How to upgrade or migrate from Dynamics NAV to Business Central
To migrate a client from Dynamics NAV to Business Central with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's NAV database, and give superglue access to the client's Business Central account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
Microsoft's extended support for NAV 2018, the last NAV version, ends in January 2028, so most NAV clients plan their move now.
What are the steps to migrate from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
Migrating from Dynamics NAV to Business Central takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Dynamics NAV and Business Central
Connect the NAV database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to Business Central.
- 02
Assess the Dynamics NAV data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Dynamics NAV specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads a Business Central sandbox environment and compares it with Dynamics NAV: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Dynamics NAV?
- The client's IT creates a read-only SQL Server login for the NAV database, and the superglue gateway reaches the server on the client's network.
- NAV versions before NAV 2013 may run on the native database, which needs a move to SQL Server or an export first.
- Each company has its own tables, so list every company in scope.
- Ask whether the client ran date compression. Compressed years keep only one entry per period, so their detail cannot move.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in Business Central?
The client signs in to Business Central with superglue's Microsoft app. superglue configures Business Central and loads the data through that access, in a Business Central sandbox environment first, in this order:
- 01
The chart of accounts, then the posting groups and the setup that links them to the accounts.
- 02
Dimensions, with the two global dimensions.
- 03
Number series, VAT or sales tax, payment terms and the allowed posting dates.
- 04
Customers, vendors and items with their posting groups.
- 05
The opening balances and the open items, posted through journals.
What moves from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
| In Dynamics NAV | In Business Central |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | G/L accounts |
| Dimensions and dimension values | Dimensions |
| Customers | Customers |
| Jobs | Projects |
| Vendors | Vendors |
| Items | Items |
| Bank accounts | Bank accounts |
Open items
Open customer and vendor ledger entries, open sales and purchase documents, and item ledger entries with their remaining quantity and cost.
Open items load as open customer and vendor ledger entries with their original document numbers and due dates, so the aging in Business Central matches on day one.
History
NAV keeps every ledger entry since the first posting unless someone ran date compression, which keeps only one entry per period. superglue reads the entries per company and per fiscal year.
History loads as general journal lines per month, account and dimension.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
- 01
Should the client upgrade or start fresh?
NAV 2015 and later can move to Business Central with all their data through a multi-step technical upgrade on premises, and older versions need an upgrade to NAV 2015 first. Every customization must be rewritten as an extension. A fresh start moves master data, open items and balances into a clean company.
superglue recommends a fresh start when the customizations are heavy or the chart of accounts needs work, and the upgrade when the setup still fits.
- 02
Which customizations still matter?
Business Central covers much of what older NAV customizations added.
superglue lists the custom fields and tables that hold data, so you decide which become extensions and which data moves to standard fields.
- 03
Which posting groups does the client need?
General business, general product, customer, vendor and inventory posting groups decide which G/L accounts sales, purchase and inventory documents post to.
superglue keeps the NAV posting groups that are still in use and leaves out the rest, so postings stay the same.
- 04
Which two dimensions become global dimensions?
Business Central shows two global dimensions on every entry and offers six more shortcut dimensions on documents.
superglue recommends the two dimensions the client filters on most, measured from how often each one is used in Dynamics NAV.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in Business Central, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
Customizations live in the database code
NAV customizations are written in C/AL inside the database, and they do not carry over to a new system. superglue lists the custom fields and tables that hold data, so you decide what moves.
Posting groups decide the accounts of documents
General, customer, vendor and inventory posting groups decide which accounts each sales, purchase and inventory entry hits. superglue maps each combination in use to the account defaults in the new system.
Retire old dimension values before the mapping
Years of projects and campaigns leave thousands of NAV dimension values, many of them blocked. Agree with the client which ones still matter, because every value that moves needs a mapping. superglue counts how often each value was used.
Multi-company clients need an intercompany plan
Clients with several companies keep one set of tables for each, with intercompany balances between them. Agree early which companies merge, which become entities, and how the intercompany balances settle. superglue reads every company and matches the intercompany balances.
Plan the time for the financial setup
The chart of accounts, dimensions and posting groups are the slow part of a Business Central setup. The standard API cannot create them, so consultants usually build configuration packages by hand. superglue builds this setup from the signed mapping and reads every value back before the first trial load.
Check posting groups on every new customer and vendor
Customers and vendors created by an integration start without posting groups unless a template sets them, and their first invoice fails to post. superglue fills the posting groups as each record is created, so the trial load posts cleanly.
superglue also runs the rest of the Business Central project. See the Business Central implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics NAV to Business Central?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in Business Central.
Does superglue write to Business Central without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics NAV. Before any write to Business Central, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Dynamics NAV: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Dynamics NAV to Business Central migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.