# NAV to Business Central Upgrade Assessment > Source: https://netray.co/tools/nav-to-business-central-upgrade-assessment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Answer ten questions about your Dynamics NAV environment to see how ready you are to upgrade to Business Central and what to tackle first. ## Category erp-migration ## Erp Microsoft Dynamics NAV ## Audience - NAV administrator - BC partner - IT manager - Finance director ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### Which NAV version do you run today? **Help:** Older versions need more steps and often a technical upgrade path before the move. **Options:** ##### NAV 2018 or Business Central 14 on-premises **Score:** 3 ##### NAV 2016 or 2017 **Score:** 2 ##### NAV 2013 to 2015 **Score:** 1 ##### Navision 4.0, 5.0 or NAV 2009 **Score:** 0 #### How are your customisations built? **Help:** Code changes inside base objects are the biggest upgrade cost driver. **Options:** ##### Mostly extensions or very few changes **Score:** 3 ##### Some base object changes, documented **Score:** 2 ##### Heavy base object changes, partly documented **Score:** 1 ##### Heavy changes with no documentation or source **Score:** 0 #### How many custom tables, pages, reports and codeunits do you have? **Options:** ##### Under 50 objects **Score:** 3 ##### 50 to 200 objects **Score:** 2 ##### 200 to 500 objects **Score:** 1 ##### Over 500 objects **Score:** 0 #### Do you use third-party add-ons or ISV solutions? **Options:** ##### None, or all have AppSource versions **Score:** 3 ##### Some, with vendors offering a cloud version **Score:** 2 ##### Several, vendor status is unknown **Score:** 1 ##### Add-ons whose vendor no longer exists **Score:** 0 #### How clean is your master and ledger data? **Options:** ##### Regularly reviewed, few blocked or duplicate records **Score:** 3 ##### Mostly clean, some old records **Score:** 2 ##### Many obsolete items, customers and vendors **Score:** 1 ##### Unknown quality, never cleaned **Score:** 0 #### How many integrations connect to NAV (EDI, e-commerce, banking, BI, web services)? **Options:** ##### None or one, standard APIs **Score:** 3 ##### Two to four, documented **Score:** 2 ##### Five or more, partly documented **Score:** 1 ##### Many, based on direct SQL access or unsupported methods **Score:** 0 #### How large is your database and how much history do you need? **Options:** ##### Under 50 GB or history can be archived **Score:** 3 ##### 50 to 200 GB **Score:** 2 ##### 200 to 500 GB **Score:** 1 ##### Over 500 GB and all history is required online **Score:** 0 #### Do you have a test environment and a person who knows the business processes? **Options:** ##### Yes, both are available **Score:** 3 ##### A test copy, but limited process knowledge **Score:** 2 ##### Process knowledge only, no test environment **Score:** 1 ##### Neither **Score:** 0 #### Have you decided SaaS versus on-premises for Business Central? **Options:** ##### Yes, decision made and approved **Score:** 3 ##### Leaning one way **Score:** 2 ##### Comparing options **Score:** 1 ##### Not started **Score:** 0 #### Is there an executive sponsor, budget range and a target go-live window? **Options:** ##### All three are set **Score:** 3 ##### Sponsor and rough budget **Score:** 2 ##### Interest but no budget **Score:** 1 ##### None of these **Score:** 0 **Bands:** #### High effort, plan a discovery phase first **Min:** 0 **Max:** 39 **Verdict:** Your environment has several upgrade blockers. Treat this as a re-implementation risk and start with a code and data inventory. **Recommendations:** - Inventory every customised object and decide keep, replace by standard, or retire - Confirm source code availability for all add-ons - Consider a fresh start with selected data migration rather than a full upgrade - Budget for a pilot upgrade on a copy of the database #### Manageable with preparation **Min:** 40 **Max:** 64 **Verdict:** The upgrade is feasible but customisations, add-ons or integrations will drive cost. Close the gaps before booking a go-live date. **Recommendations:** - Convert base object changes to extensions in priority order - Ask each ISV for a Business Central version and pricing - Document and retest every integration against API v2.0 or custom APIs - Run a trial upgrade to measure data conversion time #### Good readiness **Min:** 65 **Max:** 84 **Verdict:** You are in decent shape. Focus on testing, user training and the SaaS or on-premises decision. **Recommendations:** - Finalise deployment model and licensing - Schedule at least two trial conversions and one user acceptance cycle - Clean up obsolete master data before conversion #### Ready to proceed **Min:** 85 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Few blockers are visible. Lock a project plan and run the first trial conversion. **Recommendations:** - Set the cutover calendar around fiscal period end - Plan a post go-live hypercare period - Take the chance to simplify processes while migrating ## Content **Intro:** Dynamics NAV is out of mainstream support, and many companies are working out what the move to Business Central really involves. The honest answer depends on a handful of factors: version, how customisations are built, add-ons, data quality and integrations. This assessment turns those into a score and a short action list. **Sections:** #### How to use the assessment **Body:** Answer each of the ten questions for your current NAV environment. Scores are added and shown as a percentage of the maximum, then matched to one of four bands. The result is a planning aid, not a quote: it tells you where the effort is likely to be and what to inspect first. Run it with your IT lead and a process owner, and save the result to Excel or PDF for the steering group. #### What drives upgrade effort **Body:** Business Central moved customisation from changing base objects to extensions written in AL. Code changed directly in NAV objects has to be rewritten or replaced by standard features. The count of custom objects, ISV add-ons without a Business Central version, and integrations that used direct SQL access are the three biggest cost drivers. Data volume and history affect conversion time more than complexity. **Bullets:** - Base object changes become extensions or events - ISV add-ons need a supported Business Central version - Direct SQL access is not available in SaaS - Large databases lengthen conversion windows #### Choosing the path **Body:** Typical paths are a technical upgrade of the existing database and code, a re-implementation on Business Central with selected data migrated, or a phased approach by company or module. Low scores usually favour re-implementation, because rebuilding on standard features is cheaper than porting years of base object changes. SaaS versus on-premises should be decided early, as it limits integration and customisation techniques. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Underestimating testing, skipping a trial conversion, and assuming all add-ons exist in the cloud are the usual causes of overruns. Another is porting every old customisation without asking whether standard Business Central now covers it. **Cta:** If your score points to a hard upgrade, Netray works alongside Business Central partners to review customisations and data before you commit. **Faq:** #### Can I upgrade directly from any NAV version? **Answer:** Not always. Older versions typically need an intermediate technical upgrade or a data migration approach. Check Microsoft's current upgrade path documentation for your exact version and choose with your partner. #### Do my NAV customisations carry over? **Answer:** Not automatically. Business Central uses extensions, so base object changes must be redone as extensions or replaced by standard functionality. Document what each change does before deciding. #### Should I upgrade or re-implement? **Answer:** If customisations are modest and data is clean, an upgrade can be efficient. With heavy base changes or old versions, re-implementing with selected data often costs less and gives a cleaner system. #### Does this assessment give a price? **Answer:** No. It scores readiness and highlights risk areas. Pricing needs an object inventory, a trial conversion and a defined scope from your implementation partner. ## Search terms nav to business central upgrade, dynamics nav end of support upgrade, nav to business central migration assessment, nav customizations to extensions, navision upgrade business central readiness, nav to business central cost, nav to business central checklist --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json