Why migrate from Great Plains now?
Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) entered extended support in January 2026. This means Microsoft will continue to release security patches, but there will be no new features, no functional enhancements, and no investment in the platform beyond keeping it running. The product is in managed decline.
For businesses still running GP, this creates a practical problem: your ERP is falling further behind the capabilities of modern cloud platforms every year. Reporting becomes harder to maintain. Integrations with cloud applications grow more complex. Finding consultants with GP expertise becomes more difficult and more expensive.
Microsoft's strategic SME ERP platform is Dynamics 365 Business Central. It is the direct successor to GP for most business profiles — a cloud-native ERP with strong financials, supply chain, project management, and service management capabilities, built on the same Microsoft ecosystem your team already uses.
The migration is not trivial, but it is well-understood. Weblink Plus has completed GP-to-Business Central migrations for businesses across professional services, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, and not-for-profit. The process is structured, the risks are manageable, and the outcome — a modern, supported ERP — is worth the investment.
Key benefits of moving to Business Central
Modern cloud architecture
Business Central is a true cloud SaaS platform. No on-premise servers, no manual patching, no version lock. Microsoft releases two major updates per year — included in your subscription.
Microsoft 365 integration
Native integration with Outlook, Teams, Excel, and Power BI. Post invoices from Outlook, analyse financials in Excel with live data, and build Power BI dashboards without a separate data extract.
Supported upgrade path
Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) is in extended support. New feature development has ceased. Business Central is Microsoft's strategic SME ERP platform with a long-term investment roadmap.
Australian compliance built in
GST, BAS, STP2 payroll reporting, and Australian bank formats are supported natively. The localisation is maintained by Microsoft and updated with each release.
Scalable licensing
Business Central uses per-user subscription licensing with Essentials and Premium tiers. You pay for what you use and scale up as your team grows — no perpetual licence fees or costly upgrade projects.
Power Platform ecosystem
Business Central connects natively to Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI. Automate approval workflows, build custom apps, and create executive dashboards without custom development.
What changes — and what stays the same
Business Central covers the same core functional areas as Great Plains: general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliation, purchasing, inventory, and fixed assets. If your team uses GP primarily for financials and basic supply chain, the functional transition is straightforward.
The main differences are architectural. Business Central is browser-based and runs on Microsoft Azure — there is no on-premise server to maintain, no SQL Server licence to renew, and no manual upgrade project every few years. The interface is modern and works on any device.
GP customisations built in Dexterity or using third-party tools will not migrate directly. During scoping, we assess each customisation and determine whether the same outcome is achievable through standard Business Central configuration, a Microsoft AppSource extension, or custom AL development. In most cases, the requirement is met without custom code.
Integrations — payroll, CRM, eCommerce, warehousing, document management — need to be re-established. Business Central has a strong integration ecosystem and native connectors for most common platforms. We scope integrations as part of the project and build them in parallel with the core configuration.
How Weblink Plus manages the migration
Discovery & gap analysis
We map your current Great Plains configuration — chart of accounts, modules in use, customisations, integrations, and data volumes — against Business Central capabilities. This produces a clear scope and a fixed-price proposal.
Data cleansing & migration design
Master data (customers, suppliers, items, GL accounts) and historical transactions are extracted, cleansed, and mapped to Business Central data structures. We define what migrates in full, what migrates as opening balances, and what is archived.
Configuration & development
Business Central is configured to your chart of accounts, dimensions, approval workflows, and reporting requirements. Any integrations — payroll, CRM, eCommerce, warehousing — are scoped and built in parallel.
User acceptance testing
Your finance and operations teams test against real business scenarios using migrated data. We run structured test scripts and resolve issues before go-live.
Go-live & hypercare
We manage cutover, validate opening balances, and provide on-site or remote hypercare support through your first month-end close. Most clients are fully self-sufficient within 30 days.
Risks to manage
Data quality
GP databases that have been running for many years often contain duplicate records, inconsistent coding, and inactive data. A data cleansing phase before migration is essential and should not be skipped to save time.
Change management
Business Central's interface and workflows are different from GP. User training and change management are as important as the technical migration. We build structured training into every project.
Scope creep
Migrations that start as a 'lift and shift' often expand when stakeholders see Business Central's capabilities. We manage scope formally and price change requests transparently so the project stays on budget.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Great Plains to Business Central migration take?
Most migrations take between 3 and 6 months from scoping to go-live, depending on the number of modules in use, the volume of historical data being migrated, and the complexity of integrations. A straightforward financials-only migration can be completed in 10–12 weeks.
Can we migrate our historical Great Plains data to Business Central?
Yes. We migrate master data (customers, suppliers, items, GL accounts) and typically bring across 2–3 years of transaction history as opening balances. Full transaction history can be migrated where required, though this increases project cost and timeline.
Do we need to re-enter all our data when moving to Business Central?
No. We use structured data migration tools to extract data from Great Plains and load it into Business Central. Your chart of accounts, customer and supplier records, item master, and opening balances are migrated — you do not re-enter them manually.
What happens to our Great Plains customisations?
We review each customisation during the discovery phase and assess whether the same outcome can be achieved through standard Business Central configuration, a Microsoft AppSource extension, or custom AL development. Many Great Plains customisations are no longer needed because Business Central covers the requirement natively.
Is Business Central suitable for our industry?
Business Central has strong coverage across professional services, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, not-for-profit, and financial services. We will tell you honestly during scoping if a different platform would serve you better.
What does Weblink Plus charge for a Great Plains migration?
We provide fixed-price proposals after a scoping engagement. Project cost depends on the number of users, modules, integrations, and data migration complexity. We offer a free initial assessment to scope your project before any commitment.
Ready to plan your Great Plains migration?
We offer a free initial assessment for businesses considering a move from Dynamics GP to Business Central. We will review your current environment, identify the key migration considerations, and give you an honest view of scope, timeline, and cost — before any commitment.