SBCERA Streamlines GL Accounts from 1800 to 300 and Speeds Up Data Processing by Migrating Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central
Quick Summary
By migrating from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central, San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association (SBCERA) has streamlined its account structure by 83% in their General Ledger accounts. This simplifies the data import process from their retirement system, reducing the time from months to seconds, which saves time and costs for data management and processing. TMC delivered the GP to BC migration within six months and 25% under budget.
SBECERA’s Daily Challenges on Dynamics GP
With over 48,000 member’s investments and beneficiary plans to manage, SBCERA faced challenges with their previously “old and clunky” Dynamics GP system including:
These challenges led SBCERA to search for a new system to automate the process and improve ease of use.
“Our current system software (Dynamics GP) was 20 years old. It was very clunky and buggy. Dynamics GP could not accommodate all the integrations our pension administration system can do. So, there would be limitations if we were to integrate all that into Dynamics GP.”
Amy McInerny | Chief Financial Officer of SBCERA
Dynamics 365 Business Central or QuickBooks Enterprise?
When it came down to choosing an ERP, the decision to go with Microsoft was influenced by several factors. One of the main reasons was the alignment with SBCERA’s existing investment in Microsoft products. The familiarity with Microsoft’s ecosystem meant that integrating Business Central with other Microsoft tools would be seamless, allowing for easier creation of dashboards, reporting, and utilization of communication tools like Outlook.
Additionally, the choice was driven by the desire for a more modern and efficient system that could handle the organization’s needs better than their previous Dynamics GP. The transition to Business Central was seen as a natural upgrade within the Microsoft product line, which would offer improved functionality and integration capabilities.
During the selection process, SBCERA considered other systems, including QuickBooks Enterprise, but found that it lacked the necessary capabilities such as the ability to be highly customized. Business Central emerged as a suitable solution that could meet their operational requirements and support their Digital Transformation goals.
“One of the features of Business Central is that it’s completely cloud-based which creates a system that has high availability. It has very strong internal controls and the ability for those to manage those controls externally. It has a strong financial backing and is modular. So what’s really important about this for us is that we have the ability to customize and add the modules we need but more importantly, we only pay for the implementation of the modules we need. Also, since we do a lot of complex investments- it’s important to have the ability to customize the software.
One cool feature of Microsoft Business Central is that it can level leverage and query from other databases and create reports so they could help with that migration and build a bridge. So we would have access to that data.”
Amy McInerny | Chief Financial Officer of SBCERA
Why SBCERA Chose TMC as Their Microsoft Solutions Partner
The decision to choose TMC as their BC partner was based on several factors. Jayson, SBCERA’s Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting praised that TMC’s size felt like a good fit, as TMC was large enough to provide the necessary expertise but small enough to tend to their needs.
SBCERA also expressed their appreciatioin for TMC’s in-depth knowledge of Business Central and their solution-oriented approach during the initial discussions. The fact that TMC had someone on the initial call who knew the system inside and out and could provide immediate solutions was a significant factor in the decision-making process.
“We interviewed several partners and felt like TMC was a good fit in terms of size – you’re not so big that we get lost in your client list. We don’t have to deal with a lot of different levels to get through to people. At the same time, TMC wasn’t so small that we’re missing out on some of the knowledge that was available or just didn’t know about. We would be able to get good advice as we were going through how to customize BC for our needs.”
“During the interviewing process, we really appreciated the in-depth knowledge the people on the initial call had about Business Central. Your team was solutions-oriented and was able to give good suggestions for our questions.”
Jayson Eaton | Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting
TMC’s Solutions and Customizations
To address SBECERA’s challenges and needs, TMC recommended the following solutions, which were part of a larger goal to streamline operations, improve financial reporting, and enhance system integration to support the daily export and import of data for more efficient and accurate accounting practices.
TMC’s Approach
To establish a well-defined project scope and assemble an appropriate team for addressing the specific challenges and requirements of SBCERA, TMC conducted an in-depth Business Process Review.
This review involved an on-site evaluation of operational workflows and engaging discussions with stakeholders about the strategic plan, ensuring they are well-informed and prepared for any potential disruptions to business operations that may occur.
“We did a detailed BPR with a project plan, to make sure they understand what the migration will look like for them. This eliminates some of their stress by understanding how the process works and helps them rethink their processes and account receivable functionalities. This thorough assessment allowed the project to feel like a walk on the park.”
