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Moving to Business Central

How to Prepare Your Distribution Strategy when Moving to Business Central

Key Distribution Strategy Checks Before Moving to Business Central

If you’re planning a move from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Business Central, preparing your data ahead of time is one of the most important steps you can take. In the next episode of our GP to BC migration webinar series, “Moving to BC? Things to Think About – Episode #3: Distribution Strategy for Business Central“, we focused on the distribution side of things, covering key areas in inventory, sales order processing (SOP), and purchase order processing (POP) that need attention before making the switch.

In Episode #1, we covered accounts, segments, and dimensions. In Episode #2, we tackled cleaning up customers and vendors. Now, let’s dive into your distribution data.

Review Your Customer and Vendor Data

Before we get into the distribution strategy, it’s worth revisiting some customer and vendor data points that directly affect your transactions. These are items we touched on in our last session, but they’re worth repeating because they carry over into your distribution workflows:

  • Phone numbers and email addresses should be in the correct format
  • Address IDs cannot be greater than 10 characters in Business Central
  • Payment terms should be no more than 10 characters (GP allows up to 20)
  • Customer City fields are 5 characters shorter in BC than in GP
  • Address 2 is 10 characters shorter than GP
  • Address 3 does not exist in Business Central
  • User Defined Data should be reviewed for relevance

A helpful tip: once you’ve identified inactive customers and vendors, you can choose not to bring them over during the migration. This keeps your new system clean and clutter free from day one.

Inventory, SOP, and POP Data Analysis

This is where the bulk of the preparation comes in.

Here are the key areas to review:

  • Types of inventory items – Understand what item types you’re working with and how they’ll map to Business Central.
  • Item number length – Watch for duplication when item numbers are truncated, and check for leading spaces.
  • Unit of Measure (UofM) schedules – Make sure active items have a UofM schedule assigned.
  • Item classes – Review and clean up as needed.
  • Purchase receipts – Ensure all purchase receipts have a valuation method on the record.
  • Serial and lot settings – Confirm these are accurate before migration.
  • Site and BIN lengths – Both are limited to 10 characters in Business Central.

dynamics gp software screen showing item maintenance inventory sop and pop to prep for distribution strategy data clean up

It’s also important to note that vendor items do not automatically come over to Business Central, and pricing levels do not carry forward. Business Central offers different pricing options, so this is a great time to rethink your pricing strategy.

Clean Up Your Purchase Orders

Take a close look at your open purchase orders. Ask yourself:

  • Do you have open POs with inactive or discontinued items?
  • When was the last time you moved completed POs to history? We’ve seen customers move tens of thousands of POs to history, and the performance improvement in GP alone is significant.
  • Are there POs that have been open for years that you’ll never receive or invoice? Maybe an AP invoice was entered by mistake instead?

If PO cleanup feels overwhelming, our MassPOClose tool can help streamline the process.

Review Your Sales Orders, Quotes, and Invoices

Before migrating, take a fresh look at your sales data:

  • When was the last time quotes were reviewed? What about open orders or unposted invoices?
  • Comments (CMNT) on orders and invoices do not automatically come over to Business Central. If you need them, work with your consultant to plan for that.
  • Attachments do not automatically migrate to BC either, so plan accordingly.

This is also the perfect time to evaluate any custom functionality or custom data you’re currently using in GP. Think about what you truly need moving forward. Migration is the ideal moment to think about the future of your business processes.

How Implementation Specialists Can Help

Not sure where your data stands? We offer several tools and resources to help you get migration ready:

  • Diagnostic Data Tool – Helps you understand what data needs to be changed before moving to Business Central.
  • Smartlists – Identify data that should be reviewed so you can make informed decisions about what to inactivate, delete, or merge.
  • Feature comparison guidance – We can walk you through what’s different between GP and BC so you understand what data can be transitioned and what will need to be set up fresh in Business Central.

Our consultants can guide you through the process at any time, and we recommend starting before you kick off your Business Central project.

Ready to Get Started?

If you have questions or need help preparing for your move to Business Central, we’re here for you.

Contact Consulting: support@iscorp.biz

Contact Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration: How to Prepare Early

Why a GP to BC Migration Prep Matters More Than You Think

If you are using Microsoft Dynamics GP today and thinking about a future move to Dynamics 365 Business Central, one question comes up again and again: When should we start preparing for a Dynamics GP to Business Central migration?

The short answer is sooner than most organizations expect.

In our webinar, “Moving to Business Central? Preparing GP Data for a BC Migration,” Vice President, Cheryl Simmons, and Principal Consultant, Allen Phillips, walked through why early preparation plays such a critical role in a smooth, successful transition – and how Implementation Specialists’ Migration Prep Service helps remove uncertainty long before a project officially begins.

When Should You Start Preparing for a Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration?

Migration does not begin when you sign a contract. It begins when you understand your current environment.

GP to BC migration prep starts with a clear picture of where you are today. One of the biggest advantages of preparing early is flexibility.

By completing a migration analysis ahead of time, you can:

  • Identify data cleanup or system changes before they become urgent.
  • Plan changes around your business calendar rather than scrambling at project kickoff.
  • Decide how much historical data you actually want to bring into Business Central.
  • Uncover customizations and integrations that may need to be re-evaluated before the move.

What Is the Migration Prep Service?

The Migration Prep Service is designed to answer the big questions before migration planning officially starts. An IS consultant analyzes your GP environment and data, identifies items that may impact a future migration, and reviews findings with your team so you can plan next steps with confidence.

Implementation Specialists align with official Microsoft standards for cloud transitions. You can review the technical Migration framework on Microsoft Learn.

