Dynamics NAV On-Premises End of Life: What NAV Users Should Do Next

Many companies still run Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and many of those systems still work well day to day. But every version of NAV is either already out of support or close to it. This article lists Microsoft’s official support dates for each version, explains the risks of staying, and walks through what an upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central involves.

Official Dynamics NAV Support Dates by Version

All NAV versions follow Microsoft’s Fixed Lifecycle Policy: about five years of mainstream support (fixes and regulatory updates), then five years of extended support (security updates only). After extended support ends, Microsoft provides no updates of any kind.

As of November 2026, NAV 2009 through NAV 2016 are fully out of support. NAV 2017’s support ends in January 2027, and NAV 2018, the final NAV release, ends in January 2028.

Business Central on-premises has its own dates. Business Central Spring 2019 (version 14), the last version with the classic C/AL development environment, followed the Fixed Lifecycle Policy and reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Later Business Central on-premises versions follow the Modern Lifecycle Policy, under which each major release is supported for about 18 months, so on-premises customers need to upgrade regularly to stay supported.

Sources: Microsoft Lifecycle pages for NAV 2009, NAV 2009 R2, NAV 2013, NAV 2013 R2, NAV 2015, NAV 2016, NAV 2017, NAV 2018, and Ending Support in 2025.

The Risks of Staying on NAV

• No security updates. Unsupported ERP software holding financial and customer data is a real exposure, and it can affect audits and cyber insurance.
• Aging infrastructure. Older NAV versions depend on old versions of Windows Server and SQL Server that are themselves out of support.
• Harder to find help. Fewer consultants work in C/AL and the classic client every year, and their time costs more.
• Integration problems. Modern banking, tax, EDI, and e-commerce services expect current APIs.
• A bigger jump later. The longer you wait, the more versions, data, and customizations you have to carry forward at once.

Moving to Business Central: Cloud or On-Premises

Business Central is the direct successor to NAV. It uses the same core concepts, including posting groups, dimensions, item ledger entries, and the general ledger, so NAV users adapt quickly.

Business Central online (cloud) is where most companies are going. Microsoft hosts it, updates it twice a year, and handles backups and security. You stop managing servers.

Business Central on-premises is still available for companies with specific hosting or connectivity requirements. You keep control of servers, but you also take on regular upgrades to stay on a supported version.

The Upgrade Path for Customizations and Extensions

This is usually the biggest part of a NAV upgrade.

From C/AL to AL Extensions

NAV customizations were written in C/AL directly inside the base application. Business Central no longer allows that. Customizations must be rebuilt as AL extensions that sit on top of the standard application. This makes future updates far easier, but existing code must be reviewed and converted.

Review Before You Convert

Many NAV customizations were added years ago to fill gaps that Business Central now covers out of the box. A good upgrade starts by sorting each customization into one of three groups:

1. Retire: replaced by standard Business Central features
2. Replace: covered by an AppSource app (for example Avalara for sales tax, Continia for document capture, SPS Commerce for EDI, Lanham or Insight Works for warehouse operations, or LS Central for retail)
3. Rebuild: truly unique processes rebuilt as AL extensions

Data Upgrade

Depending on your NAV version, data is upgraded technically through intermediate versions or moved with Microsoft’s cloud migration tools. Older versions such as NAV 2009 and 2013 often need extra steps.

Cost and Timeline Factors

• Your starting version. NAV 2009 and 2013 require more work than NAV 2017 or 2018.
• Amount of custom code. This is often the largest cost driver.
• Third-party add-ons and whether current versions exist for Business Central
• Integrations such as EDI, e-commerce, payments, and reporting
• Data volume and quality
• Cloud vs. on-premises

A NAV 2017 or 2018 system with modest customization can often be upgraded in three to five months. Older or heavily customized systems commonly take six to twelve months.

Plan Before Your Support Runs Out

If you are on NAV 2016 or older, you are already running unsupported software. If you are on NAV 2017 or 2018, your support ends in 2027 or 2028, and an upgrade started now finishes with time to spare.

DPFE Corp has worked with business software since 1980 and has years of NAV experience as a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner in Southern California. Learn more on our Dynamics NAV to Business Central Upgrade page, or contact us to review your NAV system and upgrade options.

Dynamics GP End of Life: What GP Users Should Do Next

Microsoft has set a firm end date for Dynamics GP. If your company still runs GP, you have time to plan, but not unlimited time. This article explains the official dates, what they mean in practice, your realistic options, and how a move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central typically works.

