How to migrate from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite
To migrate a client from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's NAV database, and give superglue access to the client's NetSuite 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 NetSuite?
Migrating from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite 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 NetSuite
Connect the NAV database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to NetSuite.
- 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 NetSuite sandbox account 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 NetSuite?
The client turns on the SuiteCloud features and adds an integration record for superglue. superglue configures NetSuite and loads the data through that access, in a NetSuite sandbox account first, in this order:
- 01
Subsidiaries and their base currencies.
- 02
Accounting preferences and periods.
- 03
The chart of accounts, then departments, classes and locations.
- 04
Custom fields, records, segments, forms and workflows, and SuiteScript where the design needs it.
- 05
Customers, vendors, contacts and items, then the opening balances and the open items.
Access setup for the client: NetSuite configuration guide
What moves from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite?
| In Dynamics NAV | In NetSuite |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | Accounts |
| Dimensions and dimension values | Departments, classes and locations |
| 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 invoices, credit memos, vendor bills and vendor credits with their original numbers and dates, so the aging in NetSuite 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 journal entries per month, account and segment.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite?
- 01
Where do NAV dimensions go?
NetSuite has departments, classes and locations as standard segments, and custom segments for more.
superglue maps the NAV global dimensions to standard NetSuite segments and the other dimensions in use to custom segments.
- 02
How do NAV posting groups become NetSuite accounts?
In NetSuite, each item holds its own accounts: inventory items have income, cost of goods sold and asset accounts, and other items have income and expense accounts.
superglue sets the accounts on each NetSuite item from its NAV posting groups.
- 03
How many subsidiaries does the client need?
In NetSuite OneWorld, subsidiaries set the currency, the tax and which customers and vendors each company can use. Changing them after go-live means reworking master data.
superglue recommends one subsidiary for each legal company in Dynamics NAV, decided before any master data loads.
- 04
Which item types do the items become?
NetSuite separates inventory, non-inventory, service, other charge, kit and assembly items. Non-inventory and service items can be for sale, for purchase or for resale.
superglue proposes the type for each item from how the client bought and sold it.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in NetSuite, 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 NetSuite?
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.
Lock the subsidiary structure before the first load
The currency of a NetSuite subsidiary is fixed once its first transaction is saved, so a late change means a new subsidiary and a reload. Get the structure signed in the design phase.
Plan the sandbox around refreshes
A sandbox refresh replaces everything in the sandbox, including your configuration. superglue keeps the configuration and applies it again, so a refresh does not cost you the setup work.
superglue also runs the rest of the NetSuite project. See the NetSuite implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics NAV to NetSuite?
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 NetSuite.
Does superglue write to NetSuite without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics NAV. Before any write to NetSuite, 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 NetSuite 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.