There is a helpful reporting feature in Business Central that is often overlooked.As part of the analyzer function that is built into the data lists, users can easily link to other tables to pull additional fields on the lists. This is very helpful if you are looking for a field
You know that moment at the start of the day when you open the vendor email inbox and there are fourteen new invoices waiting?Some are straightforward. Some have amounts that do not look right. A couple are from vendors you do not immediately recognize. One looks like a duplicate of
How to Evaluate an ERP Platform Before You CommitMost ERP evaluations start with demos. The ones that go wrong usually start that way too.The problem is that most organizations begin evaluating software before defining the ERP evaluation criteria they should be using to make the decision.A demo shows you what
Every finance leader has a version of the same problem.Month-end arrives. The close is already tight. And someone on the road still hasn't submitted their receipts from the trip two weeks ago. Your controller is chasing a field rep by text. That field rep is digging through a bag for
Business Central Financial Reporting by Dimension Arrives in 2026 Wave 1Financial leaders depend on accurate reporting to understand performance across departments, regions, and business units. With Business Central 2026 Wave 1 (Version 28), Microsoft has introduced a significant enhancement to Business Central financial reporting that allows organizations to automatically generate
Many finance teams still running Dynamics GP are spending valuable time validating spreadsheets, reconciling data, and chasing reporting accuracy during month-end close.This Business Central case study highlights how Wet & Forget migrated from Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with Crestwood and reduced month-end close from 8 days
Register Now For many organizations, modernization conversations begin long after operational strain has already started building. Reporting takes longer. Manual workarounds increase. Visibility across departments becomes harder to trust. Leadership teams begin questioning whether their current systems can support the next stage of growth, but often without a clear framework
If you work in accounting, you probably have a spreadsheet open right now that exists purely because your ERP cannot do something it should be able to do. Maybe it is for tracking employee expenses. Maybe it is for calculating a withholding tax amount before manually keying a journal entry. Maybe it is a workaround for a
Finance Automation Starts with Better Workflow, Not More Technology Finance leaders are hearing nonstop noise about automation and AI right now. https://youtu.be/9QbPYCZl11w?si=NrlJBzzTJCnXtGspSome of it is helpful. A lot of it is not. What gets lost in the conversation is this: the strongest finance teams are not starting with, “How do we use AI?” They are
Finance leaders are carrying more pressure than the systems around them were designed to support. Close still takes too long. Reporting still depends on workarounds. Visibility still breaks down across departments. At the same time, leadership wants faster answers, better forecasting, and more confidence in the numbers behind important decisions. That is
WEBINARFinance Automation Deep Dive: AP, AR, and Cash Flow Outcomes in Business CentralMany finance teams are live on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central but still rely on manual processes for vendor invoices, approvals, cash receipts, and cash visibility. In this Finance Automation Deep Dive, we will demonstrate how Business Central
AI readiness is not about ambition. It is about preparation. Many finance leaders are eager to adopt AI, but enthusiasm alone does not create results. Manual reconciliations in finance often signal where readiness gaps exist, even in organizations that feel technologically advanced.When finance teams still rely on spreadsheets to validate
For many Controllers and Finance Directors, spreadsheets are not a preference. They are a safety net.Even after moving core financials into Business Central, spreadsheets remain deeply embedded in daily work. Not because teams failed to adopt the system, but because close still demands certainty. When timing matters and risk is
Finance teams know spreadsheets are a risk, but replacing them feels disruptive. Over time, spreadsheets become the safety net that keeps close cycles moving and reports deliverable. Manual reconciliations in finance often rely on spreadsheets because they fill gaps left by systems that were never designed to support how finance
Most CFOs and Finance Leaders using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are not questioning the platform.The system is live. Transactions post correctly. Reporting is available.And yet, automation still feels uneven.Some processes flow smoothly. Others rely on manual follow-ups, spreadsheets, or informal workarounds. The gap is not capability. It is readiness.Finance
For many mid-market finance teams, shipping feels operational. But the reality is this: Business Central shipping integration directly impacts margin, cash flow, and customer trust.At Crestwood Associates, a Microsoft Gold Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, we regularly work with CFOs and Controllers who assume shipping is “working
Email-driven accounts payable processes feel convenient until volume increases. Invoices arrive as PDFs, approvals happen in threads, and visibility disappears. What once worked for a small team quickly becomes a bottleneck. Manual reconciliations in finance often begin in AP, where disconnected workflows create downstream complexity that shows up later in
For many Controllers and Finance Directors, month-end close is supposed to feel different after moving to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.Transactions are centralized. Data is cleaner. Reporting is more accessible.And yet, close still feels manual.Not because the team is working harder than before, but because visibility is still fragmented. Status
AI in finance is often discussed in abstract terms. In practice, its effectiveness depends almost entirely on the quality and structure of the underlying data. Manual reconciliations in finance are a clear signal that data is fragmented or inconsistently governed. Until that foundation is addressed, AI delivers limited value.Finance leaders
Most ERP content focuses on implementation. That makes sense; go-live is a milestone. But, ERP success is decided after go-live. Post go-live is where uptime is protected, cash flow stays moving, the month-end close stays predictable, and teams avoid slipping back into spreadsheets and workarounds. And it’s where your ERP partner either earns long-term trust, or slowly
Accounts payable teams have never processed more invoices than they do today.Between higher transaction counts, tighter payment terms, and increased audit scrutiny, AP is under constant pressure to move faster without losing control. For many Controllers and AP Managers using Business Central, success is still measured by one metric: how
Finance leaders depend on data integrity. When financial data lives in too many places, risk increases quietly. Manual reconciliations in finance often exist to compensate for fragmented systems, but they also mask deeper exposure that grows as organizations scale.As businesses adopt more tools, data spreads across ERPs, spreadsheets, banking portals,
Many finance leaders move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with a reasonable expectation.Once the system is live, finance becomes more automated.Invoices move faster. Close cycles shorten. Manual work declines.What often follows instead is something quieter and more frustrating. The system is working. Transactions are posting correctly. Yet finance still
Forecasting has always required judgment. What has changed is the volume and velocity of data finance teams must account for. As businesses scale, spreadsheet-based forecasting becomes harder to maintain, easier to break, and slower to trust. Manual reconciliations in finance often spill directly into forecasting, forcing teams to reconcile history
