Your companion to a successful implementation. Tips to get ahead as you venture into the cloud
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Overview of the Book
This book is an attempt to give an introduction and familiarize users with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.Its a very long product name, something that haunts all the Dynamics products. Throughout this book, Business Central is the short form for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Introduction to Business CentralA quick walkthrough of the Dynamics suite of products, where Business Central fits in, and a brief history lesson. What is the difference between NAV and Business Central?
Signing up for Business Central CloudHow to sign up for Business Central, how to get the right combination of software, services and partners. A good beginning is an essential part of a great implementation.
Deploying Business Central On-PremisesRunning Business Central on-premises is also an option, but there are fundamental differences that might influence your deployment strategy. This chapter prepares you for the differences between the cloud and on-premises versions and helps you makes the right decisions.
Getting started with Business CentralNow you have Business Central, how to get started, how to navigate the system, how to set up users and get used to the system. Learn about keyboard shortcuts and how to access the system from anywhere.
The First CompanySetting up the first Company can be a complicated process. This chapter will guide the user through the important parts and how to get your company data in there. Getting that first invoice to be correct.
Daily Operations with Business CentralDifferent examples of how to operate Business Central daily. What journals to use when and how to automate daily operations.
Periodic Operations with Business CentralHow to do periodic operations like year-end and other situations that do not happen every day. A set of examples of how periodic operations work.
Customizing Business CentralBusiness Central is very customizable, but it can be a bit confusing what to do, this chapter explains the different ways and when to use what. Be able to edit report layouts yourself and change the UI to fit your needs.
Integration with Business CentralNo system stands alone, and Business Central can connect to the world in many different ways. The world has moved on from exchanging files to web services and connected applications.
Introduction
Welcome to the Field Guide for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, from this point on, just called Business Central.
Business Central used to be Dynamics NAV and before that Navision. NAV has always been a partner-driven application. Customers buy the software at a partner, and the partner helps with implementation. A great model that has worked for over a million users across the globe.
Now you can get Business Central as a modern cloud offering, so there is nothing to install. You no longer need an IT guy to install it and then a consultant to help you set it up. You can do that yourself. Most customers still choose to get the consultant help to make sure youre doing it right and to ensure a great start.
This book is written to help customers who venture into Business Central, with or without external help. Written to help understand the system and ensure a great experience starting with Business Central. The book is not written to be read from cover to cover. Instead, its meant to be a Field Guide. A companion book to help you through the implementation. And later, when you need information on a specific topic or if you need a bit of inspiration. The documentation from Microsoft is pretty good, and Ill provide links for deep dive and background information.
The book will be published on a continuous schedule on LeanPub, and you buy access to download the book again and again after purchase(*). I will make regular updates whenever something changes and when Microsoft introduces new versions and functionality.
Business Central covers a vast area of functionality, and the book includes the areas and issues I encounter in my daily work with Business Central customers. Ill add new chapters and details based on my experience and reader feedback.
Im using an English language layer on my Business Central throughout this book. If your Business Central is not in English, switch temporarily to English in My Settings to more comfortable being able to follow the instructions.
Throughout the book, Ill show links to background information on https://docs.microsoft.com.
If you cannot find the answer you need in the book, feel free to email me at erik@hougaard.com. You can also reach to me on Twitter @eHougaard. Im always open to suggestions for the next topic.
(*) Only applies if the book is purchased as an eBook from leanpub.com
About Erik Hougaard
Hi, my name is Erik, and I have been working with Navision-NAV-Business Central for the last almost 30 years.
I started with IBM-Navigator (as it was called in 1990 in Denmark) programming integration between Navigator and an IBM Point of sale system. The language inside Business Central is a variant of Pascal, and I had spent my childhood programming games in Turbo Pascal. So I jumped at it when an opportunity came along for turning that into a job. I have been programming ever since.
I live in Vancouver, Canada, with my amazing wife Signe and our two kids. When not programming, I spend time with the family either playing music or exploring the impressive nature of British Columbia, often on skis.
Usually, I communicate through my blog at https://www.hougaard.com. You can also find me at Dynamics conferences presenting Business Central content while telling bad jokes.
In 2014 Microsoft awarded me an MVP award for my contributions to the Dynamics community. I spend a lot of time helping to contribute with Business Central content and also contributing to open source tools.
My day job is at a Business Central partner in North America, called E Foqus Canada. Here I spend most of my time creating Business Central customizations for customers and creating products that go into AppSource.
You can reach me by email at .
Modules in Business Central
Business Central is module based. All of the modules are completely integrated, and double entry is never needed.
As the core we have:
- Financial Management handles the G/L, budgeting, financial reporting, AR, AP, cash management and everything else that is the core of any ERP system. Handling of sales tax and VAT is built into the heart of the system.