PLEASE DON'T KILL OUR DYNAMICS GP FORUM

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Posted on by David Musgrave MVP ...

14,095 Most Valuable Professional

Edited after clarification from Scott and again after the new forums went live:

This change is part of a consolidation effort, however it will effectively end the usefulness of the GP forum. The Archived forum is here: (https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?groupid=0f766bd8-8536-4f68-be4a-0b7feabe2675)

The replacement forum will mix GP topics with AX and SL being Finance | Project Operations, Human Resources, AX, GP, SL forum.

This link will open the new forum with Dynamics GP as the category: https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?discussionforumid=05222141-4d87-ef11-ac21-7c1e520a09df&page=1&sortorder=mspwrplt_cmty_latestactivitydate&status=&category=7454fd7a-4c87-ef11-ac21-7c1e520a09df

Having two locations (this existing forum and a new forum) to look for answers will break the continuity and mean that people will stop using the forum entirely.

Mixing multiple ERP products onto a single forum will generate too much noise for those only interested in a single product. Without a way to permanently filter both the web interface and the email subscriptions to a single product or category, there will be too much irrelevant information from other products that will drive users to other GP focused forums.

Please leave this forum working "as is" at least until Microsoft is no longer supporting or providing security updates to Microsoft Dynamics GP.

All users please comment here to show support.

Regards

David

Categories:

Microsoft Dynamics GP

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Scott_itD Community Manager on at

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Hi David,

Hoping to clarify some points about the changes:

No Microsoft Dynamics GP content will be removed from the site.

The Microsoft Dynamics GP forum is not being specifically targeted, it is one of 30 forums being consolidated.

The replacement forum will be activated tomorrow during the migration, at which time you will be able to subscribe to the new location.

Full details of the forum structure changes, old to new forum mappings, and other details are announced in the community here: Forum Structure Changes Coming Soon!

Hope that helps alleviate some of your concerns. If not, please feel free to add your comments to that blog announcement so we can pool all the feedback in one place.

Appreciate all that you do to help make our Community a helpful and positive experience!

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Lisa at AonC.com 937 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Scott -

I'm struggling to understand how this helps anyone. How does this change benefit Microsoft customers (and partners) whose maintenance plan dollars fund these forums? There is already enough confusion about the ever changing "Dynamics" or "Dynamics 365" naming conventions.

I'm hoping that if this really has to be done, it will be properly tested so that we don't again face all the broken links and URL redirection issues from the last round of "improvements".

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Devon Southall 160 on at

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total agree -- the mixed forum will be a mess! IMHO - just one more step by MS to "try to kill" GP as fast as possible. Boo, Microsoft. Boo.

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Joseph Markovich 3,976 on at

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This really disappoints me, Microsoft. Now I am considering having our company just spin up a forum for the GP community.

Joe

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Devon Southall 160 on at

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OK- so there is a required Category field on posts that had GP as option. Also, a search on the forum that saves on a bookmark. that makes this change better....

any way to have subscriptions use the Category field? did I miss something?

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David Musgrave MVP ... 14,095 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi Devon

When I asked Scott about that, the answer is no, but it is on the list.

My issue is I don't have time to visit forums just in case there might be a post I help with.

I need the email subscription and if GP posts are mixed up with other products that will just create too much noise.

Regards

David

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Saif Ali Sabri 2,351 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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It's understandable why the Dynamics GP community is concerned about the forum consolidation effort, especially given the potential negative impact on usability and engagement for GP users specifically. Merging Dynamics GP topics with those of other ERP products like AX, SL, and Finance could indeed create noise and make it difficult for GP users to find relevant information quickly.

Here are some specific issues and considerations that Microsoft should take into account to support Dynamics GP users effectively:

Key Concerns with Forum Consolidation

Loss of Product-Specific Community: Dynamics GP has a dedicated user base with unique needs and issues that are distinct from other Dynamics products. Merging forums could dilute the focus on GP, making it harder for users to find and share GP-specific knowledge.

Increased Noise and Irrelevance: Consolidating multiple ERP products into a single forum could lead to a flood of mixed content, with posts related to AX, Finance, SL, and GP all in the same space. This may lead to frustration, as users who are only interested in GP-specific questions and discussions will have to sift through irrelevant posts.

Risk of Reduced Engagement: If GP users find the consolidated forum less useful or too difficult to navigate, they may stop using it altogether. This could lead to a decline in knowledge sharing, community support, and ultimately the usefulness of the forum itself.

Disruption of Historical Knowledge: The existing GP forum has years of accumulated discussions, solutions, and best practices. Moving away from the current forum structure could disrupt access to this historical knowledge, which is crucial for both users and new GP consultants.

