The Checklist for a Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration

Best Practice for Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration

Dynamics GP is a popular on-premise ERP offering from Microsoft that has been a backbone application for many years.

This software helps businesses across virtually all industries manage their back-end daily operations. It reaches areas such as BI, financial management, warehouse management, and inventory management. The recent surge in cloud technology adoptions has major implications for ERP users. Cloud-based ERP systems have gained popularity and Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Business Central is a clear favorite.

Why is Dynamics 365 Business Central dominant? What makes it different from Dynamics GP? What does a migration from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central consist of?

Reasons to migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central

The following are key considerations for a move to Dynamics GP to Business Central:

1. Cloud-based solution – Dynamics 365 BC is a modern cloud-based ERP solution that keeps the business up to date with features and functionalities to meet user expectations. In addition, maintenance, upgrades, and integrations are easier with a cloud ERP system.
2. Personalized User Interface – Dynamics 365 Business Central has a web-enabled user interface that is intuitive and modern, which allows users to move around with ease. The drill-down options and details of users/individuals are compiled with reports and graphs. The best negotiation for any business is to have a customizable user experience with easy-to-use and role-based functionalities, which helps improve productivity.
3. Online data processing – While Dynamics GP is a batch processing system, Dynamics 365 Business Central is an entirely online data processing solution. It eradicates hung batches or interrupted posting for simultaneous transactions, and promotes automatic system integrations.
4. Office 365 integration – Dynamics 365 BC is an application within Office 365, and has the ability to integrate with a wide range of Office 365 products. A simple example would be to edit emails within Business Central and its Outlook integration. In addition, it makes recipient searches more effortless and efficient.
5. Flexibility – A migration to Dynamics 365 Business Central means easy user access to the application from any device (laptop, tablet, or mobile), and across several operating systems such as Windows, Apple, and Google Play.

Key Benefit From a GP to Business Central Migration?

• No more financial series posts: With business central being a fully online data processing solution, the transactions automatically integrate to General Ledger or GL, which eliminates the need for Series posts.
• Reporting capabilities: When data is available on the Cloud, businesses can leverage the analytics and reporting capabilities in Dynamics 365 Business Central. An integration with Power BI, which is embedded within Business Central and Azure, helps store big data; it is definitely worth the investment.
• Increase in efficiency: The integration of Business Central with Power Platform, Customer Engagement, and Office 365 improves overall business efficiency.
• Mobile businesses: With numerous devices and companies functioning “on the move,” it adds a new work dimension to how and where work can be done and facilitates auto upgrades.
• Maintenance:  Business Central reduces infrastructure management and maintenance costs. Microsoft manages the infrastructure, upgrades, monitoring, and management as part of the subscription maintenance. Dynamics 365 Business Central follows automatic upgrades with new features for every update. These benefits aren’t just theoretical—see how a preconstruction software company successfully migrated from Dynamics GP to Business Central and achieved complete financial process control, improved reporting capabilities, and enhanced operational efficiency across multiple entities.

Factors to Consider when Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central

Dynamics GP platform longevity:

Technical and operation considerations aside, it is also important to be aware of Microsoft’s level of ongoing support for the Dynamics GP platform. Here are the top facts about GP:

1. Is Dynamics GP still supported? Yes. Microsoft will continue its Dynamics GP support for the immediate future.
2. Microsoft has committed to three Dynamics GP updates every year until 2024. This will comprise ongoing development, Intelligent Edge enhancements, and the top features by popular demand of GP users.
3. Businesses can host Dynamics GP on-premise or in the Cloud with the help of a hosting provider.
4. The ability to host GP on the cloud does not mean that Dynamics GP is an authentic cloud product. It will remain an on-premise product with limited levels of integration and cloud capabilities.
5. Conclusion: Dynamics GP is a legacy product that cannot entirely support modern tools and technology.

Analyze your company:

Not every company is a candidate for migration GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central. However, most progressive companies, especially those in highly competitive markets, will be well served by taking advantage of the streamlined, agile capabilities of a cloud implementation. Greater integration, easy access, and better business synergies can increase productivity multifold.

The power of the Cloud:

Microsoft has announced that Dynamics GP will not become a true-cloud application. However, cloud applications are what accelerate business performance in today’s world. It is independent, automated, and can be accessed via a web browser. Several advantages make Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central the market’s favorite, and being a cloud offering is one that tops all the others. Cloud-based ERPs have the following advantages over on-premise ERPs: security, flexibility to work and access data from anywhere and anytime, IT cost reduction, scalability, and easy upgrades.

Steps Involves in Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration

1. Validate the business case for migration from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central
2. Gather business requirements
   1. Assess the Chart of Accounts and reporting requirements
   2. Determine customizations and unique business processes from the current ERP system
   3. 3rd party ISV applications and add-ons and past integrations
   4. Itemize specialized capabilities or modules
   5. Review hosting options (SaaS Cloud, On-Premise, or Private Cloud)
3. Create the roadmap (estimates and project plans)
4. Migration of data from the current ERP system
5. Configure Business Central and add-ons
6. End user training on BC
7. Ongoing maintenance and support with the help of a trusted partner

How Much Does it Cost to Migrate GP to Business Central

License migration helps a transition from GP to Business Central at no cost, this way, you leverage new licenses on Azure for $149 per user per month.

Business Central SaaS is similar to Office 365, it includes support, and the price starts from $90 per user per month.

Migration Cost