GP to Business Central Migration — When You’re Ready, Not When You’re Pressured
Migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central with the same team that already knows your system. 33 years of GP experience. Your timeline. Your decision.
Argus also tells clients when NOT to migrate. Because the firm earns revenue on GP support and BC migration equally, the recommendation is driven by your situation, not by a financial incentive to sell you a migration.
- Dynamics GP Since 1993
- Same Team, GP Support and BC Migration
- We Tell You When Not to Migrate
- Parallel Run Handled In-House
- GP Support Committed Through 2036
Argus Consulting Group migrates companies from Dynamics GP to Business Central using the same team that already supports their GP system. Typical migrations run 3 to 9 months. Argus will also tell you when not to migrate.
Argus Consulting Group modernizes accounting and financial systems, from Dynamics GP and Business Central to QuickBooks and beyond. We handle Dynamics GP to Business Central migrations for companies that want their migration partner to be the same team that already knows their GP system.
With 33 years of GP experience, Argus assesses whether migration is the right move, plans the data migration and configuration mapping, runs GP and BC in parallel during the transition, and stays on as the BC support partner after cutover. This page sits inside our wider Dynamics GP practice, where support, optimization and cloud hosting live alongside migration.
The Problem With How Most GP Migrations Happen
Here’s what usually happens when a company running Dynamics GP starts thinking about Business Central.
The partner who pushes migration before you’re ready
You called about a reporting issue. What you got back was a pitch to replace your entire system. The large Microsoft partners have shifted their business to Business Central. Migration is their revenue model.
When you ask for GP help, what you get is a migration proposal. The timeline is theirs, not yours. The urgency is manufactured.
The partner who says “stay on GP forever”
You found a boutique GP partner who genuinely loves the platform. But when you ask what happens after 2029, when Microsoft stops mainstream support, they shrug. They don’t do Business Central. Their plan for you is no plan. That works until your board starts asking questions.
The migration firm that doesn’t know your GP system
You hire a Business Central implementation partner for the migration. They know BC. They don’t know GP.
They don’t know your customizations, your integrations, your reporting logic, or the 15 years of configuration decisions that make your system run the way it does. So the migration takes longer, costs more, and breaks things that used to work.
Argus is the partner that eliminates all three of these problems. We’ve been supporting your GP system since 1993. We already know the platform, deeply. We know how to optimize it, and we know how to migrate it. Same team, both directions, on your timeline.
Why Your GP Partner Should Be Your Migration Partner
Most companies approach GP-to-BC migration as a separate project. Hire a BC firm, hand them the specs, and hope for the best. That approach creates three problems.
The new partner doesn’t know your GP system
Your GP system has 15 years of configuration decisions, custom reports, integrations, and workarounds baked into it. A BC implementation partner starts from scratch. They don’t know why your GL is structured the way it is, why your AP workflow has that extra step, or what breaks when you change the chart of accounts.
Argus already knows all of this. We built it. We maintain it. We know where the bodies are buried.
You lose your GP knowledge during the transition
Migration isn’t a light switch. You run GP and BC in parallel during the transition. You need a partner who can support GP during the cutover and implement BC at the same time. If your GP partner and your BC partner are different companies, you’re coordinating between two teams who don’t talk to each other, while your finance team is trying to close the month in both systems.
Nobody tells you when NOT to migrate
A firm whose only revenue is BC implementation will never tell you to stay on GP. But sometimes staying on GP is the right answer, at least for now. If your team is only using 30% of GP, the problem might be configuration, not platform.
Argus will tell you that, because we make money on GP support too. We have no financial incentive to push you toward migration before you’re ready.
How Argus Handles a Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration
Six steps, in order. The first one is the one most partners skip, because it’s the one that can end with us telling you not to migrate yet.
Assessment — is migration even the right move?
Before we talk about timelines and budgets, we look at your current GP system. What are you using? What are you not using? Could configuration changes solve the problems you think require a new platform? If GP optimization is the better answer, we’ll tell you. If migration is the right call, we’ll tell you that too. Either way, you get an honest recommendation.
