SAP Business One

Avantages

SAP pours a lot of R&D into this product. I have worked with it for 12 years - as an implementation consultant. Its capabilities, performance and reliability has changed dramatically during this period. Technologically, it is head and shoulders above the crowd. The capability to tailor the product and features to meet a customer's requirements is outstanding.
The ERP functionality is complete - from accounting to service functions, to distribution and manufacturing functions. It comes with mobile apps available as part of the system. Dashboards are included with the system. Functions such as email alerts, approvals and workflows are embedded in the product.
I also develop add-ons for SAP Business One. The software development kit (SDK) provided by SAP makes 'add-on' functionality 100% transparent to the user - they don't know which screens or popups are SAP's and which are the add-ons. And there are hundreds of programmers available to produce add-ons.

Inconvénients

SAP Business is complex to install. It takes a staff of people with up to date IT experience to perform the install. It's not a long process (8 - 10 hours), just complex.

Avantages

SAP Business One is an ERP System that is designed for Small and Medium Entities.

With a highly interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI), it allows users to easily navigate the system within a few minutes of using it.

Another good feature of SAP Business One is how it divided the different business functions by modules which allow a point-and-click capability to users.

Unlike its more complex counterpart, SAP All-in-One, SAP Business One removed the need to use T-codes which is a huge advantage for users who are not particular in memorizing hundreds of codes to process transactions.

With that in mind, SAP Business One still covers almost all of the fundamental business process of entities along with the capability to be customized using Table and Fields Management Queries.

Inconvénients

Considering that it is an ERP Software, the adaption of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is not fully maximized. Users that are particular in accounting might notice that some of the journal entries are not in accordance with the applicable standard in their country. This is due to the fact that there's only a limited option when it comes to the Chart of Account to be used as well as the customization of accounts.

Avantages

SAP Business One is simple to get to grips with for users, with some exceptions. It has most common functionality required for most businesses and can pretty much be configured to do anything you can think of. If it doesn't come as standard there are ways to do by creating you own fields and adapting processes. There is a vibrant add on economy that allows you extend the product into new verticals and functional areas. However, be careful as it you can easily create technical debt if it is not managed carefully.

Inconvénients

There is incomplete guidance and capability between on premise and cloud deployments in our experience, although that is changing fast. The software can be expensive and you need a partner, fingers crossed you find a good one. It is easy to proliferate add ons and make your environment more complex. WMS functionality sucks and demand planning is super basic. There is basically very little production planning stuff out of the box, so if you are a manufacturer make sure you assess this carefully as you'll probably need add ons.

Avantages

Wholesale trade companies need a global product to expand operations with minimal in-house costs. SAP's continued investment in the Business One ERP product extends functionality across 60+ countries, developing a best of breed product for companies of many sizes.

SAP Business One is designed to be affordable for both small companies and global subsidiaries who need real-time visibility across sourcing, manufacturing and distribution locations. The way the system handles lite production (especially kitting), connects Sales Orders to relevant Purchase Orders, facilitates dynamic Demand Planning and manages multiple warehouses simultaneously; it is the most affordable concept-to-cash solution of its class. Integration to industry specific apps and company websites maximize the usability and adaptation of the system. Allowing for a complex software package to be just the right fit; not too complex, not too large (or small!) and not too expensive.

Inconvénients

If you like cloud applications with simple URL logins, this couldn't be any further from that. Business One ERP is a traditional software installation product which has been proven in a hosted environment however, its best installed on the company's onsite server. Remote desktop allows for off-site users to access the system but again, it's not your easy-peasy SaaS experience.

Avantages

It has some of the functionality of the higher level SAP offerings. It is excellent at a smaller transactional quantity. In other words, if you have a single order for $100,000 as opposed to ten orders for $10,000 it works really well. Many of the ancillary processes and features are very limited in the program itself and for any real "power" you need to purchase bolt on systems to really get the best use. Some examples are Warehouse management, production management.

Inconvénients

It is difficult to write reports. Many functions that would streamline use for mid size companies, particularly in the warehousing, shipping and manufacturing worlds require bolt on systems.