Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics NAV feature comparison

Nov 11, 2020

Are you trying to figure out whether it’s time to upgrade your ERP system? Do you want to know which version has what and what exactly is the difference between Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics NAV? We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide that compares the two ERP solutions below. Here’s what you need to know to understand every part of our guide:

– basic functionality

+ – the existing functionality has been enhanced in this version

Regular text – the starter pack comes with core financials and distribution management functionalities

Bold text – the extended pack integrates core financial and distribution functionalities with industry-specific extensions

2009-2018 – refers to different versions of Dynamics NAV

BC – stands for Dynamics 365 Business Central

General Functionalities

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Copy & paste rows
Support for Connect APP & Rest API
Full keyboard shortcut support
Multiple production environment
Batch-post sales & purchases as scheduled
Enhancements for customer migration tools
Filtering and search improvements
Migration from QuickBooks
Automated workflows++
Outlook integration++
NAV for tablets+
Social listening
Surface Dynamics NAV info directly in SharePoint online
Dynamics NAV as a hosted app in Office 365++
Interoperability with Office 365 & Excel+
Single sign in+
Dynamics NAV application profiler+
Improved extensibility for Dynamics NAV clients
Dynamics NAV provisioning tools for Windows Azure
Multitenant deployment
Data upgrade automation+
Help server
Microsoft Office alignment of Dynamics NAV Windows and web clients
Dynamics NAV web client++
Improved charting capabilities
Query
Server administration tool
Windows PowerShell+
Application server (NAS) enhancements
NAS services
New user concept+
OneNote integration
ZetaDocs Express for Dynamics NAV
Multitier architecture+

Financial Management

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Reconcile payables with the External Document Number field
Bulk invoicing
VAT registration number validation
Employee ledger entries
Deferrals
Reconciliation of incoming and outgoing bank transactions
Support for SEPA credit transfer and SEPA direct debit
Electronic payments and direct debits+
Cash management
Cost accounting
Cash flow forecast+
VAT rate change tool
New dimension set entry table
Faster G/L posting+
Online payment services
Bank account management and bank account reconciliation+
Intercompany purchase cost distribution
Prepayments
Reversal of journal postings (Unapply)
Partial payments
Consolidation enhancements
Predefined KPIs
Inter-company postings+
Fixed assets

Supply Chain Management

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
View item availability by unit of measure
Non-sequential numbering
Item categories
Item attributes
Document management, document capture and OCR
E-services
Item availability by timeline
Item availability by event
Inventory movements
Additional default bins and dedicated bins
Enhanced integration to service management
Assembly management
Supply planning setup enhancements++
Automated data capture system
Item budgets
Planning transparency
Pick++
Standard cost worksheet
Price management
Supply planning++
Costing++
Item tracking+++

Manufacturing

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Sales and inventory forecasting
Enhanced integration
Manual planning
Production orders
Production forecast

Business Intelligence and Reports

Version200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Skip empty lines in the accounts schedule report
Document reporting
Power BI+++
Excel add-on for ad-hoc reporting++
Excel integration++
Microsoft SQL server reporting services from within Dynamics NAV
Jet reports express for Dynamics NAV++
Open XML integration+
Predefined charts and KPIs+
Open Database Connectivity Driver

Service Management

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Enhanced integration with Manufacturing, Warehouse Management and Assembly Management
Planning and dispatching of materials overview
Service order management+++
Service contract management+

Project Management

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
Job information included in archived sales and purchase documents
Jobs WIP calculation compliance
Usage link
Jobs+++

Sales & Marketing

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
AI support for sales and inventory forecast
AI support for late payment prediction
Dynamics 365 Sales integration
Sales and purchase document approval
Interaction/Document approval
Payment terms translation+++
Document archiving+

Cloud, Workflow and Documents

Versions200920132013R22015201620172018BC
MICR fonts available in BC online
Image analyzer
Workflow templates
Electronic invoicing
Currency exchange rates
Document management
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)+
Incoming document flow

Have any questions? Contact us to learn more about Dynamics 365 Business Central!

Categories: ERP

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About the author
Kalina Stamatova
Kalina is a marketing professional specializing in copywriting and content marketing. An avid reader, she also has experience working in advertising and enjoys theater.