Why Great Plains Customers Need to Start Planning Their ERP Migration in 2026
Microsoft has officially announced the end of support for Dynamics GP (Great Plains), setting a firm deadline for organizations to move to modern ERP platforms. While 2029 might sound distant, the reality is that 2026 is the pivotal year for Great Plains customers to start their migration planning.
Many early planners have already completed their transitions. For organizations still on GP, the time to begin is now—not later. Starting your planning today helps avoid rushed decisions, minimize operational risk, and secure valuable implementation slots before capacity tightens.
Learn how to migrate from Microsoft Great Plains to Sparkrock.
Microsoft’s Updated Timeline: The Countdown to 2029
Microsoft recently confirmed that support and updates for Dynamics GP will end on December 31, 2029—a modest three-month extension from the original September 2029 deadline. This change offers very little additional wiggle room, underscoring the importance of having a clear migration plan well before end of support.
However, this extension does not change the long-term roadmap: GP is being retired.
For nonprofits and public sector organizations, this means:
- No new features, bug fixes, or tax table updates after 2029
- Rising maintenance costs as fewer partners support GP
- Growing security and compliance risks without updates
Once security patches stop being released, any new vulnerabilities discovered won’t be fixed. Unsupported systems become easy targets for cyberattacks, and outdated infrastructure can quickly fall out of compliance with evolving data protection and financial reporting standards.
GP may continue to “work” after support ends, but maintaining an unsupported system will become increasingly expensive and risky.
Read Microsoft’s official announcement here.
Why Organizations Underestimate ERP Implementation Timelines
In conversations with Great Plains customers, a common theme emerges: many believe they have plenty of time to plan their migration. On the surface, 2029 feels far away. But ERP transitions are complex, and the timeline isn’t arbitrary — it reflects the real work involved in planning, selecting, and implementing a system that touches every part of your organization.
Most migrations take 12–24 months from initial planning to go-live. Here’s how that typically breaks down:
- 3–6 months for internal planning and requirements gathering
This stage involves documenting your current business processes, identifying pain points, gathering input from finance, HR, IT, and other stakeholders, and defining what your next ERP must deliver. If your organization decides to issue a formal RFP, this stage can take longer because of the additional preparation required. Even if you don’t go the RFP route, investing time up front is crucial. Skipping or rushing this step often leads to poor system fit and costly changes down the road.
- 3–6 months for vendor evaluation and selection
Choosing the right ERP involves more than a quick demo. Organizations typically conduct multiple demos, evaluate RFP responses (if applicable), score proposals, check references, and negotiate contracts. For nonprofits and public sector organizations, procurement processes can extend this stage, sometimes spanning fiscal years to align with governance and budgeting cycles.
- 6–12+ months for implementation
After selection, implementation involves system configuration, data migration, integrations, testing, training, and change management. The timeline depends on the size and complexity of your organization, how many modules you’re rolling out, and your team’s capacity to support the project. For organizations with legacy customizations or complex reporting needs, this phase often approaches or exceeds a year.
While some projects can stretch beyond these estimates, the more pressing issue isn’t just individual project length — it’s the industry-wide capacity crunch that’s coming as the 2029 deadline approaches. Thousands of organizations will be looking to migrate at roughly the same time, and partner availability will tighten.
That’s why 2026 is such a critical year: starting now gives you the space to plan properly, evaluate options thoroughly, and secure an implementation partner before the rush.
The Coming Capacity Crunch: Why 2026 Matters
Over 14,000 organizations are currently using Microsoft Great Plains, according to Enlyft. That’s a huge number of teams that will all be looking to migrate off the platform over the next few years — and most will be doing it around the same time.
As this wave builds, implementation partners will be fully booked starting in 2027, as late adopters rush to meet the deadline. Even if your organization selects a new ERP in late 2026 or early 2027, you may face months of waiting before implementation can even begin. Vendors may simply not have the bandwidth to take on new projects immediately.
The risk? You could be forced to run an unsupported, unstable ERP system for months or even a year while waiting for partner availability — exposing your organization to operational, security, and compliance challenges.
