How to migrate from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA
To migrate a client from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's GP database, and give superglue access to the client's SAP S/4HANA account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
Microsoft ends support for Dynamics GP on December 31, 2029, so most GP clients plan their move now.
What are the steps to migrate from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA?
Migrating from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Dynamics GP and SAP S/4HANA
Connect the GP company database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing, and the client keeps working in GP until cutover. The client then gives superglue access to SAP S/4HANA.
- 02
Assess the Dynamics GP data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Dynamics GP specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads the SAP S/4HANA quality or test system and compares it with Dynamics GP: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Dynamics GP?
- The client's IT creates a read-only SQL Server login for the GP databases, and the superglue gateway reaches the server on the client's network. GP user logins do not work for this.
- Ask whether history was ever removed with GP's Remove History utilities. Removed history is gone from the database.
- The client keeps working in GP until cutover.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in SAP S/4HANA?
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the client sets up a communication user and the communication arrangements for the APIs superglue uses. On premise, the client activates the OData services for a technical user. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the implementation team sets the organizational structure in Central Business Configuration, and superglue prepares and checks the values. superglue then loads the data through the Migration Cockpit, in the quality or test system first, in this order:
- 01
Group currency, the fiscal year variant and the company codes with their currencies. In the public cloud, the fiscal year variant cannot change after activation.
- 02
The chart of accounts. In the public cloud, every company code uses the standard chart of accounts, so the client's accounts map into it.
- 03
Profit centers, cost centers and segments for reporting.
- 04
Business partner settings, house banks, payment terms and tax codes.
- 05
Business partners and products, then the G/L balances and open items at the migration key date.
What moves from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA?
| In Dynamics GP | In SAP S/4HANA |
|---|---|
| Main account segment | G/L accounts |
| Other account segments | Profit centers, cost centers and segments |
| Customers and customer classes | Business partners in the customer role |
| Projects | Projects |
| Vendors and vendor classes | Business partners in the supplier role |
| Items and item classes | Products |
| Checkbooks | House banks and bank accounts |
Open items
Open receivables and payables documents, unapplied cash and credits, open sales and purchase orders, and inventory per site with its cost layers.
Open items load through the Migration Cockpit as receivables and payables open items at the migration key date, with their original due dates, so the aging in SAP S/4HANA matches on day one.
History
GP keeps unposted transactions in work tables and posted ones in history tables, and receivables, payables and the general ledger also keep open tables. superglue reads all of them, so nothing that moved to history is missed.
History loads as monthly G/L balances for earlier periods through the historical balance migration object, for reporting only, and older detail stays in an archive the client keeps.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA?
- 01
Where do GP account segments go?
GP accounts carry a main segment and segments such as department and division. SAP S/4HANA keeps the G/L account and moves the rest into cost centers and profit centers.
superglue maps the main segment to G/L accounts, departments to cost centers and divisions to profit centers.
- 02
How do GP classes become SAP setup?
SAP S/4HANA finds the receivables and payables accounts through the reconciliation account on each business partner.
superglue maps each GP customer and vendor class to a reconciliation account and a set of defaults on the business partner.
- 03
How many company codes does the client need?
A company code is a legal entity in SAP S/4HANA, with its own currency and books, and it belongs to one country.
superglue recommends one company code for each legal company in Dynamics GP.
- 04
Which migration key date does the client use?
The migration key date sets the posting date for the balances and open items of each company code. Fixed assets have their own transfer date.
superglue recommends the last day of a closed period, so the opening balances match an approved trial balance.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in SAP S/4HANA, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA?
Old reports often show only part of a module
GP keeps unposted, open and fully applied transactions apart, and many client reports read only some of them, so a subledger total rarely matches the general ledger at first. Agree one starting number with the controller. superglue reads all of them and reconciles each module to that number.
Unposted batches hide real invoices and payments
Batches that were entered but never posted are missing from the trial balance, yet they often hold real invoices and payments. Ask the client to post or delete them before each extract. superglue lists them, so nothing goes missing at cutover.
Customer, vendor and item classes set defaults that records override
Customer, vendor and item classes hold default posting accounts, and many records override them. superglue finds the overrides and proposes the defaults for the new system.
Multi-company clients need an intercompany plan
Clients with several companies keep one database for each, with intercompany balances between them. Agree early which companies merge, which become entities, and how the intercompany balances settle. superglue reads every company and matches the intercompany balances.
Rehearse every load in the test system
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, migrated data cannot be deleted or loaded again. Run each load in the quality or test system with a new migration project per cycle, and load production once the reconciliation is signed.
Customers and vendors become one business partner
SAP S/4HANA keeps a company once as a business partner with a customer role, a supplier role or both. Agree with the client how duplicates across the old customer and vendor lists merge, because the address and bank details are kept once.
Every line needs its profit center
SAP S/4HANA keeps G/L, controlling and asset postings in one journal. Document splitting puts a profit center and a segment on each line, and lines on cost accounts also carry a cost center. Agree the profit center and cost center design before balances move, because the migrated balances carry them.
superglue also runs the rest of the SAP S/4HANA project. See the SAP S/4HANA implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in SAP S/4HANA.
Does superglue write to SAP S/4HANA without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics GP. Before any write to SAP S/4HANA, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Dynamics GP: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Dynamics GP to SAP S/4HANA migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.