Item: Microsoft Dynamics SL
Rating: 7
Author: Pamela Dalton

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Dynamics SL is our primary financial software. We use this program for invoice entries, vendor information, purchase orders, inventory management, weekly check runs, bank reconciliation, journal entries, general ledger management, profit and loss, trial balance reports, cash forecasting, annual 1099 forms, and all related monthly financial reporting. This program is predominantly used by our Accounting and Accounts Payable teams.

Pros and Cons

Easy to understand. The program can be taught t new users with no prior experience with minimal effort.
Very thorough modules for all areas of financial reporting and analysis.
Uncomplicated layout and maneuverability. The screens can be personalized for easy access to most frequently used modules.

Reports are created as Crystal Reports. These are not as dependable or dynamic as PDFs.
The standard package can be somewhat limited. Modules can be added but are often cost prohibitive and simply don't seem to perform dependably.
Tech support is costly and there is no sense of urgency. It would be helpful if there was an online user forum.

Return on Investment

We have been able to downsize our Accounting Department, creating more efficiencies and less "downtime" within that department.
We have been able to eliminate the need to outsource our IT department, thereby reducing a large budget item.
We have the ability to create and modify custom reports within our package.
We are "paper free" since all vendor documents, contracts, financial reports and purchase orders are digitally maintained in the program allowing us to archive as necessary.

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Dynamics GP, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions and Sage 50 Accounting

We started with QuickBooks Enterprise when our company was young. We quickly outgrew this program as it was not able to accommodate the financial reporting we needed to satisfy our investors. QuickBooks was also very limited in managing our revenue as we grew.
We did try Great Plains and Peachtree (now Sage 50) and we discovered that they were rather complicated for our users. They were not as easy to maneuver and manipulate as SL and we felt that SL was much more "user friendly" and simplified, but still able to produce the same results.

Other Software Used

Bitdefender Network Traffic Security Analytics

Likelihood to Recommend

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.

Perfect financial software for your small to mid-size business

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Dynamics SL