We bring your Business Central v18 database directly to the current Business Central version – without intermediate versions, typically in 4 weeks, at a fixed price for the data migration starting at 4.500 €. Thanks to Live-Sync, your old system keeps running until the cut-off date. Also from v18 with data-based permission sets and OData connections.
Upgrade from Business Central v18 directly to the current Business Central version
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (v18) no longer receives updates.
Mainstream and extended support for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (v18) have expired. There are no more security updates, no hotfixes and no direct, official Microsoft upgrade path.
Risk checklist for continuing to run Business Central v18.
Five points that become a risk if you keep running the old system – and how the upgrade resolves each of them.
The maintenance period ends
Support for Business Central v18 ends in October 2022. After that there will be neither security nor feature updates – and no supported way to keep running this release.
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.
No new features
Copilot, agent workflows and the automations of the current releases are not available in Business Central v18. The gap to the standard widens every six months.
Current feature scope in the standard
After the upgrade, AI functions, Power Automate and the Teams integration are ready to use – without additional development.
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.
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.
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.
Maintained app versions from AppSource
On the current version you run the current app versions from your vendors, including updates and support.
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.
One step instead of many
DataMigrate Pro transfers your data directly into the current version – no matter how many releases lie in between.
The standard upgrade path – and the direct one.
Microsoft offers no direct route from Business Central v18 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.
How the upgrade runs without DataMigrate Pro
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01
Business Central v18
Your starting version. The standard path lifts it one step at a time.
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02
Business Central v25
An interim stop on the way to the current version.
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03
Business Central v28
The target – reached after one migration along the way.
How it runs with us
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04
Business Central v18
Your old system keeps running untouched and is only read from.
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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 v18?
Permissions became code with v18
Since this wave, permission sets exist as AL objects instead of as data in the database. The data-based variant has been discontinued. We migrate permission concepts that have grown over time as part of the project.
OData V3 has been removed as of v18
Older Excel connections, reporting tools and third-party systems that still point to OData V3 lose the connection. We list which of your connections are affected in the Upgrade-Check.
Reports have been extensible via Extension since v18
Previously a report was duplicated for every small change. Where whole families of reports exist as copies in your system, this can be resolved during the switch; that reduces the number of objects that have to be checked with every update.
Why switch to the latest Dynamics 365 Business Central version?
Business Central version 18 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 v18 is therefore your last major upgrade project.
This is how your upgrade works.
From the analysis to the cutover date – your legacy system stays live right up to the end.
Upgrade-Check
We analyze your Business Central v18 database – you receive a fixed-price range and a schedule.
Test migration
Full trial run with your real data – you see your Business Central with your figures.
Mapping & Extensions
Custom objects, ISV add-ons and customizations are mapped or replaced.
Live-Sync
Your legacy system keeps running as normal; DataMigrate Pro keeps the data in sync until the cutover date.
User acceptance
Key users test the processes in the new system and approve them.
Cutover & Go-live
The switchover happens on the cutover date – without data loss, typically after about 4 weeks of project time.
Move from Business Central v18 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 €.
FAQ – frequently asked questions
Our permissions have grown over the years. What happens to them?
Your permission sets are transferred to the new model. Since v18, Business Central has defined them as code instead of as data in the database; the old, data-based variant still exists, but it is deprecated. We record your existing sets and assignments in the Upgrade-Check and map them in the new model.
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.
Are you coming from a different version?
DataMigrate Pro covers every NAV and Navision version as a source. Choose your starting point.