As you commence your review process to find an alternative to Sage 50 Accounts, Pegasus, Access financials or Quickbooks for example, you will require an ERP that is a comprehensive resource planning solution and you will want to consider:
- Will my data be upgraded during the migration process?
- How long will it take?
- What extra functionality will I get as standard from my new solution?
- What will affect the cost and how much will it be?
- Does the solution work from a single, real time database?
Many Sage 50 Accounts users who need to upgrade to a more comprehensive system will consider Sage 200. This would seem like an obvious choice: same brand, bigger number, so better – right? Manufacturing businesses will want to consider the fact that Sage 200 deploys a third party manufacturing module – Sicon. This must always be considered as a potential risk factor regarding any solution which interfaces solutions from separate software vendors.
However very few companies will only consider a single upgrade option.
Businesses should always consider at least 3 software solutions. There are a variety of options that small to medium sized businesses could look at but there are three who are compared with each other as part of a Sage 50 upgrade migration process:
- Sage 200
- SAP
- Dynamics 365 Business Central
All three solutions will delivery a vast improvement if you are a manufacturer, distributor or assembler struggling on with Line 50 Accounts or Line 50 Accounts and Sage Manufacturing. There are comprehensive lists available of the features each solution delivers, and businesses can therefore take their time to compare various lists to cross reference what is key for their current and future needs and what individual solutions can deliver for them.
Most ERP solutions ‘can’ deliver all kinds of functionality – eventually.
A good solutions business partner will always be able to develop an app to add functionality to your core system.
However, development work takes not only time, but budget.
There may be pre-developed apps which are more cost effective. Microsoft for example allow businesses to research apps that have already been written that can be subscribed to ‘off the shelf’ – to reduce the cost of any necessary functionality enhancement you need for your particular industry being written exclusively for you.
Sage 200, SAP and Dynamics 365 Business Central are available in ‘cloud’ form although SAP has developed its own HANA cloud environment in place of using Microsoft’s SQL server which is aimed to serve business with very high data levels. The HANA hosting solution is focussed at larger business with very large amounts of data.
Sage 200 Standard is a wholly Cloud, browser accessed solution but offers accounting functionality only. Sage 200 Professional which relies on Sicon for manufacturing capabilities, is cloud connected only.
Business Central is a wholly Cloud browser accessed solution that offers all its functionality from a single data base.
The aim of this article is to ‘cut to the chase’ considering three, market leading candidates for a Sage 50 upgrade and migration project. The aim of the tables is not to list all the features of the ERP’s in question in their entirety but to highlight key areas of comparison.
What does ‘Out of the Box’ mean in the context of this article?
It means that required functionality is available as part of a commercial off the shelf software solution. The solution will still require the services of a knowledgeable business partner to update and migrate your business data, implement the software to provide the best on boarding possible, train you and support you during go live and thereafter.
Comparing Sage, SAP and Dynamics 365 – Scenario 1
- A business who manufactures, assembles or distributes
- Who uses Sage 50 applications
- Who needs integrated accounts, manufacturing, service desk and CRM and multiple stock locations
- And has multiple sites
- A business who does not want a project protracted by the need for bespoke which constrains their budget
This business is considering Sage 200 + Sicon and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium
| "OUT OF THE BOX" FUNCTIONALITY | SAGE 200 | SAP | Dynamic 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration Alerts Management | No | No | Yes |
| Administration Workflows | No | No | Yes |
| Administration Document Change History by User | No | No | Yes |
| Application Multi localisation (International Deployment) | No | No | Yes |
| (40+ Localisations) Application Multi Language (25+ Languages) Application | No | No | Yes |
| Automated Dunning / Credit Chasing | No | No | Yes |
| Purchasing - A/P Purchase Request | No | No | Yes |
| Purchasing - A/P Purchase Quotation | No | No | Yes |
| Reserve Invoice / Pro Forma | No | No | Yes |
| Purchase Quotation Generation Wizard | No | No | Yes |
| Barcodes | No | No | Power apps add on |
| Customer Catalogue Numbers | No | No | Yes |
| Stock Transfer Request | No | No | Yes |
| Pick and Pack Management | No | No | Yes |
| Service Call | No | No | Yes |
| Service Contracts | No | No | Yes |
| Service Solution Knowledge Base | No | No | Yes |
| Service Queues | No | No | Yes |
| Service Reports Dashboards | No | No | Yes |
| HR Employee Master Data | No | No | Yes |
| HR Human Resources Reports Dashboards | No | No | Yes |
| Query Generator/Manager X ✓ Reports Crystal Reports | No | No | Yes (web services) |
| Form Settings and UI Management | No | No | Yes |
| General Calendar | No | No | Yes |
| General Customisable User-defined Fields & Tables | No | No | Yes |
| General Drag & Drop Reporting | No | No | Yes (on products) |
| Multiple Branches | No | No | Yes |
| Mobility Mobile Application for iPhone & iPad | No | No | Yes |
Comparing Sage, SAP and Dynamics 365 – Scenario 2
- A business who manufactures, assembles or distributes
- Who uses Sage 50 applications
- Who needs integrated accounts, manufacturing, service desk and CRM and multiple stock locations
- Who manufactures items that then become part of a project for a site installation.
- And has multiple sites
- A business who having been a time served Sage 50 user has started their upgrade review process with Sage 200 as a preferred option and is happy to purchase additional Sage 200 modules to get the functionality they need.
- A business who wants to review three solutions: Sage 200, SAP and Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Business Central
| "OUT OF THE BOX" FUNCTIONALITY | SAGE 200 | SAP | Dynamic 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production Quantity Breaks | Additional module | No | No |
| WIP Reporting | Additional module | No | Yes |
| Phased Project / Milestone Billing | Additional module | No | Yes |
| Projects Project Stock Allocation | Additional module | No | Yes |
| Projects Labour Rate Charges | Additional module | No | Yes |
| Projects Timesheets | Additional module | No | Yes |
| MS Excel Plugin | Additional module | No | Yes |
Sage 50, Pegasus, Access, Quickbooks Upgrade & Migration Costs
A project cost and timeline will vary dependent on the solution, key considerations include:
- the customisation it will require to serve your business
- the expertise of the business partner you decide to work with to migrate your data, implement the solution and train/support you on the software.
Sage 200, SAP and Dynamics 365 Business Central software costs will be loosely comparable in the early stages of exploring prices. It is once you start adding the developments and additional modules you need that the project costs vary considerably.
Conclusion
It makes sense then to look for the most suitable and comprehensive functionality from the core, standard application of your next ERP / MRP.
This does not mean to say that you won’t develop areas to meet industry changes or business needs in the future. The solution any business chooses should be scalable, affordable, have the functionality you need ‘out of the box’ and provide a robust environment for customisations which can be supported not just by one business partner but the entire UK business partner community for that ERP solution. (No business wants to suffer the golden handcuffs sometimes associated with bespoke development and a single developer.)
No business has a crystal ball, but the starting point should be that the core solution meets as much of your known current and scoped future requirements as possible when making your ERP decision for a Sage upgrade migration project. It should be widely supported and offer a comprehensive choice of business partners for you to choose to work with.
Thought for the Day
If as a Sage 50 user your logical next step feels like Sage 200, speak to a business partner that is experienced in Sage 200 and another ERP included in your review process. Qi Ltd is experienced in Sage 50, Sage 200 and Dynamics 365 Business Central. Get in touch for an informal discussion.