Hello again, GP friends! 👋

Welcome back to the 2026 upgrade blog series! Today we are getting into the part everyone thinks about when they hear the word upgrade: the database upgrade itself. This is where GP Utilities takes your DYNAMICS/system database and your company databases and brings them forward to the October 2026 release.

Good news right up front. The upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics GP is the same upgrade process that we have had in prior versions, in that the database upgrade takes place through Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities. The upgrade manual outlines the step-by-step process, and this post walks through the basics plus what is happening behind the curtain in those upgrade tables. Understanding that part is what turns a scary upgrade into a predictable one.

Before you dive in, I would also recommend looking through the ‘System Requirements for Microsoft Dynamics GP’ page and the ‘Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP’ hot topic page for the version of Microsoft Dynamics GP you are planning to upgrade to, as these will also be updated with the Dynamics GP information. 

For example, if upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018/18.#, any build, reference the following:

System Requirements for Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs

 >>Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018/R2 Product Download page / Dynamics GP 2018/18.# DVD:

Product Release Downloads for Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs

>>Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP hot topic:

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs

>>Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 Upgrade Instructions guide:

Upgrade checklist - Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs

🧱 Database Upgrade — The Basics!

Test first. Always. No exceptions. It is HIGHLY recommended to set up a test environment so you can run a test upgrade of Dynamics GP first. This way, you can verify that there is no issue with the Microsoft SQL Server version you are launching GP Utilities against, there is not any product version errors with the upgrade path that you are attempting to run, and you will also know what, if any, errors you will run into during the upgrade process, what it will take to fix them, and how long the total upgrade process will take, so you can better plan on the downtime users will be out of the Dynamics GP application during the live upgrade.

Here is the rest of the checklist.

1. Do your homework on known issues and upgrade paths

Review the upgrade manual and hot topic for the latest known issues and pre-upgrade steps and scripts. The Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP hot topics will also tell you what build of Microsoft Dynamics GP you must be upgrading to, based on what build you are coming from, and whether your current build is high enough to be able to upgrade directly to Dynamics GP.

2. Watch out for those forgotten features ⚠️

This one is a classic. A frequent support case issue we see is when additional features have been installed for prior versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP but then those features were never installed nor updated on more recent releases. The customer plans to use that product again, but after installing it and launching GP Utilities, you get an error message stating ‘problem ascertaining version information’ and referring to a duinstall.log file, which states that a product is at too low a version/build to be upgraded to the new version.

Along with the hot topics for ‘Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP ####’, which state the required version/build of the application you must be on and upgrading to, you can also use scripts like this to check for ‘old’ features that may have been installed previously:

--If coming from Dynamics GP 2010:

Select * from DYNAMICS..DB_Upgrade where db_verMajor <> 11

--If coming from Dynamics GP 2013:

Select * from DYNAMICS..DB_Upgrade where db_verMajor <> 12

--If coming from Dynamics GP 2015:

Select * from DYNAMICS..DB_Upgrade where db_verMajor <> 14

--If coming from Dynamics GP 2016:

Select * from DYNAMICS..DB_Upgrade where db_verMajor <> 16

--If coming from Dynamics GP 2018/18.x:

Select * from DYNAMICS..DB_Upgrade where db_verMajor <> 18

If any records are returned by these scripts, you will want to look at the PRODID value and compare that to the Dynamics.set file of your current Microsoft Dynamics GP install, to see if it is a product you are currently using, or a product that you plan to use on the new release, in order to verify it is at a required version/build to be able to upgrade. We also have a blog for this type of version error: "Problem Ascertaining Version Information" error when installing or upgrading Microsoft Dynamics GP.

3. Back up everything, then back it up again 💾

Back up your existing DYNAMICS or system database for Microsoft Dynamics GP, as well as all company databases, any modified forms and/or reports dictionary files at a minimum.

It is also recommended to export all modified forms and modified reports, along with VBA objects showing in the Customization Maintenance window (Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Customize > Customization Maintenance) into a package file. This way, if there is an issue with upgrading the forms or reports dictionary files to the new version, the package file can be used to generate those dictionary files at the upgraded version. Future You will be so glad you did this. 🙌

4. Gather your installs

Obtain all the Microsoft Dynamics GP product download DVD and patch files that you will need for the new version. Obtain all the code and installs for any third-party or integrating products being used with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

5. Install the new version, with all your features

Install Microsoft Dynamics GP at the new version/build you plan to upgrade to, including all features that you currently have installed on your current Microsoft Dynamics GP environment, as well as any new features you plan to use at the new version.

