If you would like to pick something from Microsoft, or its ERP subdivision ? Microsoft Business Solutions, and in case of large public company, you should consider these three: Axapta, Navision or Great Plains. We are not talking about Solomon here, because it is recommended for project organization. You should probably be aware about specific product life cycle (or is it new or mature one on the market), database platform, average implementation cycle, typical customization requirements, rich vs. standard ERP functionality, etc. Also you should get comparison from relatively objective source, if you are asking to compare somebody, who implements and sells Great Plains ? more likely these people will try to prove that you need Great Plains and it is the best fit. On the other hand if you ask large consulting practice with regional offices to make comparison for you ? you should know that specific regional office might operate with maximum independence and promote, say Navision only.
? Product Life Cycle. Both Navision and Great Plains should be considered as mature products, have more than 10 years of successful presence on the ERP market. Navision is more popular in Europe, Navision Software was Denmark based software development company ? it was bought by Microsoft in the beginning of XXI century. Navision is also present on the US market, however we'd say it fits to specific market niches. Great Plains Software was also purchased by Microsoft a little bit earlier than Navision Software and GP is historically had excellent positions in US, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Middle East, South Africa, Poland, Pakistan. Axapta is relatively new ERP and its was released in the beginning of XXI century. However it is really scaled up for large companies and its sales increase rapidly.
? Rich vs. Standard Functionality. This is very philosophical question. There are multiple opinions. 1990th were the years, when large business had to stick to rich functionality ERP: SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle Financials. Our opinion on the future is that rich functionality is not necessary ? you should know that light or middle size customization is cheaper and more flexible solution. Also the unique business processes will be general thing and it will be not feasible to program rich-functionality module for just a few businesses on the marketplace. Consider dotcom businesses of the late 1990th, that went public ? their business processes are very unique and innovative.
? Database Platform. Navision has native (or C/SIDE) platform as well as it is available on MS SQL Server. Do not be afraid of the Native database ? it has legendary strength. SQL will give you more integration and reporting options (beyond Jet-Reports) ? you can deploy Crystal reports (without C/ODBC). Great Plains is now (since version 8.0) on MS SQL Server only
? Implementation Cycle. Here we see a lot of opinions as well. We believe that Great Plains is the easiest to setup and launch. Navision typically requires mid-size customization. Axapta typically requires longer implementation cycle ? but again it is relatively new and innovative product.
? Integration with Unix/Linux/Oracle. This is very typical question for large business. We would say that this integration is usually programmed on SQL level and XML inbound/outbound streams. So, SQL based ERP should be OK.
Good luck and you can always seek our help in selection, customization, implementation, integration and support. Call us: 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) ? USA nationwide Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in the following industries: Aerospace & Defence, Logistics & Distribution, Freight forwarding & Transportation, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail, Education, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Healthcare, Beverages, Conglomerates, Food & Drugs.
whole house cleaning Deerfield ...It's all about turn times in the eMedia industry! The... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more... Read More
Executive SummaryAn effective plan for entering, cleaning and updating the... Read More
It would be easy to think, like most people apparently... Read More
The intuitive algorithm.Roger Penrose considered it impossible. Thinking could never... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits to majority of industries, in the... Read More
Viruses and spyware usually show up on your computer one... Read More
OEComplete is a utility for managing the personal information of... Read More
CD and DVD replication is a process that works by... Read More
We don't think about mainframe software pricing anymore, we just... Read More
If there still are few unprotected computers left, I haven't... Read More
If you would like to pick something from Microsoft, or... Read More
Does Microsoft care for WebmastersIt's always been a problem with... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, Axapta, Microsoft CRM... Read More
Buying accounting software is a major investment. It's an important... Read More
TCO (Total Cost Ownership) is the buzzword in... Read More
Creating a new markup language.Introduction.General Reuse Markup Langauge, or GRML,... Read More
Finding the best spyware removers to detect and remove spyware... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is web-based CRM application, deploying all... Read More
For a long time now Microsoft's Internet Explorer has ruled... Read More
Background: For many organizations like ours, the interim target of... Read More
Crystal Reports is the most flexible tool on the market... Read More
Three highly respected names in Human Resources have joined forces... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon and CRM... Read More
1. Replace Dexterity cursor with SQL Stored Procedure Dexterity... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Highland Park ...Microsoft CRM and IBM Lotus Notes Domino seem to be... Read More
Music downloads are off the charts! We're listening to digital... Read More
Document Manager and Version HistoryIn previous articles I have discussed... Read More
Microsoft bought Navision, Denmark based software development company, along with... Read More
Remember nice and prosperous Clinton era? When you implemented innovative... Read More
In the case when you represent mid-size or mid-size-to-large business,... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More
Crystal Reports is the most flexible tool on the market... Read More
MSN messenger is a pretty cool invention. I mean I'm... Read More
While Adobe is the most known maker of PDF tools,... Read More
IntroductionPHP can be used for a lot of different things,... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very popular ERP platform... Read More
Considering whether or not your software company should hire a... Read More
There are several kinds of software piracy. The bottom line... Read More
Many reasons made GBM a unanimous choice for experts, one... Read More
With the advent of 'Service Pack 2' for Windows XP... Read More
MicroWorld Technologies, Inc. the leading solutions provider in the area... Read More
The fact that a software tester is a most infamous... Read More
Spyware, what it is and what it does. Basically, spyware... Read More
Java has come along a long way. Many would agree... Read More
Handling character strings in Java is supported through two final... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is one of three Microsoft Business Solutions... Read More
In part III of this ISDN primer, we learned that... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions ? Great Plains has captured the US... Read More
Whether you have used Microsoft Word for years, have just... Read More
Software |