Microsoft Ends Support for Dynamics GP: What’s Next for Your Finance Team?

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If you’re reading this, chances are you already know that Microsoft has announced the end of support for Dynamics GP. If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic, I can relate. My journey with GP started long before I joined Vivid; I’ve spent years working with GP installs at both a large consultancy and now at Vivid. To say it feels bittersweet to see GP sunset is an understatement. For so many of us, GP isn’t just another software—it’s a trusted companion we’ve come to know and rely on. Over the years, it’s helped us solve countless challenges and build a depth of financial insight. 

I think a lot of us will always love the product. Maybe, years down the road, we’ll find ourselves reminiscing with friends and colleagues about the days of floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and GP’s big leap to SQL Server. Who knows, we might even plan a reunion in Fargo, North Dakota, where it all began. #ILUVGP 

The Good News: You’ve Got Options 

As a GP user, you’ve relied on it for everything from financial reporting to day-to-day accounting. The thought of switching to a new system may feel overwhelming. But here’s the thing: transitioning doesn’t have to be an ordeal, especially if you approach it with a thoughtful plan. Today, there are many accounting platforms that can meet the changing needs of your business.  That’s where we come in. 

How Vivid Reports Eases the Transition 

1. Start Where You Are 

Vivid Reports can be implemented alongside your current GP system, so you don’t have to deal with learning new reporting software while also making the ERP switch. This gives you breathing room to continue your day-to-day operations without interruptions, extends the life of GP, and shortens the future implementation timetable. We also offer automated tools to quickly convert your Management Reporter (MR) reports to Vivid, allowing you realize the benefits of Vivid Reports sooner.

2. Transfer with Ease 

When it’s time to move to a new ERP, Vivid Reports ensures a seamless transition by easily integrating multiple ERP systems together. Vivid will bring together your legacy GP system, any of 60 new ERPs you’ve selected to move to, or other platforms powering different divisions. This continuity preserves your reports, data, and financial processes, reducing risk in the change. 

3. Continuity in Reporting 

One of the many hurdles in switching ERPs is getting your reporting set up in the new ERP. Let’s be honest—many GP users have been exporting data into Excel for years, perfecting their reports to meet their specific needs. And while that workflow has served its purpose, it’s a lot of manual effort. Why fix what’s not broken, right? 

But here’s the opportunity: with Vivid Reports, you can take those same Excel-based formats you’ve been using and automate them. Not only can we preserve all your historical data, but we can also ensure your reports are ready to go, in the exact layouts you’ve been fine-tuning over the years. It’s a chance to keep what works while saving yourself hours of effort, ensuring a smooth transition to your new ERP without losing the reporting continuity you rely on. 

4. Aligning Finance and Operations 

Moving off GP can be an opportunity for growth and deeper alignment across teams. Vivid Reports helps strengthen alignment between Finance and Operations by offering role-based viewer access, so each team member sees only what’s relevant to their role. Managers can even drill down into reports to look at the underlying accounts, transactions, transaction details and even images of invoices to understand the “why” behind the numbers, promoting deeper insights and accountability across departments. Vivid empowers your business to make data-driven decisions based on multiple scenarios. This transparency and streamlined process builds a solid foundation for long-term efficiency as you grow with a new accounting platform 

What’s Next? 

Making the decision to move off GP is significant, but acting now can help you avoid the limbo of waiting on an ERP switch. By implementing Vivid Reports early, you establish a solid reporting foundation that reduces the risks of switching systems and provides a familiar framework to ease the ERP transition.  Ultimately, this proactive approach minimizes the project scope when it’s time to transition, setting your organization up for a smoother, simpler move. 

Let’s talk about how Vivid Reports can support you every step of the way, keeping your financial reporting reliable, adaptable, and ready for future growth. You can book a call with me here.  

Here’s to the future—and to the memories we’ve built with GP. 

 
Christine Boisvert 
Client Solutions Manager, Vivid Reports