Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) vs. SAP Business ByDesign

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (or Dynamics AX) was an ERP product in the Dynamics family. It has been split into separate Dynamics 365 products and is no longer available.N/A
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 8.3 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
SAP Business ByDesign is SAP's cloud ERP suite offering, launched in 2007, designed for the SMB market. The product includes a broad range of capabilities including financials, human resources, sales, procurement, customer service, and supply chain. Business ByDesign is a new platform, delivered entirely through a SaaS model, with functionality that overlaps somewhat with BusinessOne, which is also an SMB product, although not a true SaaS product.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsSAP Business ByDesign is available for a monthly software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription, based on a base package, user types, and number of users.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Features
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.8
Ratings
20% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.4
Ratings
16% above category average
Pay calculation9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.00 Ratings4.50 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
7.0
Ratings
8% below category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.2
Ratings
19% above category average
API for custom integration5.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Plug-ins8.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
6.0
Ratings
31% below category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.3
Ratings
13% above category average
Single sign-on capability5.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Role-based user permissions7.00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.3
Ratings
14% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.2
Ratings
24% above category average
Dashboards9.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Standard reports7.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Custom reports9.00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.2
Ratings
6% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.7
Ratings
12% above category average
Accounts payable7.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Global Financial Support8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations7.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Configurable Accounting9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.90 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.1
Ratings
14% above category average
Inventory tracking8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Automatic reordering9.00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Location management9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
7.6
Ratings
3% below category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Pricing8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Order entry9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Credit card processing3.00 Ratings4.50 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.7
Ratings
15% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.2
Ratings
21% above category average
Billing Management8.90 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management8.90 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.90 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Period Close8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.9
Ratings
16% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.2
Ratings
19% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting9.00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Project Costing8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Cost Capture8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Capital Project Management9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition8.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.8
Ratings
24% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.3
Ratings
18% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling8.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality6.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.7
Ratings
15% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
10.0
Ratings
29% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management9.00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.7
Ratings
23% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.0
Ratings
14% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Contract Authoring9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated8.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Supplier Management8.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.8
Ratings
30% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
-
Ratings
Risk Repository9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
8.5
Ratings
24% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.2
Ratings
32% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management10.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
7.7
Ratings
4% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
9.0
Ratings
19% above category average
Production Process Design9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Production Management8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Configuration Management7.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Work Execution8.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
9.2
Ratings
26% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
8.6
Ratings
19% above category average
Forecasting9.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Inventory Planning9.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Performance Monitoring9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
9.0
Ratings
23% above category average
SAP Business ByDesign
-
Ratings
Proposal Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
Likelihood to Recommend
It integrates fully with the other Microsoft software we use daily, and this coordination speeds up our work and gives us the agility to run easily. For example, in a purchase inquiry, the customer, after submitting a request, identifies the teams that should work on the project, and if they need further review by other people, they are added to the process, and everything is managed seamlessly rather than the sales process. Get the result as fast as possible.
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It is a good tool for small and medium companies. We really like it and it is easy to use. It is good for managing and following a lot of departments in a company, from sales, projects, accounting and finance to HR management. It is one place where we see the flows of various departments of the company. Licenses can be expensive but there are many different options to choose from to get the license you need that's the best fit for each user.
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Pros
  • Pricing: Microsoft Dynamics AX gives us good flexibility in how we price our products.
  • UX: Microsoft Dynamics AX has a good user interface to put valuable information on the screen for users.
  • Inventory Management: Microsoft Dynamics AX does a great job at giving us insight into our inventory.
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  • Reporting is fantastic and is based on SAP's Business Objects design allowing a drag and drop UI for creating the fields you're interested in with the right views and filters
  • The Project Management controls are perfectly integrated into the solution allowing tight controls and easy set-up of projects. Everything flows smoothly from creating tasks in a gantt style control to being able to be entered into a timesheet. A PM can see project health from a cockpit view and make necessary decisions.
