Dynamics NAV to Business Central: what happens to old NAV data

What happens to old NAV data when a company moves to Business Central?

In many NAV projects the old database does not move in full. The new Business Central tenant gets opening balances, open documents, master data and perhaps one or two years of history, while the rest stays behind in the legacy SQL database, a read-only copy or a set of exports. That leftover database is often the longest continuous record of how the company ran: ledgers, orders, purchasing, production, service and the notes attached to them.

For an ERP consultant, the leftover is also the point in the plan where one extra question fits. Before the legacy server is decommissioned, ask the owner whether the old history has a value beyond audit retention. A company with 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded) and many years in NAV may hold records that AI developers license. SourceX handles the assessment, rights review, pricing, buyer review and delivery; you only make the introduction.

Which parts of a NAV database carry the most value?

The value sits in linked, outcome-bearing records, not in raw row counts. Ledger entries alone say little; ledger entries tied to the document, the approver and the exception note say a lot.

Whether any of this is licensable is decided later, with the company, on rights and content. Your job is only to know where it sits.

What are the usual export and retention routes?

Consultants see four patterns, and each leaves the data in a different state. Check the current Microsoft lifecycle and upgrade documentation for your NAV version before you promise a client any path; this page does not state support dates.

1. Technical upgrade. The database is converted and history comes along. Little is left behind, though old attached files and custom objects may still be stranded.
2. Reimplementation with selected history. A common route. A defined slice is loaded; everything else stays in the old database.
3. Read-only legacy instance. A frozen NAV or SQL restore is kept for lookups. This works until the hosting contract or the license lapses.
4. Flat-file archive. Tables are exported to CSV or a reporting database. Relationships and the change log are the first things lost.

The licensing conversation needs the second and third patterns to survive long enough for the company to decide. If the old server is switched off with no backup, the option is gone.

How do you spot a NAV company worth raising this with?

Run a short screen during discovery or data-migration scoping. You are listening for facts, not asking anyone to open the database.

• The company ran NAV, Navision or Dynamics for roughly a decade or more without a full reset.
• Several systems fed it (CRM, warehouse, EDI, e-commerce, a reporting database), so the history connects.
• The migration scope drops years of documents or ledgers from the new tenant.
• A named owner, CFO or controller can authorize decisions about the old data.
• The company owns its data outright: no client-owned ledgers hosted for outsourcing customers, and no court or trustee in control.

Three or more ticks justify a mention. Fewer, and you can leave it.

When in the project plan should you raise it?

The hypercare window after go-live is the last stretch where the project team still knows what lives where, so aim to have the question answered by then.

What should you say to the client?

Keep it to the owner or CFO. If the finance side is also being moved to an outsourced provider, the outsourced accounting transition brings its own record questions, so mention both at once.

How does the introduction work?

Your part is a short message with basic fit information: company name, approximate headcount, years on NAV and the likely sponsor. SourceX then screens the company, the company builds its own data inventory, and any deal needs agreed price and terms plus a signature. Your reward comes last, after SourceX has been paid.

You never export, upload or describe confidential ledgers. Redaction and de-identification are agreed with the company before any work begins. To prepare an owner-approved note, use the introduction email builder.

How do partner rewards work for an ERP consultant?

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. The reward is paid only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; an introduction, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed.

Check your engagement letter and your firm's policy on referral fees before you register, and read the program terms. If the client asks how a license payment is treated for tax, point to how data licensing income is taxed and tell them to ask their own adviser.

When is it not worth raising?

• The NAV database mainly holds other companies' data, for example an outsourcer hosting clients.
• The company never reached 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), or only started on NAV recently.
• The database is already deleted and no backup exists.
• The owner will not consider an exclusive license for AI training.

The who qualifies page lists the full baseline.

Next step

Add one question to your next NAV scoping workshop. If a company passes the screen, register as a partner and send the introduction, or have the owner apply at sourcex.si/apply. Partners focused on ERP work can also see the referral opportunities for ERP consultants.