NAV to Business Central Data Migration – Your Major Concern Explained

In the modern business environment, there is a saying that data is king, and whoever has properly utilised it holds the power to achieve great success. Earlier, organisations were used to focusing on managing different processes, but modern-day businesses are focusing on optimising and utilising data. This is one of the major reasons behind the rapid success of various businesses.

Nowadays, businesses opting for the NAV to Business Central upgrade have a major concern about the data migration process. They want to know how a Microsoft Solutions Partner is going to execute the entire process so that their data remains safe and sound.

The migration, or, as we can simply say, the movement of data from one Microsoft ERP solution to another, depends on the business requirements. All businesses have the leverage to move a selected portion of the data or move the data entirely to a new business solution.

Businesses run with numerous unnecessary data points that can be eliminated to save a lot of money, resources, server space, and complexity. It depends on one business to another, like what they prefer and how much data they want to migrate.

If a business is a startup, they prefer to migrate master data entirely to a new system, while traditional businesses might prefer to refine or eliminate the useless data from the system.

So, the choice is yours.

Generally, businesses moving from on-premises servers to the cloud are more concerned about their data, its security, and the process of migration. Because the movement of historical and master data is a gentle process that must be performed precisely.

This is one of the major reason behind the rapid success of various organisations.

Data Migration Steps: Simple and Effective

Before your Microsoft Gold Partner starts the NAV to Business Central data migration process, you must know some part of it so that it can be carried out properly. So, some of the essential steps are given below to help you get an overview of the entire Business Central migration process.

Data Assessment

At the start of the data migration process, the Business central implementation partner assesses an available data on existing servers. Also, they will identify and evaluate the quality of data to find what data needs to be migrated and what is not. Once the identification of the entire data is complete, your partner will try to determine its relevance based on your current business needs.

Data Mapping

Data mapping is something that contains an exact roadmap that your partner will follow. It is an essential document for successful migration that contains all the details of data sources and target fields for each data entity. Even so, it states the details of all data sources required to fetch the data for the NAV to Business Central migration.

Data Cleaning

After building the data mapping document, it is time for further data cleaning. In this, your Dynamics consultant will sort the data based on different parameters and process data cleaning. Also, the data will be standardised to meet the required quality by removing duplicate, irrelevant, and unnecessary data.

Data Extraction

After cleaning, it's time to extract the essential data while ensuring the quality and accuracy of the existing information. Certain tools, methods, and scripts need to be utilised to extract the data from the NAV database while preserving its original structure. Based on your current NAV version, the process varies from one business to another.

Data Transformation

In general scenarios, the data format of Dynamics NAV becomes personalised based on different configurations, add-ons, and customizations of the system. This leads to data transformation, which includes the conversion or transformation of data from its original format to a compatible format. It consists of different processes that include reformatting, data enrichment, and more. After the transformation, the updated data format can only be transferred to Business Central from Dynamics NAV.

Data Loading

It is an important process in which your NAV to Business Central data migration consultant will import the data into the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud. You need to ensure that caution is taken for an accurate and proper data-loading process. Such attention will prevent any chances of data loss or corruption at any stage.

Data Validation

The business-centric Microsoft Solutions Partners, like Dynamics Square, cross-check the data after uploading it into Business Central. We will conduct a thorough examination to identify any kind of missing data, dissimilarity, or error that might have taken place during the data loading or transformation process. It ensures the accurate feeding of data into the new system.

Testing

After validating the data, it's time to extensively test the transferred data for all records, transactions, and business functionalities. It is to check whether the transferred data is accurate or if there is a need to repeat any of the data transfer processes. The Dynamics Partner will ensure that all functions are working or not, and that users can connect with them efficiently.

Data Archiving

Data archiving is the process of storing some portion of historical data that is not useful today but might be needed in the future. Such data can be used for tax reporting, compliance, or any other kind of reference purpose. Based on your requirements, your partner will collect such data and store it in a safe place.

Final Data Verification

This is an essential step that must be taken to double-check the accuracy of the data. Also, the partner will perform this step to check the completeness and up-to-date status of the data uploaded on new servers. However, you need to proactively verify whether all data is in its expected state or not and ready to be accessed.

Go-Live

Till now, we have taken all the important steps involved in the NAV to Business Central data migration process. Once you are sure of the data accuracy and relevancy and have validated the performance of the system, you can start the go-live process. With this process, your selected Dynamics 365 partner will start the process to make Business Central your official ERP system.

User Training

After the implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central, your D365 partner will provide training to the staff so that they can efficiently use the system, utilising all the data. With the training, the partner will try to empower users to navigate through the tools, access input data, and carry out different business operations.

Post Migration Support

After the Business Central implementation, there are certain chances that you might need the help of your Business Central Support partner to address any question, issue, query, or concern. In such a scenario, the post-migration support will help you get going with your newly installed system, regardless of the complexity.

How can Dynamics Square help you with the NAV to Business Central data migration process?

Dynamics Square has been in the business for more than 12 years and has successfully done NAV to BC implementation for 200+ businesses. We know what businesses want and how to meet their requirements.

Migrating data from one system to another can be a tricky process, but not for our Microsoft-certified Business Central consultants. With years of experience and ground-level knowledge, we ensure a successful NAV to Business Central data migration while considering all precautions.

During the process, our team will make sure to successfully implement Business Central so that you can focus more on business growth rather than streamlining business operations. In case of need, feel free to write us an email at info@dynamicssquare.co.uk or call us directly at +44 207 193 2502 for instant help.