When manufacturing executives consider implementing a modern ERP system, understanding the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central basics is often not the first thing that comes to mind.
Conversations typically focus on high-level outcomes, such as streamlined operations, real-time reporting, improved supply chain visibility, and stronger customer engagement. These strategic goals are essential and often drive the investment in new technology.
However, overlooking how BC works on a day-to-day level can make or break the success of your ERP journey. The fundamentals – search, personalization, and shortcuts – are what enable those big-picture results to take shape across the organization.
It may seem counterintuitive.
Why should a CEO, CFO, or COO worry about search functions, shortcut keys, or personalization features? Isn’t that the domain of end users or IT staff?
Understanding the basics of BC empowers leadership, directly impacting adoption, efficiency, and long-term ROI.
When executives grasp the fundamentals of BC, they set the tone for how the system is embraced across the organization, instilling a sense of control and confidence in their decision-making.
Why Executives Need to Understand the Basics
1. Leading by Example
Culture flows from the top. When senior leaders show they understand the ERP environment, even at a practical level, it demonstrates commitment and credibility. Employees notice when a CEO can navigate BC without fumbling for help.
They also notice when leadership relies on others for the smallest actions. That difference can set the tone for whether your teams see BC as empowering or burdensome.
2. Driving Adoption and ROI
ERP systems are a significant investment for manufacturing companies, but their full value is often not realized due to adoption issues.
When executives understand and emphasize the small efficiencies that make BC user-friendly, they drive adoption from the ground up, playing a crucial role in maximizing ROI.
3. Seeing the System as a Strategic Tool
The basics of BC are not just IT details. They are enablers of strategic visibility. For instance, knowing how to personalize dashboards in BC allows leaders to focus on KPIs that matter most, enabling faster, more informed decision-making at the top.
The Basics Every Manufacturing Executive Should Know
Let’s look at some of the essentials in Business Central that every leader should understand.
1. The Power of Search
Business Central’s search feature, often referred to as “Tell Me”, is one of its most underrated tools. Instead of navigating menus, users can type what they need.
Whether it’s a customer record, a financial report, or a production order, the system brings it up instantly.
For manufacturing leaders, this means you don’t need to memorize where everything lives in the ERP. If you want to see yesterday’s production variances or review overdue payables, just search.
It’s the quickest path to insight, and it encourages leaders to interact with BC directly rather than waiting for reports.
2. Shortcut Keys Save Time
Keyboard shortcuts may seem trivial, but they add up. BC includes dozens of shortcuts designed to accelerate navigation and data entry. For example:
- Alt+Q opens the “Tell Me” search bar.
- Alt+Shift+F12 expands or collapses the navigation bar.
- Ctrl+F3 opens filtering options.
Executives might not need every shortcut, but knowing a few can reduce friction when reviewing data. More importantly, it signals to staff that leadership values efficiency, which encourages adoption of best practices across the organization.
3. Personalization for Role-Relevant Views
One of BC’s greatest strengths is its ability to personalize dashboards and role centers. Manufacturing leaders can tailor their home screens to surface the KPIs that matter most.
For example:
- A COO might want production order status, machine utilization rates, and throughput metrics front and center.
- A CFO may prioritize cash flow forecasts, cost variances, and accounts receivable aging.
- A CEO might prefer a broader view: revenue trends, on-time delivery rates, and profitability by product line.
By understanding personalization, executives can design dashboards that align with strategic priorities, providing them with real-time leadership visibility and a deeper understanding of their business.
4. Filters and Views for Deeper Insights
Filters in BC allow users to zero in on the data that matters most. For instance, a leader might filter open sales orders by region to understand demand patterns or review overdue production orders by line.
Saving these filters as “views” provides instant access next time.
Leaders who understand filtering don’t just wait for static reports; they actively interrogate the system to make better decisions.
That’s especially valuable in manufacturing, where agility is often the difference between meeting customer demand and missing opportunities.
5. Excel Integration
Business Central integrates seamlessly with Excel. With a click, you can export data to Excel for deeper analysis or even push updates back into BC. For executives, this means there’s no need to choose between “ERP” and “spreadsheet.”
You can leverage both together, bridging the gap between operational data and strategic analysis.
6. Notifications and Alerts
You can configure BC to alert you when key thresholds are met or missed. For example, a CFO might receive a notification when cash falls below a certain level, while a COO could be alerted about delayed production orders.
Understanding how alerts work ensures leaders are proactively informed, rather than reactively surprised, giving them a sense of control and preparedness for potential issues.
The Strategic Payoff of Mastering the Basics
At first glance, basics like search, shortcuts, and personalization may feel tactical. But when executives understand and leverage them, the strategic payoff is significant.
- Faster Decisions – Leaders don’t wait for IT or reports; they find answers themselves.
- Increased Adoption – Employees follow leadership’s example, using BC more fully and consistently.
- Higher ROI – The organization realizes more value from its ERP investment by fully exploiting built-in features.
- Operational Agility – Leaders can pivot faster because they know how to surface the correct data at the right time.
In manufacturing, where margins are tight and competition is global, these advantages are not “nice-to-have.” They are the difference between staying ahead and falling behind.
