How to migrate from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
To migrate a client from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's NAV database, and give superglue access to the client's Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations 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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
Migrating from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations 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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
Connect the NAV database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
- 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 Finance and Operations 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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
The client registers an app in Microsoft Entra ID and adds it on the Microsoft Entra applications page in Finance and Operations, linked to a service user with the right security roles. superglue configures Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and loads the data through that access, in a Finance and Operations sandbox environment first, in this order:
- 01
Legal entities, the fiscal calendar and the accounting and reporting currencies.
- 02
The chart of accounts and its main accounts.
- 03
Financial dimensions and the account structures that decide which combinations are valid.
- 04
Posting profiles, number sequences, payment terms and tax setup.
- 05
Customers, vendors and released products, then the opening balances and the open items through data management.
What moves from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
| In Dynamics NAV | In Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | Main accounts |
| Dimensions and dimension values | Financial dimensions |
| Customers | Customers in the global address book |
| Jobs | Projects |
| Vendors | Vendors in the global address book |
| Items | Released products |
| 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 customer and vendor transactions through general journals with their original due dates, so the aging in Finance and Operations 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, main account and financial dimension.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
- 01
Where do NAV dimensions go?
NAV dimensions map to financial dimensions, which apply to every legal entity.
superglue maps each NAV dimension in use to a financial dimension, and keeps the values within 30 characters.
- 02
How do NAV posting groups become Finance and Operations setup?
Finance and Operations decides accounts through posting profiles for customers and vendors, and item groups for products.
superglue maps customer and vendor posting groups to posting profiles, and inventory posting groups to item groups.
- 03
How many legal entities does the client need?
A legal entity in Finance and Operations has its own ledger, currency and tax setup, and can share the chart of accounts and financial dimensions with other legal entities.
superglue recommends one legal entity for each legal company in Dynamics NAV.
- 04
Which financial dimensions go into the account structures?
Account structures decide which combinations of main account and financial dimensions are valid, with up to ten dimensions besides the main account.
superglue proposes account structures from the combinations the client actually posted in Dynamics NAV, so invalid combinations are blocked from day one.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, 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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
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.
Sign the chart of accounts before anything posts
The chart of accounts of a ledger cannot change after transactions post to it. Get the chart signed before the first trial load posts anything.
Financial dimensions are shared across legal entities
Custom financial dimensions apply to every legal entity, and their values hold up to 30 characters. Agree one dimension design for all companies in scope, and shorten long legacy codes before the mapping.
One party can be a customer and a vendor everywhere
The global address book keeps each organization once, across legal entities and roles. Agree how duplicates across the old companies merge, because an address change then updates every role.
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations?
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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
Does superglue write to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics NAV. Before any write to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, 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 Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations 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.