Planning — map what moves and what changes
We document your current GP environment: chart of accounts, custom reports, integrations, workflows, user configurations, and any third-party add-ons. Then we map what translates directly to Business Central, what needs to be rebuilt, and what can be improved in the move. You know exactly what the migration covers before it starts.
Data migration — your history comes with you
Your financial history, your vendor records, your customer data, your transaction history. It migrates with you. We handle the data mapping, the cleanup, and the validation so you don’t start Business Central with a blank slate.
Configuration and customization — BC built for your business
Business Central out of the box doesn’t match how your business runs. We configure BC the same way we configured your GP system, around your processes, your reporting requirements, and your team’s workflows. Custom extensions where BC needs them.
Parallel run — both systems, one team
During the transition, you run GP and BC side by side. Your team learns BC while GP keeps the lights on. Because Argus supports both systems, there’s no coordination gap between your GP partner and your BC partner. Same team, both sides.
Cutover and support — GP goes off, BC goes live
When you’re ready, not when a timeline says so, you make the switch. Argus stays on as your BC support partner. Same team, same relationship, new platform. The expertise doesn’t disappear when GP does.
How Long Does a GP to BC Migration Take? What Does It Cost?
Typical timeline
3 to 9 months
A typical GP-to-Business Central migration takes 3 to 9 months depending on the complexity of your environment: number of users, custom reports, integrations, and the extent of your historical data migration. Simple environments with standard configurations can move faster. Complex environments with heavy customization and multiple integrations take longer.
Typical project cost
$75K to $250K
Migration projects typically range from $75K to $250K depending on scope. That includes assessment, data migration, BC configuration, custom extensions, training, and parallel-run support. The Free Assessment gives you a preliminary scope and budget range before you commit to anything.
What drives the cost up
- Heavy customization in your current GP system that needs to be rebuilt in BC
- Complex integrations (Bill.com, payroll, HR, warehouse) that need to be reconnected
- Large data sets and long transaction histories
- Multiple entities or intercompany transactions
- Custom SSRS reports that need to be rebuilt as BC reports
What keeps the cost down
- Using a partner who already knows your GP system, so there’s no discovery phase from scratch
- Optimizing GP first. Fixing configuration issues before migration means fewer problems carry over
- Standard GP configurations with minimal customization
- Argus’s 33 years of GP experience means faster assessment, fewer surprises, and shorter timelines
What You’re Actually Buying
Supporting Microsoft Dynamics GP continuously since 1993
Combined Dynamics GP expertise across the Argus team
Typical GP to Business Central migration timeline
Argus GP support commitment, seven years past Microsoft’s end of life
Dynamics GP End of Life 2029 — What It Actually Means
According to Microsoft’s published product lifecycle policy, mainstream support for Dynamics GP ends in December 2029, with extended security updates available through April 2031. After that, GP continues to run. It doesn’t shut off or stop working. But you won’t get new features, updates, or Microsoft-backed support.
What does that mean for your business? It depends.
If your GP system works well and isn’t heavily integrated
You have time. GP will keep running after 2029. Third-party support, including Argus, will continue. You can optimize GP now, get more value from it over the next 3+ years, and plan a migration when the business case is right, not because a deadline forced your hand.
If your GP system has heavy customization and complex integrations
Start planning now. Not because 2029 is tomorrow, but because complex migrations take time. You want to migrate on your schedule, not under pressure. A migration that begins planning 18 months before your target cutover date goes smoother than one crammed into 6 months because the board panicked.
If you’re not sure
That’s what the Free Assessment is for. We look at your GP system, evaluate the complexity, and give you an honest timeline: when to start planning, what the migration would involve, and whether optimization makes more sense right now.
GP Support Through 2036
The 2029 deadline is not a crisis. It’s a planning window. Argus commits to supporting Dynamics GP through 2036, seven years beyond Microsoft’s end-of-life date. You have time to plan. Time to optimize. Time to migrate on your terms, not under pressure.
