The Future for Dynamics GP Users | Plenty of Options for the Path Ahead

Although Microsoft has multiple offerings of ERP software solutions such as Dynamics 365, GP, AX, NAV, and SL, rest assured that the Dynamics GP solution series is not disappearing anytime soon! Here we look at the GP roadmap from Microsoft and the path forward for Dynamics GP users.

This is the latest Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap. As you can see there are future GP ‘Next’ versions to come. These versions promise to bring us ongoing development, additional system enhancements and new features as requested by customers and the community. Intelligent Cloud Insights was added in GP 2018 R2 and Microsoft will continue to make enhancements in that area as well.

I often have clients make comments about various system features that they would like to see added or changed in GP. The main point of this article is to showcase that customer suggestions are definitely taken into consideration in developing future release enhancements for Dynamics GP. You can log in to the Microsoft website to share your ideas, and vote for future ideas that others have entered as a suggestion.

Enter your suggestions for Microsoft Dynamics GP future release enhancements!

Note that you will need to sign in using your Microsoft account to be able to Vote.

What are Intelligent Cloud Insights?

Since I mentioned this above in reference to the roadmap, I will explain further.

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2, you will have the option to access Intelligent Cloud Insights. Essentially you can connect your Dynamics GP to a Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud tenant that you can synchronize data to. This enables cloud scenarios for your Dynamics GP that will then show in the Intelligent Cloud Insights tab with insights from machine learning and other cloud scenarios. There are nominal licensing costs to access the Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud tenant. This will allow you to continue using Dynamics GP, but test out using Dynamics 365 Business Central.

To learn about the features gained in Dynamics 365 Business Central and the benefits of a Cloud ERP, please see our infographic.

The following information about Intelligent Edge – Intelligent Cloud Insights is taken from the Dynamics GP 2018 R2 release notes

With the release of Dynamics GP 2018 R2, you will notice a new tab on your home page: Intelligent Cloud Insights. Essentially, you can connect your Dynamics GP to a Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud tenant that you can synchronize data to. This enables cloud scenarios for your Dynamics GP that will then show in the Intelligent Cloud Insights tab with insights from machine learning and other cloud scenarios.

When you upgrade to GP 2018 R2 with an existing install, the users’ Home Page tab will default as usual, but you will see a new tab called Intelligent Cloud Insights. If you do a new install of Dynamics GP 2018 R2, the Home Page will default to the Intelligent Cloud Insights tab.

For more information, please see this Microsoft FAQ about Connecting to Business Central Online from On-Premises Solutions and see this article that discusses Intelligent Insights with Business Central Online.

The following information is taken from Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud Insights article:

We welcome customers who are running their workloads on Dynamics GP or Dynamics SL into the Business Central fold. This is done through the same Intelligent Edge and Intelligent Cloud scenarios as for Business Central on-premises. Each Dynamics GP or Dynamics SL deployment will have a Business Central cloud tenant you can synchronize their data to. When you use this, we invoke our Intelligent Cloud scenarios of machine learning, such as Power BI, Flow, and others, to drive suggested actions. This can help to further highlight the value of Business Central and, over time while Microsoft continues to support their Dynamics GP or Dynamics SL deployments, you can choose when the time is right for your business to transition to Business Central.

Intelligent Edge – Intelligent Cloud Insights

Modification to Dynamics GP Home Page

When you upgrade to GP 2018 R2 with an existing install and add Intelligent Insights, the Users Home Page tab will default as usual, but you will see a new tab a user can click on called Intelligent Cloud Insights.

If you do a new install of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2 and add Intelligent Insights, the Home Page will default to the Intelligent Cloud Insights tab.

To change back to the default – at the top right choose Customize this page to Customize your home page, click the Default option. Each time you log in to Microsoft Dynamics, GP will remember your Home Page.

Your Future with Encore

Encore is here to support your business. Dynamics GP will be around as a solution for a long time, and Encore will continue to support our GP customers. We have an entire Dynamics GP team available to support you. We recommend scheduling a meeting with your Account Manager to create an ERP roadmap for your organization to plan what the future looks like over the next one, three, and five years.

Check the Encore Blog often, as we will be continually updating GP users on available options and providing education and guidance for the future of your ERP solution. If you have any questions about Dynamics GP or Dynamics 365 Business Central, please connect with us.