When Should You Migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central

Posted on: April 8, 2019 | By: Jim Bertler | Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Many companies companies today are trying to determine when they should migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central. Others are asking if they even need to move to Business Central. In our last blog we reviewed the Dynamics GP vs. Dynamics 365 Business Central.  As a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner we want to continue to inform people about Dynamics GP and Business Central. So in this blog we will examine “When is it Time to Move to Dynamics 365 Business Central?”

The decision to move from one ERP solution to another is obviously an important one and not taken lightly.  However, there are times when you either can benefit from a new solution or you just don’t feel as though your current solution is a fit any longer. 

Mobility

One issue that can affect that decision in the Microsoft Dynamics world is mobility.  Dynamics 365 Business Central is a completely mobile enabled and browser enabled solution.  Meaning it will work on any device, anytime, anywhere.  This is in stark contrast to Dynamics GP which won’t really work on any mobile device and doesn’t really work in a browser either.  So if your sales team or maybe a field service team needs access to your ERP solution Dynamics GP may no longer be a fit.

Reporting

Another indication that it may be time to consider whether you should migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central is improved reporting.  Dynamics 365 Business Central uses a dimensional reporting structure.  In Dynamics 365 Business Central you define dimensions (think attribute or category) and you can tag those dimensions to any transaction in the system. You can also define default dimensions on things like customer, vendors, items, etc. so each time you transaction against that particular item the dimension is defaulted in.  This then allows you to do dimensional reporting and slice and dice your data in numerous ways.  Dynamics GP requires a 3rd party tool and some roundabout reporting efforts to tag transactions with a dimension or attribute. 

Upgrade Path

A third indication you may want to move from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central is if the upgrade paths of Dynamics GP have become too cumbersome.  Dynamics GP is older software that does require regular upgrades.  At times those upgrades can be cumbersome and not provide great functionality improvements.  Over the years we have found that some of our clients then begin to skip upgrades and releases. Or at times a company is involved in another large project and can’t take the time to upgrade.  With Dynamics 365 Business Central upgrades are simply pushed through by Microsoft with some minor testing via a sandbox environment.

There can be other signs of a need to move from Dynamics GP to Business Central and we at Logan Consulting, your Chicago based Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner, would be happy to have a conversation with you and your company about the “right” decision between Dynamics GP and Business Central.