ofsERP Frequently Asked Questions
Dynamics 365 CE Field Service - and why we chose not to use it for our field service clients:
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The CE Field Service design is focused on servicing customers' equipment. However, the focus of most oilfield service companies is on servicing their own equipment, tracking the location of their equipment, its status, availability, utilization, etc. since they use their equipment to provide services or to rent at a job or well site.
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Dynamics 365 CE Field Service is a separate product from Business Central and thus requires additional license fees.
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It creates a separate database that has to be synchronized with the BC database.
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As a separate product, it has its own costs to implement, customize, and train.
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BC users have to learn a different interface for Field Service, which contrasts with the unified experience in ofsERP.
ofsERP in Business Central:
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Dynamic's 365 (BC) and ofsERP coexist within the same application environment.
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They share the same database, tables, and user interface and use the same Microsoft BC license.
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ofsERP leverages existing BC tables and processes, where it makes sense.
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This approach streamlines learning, reduces implementation and training time,
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Report creation and data analysis is streamlined.
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Microsoft tested, reference checked, and certified ofsERP as an industry wide solution for BC.
Consultant Expertise:
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Few consultants specialize in D365 CE Field Service setup, leading to premium rates for their services.
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No. The Service Management module that comes native in Business Central (BC) is designed using separate tables for service orders, service items, and service contracts, and they are only accessible with a Premium BC license.
The Service Management module design and focus is on servicing customers' equipment, but oilfield service companies typically use their own equipment to provide services at a job site / well, and the focus is on servicing or renting their own equipment, tracking equipment location and availability, increasing utilization, and safety.
We designed ofsERP extensions to require only an Essentials BC license, by using BC's existing Sales Order tables with different order types for Sale, Service, Rental, and Repair orders. We leverage the existing functionality of Business Central for sales processes, invoicing, inventory management, and reporting. We believe this approach provides simplicity and ease-of-use for our clients, while also delivering powerful features and flexibility.
All features added by ofsERP can be accessed with a Business Central Essentials license. A Premium license is not required since ofsERP does not use BC's Service Management module. For the field users, you can use Team Member licenses in many cases, depending on the functionality required in the field.
Yes. ofsERP uses web services as an API and can be integrated with most accounting / ERP software, with different levels of detail and complexity.
In a more simplistic integration, ofsERP handles all the operational processes of Equipment Asset Management (EAM), Field Service, Rental, Repair, and Preventative Maintenance, and creates the resulting G/L, invoice, inventory, and other transactions for consumption by another accounting application.
Clients with 5 to 400 users and growing are using ofsERP to simplify and automate their workflows, boost their performance, and improve their competitive advantage. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with ofsERP is the preferred software for oilfield service providers of all sizes seeking an all-in-one ERP and business software solution to handle multiple lines of business.
ofsERP is a powerful solution that becomes an indistinguishable part of Business Central; no integration is required. It uses the extension model to enhance the functionality of Business Central without modifying the core code. This way, ofsERP becomes a natural part of Business Central that works smoothly and efficiently and can receive new features from Microsoft without interruption.