Why Early Prep Makes Your Business Central Migration Easier

Many migration challenges stem from unknowns. Preparing early provides clarity, helps avoid late surprises, and makes the eventual Dynamics GP to Business Central migration smoother and far less stressful. Organizations that invest in preparation consistently report fewer disruptions, more predictable timelines, and greater confidence going into the project.

Ready to Prepare for Business Central?

If you are considering Business Central and want to prepare on your timeline, Implementation Specialists’ Migration Prep Service gives you a clear picture of your current GP environment – before migration planning officially begins.

Contact Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

Contact Support: support@iscorp.biz

Moving to Business Central: Chart of Accounts

As more organizations prepare to transition from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Business Central (BC), one of the most important foundational steps is revisiting — and often redesigning — the Chart of Accounts (COA). In our webinar, Moving to BC? Things to Think About – Episode 1: Chart of Accounts Clean-Up, Vice President Cheryl Simmons and Director of GP Services, Gina Bothun, walked through what companies should evaluate long before migration begins.

A clean, modern, and strategically structured Chart of Accounts (COA) doesn’t just make the move to Business Central smoother — it sets your financial system up for scalability, clarity, and long-term success.

Understanding Your Current GP Chart of Accounts

Dynamics GP uses a segmented account format that defines how all windows, reports, and ISV solutions reference account numbers. In many environments, this structure has evolved over years (or decades), creating inconsistencies, duplicates, and formatting challenges.

Key things GP users should review:

  • Account structure and maximum lengths — GP allows up to 45 characters and 5 segments, but many companies don’t use them intentionally.
  • Segment names and purposes — Properly naming segments helps ensure accounts are automatically and consistently named as they’re created.
  • Use of segments for filtering — Segments can be powerful report filters — if they’re structured well.

account format setup and account maintenance in chart of accounts clean up in dynamics gp

Before moving to BC, take a critical look at whether your segments still make sense for reporting, departmental needs, and future growth.

Account Types in GP: Are You Using Them Effectively?

GP offers several account types, each serving a unique purpose. Cleaning these up now can prevent confusion later.

  • Posting Accounts — Your standard accounts used for day-to-day financial activity.
  • Unit Accounts — Track non-financial data (e.g., number of employees, units installed, square footage). These can become valuable dimensions in BC.
  • Fixed Allocation Accounts — Used to automatically distribute transactions across multiple accounts based on predefined percentages.
  • Variable Allocation Accounts — Use actual account balances — such as unit accounts — to allocate expenses proportionally.

software screen of posting and unit accounts maintenance in chart of accounts clean up in dynamics gpsoftware screen of fixed accounts and variable accounts allocation maintenance in chart of accounts clean up in gp dynamics

Many companies discover unused, incorrectly configured, or outdated allocation accounts during COA cleanup. Fixing this early prevents messy financial data from migrating into BC.

Moving to Business Central: What Changes?

Business Central handles accounts very differently from GP, especially in how it handles segmentation and allocations.

  • Statistical Accounts in BC — BC provides statistical accounts to store non-financial metrics. These are often used as allocation drivers — similar to unit accounts in GP, but with more power and better integration.
  • Allocation Accounts — BC supports fixed and variable allocations, using:
    • Amounts
    • Quantities
    • Statistical account balances
    • Assigned dimensions

    This makes allocations more flexible and more visible within the financial data model.

software screen of statistical accounts in chart of accounts clean up in business centralsoftware screen of allocation accounts in chart of accounts clean up in business central

Dimensions: The Biggest Shift from GP to BC

GP relies heavily on segments within the account string. BC, however, uses Dimensions to provide granularity.

Dimensions in BC include:

  • 2 Global Dimensions that are always available on postings
  • 8 Shortcut Dimensions that are quickly accessible throughout the system
  • Unlimited dimension values for tracking customers, departments, projects, and more
  • Rules, priorities, and blocked combinations for maintaining data quality

software screen of general ledger dimensions for chart of accounts clean up in business central

software screen of dimensions value for chart of accounts clean up in business central

Why this matters:

Dimensions eliminate the need for overly long or overly segmented account structures. Instead of dozens of accounts representing every possible combination, BC streamlines your COA and lets dimensions handle the detail.

Chart of Accounts Considerations Before You Migrate

Our VP, Cheryl Simmons, and Director of GP Services, Gina Bothun, emphasized several critical questions every company should ask now, not later:

  • Do you have multiple accounts with the same name? This is common in GP but creates confusion during migration.
  • Have you marked inactive accounts — or are you carrying around years of unused ones? Clearing them out reduces clutter and improves mapping accuracy.
  • How will your organization grow? Your new COA should support:
    • New locations
    • Growth in business units
    • New reporting expectations
    • Scalability in BC
  • What do you want your NEW Chart of Accounts to look like? Designing it intentionally — instead of replicating GP’s structure — leads to cleaner reporting and more flexible financial insights.

Start Planning Your New COA Now

A migration to Business Central is the perfect time to:

  • Redesign a modern, simplified COA
  • Leverage dimensions for better reporting
  • Clean up old, duplicate, or unused accounts
  • Standardize naming, numbering, and allocation methods
  • Reduce manual work and increase automation

The sooner these conversations begin, the smoother your migration will be.

Need Help Restructuring Your COA or Planning Your GP to BC Move?

Our GP and BC experts can help assess your current setup, design a modern Chart of Accounts, and ensure a seamless transition.

For consulting and technical guidance, contact: support@iscorp.biz
For solution discussions and migration planning: sales@iscorp.biz