dynamicsusers: The Differences between NAV and AX – Microsoft Dynamics – Part I

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Okay not my specialist area, I know more than enough not to be dangerous, but not enough to talk to accountants and gain respect J


The basics, they both have what you would expect:


Chart of Accounts
Dimensions
Journals
Bank Reconciliations (I will not go there!)
Budgets
Fixed Assets
Financial Statements
Tax/VAT
Intercompany
Consolidation
Dunning/Collection Letters


Chart of Accounts


Chart of Accounts are pretty similar. AX has an addition in the validation part of the ledger account where you validate the posting type and user when a transaction hits an account, so you can say account "x" can only be posted to with transaction of the posting type "purchase freight" or by user "y".


AX also has auto-allocation, so when a transaction hits an account it is automatically allocated across the defined accounts/dimensions as defined on the original account.


There is also a system accounts concept, so there is a system account for the "penny difference" and if configured the system will post here. This takes many of the generic settings away from the posting groups etc.


Financial Dimensions


Okay, both have "financial" dimensions. I need to be careful here. AX has the concept of Financial and Inventory dimensions, the lot/serial/bin/warehouse is considered a "dimension". From a financial perspective there are three standard AX dimensions, essentially department, cost centre and purpose, although you can call them what you want. You can also purchase more. Prior to 4 (?) in NAV there was the Department and Project split, but with the advent of dimensions this was opened up to limitless possibilities, barring performance issues. NAV seems more flexible in its approach here. However within AX you have dimension sets and focuses, and these can be applied to the account schedule columns and rows. This leads to a quicker and more advance production of account schedules in a dimension environment.


This is a difficult one to call really; it would depend upon the needs of the business. I feel that AX is designed better, but NAV is easier to use and can be extended with ease. Still don't take my word for it!!


Bank Reconciliation


From what I can see they are very similar, against the bank account you enter the statement details when it comes in, bring in the open transactions, enter any corrections and post the reconciliation. I know this has its issues in NAV with the US having something different I believe, and this is probably true around the globe, although I do not have the experience to make the any comment on AX.


Budgets
As far as I can see where NAV is better is the Excel integration, AX does not have it. However AX has more to it, AX has allocation keys, as it does in many areas, whereby you enter a total, apply the allocation and it spreads the value depending upon the allocation key. The realised GL accounts can also be transferred into the budgeting arena. Inventory budgeting can also take place, where a quantity and price can generate the budget.


Fixed Assets


Not much to say here, I am pretty sure you need to create the fixed asset as a stock item in AX first and then purchase it then transfer it to a fixed asset status, but I have done nothing here, although I expect AX to be more complex!


Financial Statements


On the face of it these seem pretty similar, you define rows and columns to produce the figures you require. Dimensions can be brought in, although in AX you can quickly apply the dimension focus to the financial statements. In AX you see everything in a tree structure (if you want) so it is like a graphical BOM display, this would seem to make it easier to construct than in NAV, but this is user preference.


Tax/VAT
Again a similar concept between the two systems on calculating Tax/VAT and I am sure this is the case for the localisations as well. In AX you have VAT codes within VAT groups with VAT groups assigned to businesses and items. Where the codes within the groups match this is the code used. In NAV it is the posting setup and the percent that is referenced from the VAT codes combining to the business and item codes.


Intercompany & Consolidation


Not enough exposure in either software to comment I am afraid, but on the face of it both systems have similar approaches to this concept.


Dunning/Collection Letters


Similar concepts in NAV and AX, the production of the letters, the ability to add interest, all for the chasing of debts. From the little I have seen on both sides they are very similar.



Additional Areas as standard in AX that do not "really" exist as standard in NAV


Cash Flow Management


The cashflow forecasting in AX allows the expected cash receipts and disbursements to be analysed. Periods are defined for time between delivery and invoicing to assist in the cash flow time buckets, and budgets can be brought in and reduced with allocation keys. Relationships can be defined enabling the forecast in one account to produce expected activity in another, so tax can be calculated based upon sales etc.


