Dynamics GP October 2021 Release

As per the commitment to the Modern Lifecycle Policy, version 18.4 of Dynamics GP was released on October 1, 2021. Every year the October update includes new capabilities and hotfixes.

GP2018 and GP2018R2 are the last versions still governed by the Fixed Lifecycle with mainstream support being provided until January 10, 2023.

New Features in the October 2021 Release (18.4)

You will find some great new features around Finance, Distribution, Systems/Workflow, and Human Resources/US Payroll.

How many of us have asked the question “why can’t I set a sort option and save it?” In this latest release, when users go into the Inquiry window – you can save your sort options! Many of you are saying “finally” and I am one of them.

Another new feature that gets me excited is the Auto Post workflow feature. For General Ledger, Payables and Receivables Management, once a batch is approved by the final approver, you can have it automatically post.

The following list is from Terry Heley’s blog article, Microsoft Dynamics GP October 2021 – Feature Blog Series Schedule!, where there is a blog series schedule through to the beginning of November to highlight each of the new features listed below.

Financials:

• Scroll Through Account Segments
• Default Inquiry Sort Options (Receivables, Payables, Bank Reconciliation)
• Payables 1099 Default to Single Feed
• Payables 1096 form print email address
• Update Account Descriptions using Mass Modify
• Summary Post Accounts Receivables Cash Receipt through Bank Reconciliation

Distribution:

• Sales Order Processing GOTO
• Save Filter Settings for All-In-One
• Project code Modifier (Project and Contract Number also Project, Contract and Cost Category ID)

Systems/Workflow:

• Workflow Automation for Workflow Batches (GL, AR, PM)
• Workflow Approver Count
• Workflow Carbon Copy delete option

Human Resource and Payroll:

• Payroll Transaction entry Defaults saved in batch
• Excel Copy and Paste Payroll Transactions
• Mask Employee Social Security Number on W2
• Safepay File pull name of employee from check

For more detailed documents about Dynamics GP version 18.4, please see the “Microsoft Dynamics GP Detailed Documentation” link in this blog.

Make sure to check out the Dynamics GP Community blog where you can take a deeper dive into new features, see what is being planned for next year, and you can also have your say by voting for more of the features you are looking for.

Quality Fixes

There are also some specific quality fixes in the Dynamics GP October 2021 release. Items have been fixed in the following areas: analysis cubes, distribution, financials, fixed assets, payroll and human resources, system/install/upgrade, workflow, and MFA. For more detailed information about the fixes, please see this PDF from Microsoft that was linked in Terry Heley’s blog article.

Modern Lifecycle Policy

The Modern Lifecycle Policy helps Dynamics GP customers stay current by taking at least one of the three Dynamics GP updates released each year. As per the table below, updates are released in June, October, and December each year with releases including bug fixes, new features, and latest tax updates.

A reminder that the Modern Lifecycle commits to the following releases each year:

Milestone	Example date	Description
June update	June 1	Tax updates, regulatory updates, hotfixes
October update	October 1	New capabilities, hotfixes
December update	December 1	Tax updates, regulatory updates, hotfixes

Table adapted from Understanding the Lifecycle Policies for Dynamics GP.

Clients who move into the Modern Lifecycle need to be aware that the only supported upgrade path to the current release is from the release one year back. These yearly releases are all inclusive meaning that if you are a payroll customer, your year-end update will bring you to the current version of GP.

If you are not a payroll customer, you should be planning an annual update or alternatively acknowledging that in order to bring you current, you will need multiple hops to get you to the latest version.

More information about the lifecycle policy can be found in Microsoft’s Software lifecycle policy – Dynamics GP and in Encore’s blog article The New Modern Lifecycle Policy for Dynamics GP.

Please connect with us if you have any questions about Dynamics GP.