Solver integration with Dynamics 365

Solver is a cloud-based solution that provides users with visibility to financial and operational data across the organization through a data warehouse, plus automates and streamlines planning, budgeting, and reporting processes. Solver has long been a solution of choice for Microsoft ERP users who wanted advanced reporting capabilities. In January 2021, Solver and Microsoft announced an agreement to deliver Solver’s cloud-based planning solutions to Dynamics 365 customers more easily through QuickStart, a rapid deployment designed as an add-on for Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance to enable the implementation of Solver in as little as one day.

The Solver integration with Dynamics 365 comes as no surprise since Solver has always been heavily geared toward Microsoft users. In fact, Solver’s data warehouse is built on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Additionally, Solver has native integrations with all Microsoft ERPs including Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics AX, and Dynamics GP.

The four modules comprising the Solver Suite are deeply rooted in Microsoft technologies:

• Planning – utilize input form design in the familiar Excel interface, then users enter data through a web portal
• Reporting – create reports using an Excel-add in with templates and drag and drop features
• Dashboards – native integration with Power BI to create visualizations with data combined from multiple sources
• Data Warehouse – choose a preconfigured data warehouse based on the Microsoft SQL Azure platform

The new agreement also comes with greater collaboration through a Microsoft Teams integration. Users across the organization can access Solver seamlessly from within Teams to view budgets, forecasts, and reports.

Finance professionals often find themselves bogged down with time-consuming budgeting, planning, and forecasting processes that rely on Excel spreadsheets and manual data entry. Additionally, combining data from your Dynamics 365 ERP with other sources to create a single source of truth for reporting can be a complex and expensive process. Once you get to reporting, the native tools in Business Central and Finance are limited and not always flexible enough to accommodate your needs, forcing a reliance on IT to make necessary changes. All of these frustrations can be solved with the Solver Suite.

In terms of planning, not only does Solver help automate the planning process and eliminate manual data entry, you also have the ability to directly drill-down from input forms and reports into related Dynamics 365 screens for immediate visibility to underlying historical data. Solver’s automated direct write-back of approved budgets and forecasts to Dynamics 365 speeds up and simplifies work for accountants. Users get immediate visibility of Solver budget and forecast data in Dynamics 365 for additional budget control and reporting.

With Solver reporting, you get to design reports in the Excel interface you’re already familiar with, plus share reports across your organization with a cloud-based web portal. Reporting features in Solver that are not readily available in Dynamics 365 include:

• Consolidate any number of companies, eliminate intercompany transactions, and currency convert your data
• Run consolidated reports across companies with different chart of accounts
• Consolidate subsidiary data to divisional and parent company
• Apply IFRS to GAAP adjustments and any other consolidated-related rules
• Create any type of Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement or operational report without the need for manual manipulation in a spreadsheet

Solver natively integrates with Power BI, a popular data visualization tool that you might already be utilizing with Dynamics 365. Any dashboards you’ve already built in Power BI will carry over.

Lastly, with Solver you can create a data warehouse built on the secure, Azure platform or connect with your existing data warehouse to ensure a clean flow of data between all sources. Joint customers that use Microsoft and Solver applications can confidently secure end-to-end identity lifecycle and entitlement settings for greater privacy and security management in Azure.

Already using Dynamics 365 Business Central or Dynamics 365 Finance and ready to take planning, budgeting, reporting, and more to the next level with Solver? With Rand Group as your implementation partner and Solver’s QuickStart methodology, your business can be up and running with Solver in no time. Contact our team of solution experts today.