Sadly, the day has finally arrived. We knew it was coming for many years. Since the premature (since retracted) announcement by Mike Morton at Community Summit 2022, it has been expected sooner rather than later.

As of the 25^th September 2024, it is official. Microsoft Dynamics GP product development will cease completely in 2031 with new feature development and product support stopping a little earlier.

Read on for full details and links …

The timeline for the sunsetting of the Microsoft Dynamics GP product by Microsoft is as follows:

4^th April 2023: Previous announcement on ending of new customer license sales made.

25^th September 2024: Announcement on ending of product development and technical support.

1^st April 2025: No new sales of Perpetual licenses, new Subscription licenses continue for 1 more year.

1^st April 2026: No new customer sales for any type of license (Perpetual or Subscription).

30^th September 2029: End of product enhancements, regulatory (tax) updates, service packs and technical support.

30^th April 2031: End of security updates.

The Lifecycle documentation has been updated to reflect the announcement.

Development and support will be continuing, as it has been, for the next four to five years. You can still submit and vote for product suggestions for features you would like to see added in the next few years. There are hundreds of ideas here, grouped into 30 categories. Go and vote for at least 5.

After product support and enhancement stops in September 2029, the only support available with be specifically for security updates and hotfixes until April 2031.

Even after the product development and technical support ceases, Microsoft Dynamics GP will continue to be a very functional system for those customers who wish to keep using it.

However, as changes are made to the Windows and Windows Server operating systems, SQL Server, Exchange Server and Microsoft Office platforms, there may come a time where some of the existing functionality will fail, and Microsoft will not be fixing it.

I highly recommend all existing Microsoft Dynamics GP customers upgrade to the final build of Microsoft Dynamics GP when it is released, if you wish to keep using the product beyond the end of support dates.

Winthrop Development Consultants’ Commitment

Winthrop Development Consultants understands that although an “End of Support” date for Microsoft Dynamics GP exists, many customers will stay with the product up to, and even beyond, 2029. We are still fully committed to the Microsoft Dynamics GP ecosystem and will sell and support our products while customers continue to use them.

Our products help Dynamics GP users get the most out of their systems and will assist them in supporting and maintaining their own systems well into the future.

I was first told that Great Plains Dynamics would be discontinued back in 1999. So, the date of 2029 is already 30 years longer than I expected. Great Plains Dynamics 1.0 was released in February 1993, when it finally is discontinued in April 2031 it will be 38 years old. Not bad for a software package. I started with Dynamics 30 years ago in 1994, so my career with the product will be at least 37 years, and maybe longer depending on how many sites continue to use my products after Microsoft stops support.

• Dynamics GP (Great Plains) Historical Timeline

More Information

For more information, see the source materials as published by Microsoft:

• 25-Sep-2024: Announcing End of Support for Dynamics GP
  (https://aka.ms/GPblog)
• Support Blog: Discontinuing support for Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Forum Thread: End-of-life Announcement for Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Partner Blog: End of support for Dynamics GP: How to embrace the Future of Cloud-Based ERP
  (https://aka.ms/partnerGP-EOL)

• Dynamics GP Landing page: Welcome to Dynamics GP!
• Microsoft Lifecyle – Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Understand the Lifecycle Policies for Dynamics GP
• 04-Apr-2023: Simplifying licensing across our SMB ERP solutions: don’t miss new DPL announcements!

The following links have been provided for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), but the best information is contained in the Dynamics GP End of Support FAQ pdf documents below:

• Customer FAQ: Move to the cloud with confidence
  (https://aka.ms/GPcustomerFAQ)
• Partner FAQ: This is a partner only article
  (https://aka.ms/GPpartnerFAQ)

• Partner Dynamics GP End of Support FAQ pdf: DynamicsGPEoS_FAQ.pdf
  (PLEASE READ)
• Customer Dynamics GP End of Support FAQ pdf: CustomerGPEoS_FAQ.pdf

Microsoft has some programs in place to help you transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The links below cover these programs, including AIM (Accelerate, Innovate, Move):

• AIM for the future with Microsoft
• AIM program FAQ
• Bridge to the Cloud 2 | Get 40% Discount on Your Transition to Dynamics 365 Cloud
• Dynamics GP migration to Business Central online: End-to-end overview

John Siefert from Dynamic Communities has an exclusive video interview with Mike Morton (Microsoft):

• Exclusive: Dynamics GP September 2029 Timeline Interview with Mike Morton

Molly Fuchsel from Dynamics User Group posted a great interview with Terry Heley (Microsoft) and Bob McAdam.

