How to migrate from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA
To migrate a client from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's NAV database, and give superglue access to the client's SAP S/4HANA account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
Microsoft's extended support for NAV 2018, the last NAV version, ends in January 2028, so most NAV clients plan their move now.
What are the steps to migrate from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA?
Migrating from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Dynamics NAV and SAP S/4HANA
Connect the NAV database on SQL Server read-only. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to SAP S/4HANA.
- 02
Assess the Dynamics NAV data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Dynamics NAV specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads the SAP S/4HANA quality or test system and compares it with Dynamics NAV: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Dynamics NAV?
- The client's IT creates a read-only SQL Server login for the NAV database, and the superglue gateway reaches the server on the client's network.
- NAV versions before NAV 2013 may run on the native database, which needs a move to SQL Server or an export first.
- Each company has its own tables, so list every company in scope.
- Ask whether the client ran date compression. Compressed years keep only one entry per period, so their detail cannot move.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in SAP S/4HANA?
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the client sets up a communication user and the communication arrangements for the APIs superglue uses. On premise, the client activates the OData services for a technical user. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the implementation team sets the organizational structure in Central Business Configuration, and superglue prepares and checks the values. superglue then loads the data through the Migration Cockpit, in the quality or test system first, in this order:
- 01
Group currency, the fiscal year variant and the company codes with their currencies. In the public cloud, the fiscal year variant cannot change after activation.
- 02
The chart of accounts. In the public cloud, every company code uses the standard chart of accounts, so the client's accounts map into it.
- 03
Profit centers, cost centers and segments for reporting.
- 04
Business partner settings, house banks, payment terms and tax codes.
- 05
Business partners and products, then the G/L balances and open items at the migration key date.
What moves from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA?
| In Dynamics NAV | In SAP S/4HANA |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | G/L accounts |
| Dimensions and dimension values | Profit centers, cost centers and segments |
| Customers | Business partners in the customer role |
| Jobs | Projects |
| Vendors | Business partners in the supplier role |
| Items | Products |
| Bank accounts | House banks and bank accounts |
Open items
Open customer and vendor ledger entries, open sales and purchase documents, and item ledger entries with their remaining quantity and cost.
Open items load through the Migration Cockpit as receivables and payables open items at the migration key date, with their original due dates, so the aging in SAP S/4HANA matches on day one.
History
NAV keeps every ledger entry since the first posting unless someone ran date compression, which keeps only one entry per period. superglue reads the entries per company and per fiscal year.
History loads as monthly G/L balances for earlier periods through the historical balance migration object, for reporting only, and older detail stays in an archive the client keeps.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA?
- 01
Where do NAV dimensions go?
SAP S/4HANA reports through profit centers, cost centers and segments, and NAV dimensions usually carry departments, divisions and projects.
superglue maps departments to cost centers, divisions to profit centers and projects to projects, and proposes a custom field for any other dimension the client reports on.
- 02
How do NAV posting groups become SAP account determination?
SAP S/4HANA finds accounts through account determination, such as the reconciliation account on each business partner and the valuation class on each product.
superglue maps customer and vendor posting groups to reconciliation accounts, and inventory posting groups to valuation classes.
- 03
How many company codes does the client need?
A company code is a legal entity in SAP S/4HANA, with its own currency and books, and it belongs to one country.
superglue recommends one company code for each legal company in Dynamics NAV.
- 04
Which migration key date does the client use?
The migration key date sets the posting date for the balances and open items of each company code. Fixed assets have their own transfer date.
superglue recommends the last day of a closed period, so the opening balances match an approved trial balance.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in SAP S/4HANA, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA?
Customizations live in the database code
NAV customizations are written in C/AL inside the database, and they do not carry over to a new system. superglue lists the custom fields and tables that hold data, so you decide what moves.
Posting groups decide the accounts of documents
General, customer, vendor and inventory posting groups decide which accounts each sales, purchase and inventory entry hits. superglue maps each combination in use to the account defaults in the new system.
Retire old dimension values before the mapping
Years of projects and campaigns leave thousands of NAV dimension values, many of them blocked. Agree with the client which ones still matter, because every value that moves needs a mapping. superglue counts how often each value was used.
Multi-company clients need an intercompany plan
Clients with several companies keep one set of tables for each, with intercompany balances between them. Agree early which companies merge, which become entities, and how the intercompany balances settle. superglue reads every company and matches the intercompany balances.
Rehearse every load in the test system
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, migrated data cannot be deleted or loaded again. Run each load in the quality or test system with a new migration project per cycle, and load production once the reconciliation is signed.
Customers and vendors become one business partner
SAP S/4HANA keeps a company once as a business partner with a customer role, a supplier role or both. Agree with the client how duplicates across the old customer and vendor lists merge, because the address and bank details are kept once.
Every line needs its profit center
SAP S/4HANA keeps G/L, controlling and asset postings in one journal. Document splitting puts a profit center and a segment on each line, and lines on cost accounts also carry a cost center. Agree the profit center and cost center design before balances move, because the migrated balances carry them.
superglue also runs the rest of the SAP S/4HANA project. See the SAP S/4HANA implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in SAP S/4HANA.
Does superglue write to SAP S/4HANA without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Dynamics NAV. Before any write to SAP S/4HANA, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Dynamics NAV: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Dynamics NAV to SAP S/4HANA migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.