If you live in Excel, you’re going to love Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

We hear it all the time, our clients on Dynamics GP are used to running reports, exporting data, and making sense of it in Excel. And let’s be honest, GP doesn’t always make that process easy. You have to jump between multiple inquiries or reports to get the information you need.

With Business Central, that frustration disappears. Microsoft has made Business Central incredibly Excel-friendly, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Here are three reasons why Excel lovers are going to love Dynamics 365 Business Central:

1. Reporting Made Easy

If you’re used to filtering in Excel, you’ll feel right at home in Business Central (BC) with “Lists”.

GP’s SmartList terminology and “searching” was not as intuitive.  In GP, sometimes you’d have to run separate reports or use SmartLists (if you had access). But in BC, filtering is built-in and powerful. You can filter on almost any field, save your views, and even use commands like “CM” for the current month or “..” to define date ranges.

Instead of running multiple reports or digging through different inquiries, you can pull up a single BC list, filter the data exactly how you need it, and get your answers in seconds.

For example, in GP, you might need to check multiple inquiries or reports just to get a customer’s transaction history.

In BC? One place: Customer Ledger Entries. Filter it however you want—by date, amount, customer, or document type—without leaving the screen.  Same with Vendor Ledger Entries or Bank Transaction Entries – a one stop place to find what you need!

2. Built-in Analysis Mode

In GP, getting data into Excel for deeper analysis meant exporting, reformatting, and setting up pivot tables manually. BC changes that.

Last year, Microsoft introduced Analysis Mode and Excel lovers rejoiced. Now, instead of exporting to Excel to create pivots, you can do a lot of data mining directly inside BC. You can calculate, summarize, and examine data interactively. And if you prefer, you can still send the final results to Excel.

Think of it like a built-in pivot table, but faster and easier. Instead of pulling reports into Excel to analyze your sales lines, you can work with real-time data right inside BC and drill into details without juggling spreadsheets.

3. Seamless Excel Exports for AP/AR Aging and Trial Balances

One of the biggest complaints about GP was that financial teams always had to manually re-enter or reformat data in Excel.

AP clerks, AR teams, and auditors all want data in Excel, and BC makes that effortless. Whether it’s an AP aging, AR trial balance, or any financial report, BC exports it straight to Excel with live, real-time data.

• No more manual rekeying of notes or updates.
• No more static exports that go out of date the second you pull them.
• No more digging through multiple inquiries just to get what you need.

Now, your collections team can export an AR aging report to Excel, highlight overdue accounts, add follow-up notes, and work within a format they’re already comfortable with.

The Microsoft Stack Advantage

One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central? It is that word, Microsoft. That means it plays perfectly with Microsoft Excel, no extra steps, no complicated workarounds. Because it’s a Microsoft product, Business Central is built to work the way Excel users expect.

For example, the “Edit in Excel” feature lets you pull up data, make updates, and push changes back into BC in real time. No exporting, no rekeying, no outdated files floating around. It’s seamless, it’s fast, and it’s way better than trying to wrestle with a non-Microsoft ERP that doesn’t speak Excel as fluently.

The Right ERP System For Excel Users

At first, BC feels different from GP, and that can take some adjustment. But once users get comfortable, they don’t want to go back.

We haven’t had a single client who, after three months on Dynamics 365 Business Central, has said they miss Dynamics GP. Not one.

Once you realize you can pull real-time data, filter it exactly how you want, analyze it inside BC, or export straight to Excel with zero hassle—well, you’ll wonder why you didn’t switch sooner.

If you love Microsoft Excel, Teams or other Microsoft products, I am confident you’ll love Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Ready to see how Business Central can work for you? Whether you’re upgrading from GP or looking for a system that works seamlessly with Excel, DLD Business Solutions can help.

Contact us today to talk with an expert who understands your business needs.