Microsoft Dynamics AX and SAP S/4HANA are major players in the ERP software market, each offering distinct advantages. SAP S/4HANA appears to have an edge due to its comprehensive integration with other SAP products and robust performance, making it highly suitable for large enterprises.
Features: Microsoft Dynamics AX is known for its ease of use and customization capabilities, which allow organizations to tailor the solution to their needs. It also integrates well with other ERP systems, enhancing its utility across various business processes. Key features include robust flexibility and comprehensive ERP functionality. SAP S/4HANA excels in integration, offering seamless connectivity with additional SAP solutions. It boasts strong ERP capabilities and is particularly beneficial for large organizations needing integrated solutions. Notable features include its in-memory database and real-time analytics, as well as native AI capabilities that enhance business operations.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Dynamics AX faces integration challenges, particularly in scalability and reporting, and requires updates to its security and customization features. SAP S/4HANA, while functional and comprehensive, is criticized for its complexity and high costs. Improvements are needed in user experience, including simplified interface and analytics processes.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Dynamics AX provides flexibility in deployment but depends heavily on partner support, which can lead to inconsistencies. SAP S/4HANA offers various deployment options, including private and public cloud, and is noted for its excellent customer service. However, both platforms may require expert guidance for initial setup due to their complexity.
Pricing and ROI: Both solutions are premium offerings with considerable costs related to licensing and maintenance. Microsoft Dynamics AX is criticized for high user fees. SAP S/4HANA's pricing model includes significant ongoing expenses, making it expensive for smaller companies. However, both are considered to deliver a good return on investment through enhanced business processes and improved management information.
It's not a matter of the solution; it's a matter of the clients and the approach that we follow.
We have observed a good return on investment, with calculations based on a five-year ROI plan.
There is an ROI, otherwise I would not buy it.
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
A traditional challenge with SAP support is that SAP teams only support the standard functions, which are part of the product.
Establishing the right channels was a challenge, as BTP was new to everyone, including our SAP contacts.
I would rate the support a ten because there are a lot of knowledge-based articles published, and most of them are available online.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
SAP S/4HANA scales exceptionally well.
It is very easy to scale within businesses, especially when a new business falls within the range.
Scalability is a key strength of SAP, especially for HANA, compared to all the other ERPs.
I have not had any major issues with stability.
The SAP HANA system is not very easy to unlock, and it's something strange as, compared to other databases, when transaction logs are full, you stop the system, run the transaction log backups, and then restart.
Not very often, but it can happen, especially with user load; if many people use the system at the same time, there might be issues depending on various factors.
I rate the stability of SAP S_4HANA as fairly stable because we have never experienced any downtime from SAP, and the performance is good.
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
Organizations face challenges like adapting to new technologies rapidly, and whether customers are early or late adopters influences their experience.
I can perform a lot of data manipulation directly on SAP using S-One, without having to resort to Excel, unlike with View ID.
The performance of the SAP interface could be improved.
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
It's higher compared to similar peer solutions.
Most users or IT professionals typically criticize the high price of SAP license costs.
It's not easy to have a clear understanding of the price and the value, especially if I talk about the business transaction platform.
I have not had any major issue with stability.
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is its full integration with Excel, allowing for cut and paste functionality between Excel and the system.
It enables the posting of transactions and allows us to see the impact across various application scenarios, providing significant benefits for business.
The way SAP has helped our customers is by establishing a discipline where industry-specific operations and SAP's standard processes work hand in hand, improving resource utilization, material movement control, and cost control.
The insights given help us make strategic decisions.
Microsoft Dynamics AX is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed to support the business processes of organizations in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, and professional services. The solution offers a comprehensive set of tools and features to support financial management, supply chain management, human resources management, and project management, among others.
With Dynamics AX, organizations can manage their financial operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management. It also offers tools for managing the supply chain, including inventory management, purchase order management, and sales order management. Dynamics AX also supports human resources management, including employee self-service, benefits administration, and payroll. Overall, it is a flexible and scalable platform for organizations of all sizes.
Microsoft Dynamics AX Features
Microsoft Dynamics AX has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
Microsoft Dynamics AX Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Microsoft Dynamics AX is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are its UI functionality, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
"The most valuable feature I've found is the UI functionality,” says Navnath B., Head IT and CIO at Mutual Automotive Pvt Ltd.
Another PeerSpot reviewer, Timpa A., IT Manager at an energy/utilities company says he like the solution because "It is flexible and cost-effective."
Shahzad I., ERP Project Manager & Managing Consultant at Liwa Education, Iranfava, explains, “It's good for retail businesses. It expands a lot and constantly brings on new features. It's got a lot of competitive features.”
SAP S4HANA is an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system that uses sophisticated technologies including machine learning and AI. It is most commonly used to integrate and manage business functions and is an ideal solution for large enterprises. The platform includes supplier relationship management (SRM), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), and product lifecycle management (PLM) functionality.
SAP S4HANA offers three different deployment options:
SAP S4HANA Features
SAP S4HANA has many valuable key features, including:
SAP S4HANA Benefits
Some of the benefits of using SAP S4HANA include:
Reviews from Real Users
Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by SAP S4HANA users.
A Mechanical Engineer at a construction company says, “It is a very powerful, highly customizable tool. The most valuable feature is that the reporting is fast. We can see the results from that in that our commissions come in fast. That is the main advantage.”
Another reviewer, a SAP Technology Manager at a financial services firm, mentions, "It is more or less a very, very smooth and seamless product. Day by day they are increasing their technology features and they are keen to resolve the issues. India has a complex business scenario and SAP is thinking about that and resolving the issues day by day. In terms of the features I have found most valuable, I don't think that there is any lack or any gap process-wise. SAP is a very good tool."
A Project and Service delivery Manager at a tech services company comments, "One of the most valuable features, which we used the most, was the FI module, for finance. It involved controlling, account receivables, account payables, and complete financial steering."
A Senior Architect at a construction company states, “The POD applications are very useful to us. There are a few POD apps which we are using for different business scenarios. They are quite interesting.” He also adds, “The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The documentation is very good. The solution can scale well. The solution is stable.”
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