Technology trends, insights, success
stories and other helpful resources.

How to migrate from Dynamics GP to Dynamics Business Central?

July 6th, 2019 Intech Systems Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics

In our previous blog, we discussed which ERP solution is best for the organization Dynamics GP or Business Central. However, if you have made your choice and therefore are ready to migrate from your existing Dynamics GP solution to Dynamics Business Central, then you are at the right place.
In this blog, we will discuss the four main aspects of the migration.
Which? What? How? & Why?

Which GP version will be migrated?

Only the supported versions of Dynamics Gp, released in 2015,2016 and 2018 with the latest build deployed can be migrated.
The above-mentioned versions have the capability to migrate the data from the GP into the separate zip file which are compatible with migration tools.

What data can be migrated?

• GL accounts & balances
• 2 options – existing chart of accounts; new chart of accounts
• Customer & open receivable transactions
• Vendors & open payable transaction
• Items and quantity on hand

Things to note:

1. Migration is a onetime move.
2. After migration Business Central Saas becomes a primary solution and besides the existing GP solutions can only be used as a search for your historical data or for reporting purpose (only if connectors are used to a reporting tool)
3. Microsoft itself provides a Dynamics GP migration extension that makes a migration literally a piece of cake. The extension is available on appsource

As of now, only above-mentioned modules can be migrated from GP to Business Central, because of some of the modules work differently in BC or it never works at all such as payroll.

How to migrate to Business Central?

The most important and critical question of migration journey is – How one can perform the migration?
Basically, migration can be done by the three following ways

Option 1: Stay on-premises

• Easy access to upgrades, updates, and Microsoft Customer Source
• Get online training and certification
• Get informed about your Dynamics product and services
• Receive technical support from user groups, support forums, and newsgroups
• Buy user licenses, modules, and users hassle-free

Things to note:

1. Staying on-premise makes business software out-of-date
2. Can miss a critical update, fixes, features as well as end of support
3. Less productivity and increased cost by taking no action

Option 2: Upgrade to Dynamics GP 2018 with Cloud Sync

• Scheduled or recurring data sync option
• Upgrading to GP 2018 R2 will keep you current
• Master data will be available on, on-prem solution
• BC Saas provides cloud value while continuing the on-prem install
• Get cash flow forecast using cloud insights

Things to note:

1. The cloud-sync option needs to manage future software upgrades and infrastructure manually
2. To receive the most accurate insights, scheduled/recurring data sync is required
3. Limited data replication – for example, sales and inventory forecast, including late payment predictor are not available

Option 3: Migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central in the Cloud

• Get access to the Microsoft Cloud Services
• Easy integration with Office, Outlook and Power BI
• Make your own apps with the help of PowerApps
• Seamless data sharing with the Microsoft CRM platform, Dynamics 365 for Sales
• Save time and money on upgrades
• Back-up and recovery with Azure

Other migration tools

Like Integration Manager and Rapid Start within the Dynamics GP product, there is a Rapid Start Services toolkit within Business Central. If you need to migrate more data to BC, contact your service provider and you will get a configuration packages to export necessary data from your former financial system and import it to BC.

Why migrate from GP to BC?

It’s time your business should experience end-to-end visibility and improved performance throughMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a Microsoft’s next-generation business application intelligent on Cloud.

• Move your business to the cloud: with cloud service in BC, makes your business more secure with low-cost maintenance in infrastructure
• Integrate into one system: adapt and innovate in real-time with business applications, for instance, PowerBI, Power Apps, Flow, and Office 365 all in one place
• Smarter Decision by Business Intelligence: get a competitive advantage and faster decision-making capability using the in-built intelligence with PowerBI integration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
• Gain control over your process: Take your business wherever you go, Business Central works on any computer, tablet or phone with the same capability. Work from anywhere and anytime

Ready to upgrade your business?Contact us and learn how you can benefit from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.