August 22, 2026

Still Running Dynamics GP? Update It Right: Assessment First, Panic Never

Here's what that timeline does not mean: it doesn't mean GP stops working, and it doesn't mean you should stop maintaining it. Quite the opposite. Between now and 2029, Microsoft is still shipping three all-inclusive updates per year — and staying current is the only way to keep receiving tax updates, hotfixes, and support under the Modern Lifecycle Policy. Fall behind on versions, and you're effectively unsupported before the deadline even arrives.

The catch?

GP updates are notorious for going sideways when they're done blind. Third-party products break, customizations misbehave, SQL jobs fail, and suddenly payroll doesn't run on a Friday. That's why we never touch an update button without doing an assessment first.

Why updating GP still matters (even with the sunset date)

Tax and regulatory compliance. Year-end payroll and tax updates only land on current versions. If you run US or Canadian payroll in GP, staying updated through 2029 isn't optional.

Security.

Every month you run an outdated GP instance on an outdated SQL Server or Windows Server, your audit and cyber exposure grows.

Supportability.

Microsoft (and any partner) can help you far more effectively on a current build.
Older versions under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy (GP 2018 R2 and earlier) are already past their support dates.

A cleaner exit later. Whether you eventually migrate to Business Central, NetSuite, or something else, a well-maintained, documented GP environment makes that future project dramatically cheaper and faster.

What our pre-update assessment covers

Before we schedule any GP update, The Banana Team runs a structured assessment of your environment. It typically takes a few days, not weeks, and it's the difference between a boring update weekend (the goal) and an emergency call on Monday.

⁠Version and lifecycle check.
We identify your exact GP version and build, confirm where it sits in Microsoft's lifecycle, and map the upgrade path — some older versions require intermediate hops before reaching the current release.
⁠Infrastructure compatibility.
GP doesn't live alone. We verify your Windows Server, SQL Server, Office/Outlook integration, and workstation OS versions against the target GP release's compatibility matrix, and flag anything that needs upgrading first.
⁠Third-party and ISV inventory.
This is where most updates break. We inventory every ISV product (Mekorma, SmartConnect, Binary Stream, eOne, and friends), confirm compatible builds exist for the target GP version, and sequence their updates correctly.
⁠Customizations and integrations.
Dexterity customizations, Modifier/VBA, eConnect integrations, SQL views feeding reports, scheduled jobs — we document them all and test-plan each one, because "we forgot about that integration" is the most expensive sentence in ERP.
Data health and backups.
We run database consistency checks, clean up known table issues, verify backup and restore procedures actually work, and confirm we have a tested rollback plan before anything is touched.
Test environment update first.
We update a copy of production, run your key processes end to end (posting, payroll, reporting, integrations), and have your team validate in the test system. Only then do we schedule production.
⁠The go-live plan.
A written runbook with timing, responsibilities, validation checklist, and rollback triggers — so update day is checklists, not improvisation.
What you get out of it.
Even if you decide to postpone the update, the assessment itself leaves you with a documented picture of your GP environment: versions, customizations, integrations, ISVs, and risks. That document is gold — for audits, for insurance questionnaires, for onboarding new IT staff, and especially for scoping your eventual migration off GP.

Where The Banana Team fits

Our team brings 15+ years of ERP experience across Microsoft Dynamics GP, NetSuite, Salesforce, and the surrounding ecosystem. We handle the assessment, the update itself, and the post-update support — and if your long-term plan is to move off GP before 2029, we can help you build that roadmap too, without the pressure of a one-size-fits-all pitch.

If your GP environment hasn't been updated in a while (or you're not even sure what version you're on — no judgment), that's exactly the right time to talk.

Ready for a boring, uneventful GP update? That's our specialty. Reach out at thebananateam.com and let's schedule your assessment.

The Banana Team is an independent ERP consulting and support firm. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft, Dynamics GP, and Dynamics 365 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.