Migrate from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to Apragya: A Period-Start Plan
For finance heads and IT leads at Indian companies on Business Central who want GST, TDS and payroll handled in one platform, moved at a clean period start.
Teams that migrate from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central usually have a working ERP. The reason to move is often the extra layer around it: GST add-ons, a separate payroll, and partner work each time a statutory rule changes.
Business Central is Microsoft's ERP for small and mid-sized businesses, sold and customised largely through partners. It suits companies that already live in Microsoft tools and have a partner they trust. If that is you and the setup works, staying is a reasonable choice.
This guide covers what to take across, how dimensions map, an illustrative example, and how the moved data behaves in Apragya.
How to migrate from Business Central: the short answer
You move the data you need to keep working, not the whole database. That means the chart of accounts, dimensions, customers, vendors, items and fixed assets, then balances as at the cut-over date: trial balance, open customer and vendor entries, inventory by location, and open orders.
Business Central lists can usually be opened in Excel, and a partner can extract larger sets. Check the vendor's current documentation or ask your partner for the best route for your version.
Choose a financial period start, post and close the earlier period in Business Central, import into Apragya, and run the next period in both before you stop.
- Agree the cut-over date, ideally 1 April or a quarter start.
- Export the chart of accounts, dimensions, customers, vendors and items.
- Map Business Central dimensions to Apragya cost centres and companies.
- Export the trial balance and open customer and vendor entries as at the cut-over date.
- Import masters, then opening balances and open bills.
- Match the trial balance and ageing totals line by line.
- Run one period in parallel, then close entry in Business Central.
An example: an engineering exporter in Pune
Take an illustrative exporter with two companies, dimensions for department and project, and dollar and euro customers. It moved on 1 April so the new financial year started in one system.
Where each Business Central list landed
Apragya shared record
One set of masters for every app.
Chart of accounts
Imported from a spreadsheet, groups and all.
Dimensions
Department and project became cost centres.
Customers
With currency, GSTIN and payment terms.
Vendors
With TDS details checked before import.
Items and stock
Opening quantity per warehouse.
Two companies
Each with its own balances and currency.
The March trial balance matched to the rupee for both companies. Open dollar invoices came in bill by bill in their own currency, so collections in April were matched to the right bills. The partner contract was not renewed after the parallel quarter.
How Business Central data migration works in Apragya
Step 1 of 5
Accounts first
The chart of accounts loads from a spreadsheet with a check before writing.
- Accounts first: The chart of accounts loads from a spreadsheet with a check before writing.
- Companies and currencies: Each legal entity keeps its own books and currency.
- Parties and items: Customers, vendors and items import with field mapping.
- Open bills: Customer and vendor dues come in bill by bill, with one opening entry.
- Balances: The trial balance is posted as an opening journal and matched.
Business Central to cloud ERP in India: what to weigh
Both are cloud systems, so the question is fit. Apragya is built around Indian compliance and one record across finance, stock, sales, purchase and people. Business Central is a broad global ERP that relies on partners and extensions for many local needs. Check the vendor's current plans before comparing costs.
Business Central and Apragya, side by side
| Feature | Business Central | Apragya |
|---|---|---|
| Indian GST | Check with your partner | GSTR-1, GSTR-2B and GSTR-3B built in |
| Payroll | Separate product or add-on | PF, ESI, PT and LWF in the platform |
| Multi-company | Supported | Supported, with multi-currency |
| AI agents | Check the vendor | Bound to records, with human review |
| Plans | Through partners | Published on the website |
Checked against public information on 16 September 2026.
Why the move is worth planning well
One record
Customers, items and employees shared by every app.
Role-based access
Permissions down to sub-features.
Audit log
User, role, action, record and time for each change.
Multi-currency
Open foreign invoices keep their currency.
Agents with review
AI reads bills and flags exceptions; a person approves.
Copilot
Ask questions about your data in plain language.
Read the Business Central alternative page, the side-by-side comparison and how chart of accounts import works.
Getting started
- Pick the period start and freeze the chart of accounts.
- Decide how each dimension maps before exporting anything.
- Load one company end to end as a trial.
- Import the rest and match the trial balance.
- Run one period in parallel before switching.
The dimension map is the decision that shapes every report afterwards, so settle it first.
What it costs to start
Business Central migration, answered
Do we need our partner for the export?
How are dimensions handled?
Can we keep history?
Can we move mid-year?
What does it cost to start?
Plan your period-start move
Load your chart of accounts as a trial and check how it maps.