Material Management Application with Business Central Automation

Seras had an old integration in place which required a great deal of effort to maintain, and only partially covered their requirements. The goal was to replace the existing integration using Power Automate, making it more efficient and easier to maintain as well as adding additional functionality to satisfy their requirements.

Undertaking this project also unearthed a number of additional possible scenarios that had not yet been identified, so it was imperative that the project adapted whilst undertaking development to ensure the end product was fit for purpose.

Without a UX designer, Synapx effectively constructed the aesthetics of the application based on what would best benefit the business and user experience. We created an ER diagram to represent the intended data model (taking into consideration the existing model and integration), then built the tables in Microsoft Dataverse. Power Apps was used to create the front end of the application, and Power Automate to facilitate a connection between the existing Dynamics 365 Business Central system and the underlying tables.

In terms of flows, we started by separating our intended solutions into manageable blocks which translated into separate Power Automate flows; this enabled increased efficiency and maintainability. We then created a separate flow to contain business logic (orchestration) and divided the remaining solution using triggers, functions and processes.

Communication between those working on the Power App and those working on the integration was important to ensure the impact of changes made by each team were clearly understood, especially where flows depended on actions carried out in apps. Given the time constraints of the project, it was important to allocate resources efficiently by evaluating each scenario and establishing which tool would best benefit the process.

Synapx successfully replaced the existing integration with an enhanced front-end system and automation using the Power Platform. We had to implement the solution six weeks prior to the intended timescale due to the existing automation failing. Even given the time constraints of the project and frequent changing deadlines, we were able to cover additional scenarios and changes, as well as effectively problem-solve to deliver more than the initial scope (in some instances days before they were required).

We were able to identify potential issues and bottlenecks early on in order to prevent foreseen complications that were not accounted for within the initial scope. We worked collaboratively as a team, ensuring the work delivered on different aspects of the solution functioned in tandem. Effective communication with the client was integral to understanding the main pain-points and delivering more than the initial intended solution within the client’s budget.

The client was impressed with the work, and we are continuing to discuss possible enhancements and additional work to further optimise their systems and processes whilst providing ongoing support to the existing solution.