6. Run GP Utilities ▶️

Launch Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities for the new version, and after the version check of the Microsoft SQL Server instance and the GP products themselves, it will detect that you have databases that need to be upgraded. Click Next through the wizard to first upgrade your DYNAMICS/system database and then your company databases after that completes.

When the Additional Tasks window appears, the database upgrade should be completed and successful. 🎉 If the Upgrade Company window returns your company database(s) with a Red X, troubleshooting must take place, as it normally means there was an issue with the upgrade of that database.

7. Upgrade your modified dictionaries

Upgrade any modified forms and/or modified reports dictionary files that you have, if any. The Modified Dictionary Upgrade blog is being released Sept. 16th, so look for that to find additional information on this process.

8. Log in and verify

Lastly, log in to your new Microsoft Dynamics GP version as 'sa' and verify that you can log in to the company database(s) without any issues or errors. You will also want to add any new registration keys in the Registration window (Administration > Setup > System > Registration) if you are coming from a prior version of Microsoft Dynamics GP to a new major version.

NOTE: Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 registration keys will work with Microsoft Dynamics 18.#. You also do not need to change registration keys if you are just upgrading to a service pack or hotfix for Microsoft Dynamics GP, which only changes the build number and not the actual version you are on.

🔍 Under the Hood: The Database Upgrade Tables

Want to know what GP Utilities is actually doing while that progress bar crawls along? These four tables tell the whole story, and knowing them makes troubleshooting so much easier.

➡️ DU000010

The DU000010 table in the DYNAMICS/system database is the 'Utilities Update Files' table, meaning it contains a list of tables that Utilities uses to determine which tables must be upgraded between the version/build of Microsoft Dynamics GP that you are currently on and the version/build that you are upgrading to. This table is populated via an .out file that is in the Microsoft Dynamics GP code directory you are launching Utilities from. Not every table gets upgraded with each service pack or hotfix released, and this table helps Utilities determine just that. GP Utilities uses the current and new version/build information in the DB_Upgrade system table to determine which tables require an upgrade and those that do not.

➡️ DB_Upgrade

The DB_Upgrade table is also held in the DYNAMICS/system database and is the first table looked at when you launch Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities. This is the main version table reviewed during the version check process discussed in the previous blog. Once the upgrade begins, Utilities will change the db_verMajor, db_verMinor and db_verBuild columns to the new version/build values that you are upgrading to. Not all features/modules in this table have the same version/build numbers, nor do all features/modules get upgraded for each major upgrade, service pack or hotfix, so you may see different results for each of these.

The db_status column will also change as the upgrade of the database progresses, beginning at 0 (zero) and moving up at each step. For example, 23 indicates the tables conversion process is taking place, and 53 is the Load Stored Procedures process, with 54 being the 'wrapping up' step right before the upgrade process completes and changes the db_status back to 0 (zero).

Once the database is upgraded successfully, the db_verOldMajor, db_verOldMinor and db_verOldBuild column values will be set to match those of the db_verMajor, db_verMinor and db_verBuild columns for each feature/module record, then it updates the DU000020 table.

➡️ DU000020

The DU000020 table is another table that holds the version information for each feature/module per database that is installed. The versions in the DU000020 table will remain at the previous release until all tables in the database have upgraded successfully and the DB_Upgrade table is showing the same version/build for both versions and the db_status is 0 (zero) again.

Here is a distinction worth committing to memory: when a user launches into Microsoft Dynamics GP, it is the DU000020 table information that is looked at for the DYNAMICS/system database and all company databases. This is different from Dynamics GP Utilities, which looks at the DB_Upgrade table instead.

Note: If the upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics GP has completed on all databases, but GP Utilities does not go back to the 'Additional Tasks' window and instead shows an 'Upgrade These Companies?' window with the company databases listed with green check-marks next to them, it usually means there is something in the DB_Upgrade table that Utilities sees that it does not know how to handle. This could be a version from a prior install that is too old to upgrade and is not installed, or something like that.