The Official Dynamics GP End-of-Life Dates

Microsoft announced the end of Dynamics GP in September 2024 and updated the dates in January 2025. According to Microsoft:

• April 1, 2025: No new customers can buy GP perpetual licenses.
• April 1, 2026: No new customers can buy GP subscription licenses.
• December 31, 2029: End of product enhancements, regulatory (tax) updates, and technical support. (This was originally September 30, 2029, and was extended so customers can finish the 2029 payroll and tax year.)
• April 30, 2031: End of security updates. On this date, Service Plan coverage ends, GP subscription licenses can no longer be renewed, and existing GP systems can no longer add perpetual users.

Sources: Microsoft Learn: Dynamics GP lifecycle policies, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog: Announcing End of Support for Dynamics GP, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog: Explore migration options for GP and SL customers.

What End of Life Means for Your Business

GP will not stop working on January 1, 2030. But after that date:

• No more payroll tax updates. If you run US payroll in GP, tax tables and year-end forms stop being updated after 2029.
• No Microsoft technical support. When something breaks, there is no escalation path.
• Shrinking ecosystem. ISV add-ons, consultants, and compatible versions of Windows Server and SQL Server will get harder to find.
• Security risk after April 2031. Running unpatched financial software is a risk for audits, cyber insurance, and your customers’ data.

The practical deadline is earlier than 2029. ERP projects take months, and the best go-live dates are at a fiscal year start. Waiting until 2029 means competing with thousands of other GP customers for experienced consultants.

Your Options

Stay on GP for Now

You can keep running GP through 2029 and stay current on updates. This is reasonable for a short period, but it only delays the decision. Microsoft has said staying current on GP enhancements helps you qualify for available discounts when moving to Business Central.

Move to Dynamics 365 Business Central

Business Central is Microsoft’s direct successor for small and mid-sized GP customers and the path Microsoft is encouraging. It is where Microsoft is investing in features, security, and AI capabilities.

Why Business Central Is the Natural Path

• Familiar concepts. General ledger, payables, receivables, inventory, purchasing, and sales work in ways GP users recognize.
• Built-in migration tools. Microsoft provides a cloud migration tool that moves GP master data, open transactions, and historical data into Business Central.
• Microsoft 365 integration. Business Central works directly with Outlook, Excel, and Teams.
• No more upgrade projects. Business Central online updates automatically twice a year.
• Cloud or on-premises. Most GP customers move to the cloud, but on-premises deployment is still available.
• An ecosystem of apps. Sales tax (Avalara), AP automation (Continia), EDI (SPS Commerce), and payments (Versapay/ChargeLogic) are available as apps.

How a GP to Business Central Migration Works

1. Assessment

Review your GP modules, third-party add-ons, customizations, reports, and integrations. Decide what moves, what gets replaced by standard Business Central features, and what you can retire.

2. Design and Setup

Map your chart of accounts, dimensions (GP’s account segments often become Business Central dimensions), posting setup, and inventory costing. This is a good time to clean up structures that have built up over decades.

3. Data Migration

Using Microsoft’s migration tool, move customers, vendors, items, open documents, and the balances you need. Many companies bring summarized GL history and keep GP available read-only for detailed lookups.

4. Testing and Training

Run test periods in a sandbox, reconcile balances against GP, and train users on the processes they use daily.

5. Go-Live and Support

Cut over, usually at a month or year start, then support users closely through the first period close.

Cost and Timeline Factors

Every project is different, but these factors drive cost and schedule:

• Number of users and companies in GP
• Modules in use, especially payroll, manufacturing, and project accounting
• Third-party add-ons that need a Business Central equivalent
• Customizations and integrations, such as EDI, e-commerce, and banking
• How much history you need to migrate
• Data quality in your GP system

A straightforward financials and distribution migration for a small company often takes three to six months. Larger or more complex environments can take six to twelve months. Licensing moves from GP’s model to Business Central per-user subscriptions, and Microsoft has offered migration incentives for GP customers.

Start Planning Now

The companies that move smoothly are the ones that start early: an assessment this year, a chosen go-live date, and a project that doesn’t have to compete with the 2029 rush.

DPFE Corp has worked with business software since 1980 and is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner based in Southern California. Learn more on our Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration page, or contact us to talk through your GP system and timeline.

