web
You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
close
Skip to main content

Notifications

Announcements

No record found.

News and Announcements icon
Community site session details

Community site session details

Session Id :
Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Small and medium business | Business Central, N... / Business Central: comp...
Small and medium business | Business Central, N...
Suggested Answer

Business Central: company data migration between different databases

(2) ShareShare
ReportReport
Posted on by blackone 29
Hi,
 
i have a customer with 2 different DB (BC21 version onprem); each DB contains a company (DB1 company A, DB2 Company B), and both companies are used.
These DB have the same apps (and version).
 
My customer asked me to migrate company B into DB1, for having only one DB with 2 companies.
 
 
I tried "ExportData" page (9901), but the file that i create is over 350MB, and i can't upload in DB1
I can't use Config.Packages because i have to move also entries.
 
I'm thinking to do it by SQL, but i'd like to know if there any other way.
 
Have you any suggestion? 
 
Thanks
Alberto
Categories:
Dynamics 365 Business Central
I have the same question (0)
  • André Arnaud de Calavon Profile Picture
    André Arnaud de Cal... 301,020 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at
    Moved to the Business Central forum.
  • Suggested answer
    Dr Gomathi MVP, MCT Community lead, MLE Profile Picture
    Dr Gomathi MVP, MCT... 395 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

    You have a few options for migrating Company B from DB2 to DB1 in Business Central (BC21 On-Prem):

    1. Use Data Upgrade Tools (Recommended)

    • Use the Export-NAVData and Import-NAVData PowerShell commands:
      1. Export Data from DB2: 
        Export-NAVData -DatabaseServer "DB2_Server" -DatabaseName "DB2" -CompanyName "Company B" -FilePath "C:\Backup\CompanyB.navdata"
      2. Import Data into DB1: 
        Import-NAVData -DatabaseServer "DB1_Server" -DatabaseName "DB1" -FilePath "C:\Backup\CompanyB.navdata" -IncludeApplicationData
      3. Restart Business Central service and verify the data.

    2. SQL Backup & Restore (Direct Approach)

    • Take a backup of DB2, restore it as a temporary database, and then copy Company B into DB1 using SQL scripts.
    • Make sure to copy all related tables, including entries.

    3. Use RapidStart Services (Limited)

    • If you only need master data, Configuration Packages can help, but they don’t migrate entries.

    Best Approach?

    • If you need a full migration (including entries), Export-NAVData is the best option.
    • If the file size is an issue, consider compressing the .navdata file or splitting it.
    • SQL migration is possible but requires careful handling of tables and relationships.

    Let me know if you need further details! 

Under review

Thank you for your reply! To ensure a great experience for everyone, your content is awaiting approval by our Community Managers. Please check back later.

Helpful resources

Quick Links

Responsible AI policies

As AI tools become more common, we’re introducing a Responsible AI Use…

Neeraj Kumar – Community Spotlight

We are honored to recognize Neeraj Kumar as our Community Spotlight honoree for…

Congratulations to the November Top 10 Community Leaders!

These are the community rock stars!

Leaderboard > Small and medium business | Business Central, NAV, RMS

#1
OussamaSabbouh Profile Picture

OussamaSabbouh 3,151

#2
Jainam M. Kothari Profile Picture

Jainam M. Kothari 1,443 Super User 2025 Season 2

#3
YUN ZHU Profile Picture

YUN ZHU 1,092 Super User 2025 Season 2

Last 30 days Overall leaderboard

Featured topics

Product updates

Dynamics 365 release plans