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Microsoft Licenses – Learn about cost differences – which model wins? Subscriptions or perpetual usufruct?

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Licencje Microsoft. Subskrypcje czy użytkowanie wieczyste? Czyli która z opcji jest lepsza dla Twojego biznesu?

In our previous article: Microsoft Licenses – Subscriptions or perpetual usufruct? Which option is better for your business we examined the strengths and weaknesses of both licensing models, providing a comprehensive comparison. Below is a detailed overview of the costs for these options.

Business Central license fees

The example illustrates a 5-year cost projection for a company using Business Central with 20 users. We calculated licensing expenses over this period to provide a clear understanding of the financial aspects associated with each licensing approach.

A comparison of licensing models often shows significant differences in cost structure, especially over the long term. The chart shows how the two models evolve in terms of cost.

The subscription model appears more cost-effective at the outset, with lower start-up costs, making it an attractive solution for companies that want to implement a system quickly without incurring a large one-time outlay.

In the holding model (perpetual license), the company must initially pay a larger sum to purchase the software. However, after a certain period, it no longer incurs regular licensing costs. The chart shows that in the long run, subscription costs start to equal the price of a one-time purchase, and after a certain point, the subscription may become slightly more expensive.

Advantages of subscription

However, it is worth noting that a subscription offers:

The subscription model is undoubtedly a better option for companies needing flexibility and regular updates. Unlike a one-time license, a subscription allows you to adapt the system to your company’s changing needs. The ability to spread the cost over smaller, regular payments makes the subscription model more affordable and flexible, especially for companies with changing needs and limited IT investment budgets.

 

Choosing the two models ultimately depends on a company’s needs, development plans, and budget. However, for rapidly growing companies, the subscription model offers greater flexibility and the ability to continuously adapt the system to new business conditions, making it a more attractive option.

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Microsoft Licenses – Subscriptions or perpetual usufruct? Which option is better for your business?

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Licencje Microsoft. Subskrypcje czy użytkowanie wieczyste? Czyli która z opcji jest lepsza dla Twojego biznesu?

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s more cost-effective to subscribe to Microsoft products monthly or to purchase a license on a one-time basis, here’s a detailed analysis of both options. We examine the costs associated with acquiring and maintaining a license to help you make an informed decision.

Available licensing models

Read a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the available licensing models-shortcut

Read a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the available licensing models-shortcut

ADVANTAGES of using subscription licensing- details

The choice of subscription licensing presents itself as significantly more advantageous for several vital reasons that make this model attractive to modern enterprises. Below are the arguments for choosing a subscription:

In an era of digital transformation, where technology is evolving rapidly, and flexibility and adaptation to change are becoming critical to business success, subscription licensing offers companies significant advantages. Subscriptions are a forward-thinking and strategic investment for any business, providing ease of customization, reduced upfront costs, and ongoing access to the latest technology and support.

DISADVANTAGES of using perpetual licensing- details

While perpetual licensing may seem like an attractive option due to its one-time payment and permanent right to use the software, several disadvantages can make this model less beneficial for today’s businesses:

These limitations can make perpetual licensing less attractive to companies seeking solutions that enable them to adapt and innovate quickly, given rapid technological change and a dynamic business environment.

Dalej masz wątpliwości? Zobacz jakie branże z powodzeniem korzystają z modelu subskrypcyjnego

Further doubts? See which industries are successfully using the subscription model.

The modern business world is leaning toward payment models based on regular monthly fees. Such a payment model has many benefits, such as continuous product improvements, regular updates, and the ability to customize the product based on customer feedback and experience.

The subscription model provides numerous benefits, including flexibility, scalability, lower upfront costs, predictable monthly payments, constant access to the latest updates, improved customer service, better cash flow management, access to a broader range of features, the ability to cancel or adjust the service at any time, and easy integration with other services.

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Reports for Azure DevOps and add-on 7 pace Time tracker – Power BI

What is Microsoft Power Bi

More information about the application here: https://inlogica.com/en/microsoft-products/microsoft-power-bi/

An example of the use of the Power BI application at our client

The client’s organization heavily uses Scrum and Azure DevOps tool with 7 pace Time tracker add-on.

The client reported a need for automatic reporting of hours worked for recipients of their services and internal task oversight. Microsoft PowerBI turned out to be the natural choice. Ina very short period, our client received an entirely satisfactory result in the form of a flexible screen with reports.

It became extremely easy to distribute tasks and manage time.

Podgląd raportu Power Bi

Another added value was creating an automatic hour-reporting mechanism for customers. In this case, all that was needed was to use the PowerBI Report Builder tool and the Email Subscription function from the PowerBI service.

Customers received reports in real-time with information on what actions were taken and how much time it took. It also translated into easier invoicing for services rendered.

Summary

Reporting using the PowerBI tool has been rated by users as the best product on the market. It is competitive both in terms of visuals and ease of use.

