It is Time to Say Goodbye to Dynamics 365 Business Central 13
If you are surprised after reading the title, please don’t be; it’s true based on Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy.
Every ERP product that is released comes with Microsoft mainstream support. When a new version of the product is released, it also comes with a change in the mainstream support end dates.
Microsoft Dynamics Business Central 13 was the first version in the future journey of the product. This version marked the beginning of the era of the modern client.
BC13, You Will Always Be Remembered
…You were the first milestone in the journey to SaaS.
What does that mean? Read here in the MSDN: Fixed Lifecycle Policy.
What version you move to is impacted by factors mentioned below. Learn about why moving to Business Central version 14 might be the best option for you now.
Mainstream support end dates: Read Here for Other Versions.
Below is the list of currently supported versions:
- Dynamics NAV 2016
- Dynamics NAV 2017
- Dynamics NAV 2018
- Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises April 2019 (14.X)
- Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises October 2019 (15.X)
- Dynamics 365 Business Central 2020 Wave 1 (16.X)
What Are Your Upgrade Options?
If you are on Business Central 13, you can still do a quick upgrade to Business Central 14 OR, if you worked with your partner during your last upgrade regarding eventing your customizations, check the percentage of eventing that has been completed. Based on that percentage, you can decide on your future version.
Upgrade Options Based on Where You Are Today
- Eventing completed 100% and all your add-ons are available as Extensions: Upgrade to Business Central 2020 Wave 1 (16.x) on Prem or BC SaaS Online.
- Eventing completed ~100%, with the only customizations pending around option fields, and all your add-ons are available as Extensions: Upgrade to Business Central 2020 Wave 1 (16.x) on Prem or BC SaaS Online.
- Eventing completed 100%, and add-ons are not available as Extensions: Upgrade to Business Central 14 and check to see when your add-on(s) will be available as Extension(s).
- Eventing <100%, and all your add-ons are available as Extensions: A prepared project for completing Eventing and then upgrade to Business Central 2020 Wave 1 (16.x) on premises or BC SaaS online.
- Eventing <100%, and add-ons are not available as Extensions: Upgrade to Business Central 14 and check to see when your add-ons will be available as Extensions.
So, in summary, we have two dependencies for upgrading to a release after Business Central 14:
- All customized code has been Evented.
- All add-ons are available as Extensions.
If these two criteria are not yet met, then you should move to Business Central version 14 while it is still an option for you.
NOTE: You can modify the base app (on-premises) and upgrade to BC 16, but it is not recommended.
Links to Help with Planning Your Next Upgrade
Republished from Saurav Dhyani’s post with permission.
If you are interested in Dynamics NAV and Business Central development, be sure to see our collection of NAV/BC Development Blogs.
Read the “How To” blogs from ArcherPoint for practical advice on using Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central.