Dynamics GP 18.5 Upgrade Planning - Let's Get Started

Hello GP Community!

We have another release coming up, and another blog series to highlight the release. This post is going to cover the planning phase of your upgrade. 

First, as always, make sure you factor a test upgrade into your process. Part of a test upgrade is to ensure that the databases themselves will upgrade successfully, but the other often overlooked part of the test upgrade is the application testing itself. If you have 3rd parties or customizations, these all need to be tested on the new version to ensure they continue to work as before. The other thing that you'll want to test is your integrations, whether they be eConnect, Integration Manager, or some other tool. Integrations aren't guaranteed to upgrade successfully, and part of the upgrade process, especially with Integration Manager, so you may need to rebuild some of these integrations. 

Be aware of our Upgrade Hot Topic page. This will be your one-step destination for upgrade path information and known issues specific to your upgrade path. Any internal issues we find get posted here, so keep checking back before upgrading each time to ensure you are up-to-date on the process.

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs

As you're moving forward, be aware of environmental changes that will occur at the same time as the GP upgrade. Changes to Active Directory, SQL, virtual/physical, and datacenter location can all change how GP processes will run or complete. Performance can be a new issue, even if the infrastructure changes are all 'upgrades'. Major changes should be treated as a 'new' environment when determining the cause. Just because something was working on a previous deployment isn't necessarily a guarantee that it will behave the same on a new environment. The Performance White Paper is updated as information becomes available to us, the most recent version can be found at the following link.

Optimizing and Maintaining Performance for Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs 

Reminder: The HRMSS suite was removed from the GPDVD in March, so if you’re performing a new install from the GP18.5 DVD this product will not be included. But if you are updating an existing client with a patch/msp, then it will still be available.

This is noted in the following blog post and on the Upgrade Hot Topic page above.

Microsoft Dynamics GP March 2022 Hotfix Now Available - Microsoft Dynamics GP Community

If you are doing an upgrade that includes noted in the above blog and you are upgrading from a version that is prior to 18.4.1361, you will need to first upgrade to 18.4.1361, then upgrade to a higher version of Dynamics GP.

Example: I am on a GP 2016 version, wanted to apply the 2022 or 2023 Year-end update, I should first apply the 18.4.1361 release (KB4576796), then upgrade to the desired year end update. or I am on GP 2018 R2, I need to upgrade to 18.4.1361, then apply the later hotfix, such as the July 2022 Hotfix or the next release of GP in October 2022.

Finally, bookmark the GP Directory page I've linked below. Anytime you are looking for downloads, hotfixes, notes, or documentation, this will be your best place to start your search.

Product Release Downloads for Microsoft Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs 

Be sure to check back with the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2022 Upgrade Blog Series Schedule - Microsoft Dynamics GP Community page to review upcoming blog posts related to Upgrading Microsoft Dynamics GP and other helpful resource links.

Until next time! 

-Jake G.