Comparing GP to BC Migration Partners
| Argus Consulting Group | Large Migration-First Partners | GP-Only Partners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knows your GP system before migration starts | Yes, we’ve been supporting it | No, starts from discovery | Yes, but can’t do the migration |
| Will tell you NOT to migrate if it’s not the right time | Yes, we make money either way | No, migration is their revenue model | Yes, but can’t help when you are ready |
| Supports GP during parallel run | Yes, same team, both systems | No, you need a separate GP partner | Yes for GP, but they’re not building BC |
| Stays as your BC support partner post-migration | Yes, same team, new platform | Sometimes, depends on their model | No, they don’t do BC |
| GP expertise depth | 33 years, 80 combined across team | GP is a side offering, focus is BC/D365 | Deep, but limited to GP only |
| Optimizes GP before migration | Yes, fix the problems, not carry them over | Rarely, they want to start the project | Yes, but the plan dead-ends at GP |
Scroll the table sideways to compare all three partner types.
Argus is the only partner in this comparison that can support GP, optimize GP, and migrate to Business Central. Every other option requires you to work with multiple firms or accept a gap in one direction.
GP to Business Central Migration — Common Questions
Do I have to migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central?
No. GP continues to work after Microsoft ends mainstream support in 2029. Security patches run through April 2031. After that, GP still runs — it just won’t get updates from Microsoft. Argus has committed to supporting GP clients through 2036. Migration is an option, not a requirement.
How long does a GP to BC migration take?
Typically 3 to 9 months depending on the complexity of your GP environment. Simple configurations move faster. Environments with heavy customization, multiple integrations, and large data sets take longer. The Free Assessment gives you a preliminary timeline.
How much does a GP to Business Central migration cost?
Migration projects typically range from $75K to $250K. The scope depends on your current GP configuration, the number of integrations, data volume, and how much customization needs to be rebuilt in BC.
Will my data migrate from GP to Business Central?
Yes. Your chart of accounts, vendor records, customer data, and transaction history migrate with you. Argus handles the data mapping, cleanup, and validation to make sure nothing gets lost or corrupted in the move.
What happens to my GP customizations?
Some GP customizations translate directly to Business Central. Some need to be rebuilt as BC extensions. Some can be eliminated because BC handles the function natively. We map every customization during the planning phase so you know exactly what carries over, what gets rebuilt, and what goes away.
Can I keep using GP during the migration?
Yes. Argus runs GP and BC in parallel during the transition. Your team continues working in GP while BC is being configured and tested. When BC is ready, you make the cutover. Because Argus supports both systems, there’s no gap during the parallel run.
Should I optimize GP first or migrate right away?
It depends — if your team is only using 30% of GP, fixing the configuration might solve the problem at a fraction of the migration cost. If GP is maxed out and can’t grow with your business, migration makes sense. Argus evaluates both options and gives you an honest recommendation.
What if we’re not ready to migrate yet?
That’s fine, and most of our clients aren’t ready yet either. We support GP, optimize GP, and host GP in the cloud for clients who aren’t ready to migrate. When the time comes, the same team handles it. No starting over with a new partner.
What Is a Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration?
A Dynamics GP to Business Central migration is the process of moving a company’s financial management system from Microsoft Dynamics GP, an on-premise ERP platform reaching end of mainstream support in December 2029, to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a cloud-based ERP platform. The migration includes assessment of the current GP environment, data mapping and migration (chart of accounts, vendor records, customer data, transaction history), Business Central configuration and customization, a parallel run period where both systems operate simultaneously, and cutover to BC as the primary system. Typical migrations take 3 to 9 months and cost $75K to $250K depending on complexity.
Not Ready to Migrate? Start Here Instead.
Most of our clients come to us for GP support first and plan migration later. These are the services that keep GP running while you decide.
Dynamics GP Support Services
Ongoing support, optimization, and custom reporting for the system you already run.
GP support →GP Cloud Hosting
Move GP to the cloud now, migrate to Business Central later.
Cloud hosting →GP Optimization
Use the 70% of GP you’re ignoring before spending $200K on a new system.
GP optimization →