This post was originally published October 2025 and updated September 2026 to reflect current Business Central upgrade practices and platform capabilities.
Thinking about a Business Central upgrade, but still running Dynamics NAV or GP? You’re not alone.
There was a time when you needed a full-time IT person just to keep your ERP from crashing every time someone opened a report. I renamed our IT guy the “ERP babysitter.” And while it gave him job security, it also gave leadership a headache instead of the strategic insights they were hoping for.
Whether you’re on NAV, GP, or something even older, chances are it wasn’t built for the way teams work today.
Legacy systems like these were great in their time, but they struggle to keep up with modern demands like remote access, real-time data, and seamless integration.
That’s where a Business Central upgrade comes in. And it’s a bigger leap now than it was even a year or two ago. Moving from Dynamics NAV or GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central isn’t just a tech refresh, it’s access to built-in Copilot AI and autonomous agents that can run parts of your finance and sales processes for you. It’s a chance to rethink how your team works, not just move the same processes to a new system.
In this post, I’ll break down what a Business Central upgrade actually involves, what it costs you to wait, and how to make the move without babysitting your systems along the way.
Why Upgrade from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
Let’s tackle the obvious question. Is a Business Central upgrade really worth leaving NAV behind?
In short, yes. Reliable in its day, Dynamics NAV just doesn’t match how teams work (or move) now. Business Central takes what worked in NAV and brings it into the cloud era with a modern UI, real-time reporting, Microsoft 365 integration, and Copilot built right in, including autonomous agents like the Payables Agent that can read invoices and prep approvals on their own.
Plus, NAV is no longer receiving major feature updates. That means every year you stay on it, you’re falling further behind competitors using systems that evolve continuously. A few signs it’s time to start planning your Business Central upgrade rather than waiting:
- Your team relies on manual workarounds or spreadsheets to fill gaps NAV can’t cover
- Remote or hybrid staff can’t get reliable access to the system
- Reporting takes days instead of minutes, or requires IT to pull data manually
- You’re paying for customizations or add-ons just to keep NAV limping along
If you want a system that grows with your business and delivers real cloud ERP benefits, it’s time to look forward. Our Business Central Implementations team can walk you through what a NAV-to-BC upgrade looks like for your specific setup.
Why Dynamics GP Users Should Start Planning Now
If you’re still running Dynamics GP, it’s time to get serious about a Business Central upgrade. Microsoft has made it clear that Dynamics GP’s end of life is approaching. That doesn’t mean your system stops working tomorrow, but it does mean fewer updates, limited innovation, and rising support costs.
And when your ERP starts costing more while delivering less, it’s not just an IT issue. It’s a business risk.
The businesses that come out ahead aren’t the ones that wait until GP stops working. They’re the ones who start the assessment phase of their Business Central upgrade while they still have breathing room to plan properly, test thoroughly, and train their teams without a deadline forcing rushed decisions.
It’s also worth noting that GP was never going to get Copilot or AI agents. Every year you stay on it is a year further behind what your team could be doing with them.
What Does a Business Central Upgrade Involve?
Whether you’re coming from GP or NAV, the path looks similar. While every business is different, here’s what the process usually looks like.
| Phase | Typical Timeframe | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | 2-3 weeks | Review your current GP or NAV setup, customizations, reports, and what stays or goes |
| Planning | 2-4 weeks | Define goals, priorities, and timeline with your Microsoft partner |
| Data Migration | Varies by data volume | Move master records and key history, and clean house while you’re at it (especially if your chart of accounts predates Netflix streaming) |
| Configuration and Testing | 4-8 weeks | Set up Business Central, test critical processes, and train users |
| Go Live and Support | 1-2 weeks | Execute your cutover plan and get help during the transition |
Configuration and Testing is also where most companies decide which Copilot features and AI agents to turn on first. It’s worth treating that as its own decision rather than switching everything on at once. Start with one process, like accounts payable, get comfortable with how the agent works, then expand from there.
