Hours have to be recorded somewhere – and if they live in spreadsheets or on paper, they rarely end up in the right place on time. The missing overview costs you in payroll, project follow-up and invoicing. That is why it makes good sense to bring time tracking into Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV), where your data already lives. The question is: are the built-in time sheets enough, or do you need a dedicated time tracking app for Business Central?
Why time tracking belongs in Business Central
When hours are recorded directly in your Business Central, they connect to the rest of the business. Payroll can build on the actual hours, projects can be followed up against budget, and invoicing can be based on what employees actually spent their time on. You avoid double entry and moving numbers between systems that don't talk to each other. In short: one source of truth for your hours.
Option 1: The built-in time sheets in Business Central
Business Central has time sheets built in. They are tied to resources and jobs, and employees fill in their hours inside Business Central. The hours can be approved and used in project follow-up and invoicing.
That is a fine solution when employees already work in Business Central every day, and when the need is primarily about recording time on jobs and projects. If you have a small team of project employees, each with their own Business Central licence, you can get far with what is already in the system – no extra apps.
The limits show when time tracking needs to be used more broadly: for all employees, for payroll, for holidays and absence, or when people need to record time without logging into Business Central.
Option 2: A dedicated app like VisionTime
If more employees need to record time – including those without Business Central access – it points towards a dedicated solution. VisionTime is built for exactly that: time registration for every employee via web and mobile, tightly integrated with Business Central.
Web and mobile time tracking for the whole organisation, so people can record from the office, from home or on the go.
Holidays and absence are handled in the same place as the hours.
Collective agreement rules are supported, so the calculation follows your agreements through setup.
Export to payroll systems such as Danløn, Zenegy, Lessor and Intega.
If the hours need to flow on to Zenegy, there is also a dedicated Zenegy integration for Business Central.
Checklist: the questions you should ask yourselves
Before you choose, consider these questions. They quickly determine whether the built-in time sheets are enough, or whether you should look at an app.
Will the hours be used for payroll? If so, you will need export to your payroll system and control of supplements and rules – that points towards a dedicated app.
Do employees without Business Central access record time? If employees without a licence need to record hours, the built-in time sheets are rarely enough.
Do people need to record from their phone? If you have people on the road or out with customers, mobile time tracking is a must.
Should holidays and absence be included? If you want absence and hours in one place, that speaks for a single solution.
Is it primarily about project and job hours? Then Business Central's own time sheets may be the way to go.
How to get started
Start by mapping who needs to record time, and what the hours will be used for. If the answer is a small team focused on jobs and projects, try the built-in time sheets first. If the answer is broad – payroll, mobile, absence and employees without Business Central access – take a closer look at VisionTime.
We are happy to help you find the right match for your day-to-day. Book a chat via contact us – and you will quickly get from paper and spreadsheets to hours that land in the right place, every time.
