Migrate to Business Central: A Step-by-Step Checklist

If you have decided to migrate to Business Central, the hard part is no longer the decision. It is getting the order of work right, so that go-live is a calm week rather than a scramble.

This checklist sets out the steps in the order we recommend. It is short on purpose: each step links to a deeper guide when you need one.

Key PointMost migration problems come from doing the right steps in the wrong order. Agree the order first.

Step 1: know which migration route you are on

Microsoft documents its built-in tools in Migrate on-premises data to Business Central online. The route depends on where you are starting from:

• Business Central on-premises: version 25 and later can migrate directly; versions 15 to 24 upgrade to version 25 first.
• Dynamics NAV: upgrade to Business Central on-premises first, then move online.
• Dynamics GP or Dynamics SL 2015 and later: supported by the built-in cloud migration tools.
• QuickBooks: Microsoft provides apps to move from QuickBooks.
• Other SQL databases: Microsoft supports custom migrations.
• Non-SQL sources, such as spreadsheets: Microsoft points to configuration packages and templates to load the data.

If you are coming from Sage 50, our Sage 50 migration guide covers that route in detail.

Step 2: decide what to bring across

Most businesses do not need every historic transaction in the new system. Decide up front:

• which master data moves: customers, suppliers, items and the chart of accounts;
• which opening balances move, and at which date;
• how much transaction history you keep, and where older history will live.

Write the decision down and get it signed off. It is the single biggest driver of migration effort. Our data migration process guide goes through each data type.

Step 3: clean the data before you move it

Clean data moves faster and starts life correctly. Merge duplicate customers and suppliers, close accounts nobody uses, and fix missing addresses and VAT details before the move, not after.

Microsoft's guide to importing data with Excel shows how data is loaded, which is a useful way to see what a clean record needs to contain.

Pro TipClean the data in the old system, where people know it, rather than in Business Central after go-live.

Step 4: rehearse in a sandbox

Never run the first migration in production. Business Central sandbox environments let you load a copy of the data, test it and throw it away.

Run at least one full rehearsal, then check the trial balance, aged debtors and aged creditors against the old system. Fix what does not reconcile and run it again.

Step 5: plan the cut-over around your tax and reporting dates

Pick a cut-over date that avoids the busiest points in your finance calendar, such as a VAT quarter end or a year-end. HMRC says all VAT-registered businesses should now be signed up for Making Tax Digital for VAT, so check that VAT returns keep working across the change.

Watch OutDo not cut over in the middle of a VAT quarter or a year-end without a written plan for the returns that span the change.

Step 6: train people on their real work

Training on a demo company only goes so far. Train each team on its own daily tasks, in the rehearsal environment, using its own data. Keep training short and practical, and repeat it closer to go-live.

Step 7: go live, then review

Go live, then hold a short review after the first month-end. Check that the close worked, that reports agree, and that nobody has returned to an old spreadsheet. Our guide to a Business Central migration strategy covers the planning behind these steps.

For independent guidance on finance systems, the ICAEW technology resources are a useful reference.

Getting help

Amplio's BC Fast-Start takes a business live on Business Central in twelve weeks for £4,500 fixed. If you are not sure where to start, our free Business Central review is a good first step, and our practical guide to Business Central migration gives the wider picture.