GP to BC: Data Preparation and Cleanup
One of the biggest mistakes in a GP to Business Central migration is migrating all your legacy data without cleaning it up first. Legacy GP systems often contain “dirty data” – old, inactive, or duplicate records – that can bog down your new system. Experts warn that moving all historical GP data to Business Central can be extremely costly long term.
Business Central has a different data model and a cloud-native architecture, so carrying over unnecessary or corrupted data can hurt performance and user experience. Bad data can also compromise reporting and decision making. Incomplete or incorrect information means reports and dashboards will be unreliable, eroding trust in the new ERP.
The Solution: Cleanse Data Early and Only Migrate Active Data
Instead of treating migration as a simple upgrade, use it as an opportunity to scrub and optimize your data. Here’s how to turn this pitfall into an advantage:
- Data Cleansing: Identify and fix errors, duplicates, or outdated records in master lists (customers, vendors, items, etc.). Remove inactive accounts, obsolete price lists, and cancelled orders. By eliminating clutter before you migrate, you ensure that Business Central starts with accurate, relevant data.
- Migrate Only Active Data: Bring over only the data you actually need in day-to-day operations. For example, migrate only active master records and open transactions. Closed, historical transactions can be archived. This lean data set makes the new system faster and easier to maintain. Other data can be archived or stored for reference.
- Archive Historical Records: Store your old GP history in a separate archive. Business Central even offers data-archiving tools so you can compress and offload outdated records. This keeps the live system clean while preserving any needed historical information for reporting or compliance. (TrinSoft can help set up automated archiving or write custom scripts to automate this process.)
By carefully preparing your data, you’ll unlock the full benefits of Business Central. Clean data means better performance, simpler reporting, and more reliable insights. For example, leaner data models speed up Business Central’s built-in analytics and Power BI dashboards, giving finance leaders real-time visibility without sifting through irrelevant records.
Don’t Wait for GP to Fade Out
Remember that Dynamics GP is approaching end-of-life, with Microsoft announcing end of support by 2029. With security updates winding down, the time to modernize is now. A clean, well-planned migration will set your company up for growth on a scalable, cloud-powered platform. And it all starts with preparing your data correctly.
Why TrinSoft?
At TrinSoft, we turn data cleanup into a strategic advantage. Our experienced consultants conduct thorough discovery workshops to understand your data and processes. We then apply best practices – as well as custom development when needed – to tailor the migration to your business. Our developers can build bespoke import routines or extensions so that every piece of data ends up exactly where it should. This heavy emphasis on custom solutions means we can handle even the quirkiest legacy data issues without sacrificing flexibility. In short, we don’t make you fit a one-size-fits-all template – we shape Business Central around your needs.
Are you ready to turn this challenge into an opportunity? Contact TrinSoft today for a free consultation or demo. Our team will show you how a tailored Business Central migration – complete with expert data cleansing – can drive efficiency and give your organization the clarity it needs.
📘 This blog is just one in a 14-part series covering the most common pitfalls we see during GP to BC migrations. Want to see the full list now? Download the full GP to BC Migration Pitfalls guide for all 14 pitfalls, plus expert insights to help you plan your move.
🚀 Ready to get started? Contact us today for a free consultation or a personalized demo of Business Central.