Cindy Lu | Senior Project Manager at TMC
“We began having regular weekly meetings, which provided a clear direction. In these meetings, we had a well-outlined document serving as our blueprint for the upcoming week, detailing what each one of us needed to do.
[Despite the agenda], there was plenty of flexibility accommodating any unfinished tasks. If there were instances when we couldn’t finish a part, it was never an issue. TMC would easily revise the timeline, ensuring we would catch up in the following week. This blend of clear planning and flexibility is what made it all work out.”
Jayson Eaton | Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting at SBCERA
SBCERA’s Favorite Business Central’s Features
SBCERA’s Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting highlighted several benefits of using Business Central including:
Streamlined Approval Workflows
Business Central simplifies the approval process by sending email notifications for approvals, eliminating the need for constant back-and-forth communication with managers. In addition, staff can create a new vendor and send for approval.
Integrated Bank Reconciliations
The system allows for bank reconciliations to be performed within Business Central, reducing errors and ensuring seamless connectivity with the overall financial system, unlike the previous Excel-based method.
Enhanced Transaction Research
Business Central provides the ability to apply detailed filters to General Ledger entries, facilitating thorough research, assisting in the analysis of reports.
Consolidated Report Analysis
The system offers the capability to run multiple reports concurrently within one platform, streamlining the analysis process.
Automated Remittance Emails
Business Central can automatically send remittance emails to vendors before the ACH file is generated, which streamlines the payment process and speeds up communication with vendors.
1-Year Post-Implementation Results
One of SBCERA’s main goals for migrating from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central was to integrate their retirement system with their ERP to make the process more automated. Now with the integration, they’re able to retrieve the information from their retirement system directly from Business Central and go from running a monthly to a daily report and reduce their GL accounts from 1800 to 300, saving them many hours of manual work.
“Rather than creating a new GL account for each investment, I now simply add one dimension value for the new investment to the existing main GL account and it’ll automatically generate all the necessary combinations, saving me the effort of adding new accounts each time and only takes me a couple seconds to import this information on a daily basis.”
Jayson Eaton | Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting at SBCERA
Another benefit of using Business Central is the revamped process for managing journal entries, a recommendation from TMC. By storing backup documentation in SharePoint and using the link feature to connect to these files, SBCERA ensures that supporting documents for each journal entry are easily accessible. This replaces the previous method used with GP, where journal entries and backups were stored separately on a shared drive as PDFs. The new approach streamlines the review process, particularly when preparing to post journal entries, by keeping all related documents within the system.
“The implementation team has been extremely responsive and helpful with any inquiries. Initially, during the go-live phase and even afterward, transitioning to working with real and current data in the new system presented challenges. I often tried to find solutions independently, but when I couldn’t resolve an issue, I would email TMC. They consistently provided prompt and precise guidance or intervention within the same day. Their swift action, especially during the government cloud project incident, was commendable as they worked diligently to find a solution and get us operational again. Their commitment to support was truly appreciated.”
J.E | Accounting Manager of Financial Reporting at SBCERA
What’s Next for SBCERA’s Digital Transformation?
Now that SBCERA has a solid ERP system in place, they are poised to further their Digital Transformation. They plan to enhance their financial reporting by leveraging Jet Reports, a solution recommended by TMC. Additionally, they aim to fully automate the transfer of data from their retirement system to Business Central and automate the export from their other systems, ensuring it is correctly placed in SharePoint and that the process TMC built functions seamlessly.
Lastly, they are exploring the creation of financial reporting dashboards. Although the concept is still in its early stages, they are considering using Power BI for this initiative to provide decision-makers within the company with accessible and user-friendly financial insights.
About SBCERA
The San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association (SBCERA) is an independent, defined benefit pension plan providing retirement, disability, and death benefits on behalf of 17 employers throughout California, comprised of over 48,000 members and beneficiaries and invests more than 15 billion in assets. SBCERA operates a defined benefit plan, where contributions from active members and their employers are invested to provide a formula-based retirement income. The organization ensures that members receive their monthly checks upon retirement or in the event of disability.
SBCERA continues to be “The Foundation for a Secure Retirement” for SBCERA members and serves as a stable, reliable source of income—both for those already enjoying retirement and those who will retire in the years to come. To learn more, please visit SBCERA.org.
Small (1 – 50 employees)
Industry
Pension and retirement services
Country
United States
Products and Services
Microsoft Solutions Partner
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