Exemption Processing00 Ratings8.7100 Ratings
    Tax Document Management00 Ratings8.783 Ratings
    Complex Tax Scenario Management00 Ratings8.096 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    Small Businesses
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Intuit Lacerte
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Lappa
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score4.8 out of 10
    ADP SmartCompliance
    Score8.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.0
    (18 ratings)
    9.0
    (167 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    5.4
    (8 ratings)
    8.0
    (20 ratings)
    Usability
    3.0
    (7 ratings)
    8.6
    (63 ratings)
    Availability
    9.9
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (10 ratings)
    Performance
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (10 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.5
    (4 ratings)
    7.5
    (25 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.6
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.9
    (17 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (80 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.9
    (7 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    1.4
    (2 ratings)
    8.7
    (57 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (20 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (13 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Dynamics SLVertex
    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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    Vertex Inc.
    I have used Vertex since the very beginning of my career. I have always found the information clear, and easy to use. The documentation to use the product was thorough. We file returns in all 45 states that have sales / use taxes and having the ability to import data, key additional data in and print out a signature ready return has made life easy. I've never wanted to look at any other return preparation software as none of them come close to the product that Vertex created.
    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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    Vertex Inc.
    • Vertex does a great job of building in-house industry expertise (leasing in our case) so they truly understand the tax technical and compliance obstacles we face day to day.
    • Vertex actively solicits for and responds to customer feedback on development and product roadmap suggestions. The Leasing users group is an example where Vertex takes an active role in communicating with and taking feedback from our industry.
    • Vertex tax updates are very timely and thorough, which makes the compliance process less stressful for our team.
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Vertex Inc.
    • Reporting: Vertex VAT Compliance is not fully ready to support all EU country's requirements.
    • Data storage.
    • Online reporting in VVC: many countries require to report VAT Declaration in an electronic way. This function is still missing for some of the countries from VVC.
    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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    Vertex Inc.
    We are satisfied with the overall performance of Vertex. The software has provided my company with many efficiencies. We have shorted our audits and found that many audits are happy that we are using Vertex to calculate our taxes. We no longer need to worry about updating our rates each month since Vertex sends us a file to upload
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Vertex Inc.
    Vertex itself is very good software. Its tax calculation is very accurate, and there should be no doubt whether Vertex is calculating the tax. Customer support is also good, and the response is quick. The updates are also good and easy to understand, making this an excellent application.
    Incentivized
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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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    Vertex Inc.
    I have always felt VERTEX support was available when needed, and I have felt comfortable calling in some heavy hitters when needed
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Vertex Inc.
    Our Vertex performance is good, although we are now experiencing Error 502 when adding additional data points to our transaction tester single tests. At Exchange, I was told to reach out to support....that most likely the On Demand system needed some additional CPU resource added. I have a currently open ticket, that has not yet been fixed on this matter
    Incentivized
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    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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    Vertex Inc.
    Level 1 support has always been kind and understanding but times they do not always provided the technical help sometimes their response or protocol is not related. I feel that I have to beg for a developer to look over my issue. On the other hand, there have been times a Level 1 support person has taken the time to research my issue and provide valid feedback & solution
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Vertex Inc.
    By training I'm referring to our engagement with Vertex Consulting's professional services group. Each person on the engagement had prior leasing industry tax experience and most if not all used O Series before joining Vertex. Consultants with industry specific tax experience provide so much more than just "training". They are able to engage in deep tax technical discussions with actual experience while in private practice. This coupled with having visibility to how numerous other leasing peers approach similar tax issues is a huge plus on top of the standard training.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Vertex Inc.
    Vertex has offered multiple webinars for the products we have purchased that are informative and helpful. I've also attended a few of the Vertex annual conferences where I was able to strength my knowledge of Vertex. I also found that their online library and videos can be helpful in resolving issues and answering questions.
    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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    Vertex Inc.
    The implementation is challenging, make no mistake but will provide much value over time. Make sure you have full support of IT and your major stakeholders in your company. I found that while many people claimed to understand tax was important, they had no idea how deep tax in entrenched throughout the lease life cycle.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Vertex Inc.
    In comparison specifically with Avalara, Vertex is better in every way. It is much more customizable and allows us to change the way our tax software is set up for our business needs. Avalara is much more constricted, and is using the SST system which can allow for simplified returns, but in our case was causing more problems. Avalara is also much more expensive than Vertex, for less capabilities. Vertex' customer support is much stronger than Avalara's, as they are focused on obtaining and retaining customers whereas Avalara was continually trying to find ways to get money from us
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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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    Vertex Inc.
    There needs to be a time-consuming setup both in the Enterprise Resource Platform and in Vertex and the related tools as well but once this is all established, Vertex is very proficient at calculating Sales and Use Tax in the USA and in Canada with GST/HST, as well as several of the provinces where we are located. As we added plants in different jurisdictions via greenfield expansion and aquisition, Vertex was able to integrate those as long as the tax department is fully informed of the system.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
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    Vertex Inc.
    • We use Vertex on a monthly basis to see if tax has been over-accrued or over-charged on invoices. We do save tax every month using the tool. Not at liberty to share too much more - the technology does assist the human efforts.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Vertex Screenshots

    Screenshot of Vertex dashboard