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Cons
  • Sales Ledger. Currently, the idea behind the sales ledger module is that the company prepares a sales order for another company. I would prefer the developers consider the scenario where a sales order is prepared for the same company but for another branch or unit.
  • Postings of issues items are currently possible but none of the modules caters to "departmental material or item request". Further tweaks have been done on our Project Module to cater for this but it's not entirely perfect. This will enable aid in cost allocation per departmental request of materials or items.
  • Challenges with the bank module - does not allow for easily reconciliation as the statement from the banks can not be uploaded except for specific format.
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  • When we first began using it, there was no function for housing budget data for comparison with actual performance. An Excel-based tool had to be created to address this glaring shortcoming.
  • It can be slow at times
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft Dynamics continues to evolve by bringing more functionality to the customer. Also there are several independent software providers that offer a wide range of solutions for vertical markets.
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SAP BYD work centers are consistent and easy to navigate once you understand one work center. The document flow tab that is in each window allows one to see all related transactions. Document flow is important because one is able to see the flow of transactions and can therefore reverse transactions by following the document flow in reverse. It is possible to group items in each overview screen to see what items are open. The system is working as hoped.
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Usability
Overall the product does what we need it to do in order for us to function as a company. While there are some concerns over ongoing costs, the belief is, once we have it fully acclimated to our business the cost should settle into alignment with our original expectations. The new features that are consistently being added do add value to the product as they are usually customer request directed.
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Because SAP Business ByDesign allows us to improve our work, reduce the operational steps, implement audit controls, allows us found standard reports or it allows us to create new ones if you need more than the exists are enough for your work or your needs. Overall, SAP Business ByDesign allows us to standardize our operations, enhance our work, improve our skills, work over a web environment or mobile interface.
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Reliability and Availability
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Some integration and high volume ramping challenges, particularly with BizTalk and SQL Server, but getting sorted out. Outages over time appeared to be more dependent on integration complexity than AX MES.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
We use a 3rd-party Microsoft Partner for the system. They are responsive and very knowledgeable. While costs have been mentioned several times in this review they are very aware of costs and have developers who are more economical they use to help offset the level of work required to meet our changes and fix our issues.
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The Business ByDesign support is stablished since you contract the service with SAP. SAP resolves according to the service level agreement. Currently, we continue with the service and we are using the support channels available. We are receiving the support. The SAP support gets an incident and after that, they contact us to resolve the incident, if necessary, they set the meeting to understand it or we explain the incident
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In-Person Training
It took a lot of work, but Microsoft ultimately did a good job with in-person training, including being onsite in multiple global locations for extended periods.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
Our solution deviated from a number of key out-of-the-box standards that were included in Online training. We just used that for introduction to the general functionality.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Some rough spots, but ultimately worked out. The contract didn't appear to be structured to support the level of overlapping facility deployments required to meet timeline commitments. Merging cultures on the program was also challenging. Overall, not an easy implementation by any stretch. Everyone did the best they could.
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I recommend implementing all workshops during the ERP selection that you need to know very well about the ERP software. It allows us to gather information to accurate the plan of the project implementation. Additionally, we must reach the high-level commitment to achieve the main goals, to define the RACI matrix and communicate to all project stakeholders.
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Alternatives Considered
Cost and local regional compliance were primary factors in chosing Microsoft Dynamics AX over SAP Access Control for our need. SAP AC would have provided easier integration into our primary ERP system SAP but there were some regional compliance with ASEAN countries as well as the cost of implementation was more over Microsoft Dynamics AX.
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By Design was selected before I joined the company. Recently I have started working with NetSuite, which has its strengths and weaknesses as well, but is easier to customize to your business needs
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Return on Investment
  • Clients have seen better cost containment on inventory based on better on hand management and supply chain visibility.
  • Faster closing process for the finance team, where by day 3 of 4 you can generate a trial balance and look to balance ledger to sub-ledger.
  • Better reporting allows for real time analysis and can get to predictive metrics in certain areas.
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  • Great tool for me as a salesman, visibility into all my accounts and contacts. Great ROI for me personally as it helps me track my business prospects.
  • Easy access via the cloud for home, office, or on the go. Has mobile apps that are effective for simple tasks and reminders.
  • Great community to be a part of, tons of online resources. Also, have the ability to connect with SAP directly and with partner network, there are many layers of support.
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ScreenShots

SAP Business ByDesign Screenshots

Screenshot of the embedded analytics of SAP Business ByDesign, which makes it possible for key users or end users to define dashboards that contain tailored reports and KPIs for their roleScreenshot of Screenshot of some of the reports available with SAP Business ByDesign, that enable customers to create additional reports or KPIsScreenshot of the document flow, present in each business document in ByDesign, which shows a graphic of the predecessor and successor business documents as well as any associated accounting documents.Screenshot of SAP Business ByDesign's included Project Management module that is integrated with CRM to sell and bill projects, with HR to staff projects, and with SCM and SRM for procurement.Screenshot of the Financial Closing business scenario, used to perform financial period-end closing activities to ensure correct financial statements, such as Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement. The Closing Cockpit helps to minimize the risk of missing important steps or incorrect timing.