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The Sign-Off Table
The Dynamics 365 Testing Playbook

Week 1 of 8

Where you really are

Welcome to The Sign-Off Table. For the next 8 weeks you will get one practical move a week for testing Dynamics 365 Finance, Supply Chain Management and Business Central, in the order you will need them. After that, a weekly roundup of new research, guides and templates.

We start with the dates. AX 2012 R3 left extended support in January 2023. Dynamics GP product support ends on 31 December 2029, with security patches to 30 April 2031. NAV 2018 extended support ends in January 2028. And once you are live, Finance and Operations ships four service updates a year whether or not your regression suite is ready.

This week: write down your real date and work backwards

  1. Name your starting point in one line: AX 2012 R2/R3 upgrade, NAV or GP move to Business Central, new implementation, or already live.
  2. Write down the date that actually constrains you: a support deadline, a fiscal year-end, or the next service update you cannot pause.
  3. Work backwards: hypercare through one month-end close, two or three mock cutovers, UAT, SIT, data migration mocks. What is left is your build window.
  4. Check the migration path is supported before you plan it: AX upgrades only from 2012 R2 or R3; NAV goes through Business Central on-premises first.
  5. Put the answer in front of your sponsor this week, not at the first steering committee that goes red.

Number of the week

31 Dec 2029

is when Microsoft ends Dynamics GP product support and tax updates. Security patches continue to 30 April 2031.

Source: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog (2024, updated 2025)

Use this week

Next week: Microsoft gives you a methodology and reviews. It does not give you a tester. We settle who owns what.

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