What Data Migrates from Dynamics GP to Business Central, and What You’ll Archive

When a company decides to move from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central, the first question from the finance team is almost always the same: “What happens to all our data?”

It is a fair question. Many Dynamics GP systems hold fifteen or twenty years of transactions, thousands of customers and vendors, and a long list of add-ons. Nobody wants to lose that history, but equally, nobody wants to carry two decades of clutter into a brand-new system.

In this article, we will walk you through what actually moves into Business Central, what is kept as reference history, and what you should plan to archive. We will keep it practical, so you can take the points straight into your planning meetings.

First, a Quick Word on Why This Matters Now

Microsoft has stopped selling new Dynamics GP licenses, and product support for GP ends on 31 December 2029, with security updates finishing on 30 April 2031. If you would like the background, our article on what Great Plains Software is and where it stands today covers the full timeline.

For most organizations, this means a move to Dynamics 365 Business Central is a question of when, not if. And the data decision is one of the biggest parts of that plan.

How the Migration Works in Simple Terms

Microsoft provides a built-in Cloud Migration Tool inside Business Central online. It connects to your on-premises Dynamics GP SQL Server database, copies the data across, and then converts it into the Business Central structure.

The important thing to recognize is that Dynamics GP and Business Central are designed differently. Data is not simply copied table by table. It is mapped and translated. For example:

• Your Dynamics GP account segments are split. The main account segment becomes the Business Central account number, and the other segments become dimensions. You choose two of them as global dimensions.
• Dynamics GP customer, vendor and item classes can become posting groups in Business Central.
• Dynamics GP fiscal periods become accounting periods.

Because of this translation, the tool is selective by design. It brings across what Business Central needs to run your business from day one, and keeps older detail in a separate, read-only form.

What Migrates into Business Central

Here is a summarizing view of the data the standard Microsoft tool can bring across as live, working data:

You also control the scope. On the Dynamics GP Company Migration Configuration page, you can choose which modules to include, leave out inactive records, and set the oldest historical year that should be brought into the general ledger.

We always emphasize one point to clients: the general ledger history comes across as summary balances, not every individual journal line. Your trial balance by period will be there, but the detailed postings behind it are handled differently, as explained below.

What Comes Across as Reference History (Dynamics GP Historical Snapshot)

This is the part many people are not aware of. Microsoft added an option called the Dynamics GP Historical Snapshot. When you switch it on, selected historical transactions are copied into special extension tables in Business Central.

What does that mean for your staff in practice?

• They can open a customer, vendor or item in Business Central and see the old GP transaction detail from a “Dynamics GP Detail Snapshot” list.
• The data is read-only reference. It is not posted into the live Business Central ledger, so it does not affect your current balances.
• You decide how far back it goes using the Oldest Snapshot Year setting.
• It runs in the background after the main migration, so it does not hold up your go-live.

For many businesses, this gives the best of both worlds: a clean live ledger, with history still close at hand for queries from auditors, customers or vendors.

What You Will Archive

Now to the second half of the title. Some Dynamics GP data does not have a direct home in Business Central, either because the functionality works differently or because it is not worth the cost of converting. This is what we typically recommend archiving:

1. Detailed transaction history beyond your chosen years.
   Ten-year-old invoices and journal lines rarely need to sit inside a live system. Keeping them in an archive is cheaper and keeps Business Central fast.
2. Closed and fully paid documents.
   Paid invoices, closed purchase orders and completed sales orders do not come across as live transactions. Only open items do.
3. Payroll and HR data.
   Business Central does not include native payroll in the way Dynamics GP does. Most organizations move payroll to a dedicated payroll service, and keep GP payroll history in an archive for statutory and employee queries.
4. Modules without a standard migration path.
   Areas such as Dynamics GP Project Accounting, Manufacturing and Field Service are not covered by the standard tool. These are usually set up fresh in Business Central or in a suitable extension, with the Dynamics GP history archived.
5. Custom tables and third-party add-on data.
   Years of customization, such as Dexterity code, custom tables and add-on products, are not migrated automatically. Each needs a separate decision.

Your Archive Options

Archiving does not mean losing access. Common approaches include:

• Keeping a read-only copy of the Dynamics GP database, either on a server or hosted, so staff can still run SmartLists. Check your license position with your partner first, as access rules matter once you stop paying for GP.
• Copying the GP database to Azure Data Lake, which Microsoft supports as part of the migration path, and reporting on it with Power BI.
• Using a third-party archive and reporting tool that lets users view old GP data from inside Business Central screens.

The right choice depends on how often your team looks at old data, your audit and tax retention rules, and your budget.

Analyzing Your Customizations Before You Decide

Customization is where most of the effort, and most of the savings, sit in a Dynamics GP migration. Before anything is moved, we suggest analyzing each item with four simple questions:

1. Is it still used? Many customizations were built for processes that no longer exist.
2. Does Business Central do this as standard? A good number of old Dynamics GP modifications are now built-in features. You can review the Business Central features to check.
3. Is there an existing app? Microsoft AppSource has many ready-made solutions.
4. Does it need a new extension? If so, it can be rebuilt as a clean Business Central extension that survives future updates.

The answers tell you which data needs a home in Business Central and which data can simply be archived.

Practical Tips Before Your Final Migration Run

From our project experience, a few simple steps prevent most problems:

1. Clean your master data first. Mark inactive customers, vendors and items as inactive in GP, and remove duplicates.
2. Close what you can. Post outstanding batches, deposit cash receipts, and apply payments so open balances are accurate.
3. Reconcile before and after. Run trial balances and aged receivables and payables reports in GP, then compare them with Business Central. Microsoft also provides a migration validation step for this.
4. Run a test migration. Always migrate into a sandbox first and let key users check their own areas.
5. Turn off the migration when finished. Once you go live, end the cloud migration so new GP changes are not copied again.

How Nevas Technologies Can Help

Nevas Technologies has worked with Dynamics GP since version 7.0 and now helps GP customers move to Business Central across the USA and Asia Pacific. Our team understands both systems, so we can advise you honestly on what to migrate, what to archive and what to leave behind.

Our services include:

• End-to-end Dynamics GP to Business Central migration, from data assessment to go-live.
• Business Central implementation and process design.
• Guidance on Business Central pricing and licensing.
• Continued Dynamics GP support while you prepare.
• Business Central training so your team is confident from the first day.

Summarizing: Migrate the Present, Archive the Past

To put it simply:

• Migrate: Master records, open transactions, inventory on hand, bank accounts, posting setup and summary general ledger balances.
• Keep as reference: Selected detailed history through the GP Historical Snapshot.
• Archive: Older detail, closed documents, payroll, unsupported modules and most add-on data.

A well-planned migration gives your organization a clean, fast Business Central system while keeping every piece of history available when you need it.

If you would like a data assessment of your current GP system, contact Nevas Technologies or schedule a demo with our Business Central team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does all my GP history move to Business Central?
No. The general ledger comes across as summary balances for the years you choose. Detailed history can be brought in as read-only reference through the GP Historical Snapshot, and older data is usually archived.

Are paid invoices migrated?
Only open receivables and payables are migrated as live transactions. Paid invoices can be viewed through the snapshot or an archive.

What happens to GP payroll?
Business Central does not include native payroll in the same way. Payroll typically moves to a separate payroll provider, with GP payroll history archived.

Can I still look at old GP data after go-live?
Yes. Through the historical snapshot, a read-only GP database, Azure Data Lake or a third-party archive tool, depending on the approach you choose.