Business Central Alternative
Finance, sales, purchasing, inventory and manufacturing with Odoo, operated in Germany instead of Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is widespread among mid-sized companies. Microsoft runs it mainly in its own Azure cloud, so financial and customer data sits with a US corporation.
Odoo from Belgium covers accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory, manufacturing and projects in one system and runs in Germany or in your own data center.
BARNICOM knows both sides: we have built interfaces between Business Central and third-party systems, and we implement Odoo. For Odoo projects there is birofix, and for operation without your own servers Odock.
Why companies look for alternatives
Access under US law
The US CLOUD Act requires US providers to hand over data to US authorities on request, even when it is stored in Europe (CLOUD Act explained).
Licenses and partner apps
Business Central is licensed per user, and many functions come through paid partner apps.
Cloud by default
Microsoft focuses on Business Central in its Azure cloud. On-premises installations play an ever smaller role.
What replaces what
The main areas of Business Central and their counterparts in Odoo. Which apps you need is something we work out together.
| Area | Dynamics 365 Business Central | European alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Financial accounting | Finance | Odoo AccountingBelgium |
| Sales and CRM | Sales, Dynamics 365 Sales | Odoo Sales and CRMBelgium |
| Purchasing and inventory | Purchasing, inventory | Odoo Purchase and InventoryBelgium |
| Manufacturing | Manufacturing | Odoo ManufacturingBelgium |
| Projects and time | Projects | Odoo Project and TimesheetsBelgium |
| DATEV and e-invoicing | Partner apps | DATEV export, ZUGFeRD and XRechnung in OdooBelgium |
| Operations | Microsoft Azure | Data centers in Germany or your own data centerGermany |
Origin refers to the vendor’s headquarters.
How the switch works
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Assessment
What is in use, who uses it and what does it depend on? The result is a plan with effort and timeline.
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Process mapping
Your Business Central processes are reproduced in Odoo, and gaps and customizations are documented.
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Data migration
Master data, open items, stock and interfaces are migrated and checked.
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Operations
We take care of updates, monitoring, backup and support, with a service level agreement on request.
When Odoo is not a fit
Odoo covers a lot, but not everything. We point out limitations beforehand, for example with:
- extensive AL extensions built up over years
- tight integration with Power BI, Power Apps and Microsoft 365
- group policies that mandate Business Central for all subsidiaries
Frequently asked questions
Is Odoo suitable for mid-sized companies?
Yes. Odoo is used worldwide by small and mid-sized companies and can be extended with apps and customizations as requirements grow.
Can we migrate our data from Business Central?
Yes. Customers, suppliers, products, open items and stock are exported, cleaned up and imported. Closed fiscal years usually stay in the old system for reference.
Does Odoo support DATEV and e-invoicing?
Yes. Odoo creates e-invoices in ZUGFeRD and XRechnung format, and there are exports and interfaces for DATEV.
Who handles Odoo at BARNICOM?
For Odoo implementations there is a dedicated offering with birofix, and for operation without your own servers the Odock platform. We have also built interfaces to Business Central ourselves.
What does the switch cost?
It depends on the number of users, the apps needed, data migration and interfaces. You receive a proposal after the assessment.
From our projects
More alternatives for business software
Find out whether Odoo fits
We compare your Business Central processes with Odoo and tell you where the differences are.