Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales helps organizations manage customer relationships, opportunities and sales activity, but it is not an accounting system. Growing businesses still need accounting software that can connect sales and financial information while supporting multi-entity accounting, intercompany transactions and consolidated reporting.
Organizations using Dynamics 365 Sales generally have several accounting options. They can keep an entry-level system such as QuickBooks and use a connector, implement a broader ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, or choose multi-entity accounting software built on the Microsoft Power Platform.
The right choice depends on the organization’s financial complexity, integration requirements and growth plans. This article compares the available approaches and explains how Gravity Software works with Dynamics 365 Sales to connect CRM and accounting within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Connecting sales and financial information can give teams a more complete view of customer activity, billing and business performance. However, the value of the connection depends on how the systems exchange information and whether the accounting platform can support the organization’s broader financial requirements.
When evaluating accounting software to use with Dynamics 365 Sales, consider whether the platform can:
The accounting system should do more than exchange records with a CRM. It should help sales, finance and leadership work from consistent information while preserving the controls and reporting structure required for financial management.
Dynamics 365 Sales can be used alongside different accounting platforms. The right approach depends on the complexity of the organization, the amount of information that needs to move between systems and whether the business manages one company or multiple entities.
A business can continue using Dynamics 365 Sales for customer relationship management and QuickBooks for accounting without connecting the two systems. This approach requires the least initial change, but sales and finance teams may need to enter the same information in both systems or use exports and spreadsheets to reconcile customer and financial data.
This option may work for a smaller, single-entity organization with limited transaction volume. It becomes more difficult to maintain as the business adds entities, users and reporting requirements.
A third-party connector can transfer selected information between Dynamics 365 Sales and QuickBooks without requiring the organization to replace either system. Depending on the connector and configuration, this may reduce duplicate entry and support workflows involving customer, invoice or payment information.
A connector also introduces another application that must be configured, monitored and maintained. Organizations should evaluate:
This approach may be suitable for a single entity with straightforward integration requirements or as a temporary step before moving to a more connected financial platform. For organizations managing multiple QuickBooks companies, separate databases and connector configurations can make consolidated reporting and system administration increasingly difficult.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a broader business management platform that includes accounting, purchasing, inventory, project management and other operational capabilities. It can be a good fit for organizations that want these functions within a traditional ERP system.
Business Central also supports financial consolidation across multiple companies, including companies with different charts of accounts, fiscal years and currencies. Each company is maintained separately, and financial information is transferred into a designated consolidation company for group reporting. Consolidation eliminations are entered and posted through a manual process.
Organizations evaluating Business Central should consider whether they need its broader ERP capabilities and have the resources to configure and administer the system. Implementation requirements may include setting up individual companies, mapping financial structures, configuring integrations and establishing processes for consolidation and intercompany activity.
Business Central may be appropriate when operational ERP breadth is a primary requirement. Organizations focused mainly on multi-entity accounting, automated intercompany transactions and consolidated reporting may prefer a financial platform designed specifically around those needs.
Gravity Software is designed for growing organizations that need more financial capability than entry-level accounting systems provide but do not require the scope or complexity of a traditional ERP implementation.
Gravity brings multiple companies into one database, allowing finance teams to work across entities without maintaining separate accounting systems. Shared financial structures help organizations standardize the chart of accounts across entities while preserving the security, reporting and operational requirements of each company.
Built natively on the Microsoft Power Platform, Gravity supports:
This approach is especially relevant for organizations that already use Microsoft technology and want built-in accounting automation alongside connected CRM, reporting and Microsoft workflows. Instead of adding separate accounting databases as the business grows, organizations can manage new entities within the same financial system.
Gravity Software and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales are both built on the Microsoft Power Platform and use Microsoft Dataverse. This shared foundation allows organizations to connect CRM and accounting information without relying on two unrelated technology environments.
Dynamics 365 Sales can remain the primary system for managing leads, opportunities and sales activity, while Gravity manages accounting transactions, financial controls and multi-entity reporting. The systems can be configured to support connected processes involving customer records, sales information, invoicing and other approved workflows.
