We took over a QuickBooks Online to Business Central project that had no parallel runs, no trial balance and only basic customer data migrated. Over the next three to four weeks, we rebuilt the foundations. The customer went live on time, and the system is now well adopted.
If your Business Central project feels off track, this video walks through a real example of what “ready to go live” should look like. It also shows what we checked to find out how far away the project really was, so you can compare it with where your own project stands.
Quick takeaways
- A finance migration needs more than customer data. This project was missing parallel running, a trial balance and the main financial reports.
- Set a baseline first. Tell the customer where they are, where they should be and which deadlines matter.
- Go-live readiness here had five parts: enough data migrated, parallel runs, documentation, financial reporting, and outputs that perform as expected.
- A rescue can move quickly with a clear plan. This one took 3 to 4 weeks because of a hard deadline.
- Rebuilding confidence takes honest, step-by-step working with the customer.
- If your project isn’t going as expected, think about what success would look like with another partner.
What we found in this QuickBooks to Business Central migration
We picked up a project rescue from a customer moving from QuickBooks Online to Business Central. It soon became clear that the foundations of a successful migration weren’t fully in place.
The critical steps hadn’t been made clear. And the data migration had gone no further than basic customer data.
What was missing
- No parallel running of financial data
- No trial balance
- None of the main financial reports you need to prove a finance migration has worked
Plain English: parallel running means running old and new financial data side by side to check they agree. A trial balance is a list of every ledger account balance, used to check the books add up.
Setting a clear baseline with the customer
The customer already had a relationship with their previous supplier, and their confidence in the project had worn thin.
So we started with a baseline. We told them:
- where they were
- where they should be by this stage
- which deadlines and priorities were in place
Then we worked through each element one at a time. That built the relationship. It also showed how far they were from go-live once we applied the AMS way of working.
Business Central go-live: on time and well adopted
The customer went live on time. They now have a well-adopted system across the business.
What to do if your Business Central project isn’t going to plan
Getting the project basics right is essential. If things aren’t as you expect on your current Business Central implementation, think about what success would look like with another partner.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your data, scope and deadlines, so there’s no single answer. In this rescue, AMS got the customer ready for go-live in 3 to 4 weeks because of a pressing deadline. Don’t treat that as a standard timeline. A proper plan starts with a clear baseline of where you are.
Parallel running means checking your financial data in the new system against the old one before go-live. In this customer story, it was one of the missing steps. Without it, you have less evidence that the migrated numbers are right.
A trial balance helps show that your migrated ledger balances are correct. In this project, nobody had built one. We treated it as essential, alongside the main financial reports, to make sure the finance migration worked.
This customer’s migration had only basic customer data, which wasn’t enough. Microsoft’s QuickBooks Online extension can import customers, vendors, items, the chart of accounts, beginning balances in the general ledger, on-hand inventory quantities, and open customer and vendor documents. Agree your scope up front..
From this example: unclear critical steps, only basic customer data migrated, no parallel running, no trial balance and no financial reports. Another sign is a customer who has lost confidence in the project. If you see these, ask for an honest baseline of where things stand.
In this project, readiness meant five things: enough data migrated, parallel runs completed, documentation in place, financial reporting built, and all system outputs performing as expected. Use them as a checklist and ask your partner to evidence each one.
Sometimes, yes. AMS took over this QuickBooks Online migration and got it live on time. Every project differs, so the first step is an honest baseline: where you are, where you should be, and what deadlines you face.
About Mark Pullar
Mark Pullar is the founder of All My Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 consultancy based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. He has 25 years’ experience in IT and senior management, holds an MSc in Information Systems Management, and is a Microsoft Certified Professional in Dynamics 365. Mark set up All My Systems in 2014 to bring proper business systems to small and medium sized companies, and he shares practical lessons on productivity and running a business along the way. Read more about Mark’s story and how All My Systems began.