Common Pitfalls When Leaders Ignore the Basics
I’ve seen many manufacturing companies implement BC with high hopes, only to stumble in execution. In almost every case, leadership’s lack of familiarity with the basics plays a role. Some common pitfalls include:
- Overreliance on Reports – Waiting for others to prepare reports instead of exploring BC directly.
- Bottlenecks in IT – Every small question is routed through IT because leaders aren’t comfortable navigating the system.
- Low User Adoption – Employees see leaders struggling or disengaged, and adoption suffers.
- Missed Opportunities – Leaders fail to see data patterns in real time because they don’t know how to filter, personalize, or search effectively.
Avoiding these pitfalls doesn’t require technical expertise; it requires executive curiosity and a willingness to engage with the basics.
Building a Culture of ERP Excellence
At Liberty Grove Software, we’ve spent decades helping manufacturing companies implement and optimize ERP systems.
One of our consistent observations is that successful implementations are not just about technology. They’re about culture.
When leadership understands the basics of Business Central, they:
- Model curiosity and engagement with the system.
- Empower teams to use BC fully, not just at a surface level.
- Create alignment between strategic goals and day-to-day usage.
It’s how ERP becomes more than just software; it becomes a strategic enabler of growth, agility, and profitability.
Personalization in Action
Each executive role addresses a different aspect of the business, and that means each person needs different information. By personalizing dashboards this way, executives move from reactive firefighting to proactive management – using Business Central as a real-time command center.
| Role | Key Dashboard Elements | Why It Matters |
| COO | Production Orders Machine Utilization Inventory Levels Throughput Metrics On-Time Delivery Rate | Ensures operations run smoothly, resources are optimized, and customer demand is met without delays. |
| CFO | Cash Flow Forecast Accounts Receivable Aging Cost Variances Profitability by Product Line Vendor Payables | Provides visibility into financial health, controls costs, and supports better forecasting. |
| CEO | Revenue Trends Gross Margin On-Time Delivery Rate Top Customers Strategic KPIs | Keeps leadership focused on growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, and long-term strategy. |
Final Thoughts on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Basics
As a CEO who has worked with manufacturing companies across North America, I can confidently say that understanding the basics of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is within your reach.
It’s one of the most innovative leadership moves you can make.
By mastering search, shortcut keys, personalization, filters, and other simple tools, you not only make your job easier; you set the tone for your entire organization. You demonstrate that BC isn’t just “IT’s system.” It’s your system. It’s the backbone of your company’s growth and competitiveness.
Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central basics isn’t just for end users; it’s a leadership skill that drives adoption, efficiency, and ROI across the entire organization. When executives embrace the fundamentals—such as search, personalization, shortcuts, and filtering—they demonstrate confidence, empower their teams, and unlock the full value of their ERP investment. By mastering the basics, leaders turn Business Central into more than just a system—it becomes a true enabler of agility, insight, and long-term growth.
At Liberty Grove Software, we help manufacturing leaders and their teams not just implement BC but thrive with it. That begins with the basics and builds toward long-term strategic success.
If you’re ready to explore how mastering the essentials of Business Central can unlock more value for your company, let’s talk.
3 Shortcuts Every CEO Should Know in Business Central
Even if you only remember a few, these shortcut keys can save time and show your team that you’re comfortable in the system:
- Alt + Q: Opens the “Tell Me” search bar.
- Find anything in the system without clicking through menus.
- Ctrl + Alt + F1: Opens Page Inspection.
- Quickly see details behind the numbers on your screen; excellent for drilling into manufacturing data or financials.
- Ctrl + F3: Opens the filter pane.
- Instantly narrow results, whether you’re reviewing sales orders, vendor invoices, or production variances.
You don’t need to memorize dozens of shortcuts. Just a handful can dramatically improve your comfort level in Business Central.
Ready to Master the Business Central Basics for Smarter Manufacturing?
At Liberty Grove Software, we know that success with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central starts with the essentials. When leaders understand search, shortcuts, personalization, and other basics, they don’t just use an ERP system; they drive adoption, efficiency, and real ROI across the organization.
Let us help you transform Business Central into a powerful tool that empowers your entire leadership team, streamlines operations, and strengthens decision-making.
Let’s talk. We’ll show you how mastering the basics in Business Central can unlock faster insights, boost performance, and prepare your manufacturing business for the future.
About Andrew Good
Andrew Good, CEO, Liberty Grove Software
Andrew Good, CEO of Liberty Grove Software, a leader in digital transformation, directs the company with strategic insights that deliver impactful results. With over two decades of expertise in Microsoft technologies, Andrew has guided businesses through digital transformations across various industries, including manufacturing, finance, and healthcare.
Andrew’s extensive knowledge comes from personal experiences with various companies. His hands-on operational knowledge stems from his experience in engineering and maintenance, as well as his operational roles at Unilever and Sony Music. Fourteen years of working with Microsoft Dynamics BC/NAV follows successful projects in ERP, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (EAM), and quality systems.
His passion for technology is matched by his love for sailing, which inspires his leadership. Andrew parallels the precision required for navigating the seas with the challenges of steering a successful company. Under his leadership, Liberty Grove Software thrives, providing tailored solutions that empower clients and optimize operations with innovative, Microsoft-based systems.
