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Getting started

Getting started: your checklist

This page tells you what to have ready before you describe a need, what each stage is meant to look like, what you review, and what you pay and when. You can create an account and start a request at appogen.com. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a product of Microsoft. AppoGen is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Microsoft.

Before you submit: what to have ready

You do not need technical words. A few notes are enough.

  1. The need, in your own words

    Write what should happen, who it affects and what goes wrong today. Examples help.

  2. Roles and users

    Say which roles will use it and about how many users.

  3. Files, if you have them

    You can add screenshots or files. They are optional.

  4. Nothing secret

    Do not paste passwords or personal data into a request. Your text, files and designs are stored.

  5. A sandbox, if you can

    We recommend a dedicated sandbox with the CRONUS sample company, so you can test safely. We do not need your live data to design or test.

  6. A reader for the design

    Choose who will read the design with you, and who gives the final yes. You approve one version before anything is built.

  7. View it on a phone

    You can view your design on a phone: the design review page works at phone width.

The stages, as designed

Here is the path from a request to an installed extension. You can follow your progress and see the current stage in your account. How long it takes depends on the size of the extension and how many review rounds you need.

You can start stage 1 in your account today. Stages 2 to 10 describe how the service is designed to work. We have not yet delivered an app to a customer, so we do not show these stages as working results.

  1. 01

    Describe

    Available today

    You describe the need in a short wizard, or talk it through with the requirements assistant, which proposes a solution in plain steps first and asks only what it must.

    What you do: Write the need; add roles, users and optional files.

  2. 02

    Requirements

    As designed

    We ask about anything unclear, then write your needs down as a requirements document.

    What you do: Read it, correct it, approve it.

  3. 03

    Research

    As designed

    We research how standard Business Central already handles your need and name what is supported and what needs extending.

    What you do: Nothing. You see the result in the design.

  4. 04

    Design review

    As designed

    We show the new way of working as an illustrated storyboard with today's steps next to the new steps.

    What you do: Click any scene or field to comment, or pick a suggested change. Each round gives a new version. Approve one.

  5. 05

    Quote and start

    As designed

    On design approval you receive the functional document and a price based on the size of the design.

    What you do: Read the price breakdown. Accept the quote and pay the deposit to start the build.

  6. 06

    Build, test, review

    As designed

    We build to our written coding standards, test against the acceptance criteria in your approved design and fix what fails. A separate AI reviewer that did not write the work checks it against your design and the standards.

    What you do: Follow the stage in your account.

  7. 07

    Test in your sandbox

    As designed

    We install first in your sandbox, a safe copy of your system, where you test it.

    What you do: Try it with your own steps.

  8. 08

    Balance

    As designed

    The balance is paid before installation.

    What you do: Pay the balance.

  9. 09

    Production install

    As designed

    Production is installed only after you accept the sandbox install, with your consent.

    What you do: Give consent.

  10. 10

    Manual and after

    As designed

    Every extension comes with an HTML5 training manual. A change after approval is a change request, priced on the difference only.

    What you do: Read the manual; ask for changes when needed.

What you review

You are asked to look at things in plain language, not code.

  • Your requirements document

    Read it, correct it and approve it.

  • The storyboard

    Illustrated scenes, who does what and the benefit. The screen previews are our own illustrations and not Business Central screens.

  • Before and after

    Today's steps next to the new steps.

  • The functional document

    A plain description of the extension, step by step.

  • The price breakdown

    The price in plain words, before you accept.

  • The test in your sandbox

    As designed, you test it before production is installed.

What you pay and when

The build is paid separately from the monthly plan. You see the price in plain words before you accept it.

  • The build price

    It comes from the size of your approved design: new and changed screens, new kinds of records, reports, and things that make a job harder such as approvals, posting and links to other systems. Simple extensions usually cost USD 2,000 to 5,000, standard ones USD 5,000 to 12,000 and advanced ones USD 12,000 to 20,000. Above USD 20,000 we prepare a custom quote after reviewing the design.

  • Nothing before the quote

    You pay nothing for the build until you have seen the design and accepted a quote.

  • Two parts

    As designed, a build is paid in two equal parts: 50 % to start the build, and 50 % before installation.

  • An estimate to try

    The price calculator gives an estimate, not a quote.

  • The monthly plan

    A monthly subscription lets you design, document and change your apps, from USD 49 a month. Start with a 14-day trial, which lets you try one design first. If a subscription lapses, apps you already have keep running, and design and change requests pause until it resumes.

  • After install

    For 30 days after installation we fix anything that does not match your approved design. Our total responsibility never exceeds what you paid for that extension.

  • Source code, optional

    You can buy the source code for an app after it is delivered, under a separate licence. The app file download opens only for the customer who bought the source code for that app.

What is not shown yet

No payment has been taken on this site yet, and no app has been delivered to a customer. Stages 2 to 10 are the design of the service, not a record of results. Sending a request does not by itself mean it will be built.

Questions

Do I need to know Business Central terms?

No. You describe the need in plain words. See the glossary for any word you meet.

Can I change the design?

Yes. Each round of comments gives a new version, and nothing is built until you approve one.

What if it is not a fit?

Some requests are very large or need a closer look. For those we prepare a custom quote, or tell you honestly that another route is better.

What emails will I get?

Emails about your account and your request, such as confirming your address, invitations and project updates, with a once-a-day summary option.

Open the glossary

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a product of Microsoft. AppoGen is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Microsoft.