Podgląd raportu Power BI

Author of the text: Marcin Piotr

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcin-piotr-448a001/

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Meeting room reservations – Power Apps

What is Microsoft Power Apps
Power Apps application example

Description of the application

The application is designed to book a meeting room with just a few clicks

Data source

The application’s data source is Office 365 Outlook and Office 365 Users.

The appearance of the application

The layout of elements and colors can be fully configured according to users’ needs. You can use ready-made templates or give your styles.

Główny panel aplikacji
Main application panel

The user can edit an existing appointment or set up a new one.

Podgląd kalendarza spotkań
Meeting calendar preview

In the application, there is a calendar. After expanding the list on the left, we can select the meeting date we want to modify.

Wybieranie dany spotkania
Selecting a date for the meeting
Podgląd utworzonego spotkania
Preview of the created meeting

When you select a date, the scheduled appointments will be displayed.

Edycja spotkania
Editing a meeting

We can edit the date, time, and place once we select the meeting we are interested in.

Podgląd edytowanego spotkania
Preview of the edited meeting

Po kliknięciu przycisku pod wybraną lokalizacją spotkanie się edytuje.

Informacja o utworzeniu spotkania
The meeting edits itself when you click the button under the selected location.
Podląg spotkania
Information about the creation of the meeting

For the option to create a new meeting, we proceed similarly.

Summary

This presented application is just the tip of the iceberg of possibilities Microsoft Power Apps offers. There are many options, and the appearance and functionality of our applications depend mainly on the goals and requirements we set before creating them.

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Automatic data import from Excel – Power Apps

What is Microsoft Power Apps

Application of Power Apps in importing data from Excel – example

Description of the application

The application is designed to automatically import data from Excel and present it to the user in an easy-to-read form.

Source of data

The application’s data source is an Excel spreadsheet stored in the Microsoft OneDrive cloud. Example data presenting statistics of website positioning – SEO:

Tabela Excel z danymi
Excel data table

The data entered in the sheet is automatically retrieved by Power Apps. The data in the sheet must be stored as a table.

App Appearance

The layout of elements and colors can be fully configured according to users’ needs. You can use ready-made templates or give your styles.

Wygląd aplikacji Power Apps
Data preview and range selection

The user selects the date range from which to display the data. Only those in the sheet will be displayed

Navigation buttons

The application has buttons that allow the user to switch between views containing graphs of individual data

Wykres w Power Apps
Chart based on data

The view above shows a graph of the data in the indicated year by month

Summary

The presented application is only a substitute for Microsoft Power Apps’ solutions. The possibilities are endless. How our applications will be given depends primarily on the goals and requirements we set for ourselves.

Author of the text: Maksymilian Śniegocki

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maksymilian-sniegocki/

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Integrating Power Apps, Power BI with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Spis treści
Integracja Power Apps, Power Bi z Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Today’s companies increasingly realize the crucial role of integrating different technologies into their business processes. One excellent example of synergy is the Power Apps and Power BI combination with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central. In this article, we will take a closer look at this issue, highlighting the benefits of this integration and how each of these technologies can work with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central.

Power Apps, Power BI with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Benefits of integrating Power Apps, Power BI with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Integrating Power Apps with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Connecting Power Apps with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central enables creating enterprise-specific applications. As a result, even without developed programming knowledge, the user interface can be customized to specific business processes, enhancing the user experience.

Integration of Power BI with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Integrating Power BI programs with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central allows you to use advanced data analysis features. Visualization of key performance indicators and business trends enables rapid decision-making based on sound analysis of data collected in the ERP system.

Połączenie technologi Microsoft - jakie płyną korzyści

Combining all three technologies - what are the benefits

Summary

Integrating Power Apps, Power BI with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central provides a powerful tool to support modern enterprises in effectively managing data and business processes. The benefits of this synergy include increased operational efficiency, better data analysis, customized solutions, and rapid adaptation to change. Investing in this integration can bring real benefits, strengthening a company’s position in a competitive market.

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Letting go of documentation – Mistake 7 – ERP D365 implementations

7
Letting go of documentation

Regardless of the industry or project, you often hear, “Do you have it on email?”

And no wonder. This is essential in any job where we rely on other people’s decisions, especially when money and the time input of an entire team of specialists.

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Usually, the obstacle to writing down the arrangements after business, working, and summary meetings is the need for more time. Structures “by word of mouth” prevail. Mutual trust is essential, but there are aspects where you should act according to the principle of limited faith on the road. It is better to be wise before any harm is done and document all project arrangements.

This way, we will avoid misunderstandings, and the work will go according to the previous record. Each time, we can change the record or update the status or scope of tasks.

We know the unwritten rule that a working system is more important than detailed documentation. However, we prefer not to risk “in-your-face” arrangements.

Let’s strive to define acceptance criteria for the task or at least establish a definition of task completion.