Because every organization’s processes and data requirements are different, the specific connection should be defined during implementation. This includes determining:
Microsoft Power Automate can support workflows and notifications across sales and finance. Microsoft Power BI can combine authorized information for reporting, while Gravity’s open API can support additional connections when required.
With the appropriate licensing and configuration, Microsoft 365 Copilot can also help authorized users ask questions about supported Gravity accounting data and work with financial information from familiar Microsoft applications. Copilot follows the user’s existing access and security permissions, helping organizations extend AI assistance across connected sales and finance processes without giving users access to information they are not authorized to view.
This gives organizations flexibility to connect Dynamics 365 Sales with accounting processes while maintaining appropriate financial controls. It also allows sellers to continue working in their CRM while finance teams manage transactions, entities and consolidated reporting in Gravity.
InsurHealth Affinity Group needed to replace QuickBooks while building a national healthcare network made up of multiple affiliated organizations. The company wanted a Microsoft-based accounting platform that could support its holding company structure, recurring membership billing and integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM.
InsurHealth implemented Gravity Software to manage accounting across four affiliated businesses within one platform. The organization also uses Subscription Billing and Revenue Recognition to automate recurring invoices and recognize annual membership revenue over time.
“The combination of Gravity Software’s multi-entity accounting platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM has given us an integrated Microsoft solution that is both cost-effective and scalable. Today, it supports InsurHealth Affinity Group and several of our affiliated businesses as we continue to grow.”
Dennis Steckler
Chief Business Architect & COO
InsurHealth Affinity Group
Read the InsurHealth Affinity Group customer story to see how the organization replaced QuickBooks and established a scalable financial platform for continued growth.
The best accounting platform depends on how the organization operates today and how its requirements may change as it grows. A single-entity company may be able to maintain separate systems or use a connector, while a multi-entity organization may need a more unified approach to accounting, intercompany activity and consolidated reporting.
| Option | Connection approach | Multi-entity management | Financial reporting | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks used separately | Sales and accounting information is maintained independently | Separate company files | Reporting is generally produced by company and combined outside the system | Smaller, single-entity organizations with limited integration requirements |
| QuickBooks with a connector | A third-party application exchanges selected information between systems | Separate company files and connector configurations may be required | Consolidated reporting may require additional tools or manual processes | Organizations with straightforward workflows that want to retain QuickBooks |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | Microsoft applications are connected through configuration and implementation | Multiple companies with a designated consolidation company | Supports consolidation across companies, currencies and financial structures | Organizations requiring broader ERP and operational capabilities |
| Gravity Software | Built on the Microsoft Power Platform and configured to work with Dynamics 365 Sales | Multiple entities managed within one database | Real-time reporting and consolidations across entities | Growing multi-entity organizations using the Microsoft ecosystem |
A business should evaluate more than the initial connection between its CRM and accounting software. The long-term decision should also consider financial controls, reporting requirements, implementation resources and the effort required to add and manage future entities.
As organizations expand, separate CRM and accounting systems can make it harder to maintain consistent customer information, apply financial controls and report across the business. The challenge increases when every entity has its own accounting database, chart of accounts or reporting process.
Gravity combines multi-entity accounting with the Microsoft technology many organizations already use. This helps finance teams manage complexity without requiring sales users to leave Dynamics 365 Sales.
Organizations can use Gravity to:
This structure gives finance teams greater control over accounting and reporting while supporting connected processes across sales, operations and leadership. It is particularly valuable for businesses that expect to add entities, locations or business lines and want their financial system to scale within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Choosing accounting software for Dynamics 365 Sales involves more than connecting two applications. The accounting platform must support the organization’s financial controls, reporting requirements and plans for growth.
QuickBooks with a connector may meet the needs of a smaller organization with straightforward processes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central may be appropriate for a business that requires broader ERP functionality. Gravity Software is designed for organizations that want multi-entity accounting, consolidated reporting and Microsoft-based automation without maintaining separate accounting databases for every company.
Schedule a Gravity Software demo to see how Gravity can work with Dynamics 365 Sales and support accounting across your entities.
Gravity Software
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Updated September 21, 2026