---
id: post/mohana-blog/tag-blogger-com-1999-blog-1492436440038408053-post-7706250162700204847--ff7a1d395b
type: post
title: "NAV to Business Central: What Actually Moves, and What Needs to Change?"
summary: "Moving from Dynamics NAV to Business Central requires two separate projects: a technical upgrade through mandatory waypoints (version 14 and 25) followed by cloud migration via data replication. The process demands converting C/AL customizations to AL extensions and evaluating whether to do a full migration or reimplementation, with data only moving as far as code does."
tier: community
language: en
tags:
  - migration
  - upgrade path
  - cloud deployment
  - data replication
  - c/al conversion
  - extensions
  - third-party solutions
  - project planning
system: integration
review:
  state: reviewed
  by: opus
  at: "2026-10-07T23:46:25.409Z"
  flags: []
generated:
  at: "2026-10-07T22:42:12.892Z"
  pipeline: 0.2.0
  prompts:
    extract-post: 1
  input_hash: e07e47905c36db15d02c9bc0e5be9d2dade785bf9b9a08ba9a28ee235d4cc6d7
evidence:
  - kind: blog
    url: http://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/2026/09/nav-to-business-central-what-actually.html
    title: "NAV to Business Central: What Actually Moves, and What Needs to Change?"
    date: "2026-09-16"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: blog
    url: http://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/2026/09/nav-to-business-central-what-actually.html
    title: "NAV to Business Central: What Actually Moves, and What Needs to Change?"
    date: "2026-09-16"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: It isn't one move. It's an upgrade, then a migration
  - kind: blog
    url: http://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/2026/09/nav-to-business-central-what-actually.html
    title: "NAV to Business Central: What Actually Moves, and What Needs to Change?"
    date: "2026-09-16"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: Your data travels only as far as your code does.
links:
  learn: []
  objects: []
  features: []
  topics: []
  localizations: []
  videos: []
  posts: []
  guidelines: []
post_id: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1492436440038408053.post-7706250162700204847
source_id: mohana-blog
source_name: Mohana's Dynamics NAV & BC blog
url: http://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/2026/09/nav-to-business-central-what-actually.html
published_at: "2026-09-16T09:58:16.000Z"
author: Mohana Yadav
full_text: false
words: 1683
quotes:
  - text: It isn't one move. It's an upgrade, then a migration
    why_it_matters: Clarifies the fundamental misconception that NAV migration is a single operation, establishing that version upgrades must precede cloud data replication
  - text: Your data travels only as far as your code does.
    why_it_matters: Summarizes the central dependency between code conversion and data migration, essential for scoping realistic project scope and outcomes
code_objects_mentioned: []
systems:
  - integration
  - administration
  - development
versions_mentioned:
  - NAV 2009
  - NAV 2009 R2
  - NAV 2009 SP1
  - NAV 2013
  - NAV 2013 R2
  - NAV 2015
  - NAV 2018
  - Business Central 13
preview:
  embeddable: true
  frame_url: null
  image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhACPKsSRQLRNnVFvV1ma89QsoK27rpnTkM_xWRH01jrGO_DBXxtRlYceAfoo3J1Jyyygh4pfdVzuzzDtjfjiYatZmZA0icdHDvyEv_3yA8zzoPsLYdkHYELegxHzvXtp5KkFMt3kL-S-_UhHsUjTtOYsuUNJTRBYqcvdm15crzpJJ4wP5LAQY06acZWnBk=w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu
  image_alt: null
  image_w: null
  image_h: null
  site_name: null
  favicon: https://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/favicon.ico
  probed_at: "2026-10-07T11:50:04.264Z"
---

# NAV to Business Central: What Actually Moves, and What Needs to Change?

[Read the post](http://mohana-dynamicsnav.blogspot.com/2026/09/nav-to-business-central-what-actually.html) · Mohana's Dynamics NAV & BC blog (Mohana Yadav) · 2026-09-16 · 1683 words · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

> Moving from Dynamics NAV to Business Central requires two separate projects: a technical upgrade through mandatory waypoints (version 14 and 25) followed by cloud migration via data replication. The process demands converting C/AL customizations to AL extensions and evaluating whether to do a full migration or reimplementation, with data only moving as far as code does.

## Key points

- NAV to Business Central migration is two sequential projects: upgrade first through version 14 and 25 waypoints, then replicate data to online via Integration Runtime
- Code does not replicate automatically; customizations must be converted to AL extensions installed on both on-premises and online for data to migrate
- Every NAV version requires different numbers of upgrade hops (NAV 2018 needs two, NAV 2009 needs four), determining timeline before migration begins
- Choose between full migration (all data and customizations) or reimplementation (essential data only) based on regulatory needs, historical data importance, and customization value
- Third-party integrations, solutions, and custom tables need conversion to cloud equivalents or replacement before assessment is complete

## Quotes

- "It isn't one move. It's an upgrade, then a migration" (Clarifies the fundamental misconception that NAV migration is a single operation, establishing that version upgrades must precede cloud data replication)
- "Your data travels only as far as your code does." (Summarizes the central dependency between code conversion and data migration, essential for scoping realistic project scope and outcomes)

## Context

- Features: cloud migration tool, Integration Runtime, Azure Data Factory, Business Central 14 reimplementation tool, AL extensions, data replication, extension installation
- Versions: NAV 2009, NAV 2009 R2, NAV 2009 SP1, NAV 2013, NAV 2013 R2, NAV 2015, NAV 2018, Business Central 13

Source: Mohana's Dynamics NAV & BC blog, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.