From Dynamics GP to Business Central: A partner’s guide to a smooth transition
Microsoft’s announcement that Dynamics GP will reach end of support on December 31, 2029 wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it was a wake-up call for partners still heavily invested in the legacy ERP system.
For Dynamics GP customers, this means no more security updates, regulatory compliance patches, or technical support from Microsoft after that date. For Microsoft partners, it’s a clear signal: the future belongs in the cloud, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is where the opportunity lies.
The numbers back this up. According to Microsoft’s FY23 earnings, cloud revenue (including Dynamics 365) grew by 22% year-over-year, while on-premise solutions like Dynamics GP stagnated. Meanwhile, cloud-based ERP systems are projected to overtake on-premises solutions in market share by 2027, with a growth from 42% in 2023 to 52%. This makes Dynamics 365 Business Central the natural successor for SMBs migrating from Dynamics GP.
The good news? If you’re a Dynamics GP partner, you already have a head start. You understand ERP workflows, financial management, and Microsoft’s ecosystem, and now it’s about pivoting that expertise to Business Central.
Here’s a five-step roadmap to transition your practice smoothly, without losing your Dynamics GP customer base along the way.
Step 1: Audit your Dynamics GP customers (before they look elsewhere)
The clock is ticking toward Dynamics GP’s end-of-support in 2029, but here’s the hard truth: your customers aren’t waiting until the deadline to explore alternatives. A proactive audit now prevents panic migrations later and keeps your clients from being poached by competitors.
Start with a three-layer assessment to help you get an understanding of the client’s current Dynamics GP setup and their ongoing requirements.
1. Technical inventory
Run a discovery report on each client’s Dynamics GP environment (Tools > Utilities > System > Create Deployment Report). Pay special attention to:
- What Dynamics GP version are they running? If it’s 2016 or earlier, that’s going to be extra work
- Do they have any customizations, such as Dexterity, VBA, or third-party add-ons?
- What integration points need to be considered?
2. Business process mapping
Schedule 30-minute workflow interviews with key client contacts to find out:
- Which Dynamics GP modules do they actually use daily? (Many customers only use 40% of their ERPs’ features.)
- What pain points, such as reporting delays or inventory inaccuracies, do they have with their current setup?
- How can Business Central help with their growth plans, for example, moving into new locations or supporting multi-currency?
3. Financial health check
Review each client’s:
- Annual Dynamics GP maintenance spend and compare it to Business Central's subscription model
- IT infrastructure costs, including any servers they could sunset by moving to the cloud
Once you have a clear view of your clients’ needs, challenges, and Dynamics GP landscapes, you can start sizing up your ongoing migration workflow.
Segment your Dynamics GP clients by size, industry, and pain points; a 20-user manufacturing firm will have different needs than a 5-user professional services business. You can also use Microsoft’s Assessment Tool (or partner with a migration specialist) to estimate effort levels per client. Some may need a full reimplementation, while others can lift-and-shift with minimal customization.
Start with the low-hanging fruit; that’s clients with simple Dynamics GP setups that are cloud-ready and could start migrating ASAP. Customers on older Dynamics GP versions (like 2016 or earlier) or those already complaining about scalability are also prime candidates for early migration.
Then, plan for moderate-effort migrations where there are some basic customizations to deal with and get them on the to-do list for next year. When you’ve got those nailed down, you can start looking at your complex cases—those with heavy modifications, multiple third-party add-ons, or ISV dependencies.
The migration conversation
When presenting findings, your clients will likely be more receptive to change if you flip the script from ‘Dynamics GP is dying’ to ‘here’s what you’ve been missing.’
Position the move as an opportunity rather than a chore. We already know that Business Central customers see significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to Dynamics GP, as well as an average of 12.5% productivity gains. But you can also get specific using your knowledge of both the client account and Business Central’s capabilities.
For example, “Your Dynamics GP system handles core accounting well, but we’re seeing 12 hours a month wasted on manual bank reconciliations. Business Central automates this while giving your team real-time cash flow visibility from their phones. When would be a good time to demo how this works?”
Remember, every Dynamics GP client you audit now is one you’re less likely to lose to a competitor next year. The partners who methodically work through this step will show their clients that they’re being proactive and helping them get ahead of issues, allowing them to own the Business Central opportunity in their market.
Step 2: Build a repeatable migration playbook
Not every Dynamics GP to Business Central migration needs to be a reinvention of the wheel. After all, one-off migrations are time sinks. That’s where a standardized playbook becomes your secret weapon.
Without a playbook, you’re likely to waste 30-50 hours per project recreating the same documentation. Scope creep can eat your margins as every “quick fix” becomes billable R&D, and you risk inconsistent results that damage your reputation.
Your playbook blueprint
1. Create a data migration framework
Start with Microsoft’s Dynamics GP to Business Central Data Migration Toolkit (free in Partner Center), then create a mapping plan that covers:
- Dynamics GP tables (e.g., GL00100) → Business Central equivalents
- Dynamics GP posting accounts → Business Central dimensions
- Dynamics GP multicurrency setups → Business Central exchange rate workflows
And build reusable PowerShell scripts for:
- Extracting Dynamics GP data to avoid manual backups
- Cleaning historical data, e.g., purging 10+ year-old transactions pre-migration
2. Develop a customization conversion matrix
Document your replacements for common Dynamics GP customizations:
- Dexterity forms → Business Central page extensions
- Dynamics GP macros → Business Central workflows
- Third-party add-ons → Business Central AppSource solutions
For clients using Rockton Pricing, consider migrating to Business Central’s Price Worksheet or Sales Price functionality.
