Moving from Sage to Business Central
Moving from Sage to Business Central in practical steps: decide what moves, clean and map, load and test in a sandbox, then VAT and go-live.
When a finance team outgrows its accounting package, Business Central is one of the systems it looks at next. This guide walks through the move from Sage in practical steps, so you know what is involved before you commit.
Key PointDecide what moves before you start: master data, opening balances and how much history.
Why teams consider the move
The usual triggers are growth and disconnection: several companies to run, reporting that lives in spreadsheets, and systems that do not share data. Business Central brings finance, sales, purchasing and inventory into one system.
It also offers dimensions, which Microsoft says can indicate the project or department an entry came from, so you need fewer separate general ledger accounts.
Step 1: decide what moves
- master data: customers, suppliers, items and the chart of accounts;
- opening balances at your cut-over date;
- how much transaction history you need, and where older records will live.
GOV.UK says a company must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year they relate to, so keep the old data accessible.
Pro TipMap nominal codes to the new chart of accounts and move analysis into dimensions where you can.
Step 2: clean and map
Clean the data in Sage first: merge duplicates, close dormant accounts and complete VAT details. Then map each nominal code to the new chart of accounts, and decide which analysis moves into dimensions.
Step 3: load and test
Business Central includes templates and configuration packages for importing accounts, customers, vendors and items. Load into a sandbox environment first and reconcile every balance against Sage.
Step 4: VAT and go-live
The UK version of Business Central supports Making Tax Digital for VAT, including submitting returns to HMRC. Plan your first return before go-live, because HMRC does not accept test submissions.
Cut over at a period end, so your opening figures are clean.
Watch OutReconcile every balance in the sandbox before go-live, not after.
Next steps
Our guide to Sage to Business Central weighs up whether to move at all, and our Sage 50 migration guide goes into the detail. For a standard scope, our BC Fast-Start takes a business live in twelve weeks for £4,500 fixed.
For independent guidance, see the ICAEW technology resources, or talk to us.