---
title: "Microsoft Dynamics 365 Apps Compared: CRM and ERP"
canonical_url: https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/
description: "How Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM apps, Business Central and Finance and Supply Chain Management differ, and which services MS Dynamics Guys provides for each."
publisher: "MS Dynamics Guys"
last_modified: 2026-10-11
---

# Which Microsoft Dynamics 365 app fits your process?

> **Short answer:** Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a family of separate products, not one system. The CRM apps, such as Sales and Customer Service, run on Microsoft Dataverse. Business Central is an ERP for finance, inventory and operations, extended in AL. Finance and Supply Chain Management form a second ERP family, extended in X++. This page explains how they differ and which services MS Dynamics Guys provides for each.

**At a glance**

- **CRM apps:** Dataverse; extended with configuration, C# plug-ins and TypeScript controls
- **Business Central:** One ERP application; extended with AL extensions
- **Finance and Supply Chain Management:** Finance and operations apps; extended with X++
- **Power Platform:** Shares Dataverse with the CRM apps; see [Power Platform consulting](https://msdynamicsguys.com/power-platform/)

[Ask which product fits](https://msdynamicsguys.com/contact/#intent=project&service=F03) · [Compare our services](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/)

## How the Microsoft Dynamics 365 products differ

The products share a brand and a sign-in, but not a code base. Skills, partners and upgrade rules differ between them.

**Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM apps, Business Central and Finance and Supply Chain Management compared**

| Question | CRM apps (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service) | Business Central | Finance and Supply Chain Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| What does it run? | Customer processes: leads, opportunities, service cases and field work | Finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, manufacturing and projects in one application | Finance, supply chain, warehousing, manufacturing and procurement as separate, configurable apps |
| What platform is it built on? | Microsoft Dataverse | The Business Central service, online or on-premises | The finance and operations apps platform |
| How is it extended? | Configuration, Power Platform, C# plug-ins, TypeScript controls | AL extensions built in Visual Studio Code | X++ extensions; overlayering of Microsoft code is not supported |
| How are changes packaged? | Solutions, managed outside development | Extension packages: per-tenant extensions or Microsoft Marketplace apps | Deployable packages tested against Microsoft service updates |
| How often does Microsoft update it? | Regular service updates, with new features announced in Microsoft release plans | Two major updates a year, in April and October, plus monthly minor updates | Four service updates a year |

## Choose by process, not by company size

Revenue or head count is a weak guide. What decides the product is how your processes work, and that needs a fit-gap review.

**Which Microsoft Dynamics 365 product to examine first, by main need**

| If your main need is | Examine first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Managing customers, the sales pipeline and service cases | The CRM apps on Dataverse | They model relationships, activities and service work; ERP data arrives through an integration |
| Finance, orders and inventory in one system with mostly standard processes | Business Central | One application covers the core ERP processes, and AL extensions fill specific gaps |
| Warehouse, manufacturing or multi-entity processes that a Business Central fit-gap review cannot cover | Finance and Supply Chain Management | They are designed for complex operational processes; compare scope and implementation effort in the fit-gap review |
| Both customer processes and ERP | A CRM app plus an ERP, integrated | Most companies run them as separate products with an agreed owner for each record; see [Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/dynamics-365-integration/) |

A fit-gap review compares your processes with each product's standard features before anyone estimates customization. [Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/dynamics-365-consulting/) covers that review and ends with a written recommendation.

## Microsoft Dynamics 365 product services

Each page covers the delivery decisions for one product. Only products we can deliver are listed.

- [Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/dynamics-365-crm/): MS Dynamics Guys configures and extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM apps on Dataverse, using plug-ins, custom APIs and PCF only where needed.
- [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/dynamics-365-sales/): MS Dynamics Guys implements Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: leads, opportunities, forecasts, security, data migration and Outlook and Teams setup.
- [Business Central](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/business-central/): Review Business Central's fit for your processes, then choose MS Dynamics Guys for implementation, AL development, integration or support.
- [Business Central development](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/business-central/development/): MS Dynamics Guys builds Business Central AL extensions, reports, APIs and integrations with automated tests, controlled dependencies and update testing.
- [Business Central implementation](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/business-central/implementation/): MS Dynamics Guys implements Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, with finance setup, data migration, reconciliation, testing and training.
- [Business Central support](https://msdynamicsguys.com/solutions/business-central/support/): MS Dynamics Guys provides Business Central support for AL incidents, extension fixes, update testing and handover from a previous partner.