🔒 duLCK

The duLCK table is used by Utilities to put a lock on a database while it is being upgraded or used in the upgrade process. This prevents users from logging onto the database during the upgrade process and/or making any changes to it. Once Utilities has completed the upgrade of the database, it will remove the record, thus releasing the lock on the database.

If Utilities is shut down or closed improperly, for example if the machine reboots or Utilities is killed through Task Manager, this record may remain in the duLCK table. When you re-launch Utilities, there will be a 'padlock' symbol next to the database symbolizing that the database is locked, and you will need to close Utilities, remove this record, and then re-launch Utilities again before continuing with the upgrade of this database.

➡️ DU000030

Lastly is the DU000030 table, or Utilities Fail List table. When Utilities starts upgrading the tables within each database, it looks at the DU000010 (as mentioned above) to see what tables need upgrading. For every table that GP Utilities attempts to upgrade, whether successful or not, a record is inserted into the DU000030 table with a status for the upgrade. The 'Status' column shows which tables failed to upgrade and which were successful. Some common Status values for this table are:

⭐ Do not skip this one! The DU000030 table, for this reason, should always be empty before you launch Utilities for the first time on an upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics GP, whether it be a major version upgrade, service pack, hotfix, or any other update that changes the database version information. Before launching Utilities to upgrade the DYNAMICS/system database, make sure this table is empty, otherwise it can potentially cause errors with the upgrade by skipping tables during the upgrade process.

You can empty the DU000030 table by running this script before you launch Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities for the first time to begin the upgrade of the GP databases:

Delete DYNAMICS..DU000030

NOTE: The Microsoft Dynamics GP - Upgrade Troubleshooting blog, being released Sept. 17th, will discuss in more detail how to troubleshoot errors during an upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

🖥️ Server vs. Client/Workstation: Where Should You Upgrade?

Great question, and the answer is refreshingly flexible. You can launch Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities from the server or from a workstation, so because of this, you are not required to install Microsoft Dynamics GP on the SQL Server. The upgrade can be launched from a server or client workstation installation. The only difference may be a slight slowdown as Utilities communicates with SQL Server back and forth between the two machines, but this does not add much, if any, overhead.

🏢 Upgrading All Companies at Once vs. a Few at a Time

Upgrading all company databases at the same time is recommended, but does not make much difference as far as Utilities is concerned, as it will upgrade each database in the same manner regardless.

If you choose to upgrade all company databases at the same time, which is the default, Utilities will run through all company databases' upgrade process one after the other, and will not stop until either all company databases have been upgraded successfully, or an error occurs on one of the databases that requires troubleshooting to move forward.

If you choose to upgrade one or specific company database(s) at a time, Utilities will upgrade those company database(s), and once it completes, it will go back to the 'Additional Tasks' window in Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities. You will need to close Utilities and re-launch it in order to select other remaining company database(s) to upgrade next, or it will show an error message if one should be found.

🌍 Using a U.S. Install Alongside Another Region or Localization

You may be using both a 'U.S.' install of Microsoft Dynamics GP as well as another install of Microsoft Dynamics GP with a different region/country selected, such as 'UK/Ireland'. We frequently see this done because with different regions selected comes different additional products you can install with Microsoft Dynamics GP. For example, we do not have the option to install 'Canadian Payroll' on a 'U.S.' install of Microsoft Dynamics GP, but we do have that feature available on a 'Canada' install of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

When we see a multi-country environment where we have more than one install of Microsoft Dynamics GP installed, each with a different region/country selected, the recommendation is to run GP Utilities from either the 'U.S.' or other country/region install first and update those modules, then you will also need to run GP Utilities for any additional instances in order to update any country/region specific modules, until all modules and features are upgraded accordingly.

🎯 Wrapping Up

That is the database upgrade, start to finish! Take it one step at a time, test first, keep those backups current, and remember: when something goes sideways, those four tables (DU000010, DB_Upgrade, DU000020 and DU000030) will usually tell you exactly where things stopped.

Continue to check back with our Microsoft Dynamics GP 2026 Upgrade Blog Series Schedule to learn more about the upgrade! Hopefully the upgrade blogs in this series will again help give you the information you need, as well as any needed troubleshooting steps, to have a stress-free upgrade implementation with Microsoft Dynamics GP, whether you are a seasoned veteran or a rookie new to the upgrade process! 🚀

Happy upgrading!

Angela Eckman