April 2025 Live Office Hours Q&A Recap: Moving from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central – PART 2

Our April 2025 Live Office Hours Q&A session was packed with great questions about moving from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC)—and we didn’t have time to address them all live. In our Part 1 blog post, we recapped the questions covered during the session, which ranged from customizations to reporting, migration paths, and more. But your curiosity didn’t stop there—and we love that. 

In this follow-up blog post, we’re answering the next round of client-submitted questions that we didn’t have time to address during the live Q&A.  

Read part 1 here in case you missed it: https://www.sikich.com/insight/live-office-hours-qa-recap-april-2025-dynamics-gp-to-bc-part-1  

Watch the live Q&A recording

More Answers to Your GP to BC Questions 

Q1: Is there any AI in Business Central? 

Yes! Microsoft has embedded AI capabilities within Business Central through Copilot, which can help automate tasks like writing email responses to customers, generating forecasted demand based on sales trends, and guiding data entry with suggestions. And this is just the beginning—Copilot is becoming a central component of Microsoft’s modern ERP experience. 

(Our May 2025 Live Office Hours Q&A will focus entirely on Microsoft Copilot: register now.) 

Q2: Are there intercompany capabilities in BC? 

Yes—Business Central offers robust intercompany functionality. You can set up trading relationships between multiple companies, automate intercompany transactions, and handle eliminations and consolidations. These features are a major improvement from what GP offered out of the box. 

Q3: What happens to Management Reporter, and what replaces it? 

Management Reporter is not available in Business Central. But don’t worry—there are powerful alternatives: 

• Financial reporting tools built into BC 
• Excel-based templates (improved in the April 2025 release) 
• Power BI integration for interactive dashboards 
• Third-party tools for companies that want highly customized or complex reports 

Q4: We use Google for email and productivity. Can we still use BC? 

Yes—Business Central doesn’t require Microsoft 365 for basic functionality. However, if you aren’t using Microsoft apps like Outlook, Teams, or Excel, you’ll miss out on native integration features that make BC so powerful. We can help evaluate what makes the most sense for your setup and budget. 

Q5: Do we just go to a website to access BC? 

Business Central is cloud-based, but it’s not just a “website login.” Your system lives in a secure Azure tenant, and implementation includes setup, user roles, permissions, and business logic. It’s accessible through your browser, but there’s still a formal deployment and configuration process to ensure security and performance. 

Q6: Is there an on-premises version of Business Central? 

Yes—BC does have an on-premises version, but most clients are opting for the cloud version due to: 

• Lower infrastructure costs 
• Automatic updates 
• Ability to leverage AI
• Easier integration with other Microsoft tools If you’re unsure which is best for your company, we can walk you through the pros and cons of each. 

Q7: How are BC upgrades different from GP upgrades? 

• GP upgrades are manually scheduled, often require downtime, and involve system-wide reinstallation. 
• BC upgrades are cloud-delivered: 
  • Major updates twice per year 
  • Minor updates as needed 
  • Microsoft sends update alerts and compatibility checks in advance. Your system stays current with less effort—and fewer surprises. 

What Can You Do Now to Prepare? 

Even if you’re not ready to start your migration, there’s a lot you can do to get ahead: 

• Use our free GP to BC Migration Assessment Tool (we’ll walk you through it) 
• Clean up master records in GP or in Excel for easier migration 
• Review your Chart of Accounts—keep it as-is or take this chance to improve it 
• Identify manual processes or workarounds that could be automated in BC 
• Gather input from your users about what they love or dislike about GP 
• Loop in your IT team to discuss timing, technical setup, and integration needs 
• Start planning now—don’t wait until the GP end-of-life rush in 2028–2029 

If you still have questions—or want help getting started moving GP to Business Central—reach out. Whether you’re just exploring or ready to dive into a migration plan, we’re here to help. 

Want to be invited to all our upcoming Live Office Hours Q&A sessions? Drop us a note to subscribe to our Microsoft client updates.