How to migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central
To migrate a client from Dynamics GP to Business Central with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's GP database, and give superglue access to the client's Business Central account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
Microsoft ends support for Dynamics GP on December 31, 2029, so most GP clients plan their move now.
What are the steps to migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
Migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Dynamics GP and Business Central
Connect the GP company database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing, and the client keeps working in GP until cutover. The client then gives superglue access to Business Central.
- 02
Assess the Dynamics GP data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Dynamics GP specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads a Business Central sandbox environment and compares it with Dynamics GP: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Dynamics GP?
- The client's IT creates a read-only SQL Server login for the GP databases, and the superglue gateway reaches the server on the client's network. GP user logins do not work for this.
- Ask whether history was ever removed with GP's Remove History utilities. Removed history is gone from the database.
- The client keeps working in GP until cutover.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in Business Central?
The client signs in to Business Central with superglue's Microsoft app. superglue configures Business Central and loads the data through that access, in a Business Central sandbox environment first, in this order:
- 01
The chart of accounts, then the posting groups and the setup that links them to the accounts.
- 02
Dimensions, with the two global dimensions.
- 03
Number series, VAT or sales tax, payment terms and the allowed posting dates.
- 04
Customers, vendors and items with their posting groups.
- 05
The opening balances and the open items, posted through journals.
What moves from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
| In Dynamics GP | In Business Central |
|---|---|
| Main account segment | G/L accounts |
| Other account segments | Dimensions |
| Customers and customer classes | Customers |
| Projects | Projects |
| Vendors and vendor classes | Vendors |
| Items and item classes | Items |
| Checkbooks | Bank accounts |
Open items
Open receivables and payables documents, unapplied cash and credits, open sales and purchase orders, and inventory per site with its cost layers.
Open items load as open customer and vendor ledger entries with their original document numbers and due dates, so the aging in Business Central matches on day one.
History
GP keeps unposted transactions in work tables and posted ones in history tables, and receivables, payables and the general ledger also keep open tables. superglue reads all of them, so nothing that moved to history is missed.
History loads as general journal lines per month, account and dimension.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
- 01
Should the client use Microsoft's GP migration tool?
Business Central includes a cloud migration from GP that moves the account structure, master data and open items, and can copy GP history into separate snapshot tables. It keeps the GP structure largely as it is.
superglue recommends a mapped migration when the client changes the chart of accounts or the dimensions, and the Microsoft tool when the structure stays.
- 02
Which GP segments become dimensions?
Each GP segment other than the main account can become a dimension in Business Central.
superglue recommends dimensions only for the segments the client reports on.
- 03
Which posting groups does the client need?
General business, general product, customer, vendor and inventory posting groups decide which G/L accounts sales, purchase and inventory documents post to.
superglue derives the posting groups from the accounts that each customer, vendor and item used in Dynamics GP, so postings stay the same.
- 04
Which two dimensions become global dimensions?
Business Central shows two global dimensions on every entry and offers six more shortcut dimensions on documents.
superglue recommends the two dimensions the client filters on most, measured from how often each one is used in Dynamics GP.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in Business Central, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
Old reports often show only part of a module
GP keeps unposted, open and fully applied transactions apart, and many client reports read only some of them, so a subledger total rarely matches the general ledger at first. Agree one starting number with the controller. superglue reads all of them and reconciles each module to that number.
Unposted batches hide real invoices and payments
Batches that were entered but never posted are missing from the trial balance, yet they often hold real invoices and payments. Ask the client to post or delete them before each extract. superglue lists them, so nothing goes missing at cutover.
Customer, vendor and item classes set defaults that records override
Customer, vendor and item classes hold default posting accounts, and many records override them. superglue finds the overrides and proposes the defaults for the new system.
Multi-company clients need an intercompany plan
Clients with several companies keep one database for each, with intercompany balances between them. Agree early which companies merge, which become entities, and how the intercompany balances settle. superglue reads every company and matches the intercompany balances.
Plan the time for the financial setup
The chart of accounts, dimensions and posting groups are the slow part of a Business Central setup. The standard API cannot create them, so consultants usually build configuration packages by hand. superglue builds this setup from the signed mapping and reads every value back before the first trial load.
Check posting groups on every new customer and vendor
Customers and vendors created by an integration start without posting groups unless a template sets them, and their first invoice fails to post. superglue fills the posting groups as each record is created, so the trial load posts cleanly.
superglue also runs the rest of the Business Central project. See the Business Central implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in Business Central.
Does superglue write to Business Central without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics GP. Before any write to Business Central, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Dynamics GP: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Dynamics GP to Business Central migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.