Most Business Central upgrades take three to six months from assessment to go live, depending on how much customization your GP or NAV system carries and how much data needs to move. They can be done in as little as a month or two if you are only running a simple GL, AP, AR setup; however, most organizations holding onto their legacy systems are doing it because there are more modules, configurations, and customizations holding them on.
This Forrester article makes a strong case for SaaS ERP, from ROI to long-term agility.
Working with an experienced Business Central migration partner is what keeps this timeline realistic. The right partner scopes the assessment properly up front, which is usually what prevents surprises later.
What Data Can Be Moved During a Business Central Upgrade?
The short answer is more than you think.
Most companies bring over:
- Charts of accounts
- Customers and vendors
- Open payables and receivables
- General ledger balances
- Inventory and item history
- Key purchase and sales transactions
And for good measure, you may want to finally ditch that one legacy process that’s survived three CFOs and zero documentation.
Do I need a Microsoft partner to migrate to Business Central?
The simple answer is yes. Migrating years of GP or NAV data, reconfiguring workflows, and standing up Copilot and AI agents correctly isn’t a project most internal IT teams have done before, even if they’re highly capable at running your day-to-day systems. A Microsoft partner brings a few things that are hard to replicate in-house:
- Experience mapping your specific chart of accounts, customizations, and historical data into Business Central’s structure without losing anything critical
- Knowledge of common configuration mistakes that cause rework later, especially around approval workflows and permissions
- Guidance on which Copilot features and AI agents make sense for your business, and in what order to turn them on
- Licensing expertise, since Business Central and its AI agents are priced and packaged differently than GP or NAV ever were
- A tested go-live and cutover process, rather than learning what breaks in production
Most importantly, the right partner will ensure the system fits your business, not the other way around. Attempting a Business Central upgrade without one usually costs more in rework and lost time than a partner’s fee would have in the first place.
Common Challenges During a Business Central Upgrade
Most Business Central upgrades go smoothly, but a few things tend to trip people up. Knowing them ahead of time makes them easy to plan around.
Heavily customized GP or NAV environments. The more your system has been modified over the years, the more time the assessment phase needs. This isn’t a reason to avoid upgrading, but it’s a reason to be honest about your timeline upfront.
Data that hasn’t been cleaned in years. Old vendor records, duplicate customers, and outdated chart of accounts structures tend to surface during migration. Cleaning this up before the move, rather than during it, saves real time.
Underestimating user training. Business Central’s interface is more modern than GP or NAV, which is a good thing, but it still means your team needs real training time, not a one-hour walkthrough the week before go-live.
Treating it as an IT project instead of a business decision. The upgrades that go best are the ones where finance, operations, and leadership are involved from the assessment phase on, not just looped in at go-live.
Turning on workflow automations or AI agents before defining who owns them. Business Central’s workflow automation capability and AI agents like the Payables Agent and Sales Order Agent, work best when someone on your team owns reviewing their output and adjusting their settings. Skipping that step is a common reason agent adoption stalls after go-live.
Flexibility Without the Fire Drills
When teams can work from anywhere and access real-time data, the business moves faster, and with fewer surprises. Here are a few of the game-changing improvements that will make you wonder why you waited this long to make the upgrade:
- Mobile access and secure logins across devices
- The ability to share live data between departments with fewer sync issues
- Sales, finance, and ops can work from one system instead of five
- Swift adaptability to changing business needs, no major rework required
- Automatic updates that don’t require dedicated projects and don’t impact your custom configurations (extensions)
Business Central gives your team the ability to pivot without panic. Your field rep can update a quote from their phone. Your controller doesn’t have to beg IT for a clean version of last month’s P&L.
And when someone takes a vacation, the system keeps humming without them needing to text in a password from the beach.
Modern Tools for Modern Decisions
With built-in AI and Microsoft 365 integration, Business Central helps your team do more than just keep the lights on. This is also where the gap between legacy systems and a modern Business Central upgrade is widest.
