What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central used for in finance?

Business Central is Microsoft’s all-in-one finance and operations platform. For finance teams, it covers accounting, reporting, compliance, forecasting, and multi-company management — all in one place.

How is Business Central different from Sage or Xero?

Sage and Xero are great starter systems, but they hit limits as businesses grow. Business Central is built to scale, with built-in consolidations, advanced reporting, audit trails, and seamless integration with Microsoft 365.

Is Business Central suitable for small and medium-sized businesses?

Yes. Business Central is designed for SMEs. Our KickStart package makes it affordable, fast to implement, and focused on the finance features you need first.

How much does Business Central cost in the UK?

Visit our KickStart page for a full breakdown of costs, including licensing and implementation.

How long does it take to implement Business Central?

With our KickStart approach, finance teams are typically live in weeks, not months. Traditional ERP projects drag on — we streamline the essentials so you can start seeing value quickly.

Does Business Central support VAT and Making Tax Digital (MTD)?

Yes. Business Central includes built-in VAT functionality and is fully compliant with HMRC’s MTD requirements, with regular updates to stay aligned with UK legislation.

Can external accountants or auditors access Business Central?

Yes. Business Central includes a dedicated Accountant role that allows secure, role-based access for external advisors, so they can log in and do their work without compromising your system.

Is Business Central secure?

Yes. Business Central is hosted on Microsoft Azure, using enterprise-grade security, encryption, and compliance certifications (ISO, GDPR, SOC). It’s updated automatically, so you’re always protected.

What reporting and dashboards come with Business Central?

Business Central includes financial statements, budget reports, cash flow, aged debtors/creditors, and more. For deeper insights, it integrates directly with Power BI for interactive dashboards and visual reports.

Can Business Central integrate with Excel and Microsoft 365?

Yes. Business Central works seamlessly with Excel, Outlook, and Teams. You can export, edit, and publish data straight from Excel, or raise invoices directly inside Outlook.

Does Business Central work for multi-company or group accounting?

Yes. Business Central includes multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation features, so you can handle subsidiaries, international operations, or group reporting without manual workarounds.

What support does Dynamics Fanatics provide after go-live?

We don’t just walk away. Our team provides ongoing support, training, and guidance to make sure you get the most out of Business Central. As Microsoft releases new features, we help you adopt them at the right time.

Ultimate Guide:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for Finance Teams

Written by:

Steve Harper, Business Central Consultant

Last updated: 18th September 2025

Looking Beyond Legacy Systems?

If your finance team is using spreadsheets, Sage, Xero or other standalone accounting tools but finding that growth, consolidation, and compliance are becoming uphill battles—this guide is for you.

In this guide we’ll walk you through why moving from a basic accounting system to a cloud-ERP designed for finance teams makes sense, how to evaluate alternatives like Business Central, Sage or Xero, and what the journey looks like (from cost, features and time to value).

Whether you’re a growing SME, a multi-entity finance team, or a UK-based group wrestling with VAT, MTD and manual processes—read on for a clear, practical roadmap.

What You're Up Against Right Now

Finance teams keep the business moving — but only when the systems supporting them can keep up. If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone:

"Too much manual work slowing you down"

Reconciliations, spreadsheet updates, data fixes… tasks that should take minutes often take hours because your systems don’t talk to each other.

"Month-end always feels like a race against the clock"

Closing the books takes longer than it should, and reporting delays mean leadership is constantly waiting for the numbers.

"Information scattered across disconnected tools"

Finance in one system, sales and operations in another, spreadsheets everywhere — making it difficult to get a single version of the truth.

Growing compliance and audit pressure

VAT, MTD, audit trails, approvals — requirements keep increasing, but legacy tools weren’t designed for today’s expectations.

Key Features finance teams rely on.

Business Central has a wide range of capabilities, but these are the ones finance teams consistently rely on day-to-day — the ones that make the biggest difference to accuracy, speed and visibility.

01

Real-Time Financial Management

The core accounting engine — but smarter, faster and fully automated.

General ledger, AP/AR, cash & bank management
Automated postings and recurring journals
Faster, cleaner month-end closes
Dimensions for deeper reporting without spreadsheets

02

Multi-Company & Consolidation

For organisations running more than one entity — or planning to.

Centralised management of multiple companies
Intercompany transactions handled automatically
Consolidated reporting at the click of a button
Multi-currency ready for international operations

03

VAT, MTD & Compliance Built-In

Designed to meet UK regulatory requirements without extra add-ons.

Automated VAT calculations
Making Tax Digital (MTD) compliant submissions
Full audit trails and approval workflows
Role-based permissions for better control

04

Reporting & Analytics You Can Trust

Instant visibility of performance — without waiting for month-end.

Built-in financial reports
Seamless Excel integration
Power BI dashboards for real-time insight
Live data that updates automatically

Our Kickstart Approach

Fixed Price, Fixed Scope

No hidden extras.

You’ll know exactly what’s included and how much it will cost before we start. No creeping scope, no surprise invoices.

Go Live Fast

Days, not months.

Traditional ERP projects drag on. KickStart is streamlined to deliver the essentials finance teams need most, so you see value quickly.

Best Practice Setup

Built for finance.

We provide tried-and-tested templates: chart of accounts, dimensions, and workflows designed for UK finance teams. Less guesswork, more confidence.

Scales With You

Expand when you're ready.

KickStart gets you live quickly, but it doesn’t box you in. Add automation, AI, reporting packs, or industry-specific modules when the time is right.

This is how you start smart.

Configuration

We configure your system to industry best practices

Training

We train you on the modules you'll use from day one

Support

You are live and off with flying colours - with support on standby when you need it.

Data Import

We upload your data based on templates we'll send you

Monitor

Ready to rock? Test and make sure everything is working correctly

Once you are live and are used to the system, this is when we can look at your different priorities for setting up additional phases of the project.

7 Day Implementation

From Sage & Xero to Business Central

Many finance teams start with Sage, Xero, or QuickBooks. These tools are fine for small businesses – until the cracks start to show.

Business Central is the natural next step when your finance team outgrows entry-level tools.

Case Study:

A Growing UK Finance Team Moves from Xero to Business Central

Example Scenario Based on Real Projects

Company Background

A UK-based professional services company with around 60 employees had been using Xero for several years. As the business expanded, the finance team needed stronger reporting, better control over approvals, and the ability to manage multiple entities in one place.

Solution

The finance leadership team selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as their next system because it offered:

A single platform for all entities
Stronger reporting and analytics
Automated workflows and approvals
Better support for VAT and MTD
Tighter integration with Excel, Teams and Power BI

Our Kickstart approach provided a clear, fixed-scope path to get them live quickly without overwhelming the team.

Challenges

The team began running into issues that slowed down operations and created unnecessary manual work:

Month-end close was taking too long, with heavy use of spreadsheets.
Reporting was inconsistent, requiring multiple exports and manual consolidation.
Approvals and audit trails were difficult to manage, especially during periods of rapid growth.
Multi-company accounting wasn’t scalable, leading to duplicated work across entities.
Compliance expectations increased, and Xero no longer provided the control they needed.

Implementation

Over a structured 6–8 week project:

Their chart of accounts was rebuilt and aligned to Business Central best practice
Customers, vendors, items and opening balances were migrated from Xero
Approvals workflows were configured for purchasing and journals
The team received hands-on training tailored to their daily processes
A parallel run was completed to validate postings, reports and bank reconciliations
Go-live was completed with on-hand support throughout the first month-end