## Which Microsoft Dynamics 365 products does MS Dynamics Guys work on?

MS Dynamics Guys delivers development, integration and support for the CRM apps that run on Dataverse: Sales, Customer Service and Field Service.

MS Dynamics Guys implements, extends and supports Business Central, online and on-premises.

MS Dynamics Guys builds Power Platform apps and automation around these products; see [Power Platform consulting](https://msdynamicsguys.com/power-platform/).

MS Dynamics Guys delivers Finance and Supply Chain Management work, including X++ extensions, data entities and release testing.

## Commerce, Project Operations and the other Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps

Microsoft Dynamics 365 also includes Customer Insights, Commerce, Project Operations and Human Resources. Customer Insights has two parts: Customer Insights - Data for unified customer profiles, and Customer Insights - Journeys, the product formerly called Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing. Journeys no longer includes outbound marketing, which Microsoft removed in May 2026, so older marketing setups need a migration plan rather than an upgrade.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce is a retail product in the finance and operations family. It is not the same as connecting Business Central to an online store, which is an integration task.

## Questions about choosing a Microsoft Dynamics 365 product

### Is Business Central a smaller version of Finance and Supply Chain Management?

No. They are separate products with separate code bases and languages: AL for Business Central, X++ for finance and operations apps. Moving from one to the other is a new implementation with a data migration, not an upgrade.

### Can Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales work with Business Central?

Yes. Business Central includes a standard integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales through Dataverse that couples items, prices, opportunities, sales orders and posted invoices on a schedule. Check its scope against your process before planning custom work.

### Do all Microsoft Dynamics 365 products use the same developer skills?

No. CRM work uses Dataverse, C# and TypeScript. Business Central uses AL. Finance and Supply Chain Management use X++. Ask any provider which of these its named people work in, because experience in one does not transfer automatically.

### What does Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement mean?

It is a common name for the CRM apps that run on Dataverse, such as Sales, Customer Service and Field Service. Microsoft calls them customer engagement apps. The term does not include Business Central or the finance and operations apps.

## Next steps by decision

- [Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/dynamics-365-consulting/): MS Dynamics Guys assesses Microsoft Dynamics 365 fit, gaps and architecture, with written findings and a roadmap to guide your budget.
- [Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation cost](https://msdynamicsguys.com/resources/dynamics-365-implementation-cost/): Plan Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation costs: licenses, delivery, migration, integration, testing and support, with an estimate worksheet.
- [Power Platform](https://msdynamicsguys.com/power-platform/): MS Dynamics Guys plans Power Platform governance and builds Power Apps, Power Automate flows and Power Pages for Microsoft Dynamics 365.
- [Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/dynamics-365-integration/): MS Dynamics Guys connects Microsoft Dynamics 365 to ecommerce, ERP, CRM and data platforms, with record ownership, error handling and reconciliation.
- [Services](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/): Compare Microsoft Dynamics 365 staff augmentation, consulting, implementation, development, integration and support from MS Dynamics Guys, and choose what fits.
- [Hire experts](https://msdynamicsguys.com/hire/): Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 developers and consultants from MS Dynamics Guys by product and role, with your team directing their work.

## Not sure which Microsoft Dynamics 365 product fits?

Describe your processes, current systems and the problems you want solved. We reply with questions or suggest a short fit-gap review.

[Ask which product fits](https://msdynamicsguys.com/contact/#intent=project&service=F03) · [See Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting](https://msdynamicsguys.com/services/dynamics-365-consulting/)

## Product documentation referenced on this page

- [Manage Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps that run on Microsoft Dataverse](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/manage-apps) (checked 2026-10-02)
- [Programming in AL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-programming-in-al) (checked 2026-10-02)
- [Business Central update rollout timeline](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/update-rollout-timeline) (checked 2026-10-02)
- [Extensibility home page for finance and operations apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/fin-ops-core/dev-itpro/extensibility/extensibility-home-page) (checked 2026-10-02)
- [Outbound marketing removal in Customer Insights - Journeys](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-insights/journeys/outbound-removal-notes) (checked 2026-10-02)
- [Integrating Business Central with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/admin-prepare-dynamics-365-for-sales-for-integration) (checked 2026-10-02)