To avoid this, the selection process should begin in 2026, with implementation ideally starting by early 2027.
Real-World Example: Early Planning Pays Off
Early preparation isn’t just about beating the rush; it’s about making smarter decisions.
Take Ikram, CFO at the National Arts Centre, for example. Her team started preparing a year before issuing their RFP, documenting requirements and gathering questions in advance. When it came time for vendor demos, they were ready to evaluate solutions strategically.
“Because we prepared for a year before procurement, when it came time for demos, we weren’t starting from scratch. We already knew our requirements. We sent vendors our questions ahead of time, so they came prepared.”
— Ikram, CFO, National Arts Centre
This level of preparation streamlined the evaluation process and ensured her team selected the right platform the first time.
Read The National Arts Centre’s success story here.
The Value of Migrating Sooner
1. Avoid Rushed Decisions and Costly Missteps
When timelines tighten, organizations often rush through evaluation and end up selecting systems that don’t truly meet their needs. Starting in 2026 gives you time to document requirements, compare vendors thoughtfully, and plan a smooth implementation.
Get a head start on planning by reading our “How to Evaluate an ERP Vendor” guide.
2. Unlock Efficiency and ROI Now — Not Later
Every month spent on Great Plains is another month maintaining legacy infrastructure. Cloud ERP eliminates server costs, manual updates, and patching. Moving earlier means you start compounding ROI from automation, reporting, and integrated workflows sooner.
See how Action Group and District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board saw return on investment once moving to Sparkrock.
3. Strengthen Security and Compliance
Cybersecurity standards are evolving rapidly. By migrating before the last-minute surge, you’ll benefit from Microsoft’s continuously updated cloud security, encryption, and compliance certifications — the same infrastructure trusted by governments and global enterprises.
Choosing the Right Platform: GP vs Dynamics vs Sparkrock
When considering migration options, many organizations naturally look at Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as the next step. It’s modern and cloud-based, but it’s designed primarily for commercial businesses.
Sparkrock is built on Business Central — but extends it with public sector and nonprofit functionality that Great Plains users depend on. The result is a platform that combines Microsoft’s trusted foundation with the sector-specific tools your organization actually needs.
Feature Comparison
| Feature / Functionality | Great Plains (GP) | Dynamics 365 Business Central | Sparkrock |
| Advanced Fixed Assets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fund Accounting Module | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| No Manual Fund Balancing | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Project & Grant Accounting | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Contract Management | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Secure Self-Service Reporting | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Document Storage Solution | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Requisition Management (Purchase, Payment, Inventory) | ❌ | ✅ (basic) | ✅ (sector-tailored) |
| Expense Claim Module (incl. Corporate Credit Cards) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Budget Checking with Advanced Approval Rules | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Commitments & Encumbrances | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Vendor T4A | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
✅ = Available | ❌ = Not Available
Why This Matters
Many Great Plains customers rely on fund accounting, project and grant tracking, encumbrance management, and budget controls — features that aren’t included in Business Central out of the box. Adding these through customizations can be costly, complex, and time-consuming.
Sparkrock delivers these capabilities natively, giving your organization the functionality it needs to operate efficiently and remain compliant, without expensive workarounds.
For Additional Context: GP vs Business Central
If you’d like a high-level overview of how Great Plains compares to Business Central, this short video from Endeavour Solutions walks through some of the core differences: Watch the GP vs Business Central Video
While Business Central offers a modern cloud foundation, Sparkrock builds on that base to provide the sector-specific functionality that public sector and nonprofit organizations need to thrive.
Start Your Migration Planning
The clock is ticking toward 2029 — and 2026 is the year to get started. Starting your selection process no gives your team the time, resources, and clarity needed to choose the right ERP solution and secure an implementation slot before the rush.
Learn more about migrating from Great Plains to Sparkrock
Book a migration consultation with our experts
Closing Thoughts
The end of support for Microsoft Great Plains is a major turning point. While the deadline is still a few years away, the real work starts in 2026.
Organizations that act now will avoid the rush, reduce risk, and position themselves for long-term success on a modern, secure, cloud-based ERP platform.