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Support ended April 2024

Upgrade from Business Central v21 directly to the current Business Central version

We bring your Business Central v21 database directly to the current Business Central version – without intermediate versions, typically in 4 weeks, at a fixed price for the data migration from 4.500 €. Thanks to Live-Sync, your legacy system keeps running until the cutover date. This also applies to v21 installations with a customized Base Application.

Out of Support

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (v21) no longer receives updates.

Mainstream and extended support for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (v21) have expired. There are no more security updates, no hotfixes and no direct, official Microsoft upgrade path.

End of support April 2024
No more updates under the Modern Policy
Risk check

Risk checklist for continuing to run Business Central v21.

Five points that become a risk if you keep running the old system – and how the upgrade resolves each of them.

Support window
The maintenance period ends

Support for Business Central v21 ends in April 2024. After that there will be neither security nor feature updates – and no supported way to keep running this release.

After the upgrade
Permanently within the maintenance period

On the current version you stay in support: two releases per year, security updates on an ongoing basis, without another upgrade project.

Feature set
No new features

Copilot, agent workflows and the automations of the current releases are not available in Business Central v21. The gap to the standard widens with every six-month cycle.

After the upgrade
Current feature scope in the standard

After the upgrade, AI functions, Power Automate and the Teams integration are ready to use – without additional development.

Compliance
Legal requirements continue to apply

E-invoicing obligations, ViDA and GoBD keep being updated. Microsoft implements these requirements only in versions within the support period.

After the upgrade
Compliance comes with the release

Microsoft delivers current formats and validation mechanisms as part of the standard. You do not have to build anything yourself.

Extensions
Add-ons lose their approval

ISV solutions (add-on modules from third-party providers) are not maintained indefinitely for older Business Central versions. Your operations then depend on releases for which there is no more support.

After the upgrade
Maintained app versions from AppSource

On the current version you run the current app versions from your vendors, including updates and support.

Upgrade distance
The gap to the target keeps growing

Every skipped release makes the jump bigger: more changes to objects and extensions, more testing effort in a later switch.

After the upgrade
One step instead of many

DataMigrate Pro transfers your data directly into the current version – no matter how many releases lie in between.

Two routes, one destination

The standard upgrade path – and the direct one.

Microsoft offers no direct route from Business Central v21 to Business Central v28. The standard path runs through one interim version, each one a migration of its own, with its own testing and its own sign-off. DataMigrate Pro skips that chain.

Standard path · one interim version

How the upgrade runs without DataMigrate Pro

  1. 01

    Business Central v21

    Your starting version. The standard path lifts it one step at a time.

  2. 02

    Business Central v25

    An interim stop on the way to the current version.

  3. 03

    Business Central v28

    The target – reached after one migration along the way.

With DataMigrate Pro · one stop

How it runs with us

  1. 04

    Business Central v21

    Your old system keeps running untouched and is only read from.

  2. 05

    Business Central v28

    Data and customisations move to the target version in one step. Until go-live, live and delta sync keep both systems aligned.

Why this works. The standard path needs every interim version because Microsoft’s upgrade tooling only carries the data model from one release to the next. DataMigrate Pro reads the source database directly at table level and writes into the target model – which is what makes the interim steps unnecessary. See the comparison with the Microsoft Cloud Migration Tool →

What is special about Dynamics 365 Business Central v21?

The VAT date came with v21

A separate field on documents and entries, plus the check of permitted periods when posting. From this version onwards, your tax data is structurally at the level that Business Central expects today.

Intrastat was rebuilt from scratch

The old journal solution has been replaced. If you are subject to reporting requirements, data and processes move to the new, configurable solution; we plan a separate work package for that.

Universal Code: a customized application has cost extra since v21

Since this wave, Microsoft has required chargeable additional modules for OnPremise installations that are not based on cloud-optimized Extensions. If you switch to Microsoft's standard plus your own Extensions, this rule no longer applies to you.

Why switch to the latest Dynamics 365 Business Central version?

Business Central Version 21 is out of support

Missing updates, growing security and downtime risks. Business Central follows the Modern Policy with predictable releases and a current security baseline.

CoPilot & AI Features

With Dynamics 365 Business Central, Copilot/AI, Power Automate, Teams & Dynamics integrations are available without additional development. Processes become measurably faster and manual handovers between systems disappear.

E-invoicing/XRechnung · GoBD/GDPR · ViDA compliance

E-invoicing/XRechnung, GoBD/GDPR and modern permission concepts can be mapped cleanly in Dynamics 365 Business Central. That reduces audit risks and makes the system auditable.

Never a major upgrade again

With Extensions instead of base customizations and two automatic releases per year, Business Central stays up to date on its own. The move from Business Central v21 is therefore your last major upgrade project.

Process

This is how your upgrade works.

From the analysis to the cutover date – your legacy system stays live right up to the end.

01
free of charge

Upgrade-Check

We analyze your Business Central v21 database – you receive a fixed-price range and a schedule.

