Avoid the Temptation to Take Shortcuts: 5 Tips for a Smooth Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10

by Mariano Gomez, EVP, Middlemarket Solutions, IntellPartners
published January 15, 2009

I have lately been receiving and answering a number of questions, and building very detailed project plans, for upgrading from previous versions to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10. Much has been the buzz throughout user groups, community newsgroups, and various other outlets on the product that customers are almost tempted to skip right over test environments and other preparatory work to the actual upgrade. However, if you have carefully established that the new features will continue to benefit your company operations, improve productivity, and reduce costs, then I have the following tips for a smooth upgrade:

1.       Skip the RTM CDs and download the latest Feature Pack 1 DVD image. Yes, I have found it a lot easier to perform upgrades and new installations from the Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Feature Pack 1 DVD image (now inclusive of Service Pack 3 and available on the CustomerSource and PartnerSource secure sites) than from the RTM CDs. Feature Pack 1 was released in June of 2008 and contains a number of enhancements that may be useful to your business. The most important thing: they are free! Feature Pack 1 also implements fixes to the installation process, such as support for multiple versions of Microsoft .NET Framework present under the operating system.

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Another Tip from experience

On January 20th, 2009 dracme said:

For every hour devoted to testing core GP functionality on the upgraded system spend three on the third party modules. Every system is as good as it's weakest part and understanding that not all third party modules are developed equally you need to make sure that everything is working on the upgraded system. I had major problems with an unnamed 3rd party module.

Upgrading third party products

On January 20th, 2009 mgomezb said:

Thanks for the input and that is certainly a very true statement. As a best practice, before starting the test upgrade, it is always good to check with third party ISVs whether their products are compatible with Dynamics GP 10.0 and/or if they are any known compatibility issues with any other third party products.

Also, if you are going to use third party products, make sure they have a good customer base that you can tap into for references about the ISV and the product itself, before making further implementation plans.

Best regards,

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com