3. Outline testing protocols
Implement a three-phase testing approach:
- Smoke test to validate all the data migrated
- Parallel run to process transactions in both systems for 30 days
- User acceptance of department-specific test scripts
4. Add in a change management toolkit
Providing some pre-built training materials like the ones below, tailored to Dynamics GP users, will help your clients get up to speed with Business Central quickly and with minimal hassle.
- "Where's My Dynamics GP Feature in Business Central?" cheat sheets
- Recorded walkthroughs of Business Central's UI
- A phased training plan that focuses on the finance team first, then operations
A good playbook isn’t just documentation; it’s your IP. As well as cutting down on duplicate work and wasted resources, a playbook means you can quote fixed-fee migrations, giving clients the predictability they love. It’ll also help you onboard junior consultants faster since they’ll have a bible to refer to and show potential prospects the proven quality and consistency you can offer.
Don’t forget to update and version your playbook quarterly; Business Central’s monthly updates mean today’s “best practice” might be obsolete in six months.
Step 3: Shift your revenue model before Dynamics GP dries up
The coming extinction of Dynamics GP support will prove a real technical challenge. But it’s a financial time bomb for partners who haven’t adapted their business models.
Getting ahead of the Dynamics GP die-off and pivoting your revenue streams now will set your practice up for success in the future. Right now, many Dynamics GP partners rely on three shrinking revenue streams: Version upgrade projects, Break-fix support, and perpetual license resales, which are already being phased out.
Waiting too long to restructure your revenue model will mean you face competing on cost with other late-moving partners, losing top consultants to firms with mature Business Central practices, and forfeiting the best Dynamics GP accounts to competitors who already have case studies.
Here are just a few examples of revenue streams your practice can look into.
1. Recurring managed services
- Standard care packages focusing on admin or optimization, including services like performance tuning, minor configuration changes, and guaranteed SLAs for support tickets
- Executive insights add-on offering monthly Power BI dashboards and strategy calls to help clients use their data wisely (and positions you as a strategic partner, not just a vendor)
2. Industry-specific IP
- Pre-configured Business Central templates, for example, a "Manufacturing Starter Pack" featuring a shop floor data collection workflow
- Compliance modules providing built-in audit trails for regulated industries
3. Adoption acceleration services
- ‘Dynamics GP Expat’ training labs and workshops that help users map Business Central features to familiar Dynamics GP workflows
- Super User certification courses that train client power users to handle daily issues, reducing your support burden in the process
4. Performance-based pricing
- Migration success fees commanding a 10-15% bonus for delivering projects under budget
- ROI sharing model that allows you to take a percentage of documented savings, for example, 25% of the $50k/year your client saves by automating processes
Step 4: Leverage Microsoft’s incentives
As Microsoft sunsets Dynamics GP, it’s actively helping partners to migrate clients to Business Central. Ignoring these incentives is like leaving free money on the table, especially when competitors are already tapping into these resources to undercut your pricing and win your clients.
Microsoft wants 100% of Dynamics GP customers moved to the cloud and is incentivizing partners to make it happen by offering a host of carrots, including:
Bridge to the Cloud 2
Available until the end of 2025, Bridge to the Cloud 2 provides customers of any legacy Dynamics product with a 40% discount on Dynamics 365 Business Central licenses with a 3-year commitment.
The deal comes with dual-use rights, which let customers continue to use Dynamics GP on-premise while the migration takes place, helping to smooth over the transition and reduce disruption.
Microsoft 365 Attach
For customers also using Microsoft 365, the Microsoft 365 Attach promotion offers a 10% discount on a one-year commitment to Business Central.
The company is also offering higher discounts for Microsoft partners, as part of the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program, to help drive migrations. By transacting through this CSP scheme, partners can earn up to 30% margins, as well as some compelling incentives that, according to Microsoft, put potential revenue on a new Business Central deal at up to 65%.
Step 5: CrossSKILL your team
Your team already knows ERP logic, GL workflows, and Microsoft’s ecosystem. The gap? Business Central’s cloud-native architecture and modern features, like AI-driven cash flow forecasting or Power BI integration.
To get your team familiar with Business Central quickly, you should focus on core technical skills like using Business Central’s SaaS admin center, harnessing AL language (which replaces Dynamics GP’s Dexterity), and Power Platform integration using tools like Automate, Apps, and Power BI. And don’t forget about sales skills like how to position Business Central’s ROI and explain licensing changes.
How #BCTalent’s CrossSKILL program can prep your team for the change
Yes, moving from Dynamics GP to Business Central is work—but it’s also a huge financial opportunity. Partners who act now will be best positioned to retain Dynamics GP clients instead of losing them to competitors, future-proof their practice with SaaS expertise, and tap into Business Central’s 20%+ YoY growth.
But to achieve that, you need to get your team up to speed. And for Dynamics GP partners, generic Business Central training just doesn’t cut it. That’s what makes CrossSKILL different; it’s the first program specifically designed to transition Dynamics GP experts to Business Central consultants.
Your team’s journey starts with a five-day immersion workshop led by trainers who’ve actually implemented both systems. They’ll show your people how to translate Dynamics GP workflows into Business Central’s modern framework using real-world techniques you can use immediately.
Your experts will then get a full year in our premium training environment, complete with Dynamics GP data templates for side-by-side comparisons with Business Central. And they’ll be welcomed into the #BCTalent community where they can get answers, share strategies, and stay ahead of the curve.
Microsoft Partner, WennSoft shares their experience of how the CrossSKILL program has benefited them in making the switch to Business Central.
“Transitioning from Dynamics GP to Business Central was a strategic choice for our organization. CrossSKILL provided our team with vital product insights and fostered a renewed sense of motivation and productivity.”
Want to get your team ready to make the most of Business Central?
Get the support you need to dominate the Business Central market with CrossSKILL.