The Most Common GP to Business Central Migration Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
- Abhisar Sharma
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
This is Part 5 of our 5-part series on migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central.
Read the full series:
Part 4: GP to BC Migration - Automated vs. Manual - Which Path Is Right for You?
Part 5: The Most Common GP to BC Migration Mistakes (you are here)
After completing GP to Business Central migrations across multiple industries, the mistakes we see tend to be the same ones, made for the same reasons. They are not failures of intelligence or effort - they are predictable traps that catch organizations that did not know to look for them. Here is what they are and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Migrating Dirty Data
This is the most common and most costly mistake. The temptation is understandable: you have years of data in GP, the migration tool can bring it across, so why not move everything?
Because your GP system, like most ERP systems that have been running for years, almost certainly contains inactive records that were never cleaned up, duplicate vendors and customers, inventory quantities that have drifted from physical reality, and accounts and cost centers that no longer reflect how the business operates. Bringing all of that into Business Central does not give you a clean start - it gives you the same mess in a new system.
Think of your GP database like a storage unit that has not been organized in years. Moving everything into a new, modern building does not solve the disorganization problem. It just moves it.
What to do instead: Treat data preparation as a distinct phase of the project, not a box to check. Before anything migrates, identify and fix errors, remove or merge duplicates, archive inactive records, and verify inventory quantities against physical counts. Migrating only the active, relevant data - and archiving the rest in a secure location for reference - sets your new system up to perform correctly from day one.
The data preparation phase is not optional. It is where the foundation of your new system gets built.
Mistake 2: Replicating Old Processes Instead of Rethinking Them
This one is subtler, but we have seen it derail the expected ROI from migrations more than almost anything else.
GP implementations that have been running for years accumulate workarounds. Manual steps that exist because the system could not do something automatically. Spreadsheets that run alongside GP because its reporting was not trusted. Approval processes managed over email because GP had no workflow capability. These workarounds become invisible over time - they stop feeling like workarounds and start feeling like how things are done.
When organizations migrate to Business Central by simply replicating those processes, they are carrying years of accumulated technical debt into their new system. Business Central has automation capabilities, built-in approval workflows, native reporting, and integrated visibility that can eliminate most of those workarounds entirely. But only if someone stops to ask: does this manual step still need to exist?
What to do instead: Before configuring Business Central, map your current processes explicitly - not to document them for replication, but to evaluate each one. For every manual step, ask whether Business Central can handle it automatically. The discovery phase of your migration is the right time to do this. Organizations that treat migration as a process redesign opportunity, rather than a system swap, consistently get better outcomes.
Mistake 3: Underestimating the Human Side
A technically perfect migration can fail if the people who are supposed to use the new system do not adopt it. We have seen it happen. The data is clean, the configuration is correct, the go-live goes smoothly - and then users quietly revert to their old habits, maintain parallel spreadsheets, or resist the new workflows because no one adequately prepared them.
Business Central is a meaningfully different system from GP. The interface is different, the terminology is different in places, and the way certain tasks are accomplished has changed. Users who were confident and efficient in GP need time and support to reach that same level of confidence in BC.
What to do instead: Invest in user training that goes beyond showing people where the buttons are. Effective training connects the new system to how each role's work actually changes - and specifically, how it gets easier. Identify internal champions in each department who can support their peers after go-live. Build a change management plan early in the project, not as an afterthought in the final weeks. And create a clear channel for users to report issues and get fast answers in the first month after go-live.
User adoption is the true measure of a successful migration. Plan for it accordingly.
Mistake 4: Underestimating Scope and Complexity
ERP migrations feel more manageable in the planning stage than they turn out to be in execution. This is not unique to GP or Business Central - it is a pattern across ERP projects generally. The consequences of underestimating scope are predictable: timeline overruns, budget pressure, and a go-live that gets rushed rather than planned.
The areas that most commonly get underestimated are third-party integrations (each one requires its own assessment and often its own migration plan), ISV solutions (add-ons that extended GP's functionality may not have a direct equivalent in BC and may need to be replaced or rearchitected), and the data preparation timeline (see Mistake 1 - this almost always takes longer than initially planned).
What to do instead: Spend more time in the discovery phase than feels necessary. A thorough audit of your GP environment - every module, every ISV solution, every integration, every customization - is the foundation of an accurate scope estimate. Do not let the discovery phase get compressed in the interest of getting started faster. It is the single highest-leverage investment in the project.
Schedule your go-live during a low-activity period - ideally a weekend or just after a period close. Have your implementation partner on standby for immediate support. And budget time and resources for the post-go-live stabilization period, which typically runs two to four weeks as users settle in and edge cases surface.
A Summary
Mistake | Why It Happens | How to Avoid It |
|---|---|---|
Migrating dirty data | Easier to move everything than to clean first | Treat data preparation as its own project phase |
Replicating old processes | Workarounds become invisible over time | Use discovery to evaluate every manual step |
Underestimating user adoption | Focus on technical execution over people | Build change management into the project from the start |
Underestimating scope | Complexity emerges during execution, not planning | Invest in a thorough discovery phase |
None of these mistakes are inevitable. They are all predictable, and they are all avoidable with the right approach and the right partner.
That's the Full Series
If you have read all five parts, you now have a solid foundation for thinking about your GP to Business Central migration - the timeline, the technical paths, the common pitfalls, and what Business Central actually offers.
The next step is a conversation specific to your environment. Every GP implementation is different, and the right migration plan depends on your GP version, your data, your processes, and your business priorities.
Evolve Strategy & Capital Inc. is a senior Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central consulting firm based in Calgary, specializing in inventory-intensive organizations. We have completed 30+ Business Central implementations across 10+ industries and have direct experience navigating the complexities of GP to BC migrations. We offer a no-obligation discovery conversation to help you understand your options and plan a migration that fits your business.
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