Microsoft Dynamics GP and Year-End Update - Version Checks & Upgrades

Hello everyone! Today we will review how the upgrade process for Dynamics GP works and how to troubleshoot issues.

Each time you launch Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities, it runs a version check. This is how GP Utilities determines that you have applied a service pack/hotfix/compliance update or new version of Microsoft Dynamics GP, and that the databases need to be upgraded.  Utilities will use the Dynutils.set file to see which products you have installed and where the various DU*.DIC files are located.  It then compares the versions listed in the DYNAMICS database with the dictionary versions to make sure that they match.  From there, it also checks several different tables for each module in the company databases to make sure the versions match.

If the versions of the dictionaries do not match the versions found in the databases, Utilities assumes that an upgrade needs to occur.  It verifies that you are on a supported upgrade path and then kicks off the upgrade.  If Utilities finds any problems during this process, it will throw the following version check error:

“There was a problem ascertaining product version information.  Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities will now exit.  Please check the duinstall.log file for more information.”

You will find the duinstall.log file in the \Data folder of your GP code folder.  This is typically found at C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP2018\Data (C:\Program Files on 32-bit operating systems).  You can find various errors in the log, which will give you a good indication of why you are running into a problem.  Some examples are:

Error:  Product 0 does not support upgrading from version 12.0.####
Error: You are attempting to configure an older version of product 0.  Database 14.0.#### Code 12.0.####

The duinstall.log will repeat errors like those above, for each product ID in each company it is checking against. You could also have several similar errors at the end of the duinstall.log file.  The following are some of the most common reasons you will run into these errors and the steps you can take to resolve them:

Old Company Data

If you have data from an old company in the DYNAMICS database, you may run into errors when attempting to upgrade.  This problem will usually manifest itself as a list of errors in the duinstall.log file showing old versions of modules you use.  You can download the Clear Companies.sql script from the following link to remove the old company data.  If you have not already previously ran this script, it should be your first step in troubleshooting the errors. (Note – This script will remove data for any companies that exist in the DYNAMICS database, but do not have a corresponding company database in SQL). **Make a backup of the DYNAMICS database prior to running the script.**

Clear Companies.sql

Unsupported Upgrade Path

One of the most common problems is that you are simply not upgrading along a supported upgrade path.  We will have every supported upgrade path for Microsoft Dynamics GP listed at the following site: Dynamics GP Upgrade Hot Topic (Coming Soon)

You should already be very familiar with this site if you are performing an upgrade, since we list all of the known upgrade problems that you may run into.  Make sure that you are taking note of the version listed in both the ‘Updating From’ column as well as the ‘Patch Requirement…’ column. 

The far right “Notes” column in the Upgrade Paths table at the above Upgrade Hot Topic site also contains links to each GP versions respective KB download page, so that you can upgrade your existing build as needed.

Specific Product\Module Version Issue

Error:  Product 309 does not support upgrading from version ##.#.####
In a hypothetical upgrade attempt, consider that you are getting an error in the duinstall.log file indicating that Product 309 does not support upgrading from its current version.  It can be any product or even multiple product ID’s, but we’re using 309 for this example.  You look in the Dynamics.set file and find that Product 309 is Fixed Assets.  The main question here is whether or not this module is actually used in this GP environment.  If it is not a module that is being used, then you should uninstall it using ‘Control Panel’ > ‘Programs and Features’ (add\remove programs) so that it is removed from the .set files.  Then you can launch Utilities again and it shouldn’t attempt to upgrade that product.

If it is a module that you are using or you would like to begin using, then you will need to open a support case. 

If you are still running into problems after checking on the above common problems, you can also open a support case.

Continue to monitor our Microsoft Dynamics Upgrade Blog Series Schedule to learn more about the Microsoft Dynamics GP Upgrade!