Upgrading from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Business Central

Upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

A direct upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central from Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 is supported by Microsoft at the moment. However, the upgrade path is not so direct when it comes to older version of Dynamics NAV.

Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Business Central Upgrade Path

As we assist with the NAV to Business Central Upgrade to our clients, we have pin down a few frequently asked questions and possibly our answers might help you.

NAV vs Business Central

There are two central differences between difference between NAV and Business Central. Firstly; Dynamics 365 Business Central has a relative lead of being browser-based, even though the functionality of both is basically the same. Dynamics 365 Business Central provides more flexibility and a wide reach while still offering all the proficiencies of Dynamics NAV (e.g., Operation Management, Sales and Service, etc.). Now secondly, the difference comes with licensing for both. Microsoft NAV is licensed for concurrent users while Dynamics 365 Business Central licensing based on named users. Both these solutions feasibly deployed Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises or in the Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud.

How does Dynamics 365 Business Central with an on premise deployment differ from the Cloud deployment?

The cloud version of Dynamics 365 Business Central for small businesses which have little or less complicated business processes and the costs associated are also on a lower note. While the on-premises version puts forward additional complex of Dynamics 365 Business Central Features required for the business processes and hence will operate on an extra cost. The pro side of Cloud deployment is that the data is available anywhere, anytime and on any device, inclusive of mobile. On the other hand, the on-premises system requires high-availability network hardware to gain this sort of availability.

How strenuous moving data from NAV to Business Central?

It isn’t hard for data migration from NAV to Business Central and can be accomplished either by entering directly or by the use of data migration tools of Rapid Start Services.

How will my previous integrations work with a new Dynamics 365 Business Central deployment?

The previous customizations and integrations can be migrated to Business Central from later versions of Dynamics NAV i.e., Microsoft NAV Dynamics 2017/2018 with ease. However, the older your version is very difficult to migrate either to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central on premise version or the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud version of Dynamics 365 Business Central. In order to utilize the old customizations in Dynamics 365 Business Central, they are required to be made as extensions to make them suitable to integrate with the new deployment. Sometimes, due to incompatibility or a similar performance that already exists in Business Central Microsoft, old customizations might not be able to integrate. Many of your prior customizations will no longer be required with the improved functionality that Microsoft Business Central builds in.

Can Office 365 be integrated by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Using the app launcher, the navigation between Office 365 and Business Central becomes easy as Business Central online is completely integrated with Office 365. Interestingly, in Dynamics 365 Business Central, data can be opened in Excel, printed the reports using Word and work with Business Central data in Outlook.

What are the Power BI capabilities of Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Along with the addition of standard reports, Business Central users can make more informed decisions and strategies can be made by accessing data, creating reports and viewing dashboards using mobile applications. A real-time statistics will be presented by Power BI making sure of the latest insights.

What out-of-the-box integrations come with Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central, being a Microsoft product integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and other applications- such as PowerApps, Power BI, Microsoft Teams, etc. There are standard APIs available for creating Connect Apps to publish in the App Store and integrate with Dynamics 365 Business Central. This becomes functional with Business Central when a point-to-point connection is required to connect a third-party service, examples would be ADP Workforce and Shopify Connector. For specific industry processes, many third-party extensions are featured by Microsoft AppStore which enables to enhance the performance of Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Does Dynamics 365 Business Central allow concurrent users?

Dynamics 365 Business Central on premise or Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud is licensed per named users and the Dynamics 365 Business Central Licensing has been changed to named users from concurrent users by Microsoft.

What license plans offered by Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Microsoft offers various types of paid licenses:

  • Team Member
  • Essential
  • Premium
  • External Accountant

Users will avail certain entitlements or user permissions based on the licenses purchased. As with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Dynamics 365 Business Central On Premise also has perpetual and subscription licensing with a monthly fee based on the number of users.

How does Dynamics 365 Business Central cost?

Based on the licenses purchased, the cost of Dynamics 365 Business Central can be set on.

  • Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Member license costs $8 per named user/month
  • Dynamics 365 Business Central Essential License costs $70 per named user/month
  • Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium License costs $100 per named user/month

Is Dual User Rights allowed by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Yes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central allows dual user rights with a Dynamics 365 Business Central subscription and is activated via CSP.

Is there any reduction in price for existing users who prefer to migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Microsoft provides a 40% discount to any existing Microsoft Dynamics customer on Business Central licenses through June 30, 2021 as below:

  • Dynamics NAV
  • Dynamics GP
  • Dynamics SL

For only Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud subscription licenses; this discount is applicable. It is not useful for customers with Dynamics 365 Business Central perpetual licenses or on-premises licenses.

Nevas Technologies is a trusted Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner that has helped many companies upgrade from Dynamics NAV to Business Central. If you want to understand what it might mean for your organization to upgrade from Dynamics NAV to Business Central, please contact us.

Get a Demo of Dynamics 365 Business Central.

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