Balanced Scorecard


This is an effective KPI analysis system. Scorecards are created with objectives, perspectives, measurements, elements and targets. Journals can be manually posted to update the actual figures. The system can also create elements based upon AX tables and automatically updated. The system can also point to external sources of data and bring in the figures to create KPI analysis. In marketing speak this area has emerged from a growing recognition that financial measures alone are not enough to manage a modern organisation. Commonly used retrospective financial analysis focuses exclusively on the final results, without consideration being given to the intangible assets that helped produce the result, such as:

• Employee skills
  
• Internal processes
  
• Customer loyalty

 

Cost Accounting


This is not cost accounting as I understand it. In AX it should be considered more cost allocation, enabling you to take costs and reallocate them across items, or bring in labour figures from production and apply them to the costs of items. However I am sure someone will find a use for it somewhere!


Advanced Payments


AX has the concept of "bridging accounts". When configured the payments go into a set account, once acknowledged the payment is moved from the bridging account to the bank account.


From an electronic payment perspective AX has all the currently accepted file formats inbuilt.


There is the concept of prepayments where they transaction goes to a different account and during payment of the final invoice the prepayments are reversed.


Bill of exchange administration is available. This is where the vendors' liability lasts until the customer has paid the bank.


Invoice Registering


AX allows a purchase invoice to be logged in and sent to an unapproved pool, the actual invoice gets sent for approval and the user can mark the invoice as approved and then it can be posted. Effectively this is a controlled purchase order approval process.


Journal Approval


Carrying on from the workflow of the purchase invoice all journals can be setup as part of an approval process. If this is the case the end user cannot post the journal until the designated approver has approved the journal for posting.


Free text Invoices


NAV allows the entry of everything on an invoice, whilst AX only allows items. The free-text invoice in AX allows the entry of ledger accounts and free-text, but NOT items. Effectively there is a separation in AX that does not exist in NAV.


Deposit Slips


Deposit slips appear in AX as standard. This is a document used to deposit cheques, credit card notes and cash into the bank.


Date Intervals


Date intervals are fully configurable and used throughout financial statements and reports. These are user defined time periods. These enable the setting up of comparative periods, which can then be selected when running a report, for example "Prior Period". The system also calculates the current period and the next period based upon the configuration of the period.


Any other areas within Finance you want me to venture into or specific functional differences or queries just ask away.


Right – onto Inventory then, don't hold your breath!!




Подробнее... http://dynamicsuser.net/blogs/adamroue/arc...ii-finance.aspx

[mazzy]

Цитата:

Сообщение от Blog bot

Chart of Accounts are pretty similar. AX has an addition in the validation part of the ledger account where you validate the posting type and user when a transaction hits an account, so you can say account "x" can only be posted to with transaction of the posting type "purchase freight" or by user "y".

Но этим мало кто пользуется, поскольку posting type похоже является "obsolette".

Цитата:

Сообщение от Blog bot

I feel that AX is designed better, but NAV is easier to use and can be extended with ease. Still don't take my word for it!!

А мне, наоборот, навижиновские больше нравятся.

Цитата:

Сообщение от Blog bot

As far as I can see where NAV is better is the Excel integration, AX does not have it.

Это потому что в Аксапте можно через буфер обмена можно любую таблицу перенести в Excel и любую таблицу заимпортировать из Excel. Поэтому для бюджета нет специального инструмента.

Но и у универсального в Аксапте есть свои тараканы. Но это отдельная пестня.

Цитата:

Сообщение от Blog bot

Fixed Assets ...I expect AX to be more complex!

И он не одинок в этом ощущении

Цитата:

Сообщение от Blog bot

In AX you see everything in a tree structure (if you want) so it is like a graphical BOM display, this would seem to make it easier to construct than in NAV, but this is user preference.

Блин, лучше бы этой фичи небыло в Аксапте.
С деервом тут же возникают проблемы и на идеологическом, и на пользовательском (поиск, отбор) и на программистком уровне. Т.е. сделать можно. Но с такими затратами и побочными эффектаи....
http://axapta.mazzy.ru/lib/tree/

Для иереархии в 4ой Аксапте вводится еще один механизм...
http://axapta.mazzy.ru/lib/dimension_hierarchy/

Это типичный случай, когда "проще - лучше".