Analysis Fixed price
02

Test migration

Full trial run with your real data – you see your Business Central with your figures.

Live data
03

Mapping & Extensions

Custom objects, ISV add-ons and customizations are mapped or replaced.

Add-ons Customizations
04

Live-Sync

Your legacy system keeps running as normal; DataMigrate Pro keeps the data in sync until the cutover date.

No standstill
05

User acceptance

Key users test the processes in the new system and approve them.

Training
06
Cutover date

Cutover & Go-live

The switchover happens on the cutover date – without data loss, typically after about 4 weeks of project time.

Go-live

Move from Business Central v21 to the current version. From 4.500,00 EUR

We migrate your data directly to the current Business Central version – without intermediate steps and without downtime. The fixed price for the data migration starts at 4.500 €.

Ready to start in Business Central in 4 weeks (typical)
Customers, vendors, items and further master data included
Complete transfer (entries, documents, history, Add-ons) can be booked in addition – details in the FAQ.
FAQ

FAQ – frequently asked questions

What is the Universal Code Initiative and does it affect us?

It affects you if your Business Central installation runs OnPremise and the application itself has been customized – that is, if your changes sit inside the Microsoft standard instead of alongside it as separate extensions. Since v21, Microsoft has required paid add-on modules for this. The way out is the one we recommend anyway: Microsoft’s unmodified application plus your customizations as Extensions. We can see whether you are affected in the free Upgrade-Check.

What does an upgrade / switch from Dynamics 365 Business Central (< version 28) to Dynamics 365 Business Central version 28 cost?

Our entry-level packages start at 4.500,00 € for the master data transfer (e.g. customers, vendors, items, central setup data). A complete 1:1 data transfer including transaction data, ledger entries, general ledger history, posted and unposted documents, custom tables and add-ons is possible – standardized through DataMigrate Pro and therefore considerably cheaper than classic projects. The final cost estimate and the selection of the package that fits you follow a short assessment.

How long does an upgrade / switch from Dynamics 365 Business Central (< version 28) to Dynamics 365 Business Central version 28 take?

Around four weeks until Business Central is in productive use; with a large data volume or many customizations it can also take longer. During the migration phase we synchronize continuously, so that you can keep using your existing system up to the planned Go-live and Business Central is always close to the current state.

Do you also support Dynamics 365 Business Central OnPremise, or only cloud?

Both. In contrast to Microsoft’s own direction, we advise and deliver neutrally for cloud and OnPremise. What matters are IT strategy, compliance, interfaces and TCO – not the dogma “everything has to go to the cloud”.

Does a complete data migration take place?

Yes, 1:1 transfers are possible with DataMigrate Pro. Together we define cutover dates and the data scope (master and transaction data) and verify the result with reconciliation overviews (balance and document differences).

Can we also migrate the data ourselves with DataMigrate Pro?

Yes. DataMigrate Pro is built to be easy to use. Many of our customers carry out parts of the work themselves (e.g. master data mapping, test runs). We take care of setup, tricky steps, quality assurance and the Cutover (switching over to the new system). We have provided several guides for this.

Do you have references? This all sounds too good to be true.

Understandable question – our prices are considerably lower than what many prospects have seen in earlier quotes. The best evidence comes from projects: we have published a case study on the migration from Dynamics NAV 2009 to Business Central and can put you in touch with verifiable reference customers on request. An independent assessment is also available from Cedrik Ferner, author of a book on Business Central, on My Business Central.

Do our in-house developments have to be transferred 1:1?

No – and it would rarely make sense, because over the years technical debt has often built up that should be cleared out. We look at the business logic, but re-implement it technically as AL Extensions (events/subscriptions). The result: release-ready, maintainable, with no changes to the core. That keeps you ready for future versions and updates.

What happens to our Add-ons (ISV solutions)?

We check whether there is an AppSource version of your current ISV solution. If not, we replace functions with the standard or with lightweight Extensions. Our aim: fewer dependencies and simpler updates.

How do you minimize downtime at Go-live?

In principle there is no downtime with our solution, because we continuously migrate the data from Dynamics 365 Business Central (< Version 27) to Dynamics 365 Business Central Version 27 (double run with a parallel phase). This reduces the switchover to a few minutes. The step remains reversible, because you can keep working in the old system at any time.

Cloud or OnPremise – which makes more sense for us?

On request we assess this question for you, taking compliance, integrations, security requirements and costs into account. Cloud means less infrastructure effort and faster innovation; OnPremise remains a valid option if, for example, data sovereignty or special integrations carry more weight.

Can we migrate step by step (technology first, processes later)?

Yes. First the technical upgrade (AL conformity, data), then process optimization (e.g. Copilot/automation, reporting). That way you are productive in Business Central quickly.

What changes for the users?

In short: role-based interfaces, more modern navigation, integrated Office/Teams/Power BI workflows. Everything else stays the same: your data and processes are transferred 1:1 from the previous system and improved / adjusted on request.