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How Microsoft's cloud migration reads GP
The migration runs from Business Central online. It connects to your GP SQL Server database through a self-hosted integration runtime, installed on a machine that can reach the server, and copies the GP companies you select into Business Central companies.
Before a run you set options, for example how to split account segments and whether to include inactive records and history. You can run the tool more than once against a sandbox, which suits rehearsals well. Run, check, correct the GP data, run again.
It works on the data it finds. Unposted batches, incomplete setup and inconsistent classes in GP come through as they are. So GP clean-up is the first real task in a Dynamics GP to Business Central migration.
What the tool moves and what it leaves
Classes and posting accounts become posting groups
Customer and vendor classes
GP classes set default accounts and terms. In Business Central, account defaults live in customer and vendor posting groups and terms in templates. Classes that differ only in terms often collapse into one posting group.
Item classes
Item class accounts map to inventory posting groups and general product posting groups. The pairing of business and product posting groups then decides sales and cost accounts through the general posting setup.
Posting accounts setup
GP's company-level posting accounts, the fallback when nothing else is set, have no single equivalent. Their accounts now sit on the setup pages for each area, so every one needs a named home.
Account segments
We usually split a GP account like 000-6100-20 so the natural account becomes the G/L account. The other segments become dimensions. Choose the natural account segment carefully: it sets the shape of every report.
Dexterity customizations and ISV products
GP systems often carry Dexterity customizations, VBA on windows, SQL triggers, and products from independent software vendors for distribution, document management, commissions and more. None of these travel with the migration tool.
For each one we look for the Business Central answer in this order: standard features, an AppSource app, then a new AL extension. Some GP software vendors publish Business Central versions of their products, which makes the choice easy. Where data sits in ISV tables, it needs its own extract and mapping within the Dynamics GP to Business Central migration.
Management Reporter and FRx layouts also stay behind. Business Central's financial reporting feature, Excel layouts and Power BI cover most reporting packs, with row and column definitions rebuilt against the new account and dimension structure.
Before running the tool
- ✓Post or delete every unposted batch in GP.
- ✓Complete year-end close for finished years so balances carry forward correctly.
- ✓Check account segments are used consistently, and inactivate accounts that should not come across.
- ✓Reconcile receivables, payables and inventory to the general ledger.
- ✓Confirm your GP version is supported by the current migration tool, and upgrade GP first if it is not.
- ✓Decide which GP companies migrate and which stay behind as archives.
Dynamics GP migration questions
Should we move to Business Central or to Dynamics 365 Finance?
Most GP customers fit Business Central well, since it covers GP's financials, distribution and project features for companies of GP's typical size. Dynamics 365 Finance suits larger organizations with many legal entities across countries and heavier compliance needs. If you are unsure, the answer usually comes from your entity count, your countries and your transaction volume, and we will walk through all three with you.
Can we keep our GP history?
Yes, in two ways. The migration tool can bring a detailed historical snapshot into Business Central, where it is available for lookup rather than as posted ledger entries. You can also keep the GP database available read-only. Some companies do both for a time, then retire GP once auditors no longer need it.
Does the tool handle several GP companies?
Yes. You select which companies to migrate, and each becomes a Business Central company in the same environment. You then set up intercompany and consolidation in Business Central, where they work across every company that came over from GP.
Is GP payroll covered?
No. US payroll is not part of Business Central, and the migration tool does not move GP payroll. Companies either keep a payroll service and post a summary journal, or add a payroll app from AppSource. Payroll history stays in GP for year-end forms and audits.
When should we start?
Microsoft has announced an end-of-life timeline for Dynamics GP, so the question is when, not whether. Cleaning up GP data costs little and makes any later move easier. We scope any Dynamics GP to Business Central migration in writing first, and the scoping call sets the plan.
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