Forward Dynamics Solutions

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Case study

Integrated CRM & ERP Cost Control Solution

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Industry

Technology Solutions & IT Services

Client Origin Country

United States

ERP and CRM consulting firm Microsoft solutions partner North America

Modernizing Contract-Driven ERP Operations

Forward Dynamics Solutions partnered with Team, a growing technology solutions provider, to implement a fully integrated CRM and ERP ecosystem using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The company manages highly detailed sales agreements, vendor relationships, procurement workflows, and contract-driven pricing structures. As operations expanded, the company required a scalable platform that could improve collaboration between sales, purchasing, and finance teams while maintaining precise cost visibility at the individual sales order level.

The organization needed a modern solution that would:

  • Improve sales and contract management
  • Deliver accurate contract-specific cost tracking
  • Maintain standardized ERP financial operations
  • Support scalable purchasing and inventory planning
  • Avoid heavy ERP customization

Project Overview

The project focused on designing and implementing a tightly connected CRM-to-ERP architecture that aligned Microsoft best practices with the client’s operational requirements.

The implementation included:

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise for customer relationship management and contract handling.
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for finance, inventory, purchasing, billing, and operational workflows.
  • Standardized integration architecture between CRM and ERP platforms.
  • A creative cost-tracking framework without using serial or lot tracking.
  • Preservation of standard Business Central functionality for long-term scalability and upgradability.

One of the most important business requirements was the ability to assign and track contract-specific item costs at the sales order line level while continuing to use standard Business Central purchasing and MRP workflows.

Out-of-the-box Business Central does not natively support this type of sales-line-level cost tracking without additional customization or advanced tracking methods. The client wanted to avoid both approaches to preserve system simplicity and upgrade readiness.

Forward Dynamics Solutions solved this challenge through a highly strategic standards-based architecture.

Technologies We Used

Microsoft Solutions

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
  • Microsoft ERP Integration Frameworks
  • Microsoft Cloud Ecosystem

Integration & Operational Technologies

  • Standard CRM-to-ERP Integration Patterns
  • SKU-Based Cost Allocation Design
  • Standard Business Central MRP Workflows
  • Financial Posting Logic Optimization
Scalable cloud solutions with Azure & Power Platform

Project Execution Tasks

CRM Implementation

  • Implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise
  • Configured opportunity and contract management workflows
  • Established contract-based sales pricing processes
  • Managed sales pipeline and customer relationship structure

ERP Implementation

  • Implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
  • Configured financial management workflows
  • Enabled purchasing and billing operations
  • Set up inventory management and MRP planning

Integration Tasks

  • Integrated Dynamics 365 Sales with Business Central
  • Synchronized items, SKUs, and sales order data
  • Created seamless sales-to-finance operational flow

Operational Optimization

  • Improved collaboration between sales, finance, and purchasing teams
  • Streamlined purchasing workflows
  • Reduced dependency on ERP customization

Cost Tracking Architecture

  • Designed contract-specific SKU strategy
  • Assigned vendor pricing per SKU
  • Enabled sales-line-level cost visibility
  • Preserved standard ERP posting functionality

Implementation Strategy

Forward Dynamics Solutions followed a strategic implementation approach focused on scalability, operational simplicity, and long-term maintainability.

To achieve client’s unique cost-control requirements, the team repurposed standard variant codes and SKU structures to create contract-specific item identifiers.

The primary strategy was

  • Keep Business Central as close to standard functionality as possible
  • Avoid unnecessary ERP customizations
  • Leverage creative system architecture using native platform capabilities
  • Preserve future upgrade compatibility
  • Ensure operational efficiency across departments

This approach enabled

  • Accurate contract-level cost tracking
  • Standard MRP planning
  • Correct vendor assignment
  • Automated purchasing alignment
  • Standard financial posting logic

Key Solution Features

Integrated CRM-to-ERP Platform

Seamless synchronization between Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Business Central for end-to-end operational visibility.

Contract-Specific Cost Tracking

Each sales order line maintained its own agreed cost structure using unique SKU and variant configurations.

Standardized ERP Architecture

Business Central remained close to standard functionality, improving system stability and future upgrade readiness. 8

Accurate Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)

Enabled precise financial tracking and reporting at the individual sales order level.

Standard MRP & Purchasing Workflows

Maintained full use of native Business Central purchasing and inventory planning capabilities.

Vendor-Specific Purchasing Logic

Purchase orders automatically reflected the correct vendor and pricing structures based on SKU configuration.

Cross-Team Operational Efficiency

Improved coordination between sales, procurement, inventory, and finance departments.

Scalable Microsoft Ecosystem

Built a scalable foundation capable of supporting future business growth and operational expansion.

Business Outcomes

Following implementation, the client achieved significant operational and financial improvements:

  • Accurate contract-specific cost tracking across all sales orders
  • Improved financial visibility and cost reporting
  • Enhanced collaboration between business departments
  • Reduced operational complexity
  • Full use of standard Business Central MRP workflows
  • Elimination of unnecessary ERP customization risks
  • Stronger purchasing accuracy and procurement efficiency
  • Long-term scalable ERP and CRM architecture

Business Impact

By combining Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise with Business Central through a carefully designed integration strategy, Forward Dynamics Solutions delivered a high-performance CRM and ERP environment tailored to the client’s operational model.

The project demonstrated how intelligent solution architecture can solve complex business challenges without compromising ERP standardization or long-term scalability.

The client now benefits from:

  • Greater operational visibility
  • Improved cost accuracy
  • More efficient purchasing workflows
  • Streamlined financial management
  • A future-ready Microsoft business platform
Power BI

Looking to modernize your ERP and CRM systems while maintaining operational flexibility and financial accuracy?

Forward Dynamics Solutions helps businesses implement scalable Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions tailored to complex operational requirements.

Connect with our team to explore how integrated ERP, CRM, and cloud technologies can streamline your business operations and support long-term growth

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