Copilot is built into the platform, along with a growing set of autonomous agents:
- Payables Agent reads incoming invoices, matches vendors and accounts, and preps them for approval
- Sales Order Agent processes incoming orders with item matching, and can now run multiple instances per company
- Expense Agent manages expense capture, approvals, and travel requisitions, including from the mobile app
- Native MCP server support lets you connect custom AI agents and Copilot Studio without heavy API work
In addition, imagine being able to:
- Analyze trends and generate insights with Power BI
- Automate processes like approvals, reminders, and reconciliations
- Integrate seamlessly with Outlook, Teams, Excel, and more
- Improve visibility for leadership without adding more reports
I’ve watched teams move from reactive data dumps to proactive, informed decision-making after their Business Central upgrade, and agents like these take that a step further by handling the repetitive work itself.
From real-time dashboards to cash flow analysis, Business Central helps turn information into action. Plus, once you’re live, our Business Central Support & Optimization team helps you get more out of Business Central’s cutting edge capabilities as your business evolves, rather than letting them sit unused.
How to Choose the Right Business Central Partner
Since the right partner is the biggest factor in how smoothly your Business Central upgrade goes, it’s worth knowing what to look for:
- Experience with your specific legacy system. A partner who’s migrated GP systems isn’t automatically the best fit for a NAV migration, and vice versa. Ask about their track record with your exact starting point.
- A clear, staged process. If a partner can’t walk you through what assessment, planning, and go-live actually look like for a business your size, that’s worth a second look.
- Industry familiarity. Manufacturing, nonprofit, and professional services all use Business Central differently. A partner who understands your industry asks better questions during assessment.
- Experience configuring Copilot and AI agents, not just the core system. Standing up Business Central without turning on the agents is leaving value on the table. Ask how the partner approaches agent rollout, not just the base implementation.
- Support that doesn’t end at go-live. Your Business Central upgrade doesn’t end when the system goes live. Ask what post-launch support looks like before you sign anything.
Curious what that looks like in practice? Here’s how we help clients cut IT overhead with Business Central, and you can see examples of past upgrades in our customer stories.
| Free Dynamics 365 Business Central Buyer’s Guide DOWNLOAD NOW |
Final Takeaway: Why a Business Central Upgrade Matters
A Business Central upgrade gives you a chance to rethink, realign, and future-proof your business operations, empowering you to:
- Reduce IT overhead and maintenance burden
- Improve decision-making with connected, real-time data
- Access built-in Copilot and AI agents that GP and NAV will never support
- Support growth with a system that evolves as you do
- Position your business to adapt quickly and confidently
Thinking about making the move?
Let’s talk. Whether you’re just kicking the tires or already building a migration plan, a Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant like Northbank can help you map the path forward with confidence.
About the Author
Aaron Thomas is the founder of Northbank Technology Group (formerly QBIX LLC) a consultancy known for helping organizations turn ERP complexity into clarity. With more than 20 years of experience in financial systems and business consulting, Aaron blends strategic insight with deep product knowledge, particularly in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. His hands-on approach and commitment to long-term client success have made him a trusted partner to leaders across industries including finance, manufacturing, real estate, and nonprofit.
Through his newsletter Built to Scale, Aaron shares grounded, real-world guidance to help decision-makers streamline systems, sharpen reporting, and scale sustainably without the jargon or the hype.
Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn.
Business Central Upgrade Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Business Central upgrade take?
Most upgrades run three to six months from assessment to go live, though smaller, less customized environments can move faster.
Can I upgrade from Dynamics GP or NAV directly, or do I need to migrate in stages?
Most companies move directly. A partner assesses your current setup during the first phase and flags anything that needs a staged approach, which is more common with heavily customized systems.
What happens to my historical data during a Business Central upgrade?
Most historical data can move over, including charts of accounts, customer and vendor records, open payables and receivables, and key transaction history. Your partner will help you decide what’s worth bringing forward versus archiving.
Does Business Central include AI and Copilot, or is that a separate cost?
Copilot and the core assistant features are included with a Business Central online subscription. The autonomous agents, like the Payables Agent and Sales Order Agent, draw on a separate metered credit allowance once you turn them on, so it’s worth asking your partner how that’s licensed for your business.
