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Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) vs. SAP Business ByDesign

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft 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

    Score8.3 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 Details—SAP 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
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    SAP
    Chose SAP Business ByDesign
    ByDesign stacks up well against the competition. Companies that do multiple things are usually the best fit (manufacturing, distribution, and service). The more 'modules' used, the fewer competitors will be able to meet the company's needs. It is not inexpensive, but if the …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Business ByDesign
    As far as cloud ERP is concerned SAP Business ByDesign was the best in terms of what it had on offer for a professional services company managing projects and service requests. Also, I liked the SAP migration path and the move to running the whole system on the in memory HANA …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.8
    8 Ratings
    20% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.4
    2 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Pay calculation9.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration9.05 Ratings4.51 Ratings
    Direct deposit files8.05 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    7.0
    13 Ratings
    8% below category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.2
    5 Ratings
    19% above category average
    API for custom integration5.013 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.912 Ratings9.25 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    6.0
    14 Ratings
    31% below category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.3
    5 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Single sign-on capability5.013 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions7.014 Ratings9.65 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.3
    14 Ratings
    14% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.2
    5 Ratings
    24% above category average
    Dashboards9.012 Ratings8.85 Ratings
    Standard reports7.014 Ratings9.25 Ratings
    Custom reports9.014 Ratings9.65 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.2
    15 Ratings
    6% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.7
    5 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Accounts payable7.015 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Accounts receivable7.014 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Global Financial Support8.06 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers9.07 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations7.010 Ratings8.82 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting9.08 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Standardized Processes8.99 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.7
    13 Ratings
    10% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.1
    4 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Inventory tracking8.013 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Automatic reordering9.011 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Location management9.011 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    7.6
    13 Ratings
    3% below category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.5
    4 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Pricing8.012 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Order entry9.011 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Credit card processing3.09 Ratings4.51 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold8.010 Ratings9.24 Ratings
    Order Orchestration9.05 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.7
    10 Ratings
    15% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.2
    3 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Billing Management8.99 Ratings8.83 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management8.010 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management8.97 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.97 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Period Close8.07 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.9
    7 Ratings
    16% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.2
    2 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Budgeting and Forecasting9.06 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Project Costing8.06 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Cost Capture8.05 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Capital Project Management9.05 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Customer Contract Compliance9.03 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Project Revenue Recognition8.95 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Project Execution Management
    Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.8
    5 Ratings
    25% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.3
    3 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Project Planning and Scheduling8.95 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Task Insight for Project Managers9.04 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Project Mobile Functionality6.04 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Definable Resource Pools9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.7
    4 Ratings
    15% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    29% above category average
    Award Lifecycle Management9.04 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Procurement
    Comparison of Procurement features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.7
    7 Ratings
    23% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.0
    1 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Bids Analyzed and Compared9.05 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Contract Authoring9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Contract Repository9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated8.05 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Supplier Management8.06 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Risk Management
    Comparison of Risk Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.8
    2 Ratings
    30% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    -
    Ratings
    Risk Repository9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Control Management9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Control Efficiency Assessments9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue Detection9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remediation and Certification9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Logistics
    Comparison of Logistics features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    8.5
    6 Ratings
    24% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.2
    3 Ratings
    32% above category average
    Transportation Planning and Optimization8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Transportation Execution Management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Trade and Customs Management8.95 Ratings00 Ratings
    Fulfillment Management8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Warehouse Workforce Management10.05 Ratings9.22 Ratings
    Manufacturing
    Comparison of Manufacturing features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    7.7
    6 Ratings
    4% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Production Process Design9.05 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Production Management8.05 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Configuration Management7.04 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Work Execution8.05 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Manufacturing Costs9.05 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    9.2
    6 Ratings
    25% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    8.6
    3 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Forecasting9.95 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Inventory Planning9.05 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Performance Monitoring9.04 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Product Lifecycle Management
    Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued) and SAP Business ByDesign
    Feature
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    23% above category average
    SAP Business ByDesign
    -
    Ratings
    Proposal Management9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Product Master Data Management9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
    Small Businesses
    Zoho One
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Zoho One
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho One
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Zoho One
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SAP Business ByDesign
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (19 ratings)
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)SAP Business ByDesign
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Do you plan on going public at some point? If so, this may not be the best solution for you
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Microsoft Dynamics AX's scalability to meet our regional office needs provide flexibility to the team's requirements.
    • Combined with Citrix Xenapp, the application offers seamless access for users on high latency unreliable network connection to the application.
    • Application maintenance and updates are easy which makes it possible for us to manage remotely considering the servers are located in a remote Asia site.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • I like the ease of use and the implementation methodology.
    • With SAP Business ByDesign you can integrate other systems with Web Services, and data technology to get information easy and fast.
    • SAP Business ByDesign includes an Analytics Module to create new reports in regards to your needs.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • MRP can be slow to adapt to changes in actual production or supply chain transactions.
    • Setting up number sequences seems a trivial matter, but these numbers ID transactions once they are in the ledger and are key--easy to miss this point in the implementation process.
    • Bank rec being easily automated and able to quickly plug into a bank back end to get data is not the best.
    • Payment processing can be 'clunky' based on checks, ACH, Wires...as some of these items are not triggered out of the box in AX, bur are easily added --talking ACH and Wires specifically.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Time off request could be better. Right now, there is no option for sick time
    • It crashes often
    • Customization could be better
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    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.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    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
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    SAP
    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.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    I was not part of the decision making process to select Microsoft Dynamics AX, however, I do know that an exhaustive search was done and many options were considered alongside Microsoft Dynamics AX and I feel that the right decision was made in choosing this solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    ByDesign stacks up well against the competition. Companies that do multiple things are usually the best fit (manufacturing, distribution, and service). The more 'modules' used, the fewer competitors will be able to meet the company's needs. It is not inexpensive, but if the needs of the company have the complexity from either a global perspective and need localizations and foreign currency, or a volume perspective and need resources greater than what can be easily housed on-premise, ByDesign should be a top consideration.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • With the robust built-in reporting we were able to drop an external reporting platform that costed about $40,000.
    • API integrations have saved manual entry and reduced having to hire 2-3 people to manage data.
    • Several administrators and developers are required for this which costs about 200-300 thousand in employee costs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Positive - Access to the real-time reporting allowing for faster decision making especially when fixed price projects are heading into an over budget position.
    • Positive - Complex KPI can now be tracked and as a consequence intensive plans can be made to capitalise on this level of reporting. Staff also have clear visibility over their own performance.
    • Negative - We are a bit on the small side at 30 employees for a ByD solution so it was relatively expensive for us. It would be a much better value preposition above 50 employees.
    Read full review
    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 roleProduct screenshotScreenshot 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.