Otherwise, we may get something we no longer need, didn’t order in the first place, or not get what we wanted.

An efficient implementation is characterized by design flexibility. However, it is essential to record a common understanding of the purpose and scope of the performance in the contract or other project document. And the so-called “word-of-mouth” arrangements are better documented as a summary in an email or other established communication tool. This will save time and money as a result.

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Hiding behind the lack of time to write a summary email is incomprehensible because, in practice, it often does not take more than a quarter of an hour and costs as much as nothing (although de facto, it does cost – and must be part of the recorded work effort in the project).

Thanks to the documentation, we have the assumptions written down in case of a misunderstanding, error, or simply “screwing things up” during implementation. In case of contentious issues, both on the part of the client and the implementation team, there will be something to refer to. Common sense in such a situation often avoids nerves and rising costs. It is worth having everything “in black and white.”

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Overestimated budget – Mistake 6 – ERP D365 implementations

6
Overestimated budget

At this point, it is again worth recalling the framework schedule. Estimating the implementation is one of the primary activities that must be performed before any work begins.

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To begin with, you need to verify the need for a particular solution in your company. Do you think it’s necessary? Is there a budget to implement an ERP solution in the organization? This is extremely important for the start of the work and the success of the entire implementation. Budgets and cost estimates have it that they often do not want to “pin down” at the final stage. There are always unforeseen expenses that should be included in the tables. And it’s hardly surprising – that’s why they are unpredictable. Hence the need to set up a budget “on top.”

In our experience, the buffer should be 10 – 20% of the value of the original assumptions.

Therefore, everything must be calculated carefully and then scaled again to the needs of a given company/plant/enterprise.

It is worth asking ourselves a fundamental question: can we afford it, will this investment bring us the expected benefits (not only purely financial ones).

As they say: budget is not made of rubber, and nerves are not made of steel.

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Confidence shaken – Mistake 5 – ERP D365 implementations

5
Confidence shaken

Any cooperation is based on relationships. Often of various types: business, partnership, courteous, social, and collegial. It tends to be, that one of the evoked is involved, and it happens that all of them are together.

Either way, the basis of fruitful cooperation on the customer-implementation company line is “good relations.” “Chemistry” is expected, ideally when “something sparks” between the Customer and the contractor. Because when there is good cooperation, the best results are worked out. This is a truism – a fact. But it still works.

Good relations are built not only on trust but also on mutual respect.

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Respect for one’s and others’ work makes it possible to avoid misunderstanding. And if this is accompanied by an elementary knowledge of the scope of work of a programmer, then the job “goes like butter.” Then we will not hear comments like: “adding one column to a table, after all, cannot take a good programmer of more than 15 minutes” etc., etc.

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Building friendly relationships is helped by proven and good practices in communication:

  • it is always worth speaking clearly and directly
  • it’s not worth “wrap out”; there is no point in diluting the message
  • it is best to appreciate the whole team’s work to ensure the message is complete
  • it is necessary to keep the given promises
  • and, above all, respect each other’s time spent and the job done

Two parties must trust each other. Maybe not boundless, but at a decent level.

Both the client and the implementation contractor know their job, do it professionally, so it is enough to let the specialists quietly work, and sometimes try not to disturb them. Each stage they finish, they will certainly discuss with the client, i.e., with the people appointed to do so.

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The partnership allows for free and clear communication of the status of the work. Lack of agreement and understanding affect the time implementation deteriorates the friendly atmosphere cooperation.

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It is impossible to implement a program – especially with such a complex system – anything in 15 minutes. The work consists of various activities. In addition to pure programming there are hours of testing, consulting, and documentation…

People and relationships/interactions matter more in the work of implementation teams/companies than processes and systems. This is because people from both business sides implement strategies and techniques.

If there is no agreement between them, problems can arise during implementation.

Cooperation always starts with mutual understanding and trust.

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Arbitrary decision making – Mistake 4 – ERP D365 implementations

4
Arbitary decision making

The echo of this “error” has already appeared in the points above. And as in the earlier descriptions, it is worth recalling what is at the heart of the implementation, that is a framework schedule.

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When we plan the functionalities, we want to implement, we need to define them together with representatives of all departments having contacting and working with the tool in question.

Ideally, this “brainstorming” should involve team/department managers participate. However, before this happens, managers should know the potential expectations and possible problems “their people.”

Before they take part in the brainstorming, it would be good for them to know how they can improve the work in their teams and what they should obtain at the end.

Such an “internal communication path” is critical and essential for another reason. The idea is that everyone on the team has the same state of knowledge about the implementation.

The team leader communicates to the others the key findings. So that there is no uncomfortable situation of someone making an arbitrary decision that no one else knows about. Such an action may result in complications in implementation, additional unnecessary costs, and sometimes nervous movements or even unpleasant consequences.

The internal circulation of information helps keep the course of the performance according to the established schedule without unforeseen deviations.

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