Need for Improved Filtering: If the consolidation is unavoidable, robust filtering options should be provided. Ideally, GP users should be able to filter by product (and even sub-topics within GP) to see only the content relevant to them. This should apply to both the web interface and email subscriptions.

Suggestions for Microsoft

Delay Consolidation for Dynamics GP: Given that Dynamics GP is still widely used, Microsoft could consider maintaining the dedicated GP forum until the product reaches end-of-support. This would allow users to continue accessing GP-specific information without disruption.

Enhanced Filtering and Notification Options: If the consolidated forum is inevitable, Microsoft should improve the filtering capabilities to allow users to:

Filter posts by product (GP, AX, SL, etc.) and topic.

Set up custom email notifications that only include posts tagged with "GP" or other relevant tags.

Save product-specific views or filters so users can always land directly on GP content without extra clicks.

Separate Product-Specific Categories or Subforums: Even within a consolidated forum, Microsoft could create product-specific subcategories (e.g., “GP,” “AX,” “Finance and Operations”) to better organize discussions. This would allow users to navigate directly to GP-related discussions.

Provide a Transition Period: If the current GP forum is to be retired, Microsoft should consider an extended transition period where both forums are available. During this period, users should be able to get accustomed to the new platform, and there should be clear guidance on how to find GP-specific information in the new forum.

Preserve and Archive Historical GP Content: Microsoft should ensure that all valuable historical content from the existing GP forum is preserved and made accessible in the new platform, even if it is read-only. This archive should be searchable to retain the accumulated knowledge.

Gather Feedback from the Community: Microsoft should actively engage with the GP community to understand their needs and preferences. This feedback could help shape the design and functionality of the new forum to better serve GP users.

How You Can Show Support

If you're concerned about this change, make your voice heard by:

Commenting on the forum post to show your support.

Encouraging other GP users and partners to share their thoughts.

Reaching out to Microsoft representatives to express your concerns directly.

Providing specific feedback on what features you’d need (e.g., filtering, separate categories) to make the consolidated forum work for GP.

In Summary

The Dynamics GP community has legitimate concerns about the forum consolidation, and it's essential for Microsoft to address these issues to prevent disruption. A balanced approach—either by delaying the consolidation for GP or by implementing enhanced filtering and categorization options—could allow the GP community to continue thriving in a shared forum space.

If you or other users need additional help to voice these concerns, it may also be useful to contact a Microsoft Customer Success Manager or your Microsoft Partner representative to ensure this feedback reaches the relevant product teams.

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David Musgrave MVP ... 14,095 Most Valuable Professional on at

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@Saif Ali Sabri Well said. Thank you for your input.

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Lisa at AonC.com 937 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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David -

I agree. Looking at the posts that came in overnight, the categories aren't even clear. (What specific product does Finance, Project Operations, and Human Resources even supposed to point to?)

For users posting questions in the hopes they will be answered, I recommend start your Post Description with the product (for example, GP).

Today will be the only day that I click on every single notification to see if they are related to GP. (At a minimum, why couldn't the Categories be displayed on the email alerts and the Notifications summary from the community?)

Here is an example of today's posts with only one reference to a specific product:

[Today I learned that PR isn't a universal term and means something completely different in AX.]

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Scott_itD Community Manager on at

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Hello all,

I have relayed the feedback on this thread to our Community program owners and the Community Platform team, as appropriate. Subscription by category in particular is an enhancement that others have requested, and the team is investigating what it would take.

Here are some additional notes:

Categories are required on posts. Though we can't always make users choose the right ones, they do have to choose at least one to post

You can also filter by the different products in each forum by selecting the Category option (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics GP).

If you see any issues with categories on specific posts, please submit a Community Support request with the URL to the post so we can investigate it.

And it is important to note that posts for Microsoft Dynamics GP and other previous versions have been retained in read-only versions for reference. Dynamics GP archived posts are preserved here: https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?partialUrl=gp

Also, I posted this in response to Lisa at AonC.com's comment on the blog announcement, but reposting here to help others:

We can use query string parameters to link directly to the category of our choice.

For example, this URL goes directly to the Microsoft Dynamics GP category in the Finance forum: https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?partialUrl=finance&category=7454fd7a-4c87-ef11-ac21-7c1e520a09df

You can also use a query string parameter to filter by Status. This one looks for Unanswered questions: https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?partialUrl=finance&page=1&status=907500002

And you can combine them: https://community.dynamics.com/forums/thread/?partialUrl=finance&page=1&status=907500002&category=7454fd7a-4c87-ef11-ac21-7c1e520a09df

Hopefully that can save you a couple clicks per visit.

If you have additional feedback or suggestions, please let us know!

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