HR for Dynamics Integration
to Microsoft Business Central

HR for Dynamics Integration to Microsoft Business Central

Microsoft Business Central - the Microsoft ERP system for medium-sized companies

Microsoft Business Central, previously known as NAV or Navision, is an ERP system from Microsoft designed for medium-sized companies. Business Central currently has 40,000 customers and 3,000 implementation partners worldwide.

Business Central covers functional areas such as finance, service, projects, supply chain and operations, with limited support for sales and human resources. For sales, Microsoft recommends using additionally Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, while for human resources, a third-party HR solution is suggested. The HR features in Business Central are limited to basic administrative functions.

You can find an independent review of Business Central here: Microsoft Business Central: An Independent Review

Disadvantages of HR Management in Business Central via Third-Party Solutions

Microsoft Business Central only offers very basic HR management functions. These are far from sufficient for digitizing the HR department. A number of established HR solution providers therefore offer proprietary interfaces to Business Central in an attempt to fill this gap.

However, this concept has major disadvantages. It means operating an IT island for HR alongside Business Central. The disadvantages are the well-known challenges of isolated IT systems, specifically the need to manage an additional IT system, extra data storage, a separate interface between two different vendors and an additional security framework that requires continuous attention. The possibilities of the Microsoft platform, such as PowerBI or Microsoft Copilot, can only be used with a great deal of extra effort. Additionally, customization is limited, so the HR solution is often not aligned with the actual needs.

Users also face significant drawbacks. The HR solution does not align with the look and feel of Business Central. Integration with Microsoft 365, such as Teams or Outlook, are complex and limited. All in all, connecting established HR solution providers to Business Central is a complex solution approach with high costs and limited convenience for IT, HR and employees.

Integrated HR Management for Business Central by Hubdrive

With the seamless integration of Hubdrive HR for Dynamics 365 into Microsoft Business Central, customers can now add a truly comprehensive HR solution to their ERP system for the first time. This solution is built on the same technology stack - Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The advantages for Business Central customers and partners are obvious: the same technology, the same data storage location, the same user interface for everyone, and everything is fully customizable. All the unique features of the Microsoft platform are retained.

Business Central offers a user-friendly interface that resembles the look and feel of other Microsoft products. For companies familiar with Microsoft tools, this familiarity makes it easier to learn and adopt the system quickly.

Hubdrive HR for Dynamics is fully integrated into this interface. Users stay in their familiar environment. The consistent user experience also minimizes the need for extensive training and makes it easier for teams to get up and running quickly.

What Hubdrive HR for Dynamics offers

Hubdrive HR for Dynamics 365 is the complete solution for HR management based on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform. It supports the entire employee lifecycle - from recruiting and personnel management to time & attendance, talent management and HR self-services.

The solution is modular and highly scalable, from complementing an existing HR system to being used as a comprehensive Human Capital Management extension for Business Central.

How does the integration work in detail?

Microsoft enables all data tables from Business Central to be stored as "Virtual Tables" in Microsoft Dataverse - the data storage for the entire Microsoft Power Platform.

Based on these virtual tables, Hubdrive reads and writes data from and to Microsoft Business Central. Hubdrive has provided the necessary field mappings for this process.

Integration available in two expansion stages

The Business Central integration comes out-of-the-box with various pre-configured integration processes that can be deployed quickly and reliably. It is available in two stages: The Essential Integration, provided directly by Hubdrive, offers integration of core HR processes such as HR administration and time tracking for customers in the Microsoft Cloud.

For customers with higher expectations, such as integrating additional processes, the Enterprise Integration is available through the partner Cluster Reply. It synchronizes not only data but also files and the integration is also available for on-premise customers.

Flexible and Configurable

The Business Central integration is flexible and configurable, allowing it to be used for exchanging any type of data between Business Central and Hubdrive HR for Dynamics. Customers and partners can extend it with custom fields and add individual processes and features by configuring the integration. By default, Hubdrive provides the integration with the following pre-configured processes:

Personnel files

The foundation of human resources management starts with employees. It is crucial that all employee information is always up to date in both the HR solution and Business Central. The integration ensures that employee data are synchronized. All employee details can be maintained where it makes sense in the process - whether in Business Central or HR for Dynamics.

Employee Skills

A popular functional area in Business Central is project management. A key requirement for successful project management is the skillset of employees. These skills are best managed and developed in a comprehensive HR solution with a professional talent management functionality. The integration ensures that employee skills are synchronized between Business Central and HR for Dynamics.

Projects & Processes

Customers use projects or processes in Business Central for tracking costs and recording hours that are subsequently billed to clients. Through the integration, employee assignments to projects or processes in Business Central are reflected in the employee records and time tracking within HR for Dynamics.

Resources and Timesheets

Based on information about assigned projects or processes, relevant projects and processes for each employee are pre-populated in their weekly timesheet in HR for Dynamics' employee self-service. Once the employee has logged their hours and the timesheet has been approved (e.g. by the manager), the information is sent to Business Central for further processing within the ERP functions.

Local Availability of the Integration

The integration of Hubdrive HR for Dynamics with Microsoft Business Central is currently available for 11 countries.

• USA and Canada
• Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
• Ireland and UK
• Sweden, Norway, Finland

Additional countries in the Middle East and APAC will follow shortly.

Contact

Customers are welcome to contact Mia.King@Hubdrive.com
Partners and Microsoft should reach out to James.King@Hubdrive.com

For more information, please visit HR-Management for all Microsoft Business Platforms