We were using Budget Maestro and have switched to BI360 Cloud. I think Dynamics Budgets is also a good choice, and Prospero from the MSX Group (the former FRx team) is worth a look.
Budget Maestro is not directly integrated to Dynamics GP. Instead they use an integration program, Link Maestro, for imports and exports. They have a parallel reporting package, Analytics Maestro, that works off a data mart similar to MR. Budget Maestro is a good choice if you have affiliated companies using more than one ERP system and you need to merge data. It's a SaaS application with a 3 year minimum subscription.
BI360 has converted to SaaS with the release of version 5, though they also still support premises installations. Reporting can be direct from GP or through a data warehouse. Budgets run through the data warehouse. The user interface is Excel with a BI360 add in. BI360 is a robust solution with a large user base and solid support.
I suggest talking directly to users of each solution to understand limitations as they relate to your specific needs. That isn't usually discussed in the forum because things that may be an issue today could be fixed next week, and customers may have different requirements that need to be considered. Also, search past discussions on this forum and you will find a lot of feedback on this topic. Finally, it's important to work with a partner who understands your needs and has expert resources for the solution you choose.
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Lou Spevack
American Council on Education
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: Sep 05, 2019 08:54 AM
From: Jo deRuiter
Subject: Budget Tools to Replace Forecaster and Management Reporter
Hi @Angelique Franzoni
There are a ton of great options out here in GP Land for budgeting and forecasting, and you hit the nail on the head, some are easier than others.
For pure budgeting you might want to look at Dynamic Budgets, but it does not include any "Reporting" per se.
The one software I can think of that would meet the requirement of "fully replace the combination of MR, Excel and Forecaster for collection of data, presentation of data, use for data analytics and budget presentation to the board" that works seamlessly with GP is Jet Reports. They have several options, but out of the box they would meet this need.
Another software you may want to look into is Prophix! I recently saw a demo of this and was greatly impressed.
Good luck and feel free to reach out if you need help or have any more questions!
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Original Message:
Sent: Sep 04, 2019 02:59 PM
From: Angelique Franzoni
Subject: Budget Tools to Replace Forecaster and Management Reporter
Looking to hear back from the group for what resource they use as an add on to GP for budgeting and reporting. What are the pros and cons of your choice? Are you able to manipulate the output report for specialized and "dressed" up board reports? Is it user friendly for staff of varying technological knowledge and comfort? Do you feel it fully replaced the combination of Management Reporter, Excel, and Forecaster for collection of data, presentation of data, use for data analytics, and budget presentation to the board? Does it work seamlessly with GP? Are there any hiccups between the programs such as lost links between the programs causing missing data or truncated information? Are there user gripes or wish list items? Was the program cost friendly? Do you feel the cost paid is in alignment to the product received and ease of simplifying the work flow for budgeting and budget tracking?
At this time, I request replies be from end users and not the sales staff for the products. I will not be able to reply to sales inquiries.
If possible, a reply from a public entity would be most helpful, though I happily accept all end user feedback.
Thank you all.
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Angelique
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