• Video Interview with Molly Fuchsel, Terry Heley, & Bob McAdam

[Edit] I had the opportunity to be asked to an interview with Amiee Keenan from The ISV Society on the future of GP:

• #MSDynGP ISV Society: All things GP, Community Summit, The Future of ERP

Here are related articles posted by other members of the Microsoft Dynamics GP community. More articles will be added as they are published:

• Rockton: Dynamics GP: The Investment Worth Keeping (written before announcement)
• Njevity: Microsoft’s Announcement Doesn’t Mean you have to Leave Dynamics GP: Let Njevity be the Partner you Ride with for GP Support
• Njevity: The Next Chapter: A New Opportunity for Dynamics GP Partners
• Njevity: Njevity’s Commitment to Dynamics GP Customers and Partners in Light of Microsoft’s Roadmap Announcement
• Njevity: Is Microsoft Tone Deaf in Trying Times?
• Njevity: Why you should stay on Dynamics GP
• Njevity: Why Dynamics GP’s ISV Ecosystem Makes It Hard to Switch to Business Central
• Njevity: What Has Microsoft Done for You Lately Anyway?
• Njevity: Why Did Microsoft Decide to End Dynamics GP, and Why Now?
• Njevity: Debunking the “End of Life” Myth for Dynamics GP: Why Your Solution Has a Future Beyond 2031
• Njevity: Microsoft Wants You to Panic About Dynamics GP—Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
• Njevity: A Guide to the Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Njevity: The Knights of GP: Njevity’s Commitment to Dynamics GP
• Enavate: Microsoft GP End of Life
• Enavate: Enavate Reassures Businesses Amid Microsoft Dynamics GP Sunset Announcement
• TMC: Microsoft (Finally) Announces Dates for End of Support for GP & What to Do Next
• Encore: The Retirement of Dynamics GP
• MS Dynamics World: Microsoft sets an end date for Dynamics GP updates, extended support
• sa.global: Microsoft announces end of support for Dynamics GP: What this means and how sa.global can help you prepare
• Velosio: Velosio Offers Guidance as Microsoft Announces End-of-Life for Dynamics GP: What Are Your Options?
• GP Support North: Dynamics GP End of Life 2029
• GP Support North: Dynamics GP End Of Life Announced Today – The End is September 2029
• City Dynamics: Microsoft Dynamics GP is Going End of Life in September 2029. What’s your Migration Strategy?
• Websan: Microsoft Announces End of Support for Dynamics GP: What You Need to Know
• ABC Consulting: Dynamics GP End-of-Life Announcement and How Partners and Customers Can Prepare for the Future
• Turnkey Technologies: Why Microsoft Dynamics GP Remains a Trusted ERP Solution
• Willoware: D365 Is Dead
• Crestwood: What the Dynamics GP End of Life Means for Your Business: Key Considerations and Next Steps
• eOne: The Good, the Bad, the Sad, and the Future with Dynamics 365 GP
• EthoTech: EthoTech’s Commitment to Supporting Microsoft Dynamics GP and Commission Plan Amid Microsoft’s Changes
• EthoTech: The End of Dynamics GP Support Isn’t the End of the Road: Here’s What’s Next

• Beat Bucher: It’s Official.. GP EOL by Sept. 30th, 2029!
• Jen Kuntz: Dynamics GP End of Life announcement
• Ian Grieve: End of Life for Microsoft Dynamics GP Announced
• John Kirsch: Microsoft Dynamics GP End of Life Announced
• Kerry Hataley: Dynamics GP September 25th, 2024 Announcement

Please see other related articles in the Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP section on the Microsoft Dynamics GP Links page on this blog:

• Microsoft Dynamics GP Links

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is that if you want to stay on a supported ERP platform you will need to move off Microsoft Dynamics GP in the next five years. There is no need to rush immediately to change platform, but you need to plan for the future and do your research.

Microsoft is pushing hard to move customers to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. They are offering discounts to sites that maintain their annual enhancement plans. While Business Central is a good product, it might not be the best product for your requirements. You might find that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (F&O) handles your needs better. Or you might find that a non-Microsoft solution is a better fit. Either way you should analyze your requirements based on your current application usage, update them with the wish list of things you want to improve and take that to the market and see what the best match for initial costs, ongoing costs, features and support is.

Another consideration is “The Cloud”. Many of the ERP options on the market today are online based. You will need to decide if you are able to run your accounting system over the internet. Do you have technical, privacy, legal or regulatory reasons that mean you must remain with a system running on premises?

If you really want to stay with Microsoft Dynamics GP there are some hosting partners planning to continue providing GP using the SAAS (Software As A Service) model beyond the end of support dates.

Microsoft will be using the term “Migration” everywhere. Remember that whatever product you end up going with, it will not be a Migration, but a full re-implementation to a new system with a different user interface and probably a different methodology to the way it is used.

Relax, take your time, you have five years, and even longer if you don’t need support from Microsoft.

Please come to Community Summit 2024 in San Antonio, TX, USA to discuss with the rest of the Microsoft Dynamics GP community how to move forward. Use the opportunity to become more self-sufficient supporting your GP system while taking the time to also learn more about Business Central.

Use discount code Winthrop10 for 10% off the registration and visit us at Booth 1425, or at one of the many training courses and presentations we are giving.

• #MySummitNA Winthrop Development Consultants at Community Summit San Antonio 2024

Hope you find this information helpful.

And most importantly, as the great Douglas Adams wrote in large friendly letters on the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

David

26-Sep-2024 – 30-Sep-2024: Updates including community articles section.
14-Oct-2024: Added link for video interview with Amiee Keenan from The ISV Society.
01-Nov-2024: Updated with more community articles.
10-Mar-2025: Updated with more articles.
05-May-2025: Updated with additional articles.

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.