Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration: 5 Myths SMBs Need to Stop Believing

Some say moving to Dynamics 365 Business Central is an easy, obvious next step. Others make it sound risky, disruptive, or not worth the effort. The truth is more nuanced.

Microsoft stopped selling new Dynamics GP licenses on April 1, 2025, and support and updates will end on December 31, 2029. That means many small and mid-sized businesses are now taking a serious look at their options.

For companies considering a Dynamics GP to Business Central migration, the real challenge is separating fact from fiction. Business Central is a modern ERP with clear advantages, but it is not a one-size-fits-all replacement for GP. The better question is not whether Business Central is “better.” It is whether it is the right fit for your business goals, processes, and future plans.

Here are five common myths that can get in the way of a smart ERP decision.

Myth 1: Business Central does everything Dynamics GP does

It does not.

Microsoft Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central both support core ERP functions, but they are not identical. GP includes some capabilities that are not available in Business Central out of the box. At the same time, Business Central offers modern features and greater flexibility than GP.

That is why businesses should avoid treating a GP-to-Business Central migration as a simple one-for-one replacement. Some processes may transfer easily. Others may need to be reworked, supported with extensions, or handled differently.

What this means for your business

A better starting point is to look at your actual requirements:

• What are you using in GP today?

• What is working well?

• What needs to improve?

• Which functions are essential to preserve?

Takeaway: Do not assume Business Central should mirror GP exactly. Evaluate both platforms based on the outcomes your business needs.

Myth 2: A migration tool will handle the whole move

It will not.

Microsoft provides tools to support Dynamics GP migration, but those tools do not cover everything. In many environments, custom fields, customizations, and data tied to third-party ISV solutions still require manual review, mapping, and planning.

Business Central includes tools such as Configuration Packages that can simplify data import from Excel. That can make part of the migration easier, but it does not replace the need for cleanup, validation, and implementation expertise.

What this means for your business

A successful Dynamics GP to Business Central migration usually depends on more than tooling. It also requires:

• clear data mapping

• decisions about custom functionality

• testing and validation

• a plan for how users will work in the new system

Takeaway: Migration tools are helpful, but they are only one part of a successful migration strategy. Ask us about our proprietary migration tool.

Myth 3: You will lose your historical GP data

You do not have to.

For many businesses, historical data is a must-have. Some GP users have years or even decades of financial and operational records they still need to reference. The good news is that a migration from Dynamics GP to Business Central does not mean losing access to that history.

Historical data can still be accessed in several ways:

• migrating it to the new system
• keeping it in the existing GP database

• surfacing it through Power BI

• using a third-party solution

What this means for your business

The question is not whether historical data can be retained. The question is how your team should access it after go-live.

Takeaway: Historical data should be addressed in the migration plan, not treated as a reason to avoid moving forward.

Myth 4: Your ISV solutions will not work in Business Central

Some may not. Many can.

ISV products have long played an important role in Dynamics GP environments, especially when businesses needed capabilities beyond the base application. In some cases, those solutions are still necessary. In others, Business Central may already provide the functionality natively.

If additional functionality is still needed, Business Central offers a large ecosystem of apps through Microsoft AppSource and the built-in Extension Marketplace. That gives businesses multiple ways to extend the platform without being locked into the exact same approach they used in GP.

What this means for your business

When reviewing your ISV landscape, ask:

• Do we still need this add-on?

• Does Business Central already support this natively?

• Is there a better-fit Business Central extension available?

Takeaway: Do not assume you will lose important functionality. Use the move as a chance to simplify, modernize, or replace outdated tools where it makes sense.

Myth 5: Business Central cloud security is weaker than on-premises GP

For many SMBs, that is not the case.

Security is one of the biggest concerns businesses raise when considering a cloud ERP. Many teams are used to the control that comes with on-premises systems. But Business Central SaaS includes strong security features such as secure authentication, isolated databases, encrypted backups and network traffic, role-based permissions, and Entra ID access.

Microsoft also supports Business Central with enterprise-grade cloud security capabilities, including backup, redundancy, failover, and intrusion detection.

Business Central can also be deployed on-premises. But in that scenario, your organization remains responsible for maintaining infrastructure, software updates, and security.

What this means for your business

The real comparison is not cloud versus on-premises in theory. It is whether your current environment can realistically match the security, resiliency, and maintenance capabilities available in Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem.

Takeaway: For many SMBs, Business Central can strengthen security while also reducing IT burden.

Why SMBs are moving from Dynamics GP to Business Central

Once the myths are out of the way, the business case becomes much clearer.

Many organizations are evaluating Dynamics 365 Business Central because it offers practical benefits that support growth and efficiency, including:

• lower upfront costs through subscription pricing

• reduced infrastructure expenses

• greater scalability

• easier integration with Microsoft 365, Azure, Power BI, and Copilot

• a more modern user experience

• stronger access to real-time insights and reporting

These are not just technology benefits. They affect how your team works, how quickly your systems can adapt, and how prepared your business is for the future.

What a successful Dynamics GP to Business Central migration looks like

A successful ERP migration from GP to Business Central is not about rushing into a new platform. It is about making informed decisions in the right order.

That typically includes:

1. Assessing your current GP environment

2. Preparing and cleaning your data

3. Configuring Business Central for your processes

4. Migrating data

5. Testing and validating workflows

6. Training users

7. Planning and executing go-live

The businesses that get the most value from migration are the ones that approach it strategically, with clear priorities and realistic expectations.

Bottom line: Make your Dynamics GP migration decision based on facts

A Dynamics GP to Business Central migration should not be driven by hype or pressure. It should be driven by business value.

Business Central is not a carbon copy of GP, and it does not need to be. The goal is not to recreate the past exactly as it was. The goal is to choose the ERP platform that best supports where your business is going next.

The best ERP decisions are grounded in facts, not assumptions. ArcherPoint by Cherry Bekaert helps businesses evaluate Dynamics GP to Business Central migration with clarity and confidence.