If your organisation is planning a Dynamics 365 migration from NAV, now is the right time to act. Microsoft has set end-of-mainstream-support deadlines for older NAV versions, and businesses that delay risk running unsupported software while competitors move to a modern, cloud-based platform. SchwettmannTech is a Microsoft-certified Solution Partner with more than 120 consultants across India, Germany, UAE, and Cyprus. We help businesses in the UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and globally move from Dynamics NAV to Business Central with minimal disruption and a clear plan from day one.
What our Dynamics NAV to Business Central migration covers
- Pre-migration assessment and gap analysis: We audit your existing NAV environment, document all custom objects, integrations, and data structures, and produce a detailed gap analysis that maps NAV functionality to its Business Central equivalent. You receive a written report before any migration work begins.
- Data migration and validation: We extract, cleanse, and migrate your master data, transactional history, open entries, and configuration tables using Microsoft’s standard migration toolkit, supplemented by our own proprietary scripts where needed. Every data set is validated against reconciliation reports before go-live.
- Custom development and extension rebuild: Legacy NAV customisations written in C/AL are re-engineered as AL-based extensions for Business Central. We prioritise which customisations genuinely need rebuilding and advise where standard Business Central functionality now covers the requirement.
- Integration migration: Third-party connections to CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, payroll tools, warehousing software, and external APIs are reviewed, rebuilt, and tested in the new environment to ensure they operate correctly after cutover.
- User training and change management: Our consultants deliver role-based training for finance teams, warehouse staff, sales personnel, and system administrators. Training is available remotely or on-site across our office locations.
- Post-go-live support and hypercare: We provide a structured hypercare period of 30 to 90 days after go-live, with dedicated support consultants available to resolve issues quickly during the critical early weeks of operation.
Why businesses in the UAE, UK, India, and Saudi Arabia choose SchwettmannTech
- Microsoft-certified expertise: SchwettmannTech holds active Microsoft Solution Partner status. Our consultants hold individual Microsoft certifications in Business Central, and our project teams include both functional and technical specialists who have completed multiple NAV-to-Business-Central projects across different industries.
- Regional presence and understanding: With offices in the UAE and India and strong delivery capability across Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Europe, we understand the local compliance requirements, tax configurations such as VAT in the UAE and KSA, and the reporting expectations that vary by region.
- Proven track record with large enterprises: Our clients include B.Braun and Deutsche Telekom, which demonstrates our ability to manage complex, high-volume migrations without compromising data integrity or business continuity.
- Fixed-scope and transparent pricing: We do not hide fees in vague estimates. Clients receive a defined scope of work, a fixed project price or clearly structured time-and-materials agreement, and a project schedule with measurable milestones before signing any contract.
- Deep NAV version knowledge: Our consultants have worked with NAV versions from NAV 2009 through to NAV 2018 and understand the architectural differences between each release. This means the path from your specific NAV version to Business Central is planned accurately from the start, not discovered mid-project.
Our Dynamics 365 migration from NAV process
- Discovery and scoping: We begin with structured workshops with your key stakeholders to understand your current NAV setup, your business processes, and your go-live requirements. This phase produces a formal project scope document and a migration plan.
- Environment setup and configuration: We provision your Business Central environment, whether cloud-hosted on Microsoft Azure or on-premise, and configure it to reflect your chart of accounts, company structure, fiscal periods, and localisation requirements.
- Custom extension development: All required AL extensions are developed, peer-reviewed by senior developers, and deployed to a dedicated test environment. Where integrations need rebuilding, this work runs in parallel with extension development.
- Data migration and testing: We run multiple mock migrations to identify and resolve data quality issues before the final cutover. User acceptance testing is conducted with your team against agreed test scripts covering core financial, operational, and reporting processes.
- Cutover and go-live: The final cutover is planned for a period of low business activity where possible. We manage the cutover process end to end, including final data migration, system checks, and confirmation sign-off before declaring the system live.
- Hypercare and knowledge transfer: During the hypercare period, your team has direct access to the project consultants who built the system. We complete formal knowledge transfer sessions so your internal IT team or administrator can manage routine tasks independently after support ends.
Pricing and cost
The cost of a Dynamics 365 migration from NAV varies depending on the complexity of your current NAV environment, the number of companies or legal entities being migrated, the volume and quality of your existing data, and the number of custom objects that require rebuilding. For small to mid-sized businesses with a relatively clean NAV setup and limited customisations, migration projects typically range from $15,000 to $40,000 USD. Mid-market businesses with multiple integrations, significant custom development, and multi-company structures generally see project costs in the range of $40,000 to $120,000 USD. Large enterprise migrations with complex data volumes, multiple country rollouts, and deep legacy customisation can exceed $200,000 USD. Microsoft Business Central SaaS licensing starts from approximately $70 USD per user per month for the Essentials plan and $100 USD per user per month for the Premium plan, though pricing varies by region and volume. SchwettmannTech provides a detailed cost estimate after the initial discovery workshop, at no charge.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Dynamics 365 migration from NAV to Business Central take?
Project timelines depend on the complexity of your NAV setup. A straightforward migration for a single company with limited customisation typically takes eight to sixteen weeks. More complex projects involving multiple legal entities, significant custom development, and integrations commonly run between four and nine months. We provide a detailed project schedule after the discovery phase.
Will we lose historical transaction data during the migration?
No, your historical data is migrated as part of the project. We migrate master data, open entries, and transactional history, and we validate all migrated records against reconciliation reports before go-live. In some cases, very old historical data is migrated to a separate archive environment to keep the live system performant, but no records are discarded without your explicit agreement.
Can we keep our existing customisations in Business Central?
Most NAV customisations can be replicated in Business Central, though they must be re-written as AL-based extensions rather than carried across directly. Some customisations become unnecessary because Business Central includes the functionality natively. We review all custom objects during the discovery phase and advise on which require rebuilding, which can be replaced by standard features, and which can be retired.
Does SchwettmannTech support businesses outside India and the UAE?
Yes. While our primary offices are in India, Germany, UAE, and Cyprus, we deliver remote migration projects globally and have active clients in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and across Europe. All project management, development, and consulting work can be conducted entirely remotely, with on-site visits arranged where required.
What NAV versions can you migrate from?
We have experience migrating from NAV 2009, NAV 2013, NAV 2015, NAV 2016, NAV