The dynamo mechanism, responsible for the solar magnetic activity, is still an open problem in astrophysics. Different theories proposed to explain such phenomena have failed in reproducing the observational properties of the solar magnetism. Thus, ab-initio computational modeling of the convective dynamo in a spherical shell turns out as the best alternative to tackle this problem. In this work we review the efforts performed in global simulations over the past decades. Regarding the development and sustain of mean-flows, as well as mean magnetic field, we discuss the points of agreement and divergence between the different modeling strategies. Special attention is given to the implicit large-eddy simulations performed with the EULAG-MHD code.