Are you moving from Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 or another ERP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management? Do you find yourself struggling with incorrect data entry without any real-time validations in place to flag data quality issues? Are you currently looking at data quality management solutions but finding it difficult to choose from the gamut of options available as they aren’t stand-alone data quality solutions?
Fret not! If your responses are in the affirmative to even one of the questions above, then you have come to the right place.
Our solution, Data Quality Studio for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations can be used to add rules that allow real-time validation of data to ascertain that users are entering the correct information. Also, when you move ERP systems, you can expect errors in your data, and having a data quality tool helps you fix those issues and maintain accuracy and consistency, which are important data quality dimensions.
Since we have built a stand-alone data quality solution that can be purchased separately or as part of the MDM Suite and understand that the cost can be a determining factor for most customer decisions, we decided to put together this blog that explains the total cost of ownership for Data Quality Studio for D365.
Although the cost would vary based on your business requirements, and level of technical knowledge within your teams, this blog will definitely give you a ballpark of the level of investment needed for licensing, training, implementation, and support (if needed).
Factors that will affect the cost of Data Quality Studio
The deployment method (cloud or on-premise)
While the majority of our customers are already on the cloud or about to migrate to the cloud, our licensing costs shared in this blog are for cloud customers. While we do offer on-premises, the cost of the solution will increase.
The kind of integration in terms of scale and number of companies
Our license includes a base price and a cost for the number of companies using the solution. So, the number of users or the number of rules you add, does not affect the cost of the solution. Only the number of companies does. However, we offer a tiered pricing model, so if you add more companies, the cost per company reduces.
Are there any other factors that impact the cost of the solution?
Our solution is a DIY configuration-based solution, so there are no coding costs involved. However, before you get started, you will need some training sessions are charged on hourly bases. Although the solution is low-code and is configuration based, you might want implementation support. If you think you will need services, that is another factor you will need to account for.
What is the cost of Data Quality Studio?
What is the cost of our licensing fees?
Data Quality Studio licensing includes a base price of €1500* per month and additionally cost for the number of companies. The price for 1-10 companies is €100* per company, per month. And the cost for 11-20 companies is €60* per company, per month. This price includes any upgrades and fixes, and Essential support with minimal tickets.
*Please note: Prices for the US region are a direct currency conversion.
What training costs can you expect?
For Data Quality Studio, we offer a standard training of two sessions of 4 hours each, and 1 hour of prep per session. For each standard training session, our Consultants need prep time of 1 hour, and 1 hour for project coordination. These are also chargeable at the same rate. We can also customize the training based on your business requirements.
Please reach out to our specialists for the latest hourly rates. The cost could vary also based on the available skills and region. For training scheduled post-work hours, or during the weekend there is a surcharge.
After the training, if our customers have any questions, we can assign a few hours for Q&A based on the requirement chargeable at an hourly rate.
Are there any implementation costs?
Implementation of a solution can go quickly if you have technically skilled members in your data management team but if you have just functional users managing the solution, you will need some time and assistance to implement the solution. Additionally, if you are prepared with the business rules prior to implementation then setting up will go faster. However, if you decide on business rules as you go that would take longer to set up.
In the implementation sessions, besides data gathering, and helping you set up business rules, we can also assist with setting up data patterns and web services to data portals (eg. Address portal).
Are there any costs for support?
We do provide Essential services for all our cloud-based customers. However, some customers prefer swift resolutions in case of critical requests and the availability of a dedicated Service Delivery Manager. In such cases, we offer batches of additional support tickets.
Is Data Quality Studio for D365 an investment worth considering for your organization?
Anytime you're considering investing in software it's critical to assess if the investment is worth it for your organization. One thing to consider is the costs of poor data quality greatly outweigh the costs of any solution. For example, according to this report by Gartner, organizations consider the cost of their poor data quality to amount to an average of $15 million per year in losses. And as enterprises invest in more and more applications and their application landscape becomes more complex, the situation will only worsen unless enterprises implement data governance tools such as Data Quality Studio.
While we might not be the best fit for every reader, as our solution is built just for Dynamics 365, we would be a great fit for an organization looking for a stand-alone data quality solution for D365. However, if you are on the lookout for a comprehensive Data Governance suite with application integration, data entry workflow, and master data management to execute your data governance strategy in D365, we recommend downloading our data governance factsheet to better understand our collective offering.
We hope this blog has helped you understand the level of investment needed for a stand-alone data quality solution. If you are interested to learn about the features and benefits of Data Quality Studio, do download our factsheet below.
Jerry Caous
