Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Aptean Food & Beverage ERP Foodware 365 Edition based on Dynamics 365 enables us to offer our customers a comprehensive platform, also known as The Power Platform, in which various productivity tools can be accessed automatically. Tools with which you can get off to a good start, really easily. The use of this innovative technology is also known as no-code/low-code development. Each of these apps and tools is at your disposal thanks to all kinds of technological solutions within the platform. The structure and design of your apps and tools is identical wherever you are in the platform, meaning you are working in one truly integrated system.

Power Automate (previously Flow)
Power BI
Appsource

Working with Office 365

Office 365 is a collection of well-known applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Enriched with new and innovative applications such as OneNote, Delve, OneDrive for Business and Sharepoint. The advantage of this environment is that you only have to log-in once in order to have every application at your disposal in the familiar Microsoft environment known to all. All components within Office 365 can make use of each other's functionality.

Working with Aptean Food & Beverage ERP is as good as it gets when it is part of the entire platform. Future Microsoft innovations are then also directly available from the platform. There is no need for management supervision on your part.

Build business apps with PowerApps by yourself

Grasp the opportunity to build your own business apps. Does that sound impossible? It is actually quite simple! When you make use of Dynamics and Office 365, you as end user want as simple a presentation of your entry options as possible. Thanks to Microsoft's 365 platform, you as end user can initiate this process yourself. You can develop apps to make forecasts, for example, or to keep a record of your inventory levels. This gives you the opportunity to considerably improve your productivity and processes.

Once you have made the app, it is then always available on every device, from tablet to mobile phone. And you can get started! Additionally, it is always possible to expand the functionality of the app or to adjust it as appropriate. If so desired, the apps can be integrated in a workstream that you yourself can create in Microsoft Power Automate or in PowerBI for fast and real-time insight.

Pro-active task automation with Power Automate

Do more thanks to Microsoft Power Automate (previously flow). A tool with which you can automate tasks pro-actively within the platform. You turn repetitive tasks into automated workstreams with Power Automate, so that they are carried out simply and automatically - or users receive intra-process instructions automatically. Tasks no longer need to be recorded manually.

What makes this tool unique is that it can be applied to the various applications within the Microsoft platform. It also offers connectors for various external applications.

Internet of Things

Information retrieved with Cortana Intelligence can be accessed real-time thanks to the connection to Internet of Things devices. Put simply, these are intelligent devices linked to internet. Consider for example temperature measurements conducted during transport. When sensors are connected to the internet, their data can be transferred continuously and real-time to your software environment. This ensures reliable, real-time information that enables you to take pro-active decisions quickly.

Analysis and forecast with Cortana Intelligence

Since companies have access to an increasing amount of data, Microsoft has developed a set of analysis and forecasting tools. Cortana Intelligence: a toolkit with which you can turn a mass of data into intelligent analysis that enables you to take direct action, thanks to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

These tools can detect patterns from the past and combine these with various other data sources such as weather forecasts or economic outlook; parameters that are also known as Big Data. Ultimately, these data sources lead to reliable predictions. You can work much more efficientlly because you can accurately forecast how much inventory you are going to need and therefore how many machines and operators. Thanks to the fact that you know what's likely to happen in your food company in the period ahead, you can work with much greater precision, remain a step ahead of the competition, save costs and prevent food waste wherever possible.

Power BI offers insight into data

Power BI is the ideal tool to combine and visualise various data sources. This gives you a quick overview of the wealth of information that is stored in your software system. Power BI gives you real-time insight at every level into the management information that is relevant to you. This tool ensures that you can draft and distribute reports easily and authoritatively. And it doesn't look bad at all!

All data identical with Common Data Service

Common Data Service (CDS), with the Common Data Model that accompanies it, is the glue amongst the databases. It is the communication layer that enables synchronisation of your data at all times. You have various tools and systems with which to work within the Microsoft 365 platform, including CRM, ERP and Sharepoint. CDS connects these tools and systems seamlessly and safely, enabling you to work from one integrated platform.

Thanks to Common Data Service, information can be transferred or retrieved, irrespective of the location of origin or storage. This can best be seen as a layer on which to create your own data models. This can then be used with ERP, PowerBI or other applications, within or outside the Microsoft 365 suite. If you have information that is useful in more than one application, Common Data Service is the way to go. This facilitates interfacing and reduces customisation, because you yourself have access to the no-code/low-code development.

Working safely in the cloud with Azure

Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform. It may be invisible to you and me, but it is no less important. Microsoft Azure is the operating system on which all your software runs, it's the cornerstone of everything. There is no need to invest in hardware. With a data centre in the Netherlands, amongst others, Microsoft's cloud platform ensures 99.99% uptime guarantee related to availability, throughput capacity and consistency.

Azure is a continuously expanding series of cloud services to help organisations confront challenges to their corporate continuity. It offers the freedom to develop, manage and implement applications on a sizeable, worldwide network. Thanks to this cloud platform, you are online, always and everywhere - and reachable, on every device.

Engaging apps simply with Appsource

You can easily expand the Dynamics 365 platform with Microsoft partners' certified applications thanks to paid or complimentary public apps. Microsoft partners all over the world are building apps that are so easy to connect to your ERP, Sharepoint or any other 365 platform application.

These apps are made available by Appsource. From where you can download, install and use them, on your own platform. All apps must obviously comply with Microsoft's quality requirements, and are upgraded automatically. For you as a user, we make it as easy as possible!

What can we do for your food company?

Do you have a business in the food sector? Discover how we can help your company reach the next level.