Many manufacturing companies that use Microsoft Dynamics GP are considering upgrading to Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC). However, this decision is not as simple as it may seem. Here are some reasons why:

GP was not designed for manufacturing. GP was initially a financial and accounting solution, and third-party vendors added its inventory and manufacturing modules later. This means that GP may not have met the specific needs of many manufacturers, and they may have had to compromise or customize their systems.
GP partners may not have manufacturing expertise. The Dynamics GP partner network is well-known and respected but may not have a strong focus or experience in selecting and implementing manufacturing ERP solutions. This could affect their ability to advise and support GP manufacturers who want to migrate to BC.
BC may not be the best fit for all manufacturers. BC is a modern and cloud-based ERP solution that offers many benefits, but it may not suit every type of manufacturing. For example, BC may not have the functionality or flexibility to handle complex or multi-mode manufacturing scenarios, such as engineer-to-order, make-to-order, or mixed-mode.

With those facts as a backdrop, here are some recent examples of why a comprehensive assessment is even more critical for Dynamics GP manufacturing companies contemplating a move to BC:

Summit North America Circle of Excellence Feedback: I was the lead HandsFree consultant in the ERP Circle of Excellence (COE) Lounge at Summit NA. The COE was set up to offer ERP project advice to anyone with questions regarding their project, regardless of its stage or status. In that setting, I was approached by several former GP manufacturing companies regretting their selection of BC. In each case, I was able to diagnose the issue with one straightforward question: what type of manufacturing does your company do? For example: Assemble to Order, Process, or Engineer to Order (ETO).
User Group Poll: I reviewed a recent poll conducted by a Dynamics User Group that asked GP companies what direction they were planning for their post-GP ERP solution. Two results stood out to me:
Comprehensive Discovery Assessment: There is an engineering concept for looking at problems without an exact solution (investigating phenomena at the extrema). An ERP software selection is a problem without a clear answer. However, I gained many insights by investigating the fit of BC for an enterprise, multi-mode manufacturing company. That corresponding fit-gap analysis of critical functional capabilities was approximately 52 percent for BC and 88 percent for F&SCM.

GP manufacturers should take advantage of the GYDE365 discovery projects to avoid these pitfalls. This comprehensive assessment tool helps you evaluate your current and future ERP needs, compare different Microsoft Dynamics solutions, and identify the best fit for your manufacturing business.
Our team trusts the GYDE365-Discover Survey because a structured assessment tool helps GP users assess their current state and the feasibility of next steps. Such a tool identifies critical elements in their planning such as:

What type of manufacturing do you do? Different manufacturing modes have additional ERP requirements. For example, discrete manufacturers need to manage bills of materials, routings, and work orders, while process manufacturers need to handle formulas, recipes, and batches.
What are your critical functional capabilities? Every manufacturing business has its unique processes and challenges. You need an ERP solution that can support your core operations and enable you to improve your efficiency, quality, and profitability. Providing a trusted fit-gap analysis requires an assessment of all relevant capabilities of the ERPs you are considering.
What are your ERP project goals and expectations? Moving to a new ERP solution is a significant undertaking that requires careful planning and execution. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your success. A structured assessment helps your executives set your ERP project goals and expectations and align them with the best ERP solution.

Don’t make the mistake of choosing the wrong ERP solution for your manufacturing business. Take the time to assess, analyze, and evaluate which Dynamics 365 solution is right for your organization’s future. This blog was featured on MS Dynamics World.

GP manufacturers should take advantage of the GYDE365-Discover Survey to avoid these pitfalls. This comprehensive assessment tool helps you evaluate your current and future ERP needs, compare different Microsoft Dynamics solutions, and identify the best fit for your manufacturing business.

With a GYDE365-Discover assessment, you'll receive an in-depth analysis report pack that includes:

Recommended modules based on your company's processes
Defined list and analysis of your company's requirements
Gap/fit analysis to Dynamics Business Central and FSCM (easily benchmark to non-Microsoft ERP solutions if desired)
Implementation project estimates, including timeline, budget, and licensing costs
RFP/RFI-ready documents
...and much more!

