Dynamics Community Forum Thread Details

Integrating an External Production Planning Solution

Hello,
I work for a Software company that does automated production planning ie. scheduling jobs onto machines a factory.

In my research, I have found 3 different "products" in the Dynamics family we could possibly integrate with:

- Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
- Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
- Dynamics 365 Business Central

By "integration", I mean that we read information from an API, do some planning, and write the results back to an API.

I have some questions about integration:

- Would it be possible to integrate our production planning with any of these products?
- Which product would be the easiest to integrate with to do production planning?
- Do these products share functionality, or are they completely separate?

Many thanks in advance for your help.
Saul Hazledine

Categories:

Dynamics 365 general

Hi there! Good morning, evening, or afternoon - depending on where you are :) Hope you are well today!

1. Would it be possible to integrate our production planning with any of these products?
Yes, it is possible to integrate your production planning solution with all three Dynamics 365 products. Each product provides APIs and integration capabilities that allow external systems to read and write data. Here's a brief overview:

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management: Offers robust APIs for production planning, inventory visibility, and manufacturing execution systems (MES). It supports real-time data exchange, making it ideal for advanced production planning.
Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations: Provides APIs for data management and integration, including production orders and scheduling. It is suitable for scenarios requiring financial and operational data alongside production planning.
Dynamics 365 Business Central: Features REST APIs for integration with external systems. It is more lightweight compared to the other two products and is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.

2. Which product would be the easiest to integrate with to do production planning?
The easiest product to integrate with depends on your requirements:

For Advanced Production Planning: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is the best choice. It has built-in features for manufacturing execution and production scheduling, and its APIs are tailored for such integrations.
For Simpler Integration: Dynamics 365 Business Central is easier to work with due to its straightforward API structure and lightweight nature. It is ideal for smaller-scale production planning.
For Comprehensive Data Integration: Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is suitable if you need to integrate production planning with financial and operational data.

3. Do these products share functionality, or are they completely separate?
While these products share some functionality, they are designed for different use cases:

Shared Features: All three products support integration via APIs, data synchronization, and reporting. They also integrate with the Power Platform for automation and analytics.
Distinct Features:
- Supply Chain Management focuses on manufacturing, inventory, and logistics.
- Finance and Operations emphasizes financial management and enterprise-level operations.
- Business Central is tailored for small to medium-sized businesses with simpler workflows.

Recommendation
If your production planning solution requires advanced scheduling and manufacturing capabilities, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is the most suitable option. For simpler integrations, Dynamics 365 Business Central is easier to implement. Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is ideal if you need a broader scope of integration across financial and operational data.

Hope this helps!

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