What is New in Microsoft Dynamics SL

Microsoft Dynamics SL has long helped small and midsize organizations operate more effectively. The latest version—Microsoft Dynamics SL 7.0—empowers your employees, managers, customers, and vendors to be even more productive. It also helps increase effectiveness by providing the tools your people need to view and process data based on the permissions that you establish.

Enable employees to focus on business tasks
A new user interface and familiar new design themes make Microsoft Dynamics SL easy to learn and cost effective. RoleTailored menus direct your employees to the functions they need to do their jobs more efficiently.
Image of new menu interface in Microsoft Dynamics SL
Click to see larger image

Illustration: Navigate the new Microsoft Office-like menu interface with ease as Microsoft Dynamics SL provides menu trees and user-specific home pages.
  • Personalize tasks and information to make jobs easier for employees. Create step-by-step menus to streamline and standardize your business processes. Pre-configured screens determine the functions and information employees can access through the Web portal. For example, a project manager can access the Project Center page, or sales personnel can easily access customer, order, and receivables information.
Microsoft Dynamics SL custom menu

Illustration: Create custom menus that list step-by-step instructions for specific job processes.
  • Manage customer communications effectively and improve order management efficiency with Quick Send. The feature provides Electronic Documents Delivery—the capability to send purchase orders, and invoices—to customers and vendors by e-mail or fax. Send batches or individual documents in the format your customers or vendors prefer.
Electronic Document Delivery Setup screen

Illustration: Set up Quick Send Electronic Document Delivery for instant communication with customers about their orders and invoice status.

Provide managers and executives with decision-driving insight
Enhance project and distribution performance. New capabilities help maximize productivity, improve operational control, and provide quick access to timely, accurate information.
  • Find the information you need, when you need it, in a context that is meaningful by using enhanced reporting functionality. Easy-to-use tools help your people tailor standard reports and information views. Drill down to detailed information from any module. Access role-based information and up-to-date reports from your Web browser. And schedule and distribute reports automatically. These capabilities help to make sure that everyone in your organization is involved, current, and connected.
  • Create and share interactive scorecards by using BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL to analyze tracked business activities. BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL provides personalized, RoleTailored scorecards for everyone in your organization based on a common set of data. Work from one set of company data by bringing operations and finance data such as projects, sales, inventory, customers, accruals, revenues, budgets, and more into one information tool. Then, share the scorecards using Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Microsoft Office system, and other applications you already use.
Interactive scorecard in Microsoft Dynamics SL

Illustration: Compile data from different sources into interactive scorecards and share them with managers throughout your organization.

Connect your people, your customers, and your company
Unify project, financial, sales, and operational information and processes across your business. Employees can collaborate with each other and with customers and partners quickly and easily. Flexible architecture and customization tools help your organization integrate applications and extend functionality to meet industry-specific needs.
  • Extend access to information by using the Microsoft Business Portal to set up and edit new and existing projects from remote locations and client sites—all without logging in to Microsoft Dynamics SL 7.0. Expanded document sharing includes access to blogs, wikis, and really simple syndication (RSS) feeds.
Business Portal Project Center

Illustration: Gain access to Microsoft Dynamics SL Project Maintenance through the Business Portal without logging in to Microsoft Dynamics SL.
  • Integrate with Microsoft products by combining the project accounting strengths of Microsoft Dynamics SL with the enterprise project management version of Microsoft Office Project. The result is integrated resources, skills, and project management. Microsoft Dynamic SL is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.
Image of Microsoft Project

Illustration: Data viewed in Microsoft Office Project helps monitor profitability.
  • Manage resources efficiently by using Microsoft Dynamics SL integrated functionality. Gain Web-based access to information and processes. And automate everyday tasks by using product-wide workflow.
  • Integrate with industry standard technologies and industry specific offerings by matching your unique business needs with hundreds of industry specific applications. Solutions developed by independent software vendors (ISVs) can provide you with a complete business management system.
  • Connect across your business by building on the open architecture of Microsoft Dynamics SL and Microsoft SQL Server technologies. The e-business capabilities of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) help to integrate information and centralize access. New connectivity helps employees working from any location to communicate effectively with partners and customers around the world.
Adapt your solution to meet specialized business needs
Microsoft Dynamics SL is designed to help you build for change and growth. Integrated capabilities, automated accounting, and instantly accessible information help to speed closing time and improve cash flow.
  • Tailor your solution to work the way you do with built-in customization tools. Integrate smoothly with cost-effective, custom solutions. Easily adapt to business growth. And deliver applications and updates from the Web browser to help minimize work disruption and reduce IT administration costs.
  • Control operations with ease and confidence by using integrated processes and data. Whether you are a single company or a multi-company organization, you can link every aspect of your business. Connect project accounting, distribution, financial management, field service, and payroll.
  • Improve your business performance and increase cash flow and profits with faster closing times, improved capture of billable transactions, increased collections, efficient payroll management, and updated Accounts Payable processes. The new Pay-When-Paid feature releases payment vouchers to subcontractors when the associated customer invoice is paid. This ensures your subcontractors get paid only when your customers are satisfied.
Pay When Paid Link Entry screen

Illustration: Link customer invoices to subcontractor vouchers, paying subcontractors only when the customer has paid for the work.

Work on a Microsoft-supported solution while maintaining low total cost of ownership
You can control costs and optimize revenue. Drive demanding projects to profitable outcomes. Manage distribution processes efficiently. Improve service operations. And deliver the focused insight that fosters shrewd business decisions.
  • Equip your organization to achieve excellence by using project and distribution enhancements to plan and execute projects across multiple sites. Remote employees can enter and view information. Distribution-driven industries can automate distribution flow. And powerful shipment planning helps to address unique customer priorities.
  • Rely on Microsoft support to help you update and adapt your solution easily and affordably. Microsoft Certified Partners and ISVs are available to help you implement, customize, and extend your solution. At all times, you can rely on Microsoft for the dedicated services and support that promote your long-term success.