Your ERP system has a wealth of information about the health of your business, so getting the right data to the right users in a timely fashion can help you take corrective action if necessary. One of the most popular ways to provide users with relevant data is through dashboards. When comparing the options current Dynamics SL users have compared to Acumatica users there is certainly a big difference.

In short, Dynamics SL doesn’t have dashboards. SL did have the ability to create “quick lists” (a list of open AP documents for example) under Role Centers and have that display on a home page, but it lacked a lot of functionality.

Microsoft introduced a Power BI integration with SL 2015 and have expanded the offerings with SL 2018. The dashboards that are provided are project related only, although it would be possible for additional Power BI dashboards to be created. The Power BI integration fills a hole, but it is incomplete and would require significant hours to setup and deliver meaningful dashboards to all users. It also isn’t a distinguishing feature as Acumatica also provides a Power BI integration.

There are third party products available that many users might find easier to work with than Power BI. Companies like Solver and DataSelf provide integrations with Dynamics SL … and also Acumatica.

Acumatica comes with an extensive dashboard reporting capability. Dashboards can be specific to each type of user whether they are a project consultant, or in the warehouse, in accounting, tech support or on the executive leadership team.

Dashboards can have various data types in Acumatica such as:

• Charts (line, column, bar, etc.)
• Data tables
• Data from external sources
• Power BI tiles
• KPIs

Data is updated real time and with each widget users can drill-down to the detail data.

In addition, all dashboards are mobile ready for use on any browser on any web-enabled device or in the Acumatica app.

If you are using Dynamics SL and dashboards are becoming important for your organization then it is likely time to investigate moving to Acumatica.