How to Switch Business Central Partners (Without Disrupting Your Business)

Many companies assume they are stuck with the partner that implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. You are not. Your licenses, your data, and your system belong to you, and changing partners is a routine process that Microsoft supports. Done carefully, your users will barely notice the change, except that support tickets start getting answered.

This guide covers when it makes sense to switch, how the transfer works, what to prepare, and how long it usually takes.

Signs It’s Time to Switch Partners

Every partner relationship has rough patches. These are the signs that the problem is structural rather than temporary:

• Slow or no response to support requests. Tickets sit for days, or you only hear back when you escalate.
• Turnover on your account. Every call is with someone new who doesn’t know your setup.
• Problems that never get fixed. Inventory costing, posting groups, or reports have been “almost right” since go-live.
• Customizations nobody can explain. You have code in your system, but no documentation and no one who will own it.
• Upgrades keep slipping. Business Central updates twice a year. If your partner is behind on keeping your extensions compatible, you are carrying risk.
• Invoices you don’t understand. Hours are billed without clear detail about what was done.
• They don’t know your industry. Distribution, manufacturing, retail, and EDI-heavy businesses need a partner who has seen those processes before.

If two or three of these sound familiar, it is worth talking to another partner.

How a Business Central Partner Transfer Works

1. Licensing and the CSP Transfer

Most Business Central online customers buy licenses through Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. Changing your partner of record is done in the Microsoft 365 admin center: the new partner sends a reseller relationship request, a global admin at your company accepts it, and your subscriptions move to the new partner at renewal or through a transfer. Your users, data, and environments stay exactly where they are. Nothing is reinstalled.

If you run Business Central on-premises, the new partner is assigned to your license and service plan through Microsoft, and your license file stays the same.

2. Admin Access

Your new partner needs delegated admin access (GDAP) to your tenant to manage environments, apply updates, and open tickets with Microsoft. You approve this in the admin center and choose which roles they get. At the same time, you should review and remove access for the previous partner once the handoff is complete. You stay in control of who can get into your system.

3. Documentation

Ask your current partner for whatever documentation exists: design documents, setup notes, integration details, and a list of open issues. Many partners provide this willingly. If documentation is thin, a new partner can rebuild it by reviewing your configuration directly.

4. Extensions and Customizations

This is the area that needs the most care:

• AppSource apps (for example, Avalara, Continia, or SPS Commerce) are licensed to your tenant, so they continue working. Your new partner may need to be registered with the publisher to support them.
• Per-tenant extensions (custom code built for you) should come with their source code. Your agreement usually gives you rights to it. Request the source repository, not just the compiled app file.
• Integrations such as EDI, e-commerce, payment processing, and banking should be inventoried, with credentials and endpoints documented.

A good new partner will review the code and flag anything fragile before your next major update.

What to Prepare Before You Switch

• A list of your Business Central environments (production, sandbox) and your admin contacts
• Your current license count and renewal date
• A list of installed apps and extensions
• Copies of your contract and statement of work with the current partner
• A short list of your top open issues and pain points
• Contact information for any ISVs or integration vendors

You don’t need everything to be perfect before starting. The new partner can help fill in gaps.

A Typical Timeline

For most small and mid-sized companies, a partner switch takes two to six weeks:

• Week 1: Introductory call, review of your pain points, and agreement on scope
• Weeks 1 to 2: Partner-of-record request, admin access approval, documentation and source code requested
• Weeks 2 to 4: System review of setup, extensions, integrations, and open issues
• Weeks 4 to 6: Support takes over fully, and a prioritized plan addresses the biggest problems

Day-to-day work in Business Central continues normally throughout. There is no downtime involved in changing partners.

The Secondary Partner Option

Not every company wants to cut ties completely. Some keep their existing partner for licensing or a specific area and bring in a second partner for help where they are struggling, such as inventory, accounting setup, EDI, or development. Business Central supports more than one partner with delegated access, each with only the roles you approve.

This can be a low-risk way to see how a new partner works before making a full move.

How DPFE Can Help

DPFE Corp has worked with business software since 1980 and is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner based in Southern California. We regularly take over Business Central customers from other partners, and we also work alongside existing partners as a secondary partner. Our partner network includes Avalara, Continia, Insight Works, Lanham, LS Retail, SPS Commerce, and Versapay/ChargeLogic, so the apps you already rely on are covered.

Learn more on our Switch Your Business Central Partner page, or contact us to set up a short introductory call.