Peter Joeckel   With an IE/OR engineering degree and enterprise software implementation experience starting at Price Waterhouse, Peter Joeckel has been in the business application selection, implementation, and challenged project turn-around business for over thirty years. He credits his industrial engineering degree with his search for better processes and tools to implement complex business application platforms.  Most recently, he was the lead HandsFree client advisor in the Circle of ERP Excellence lounge and speaker at the Community Summit North America.  

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Your D365 F&O Implementation Is Sitting on a Data Quality Time Bomb

By Peter Joeckel • September 11, 2025

Most organizations think data migration is about moving records from A to B. They're wrong. It's about transforming business information into operational truth. Get it wrong, and you're just digitizing your problems at enterprise scale. If you’re a distributor or manufacturer, your business runs on inventory. Simple as that. Everything else, sales, purchasing, operations, revolves around making sure your inventory data is accurate. And yet, so many companies struggle with messy, outdated, or outright incorrect data, setting themselves up for major headaches when it comes time to implement or upgrade an ERP system. For manufacturers and distributors, inventory is the heart of the business. Everything revolves around managing it effectively. In ERP terms, this involves three core processes: 1. Procure-to-Pay – Bringing inventory in from suppliers. 2. Manufacturing or Handling – Transforming or repackaging inventory. 3. Order-to-Cash – Shipping inventory out to customers. At the heart of the problem are three core data sets: customers, suppliers, and inventory . Clean and accurate data here isn’t optional. It’s essential. Let me paint you a picture of what poor data quality really costs: - Financial processes failing because customer master data is inconsistent - Supply chain grinding to a halt because item masters don't match across systems - Month-end closing taking weeks because nobody trusts the numbers - Compliance risks because audit trails are incomplete or incorrect I've seen implementations declare success after migrating millions of records, only to discover they've built a perfect system running on garbage data. The result? Unreliable reporting, broken processes, and users creating shadow systems to track "real" data. Here's what your implementation partner isn't telling you: Data quality issues compound over time. Every day you operate with poor data, you're creating new problems that will need to be fixed later. It's like trying to build a skyscraper on quicksand - no matter how perfect your architecture, IT IS GOING TO SINK. The hard truth: No amount of system optimization can fix bad data. You're either managing data quality now, or you're managing data problems forever. And in D365 F&O, forever gets expensive very quickly. Bills of Materials: The Science That Trips Everyone Up For manufacturers, one of the biggest trouble spots is the Bill of Materials (BOM) . Think of the BOM as a recipe: it defines exactly how components come together to make a finished product, like a “little red wagon.” Each part must be accounted for, structured correctly, and contain only inventory items. Here’s where things go wrong: Many BOMs have too many levels or include non-inventory items like labor and overhead. Legacy systems often force companies to create Frankenstein part numbers that are confusing and error-prone. Process manufacturers with “recipes” face additional complexity because ingredient quality can fluctuate, affecting output consistency. Moving this messy data into a modern ERP without cleaning it first can turn your new system into a nightmare rather than an improvement. Routing: Where Art Meets Science Beyond the BOM, there’s routing , the step-by-step instructions for manufacturing a product. Routing data is critical for understanding capacity, scheduling, and cost management. Capturing work center setup times, labor, material, and overhead costs is key. Most companies simply don’t have this data organized, which means ERP projects often start off on the wrong foot. Planning Ahead: The Key to ERP Success Waiting until the ERP project is live to clean and organize your data is a recipe for disaster. By then, your best engineers and data experts are fully occupied, leaving little time to fix deep-rooted issues. Forward-thinking manufacturers and distributors start data workshops well before the ERP implementation . These workshops: Identify issues in customer, supplier, and inventory data Clean and structure BOMs and routings properly Establish proper part numbering and chart of accounts setups Doing this ahead of time dramatically increases the chances of a smooth, successful ERP deployment—regardless of which system you choose. Bottom line: messy data doesn’t just slow you down, it can completely derail your ERP implementation. Start early, clean it up, and structure it correctly. Your future self (and your new ERP system) will thank you.

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