NAV 2013 / R2 → BC 28 (2026 W1): what actually changes

SaaS deployment · 156 catalogued base BC changes (22 high, 70 medium, 64 low impact; 12 removals/deprecations) · 19 add-on entries (Continia Document Capture and LS Central) · 125 of 156 entries verified against Microsoft release notes · static snapshot generated 2026-10-02

Moving from NAV 2013 / R2 to Business Central 28 means 156 catalogued base changes, 22 of them high impact and 12 of them removals, reached over a 4-step upgrade path that Microsoft documents and that cannot be shortened. This page is a crawlable snapshot of the interactive NAV → BC delta tool, which adds filtering, tags, search, exports, and a printable migration briefing.

NAV 2013 → BC 28: 156 catalogued base changes by impact. 12 of them are removals or deprecations; 125 are verified against the cited release notes.
ImpactEntriesWhat it means
High22Changes a process, removes something you rely on, or needs a decision before go-live.
Medium70Worth reviewing during design or UAT, but unlikely to change the project plan.
Low64Informational — new capability you can adopt later, or a change with no migration action.
Total156Base Business Central changes between NAV 2013 and BC 28, SaaS deployment.

Open this comparison in the interactive tool →

Is NAV 2013 / R2 still supported?

Extended support for NAV 2013 / R2 ended on 10 January 2023 — 3 years 9 months ago. The system still runs, but it is unsupported: no fixes, no compliance or regulatory updates, and no Microsoft escalation path if something breaks.

How do you upgrade from NAV 2013 to BC 28?

Microsoft documents a 4-step route from NAV 2013 to BC 28. There is no supported single-step upgrade, and the intermediate versions are not optional — each one converts the database schema the next one expects. NAV 2013 is the harder case: it does not appear in any Business Central upgrade-path table, so the first hops happen entirely on the NAV side before Business Central will accept the database.

  1. Dynamics NAV 2018 CU2, then the latest NAV 2018 CUNAV 2013 and 2013 R2 appear in no Business Central upgrade-path table, but they are supported sources for a NAV 2018 upgrade — via cumulative update 2 specifically, then a second pass onto the latest CU. Microsoft documentation
  2. Business Central Spring 2019 (v14)The mandatory bridge release for anything on version 13 or earlier. Microsoft documentation
  3. Business Central 2024 release wave 2 (v25)Required staging point since 2025 release wave 1 removed the direct v14-to-latest path. Microsoft documentation
  4. Business Central 2026 release wave 1 (v28)The target. This path requires you convert your application from C/AL to AL. Microsoft documentation

What is specific to NAV 2013

Every migration to BC 28 shares the risks below. These are the parts that apply to NAV 2013 and not to the other source versions on this site.

The NAV 2018 hop is two upgrades, not one

NAV 2013 and 2013 R2 are the only sources Microsoft routes through a specific cumulative update: a full application-and-data upgrade to NAV 2018 CU2, then a second full upgrade onto the latest CU. Budget two data upgrades for this step alone. Source.

A technical upgrade gets you to NAV 2018, not to Business Central

NAV 2013 and 2013 R2 are listed as convertible sources for a NAV 2018 database conversion. They are not listed for the Business Central conversion, which starts at NAV 2015 — so the technical upgrade has to be run twice, against two different platforms. Source.

Customisations are base-object modifications, not extensions

NAV 2013 and 2013 R2 predate extension packages, so bespoke functionality is a direct modification to base application objects with no delta to lift out. The whole customisation inventory is rebuilt in AL rather than converted — plan for a rewrite, not a port. Source.

High-impact changes (22)

The 22 high-impact changes between NAV 2013 and BC 28, with the release wave each arrived in.
FeatureIntroducedImpactStatus
UK Making Tax Digital (MTD) ongoing complianceBC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)HighNew or changed
API-first integration modelBC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)HighNew or changed
AL programming languageBC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)HighNew or changed
Power BI embedded reportingBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)HighNew or changed
AppSource & per-tenant extensionsBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)HighNew or changed
Environments & sandboxesBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)HighNew or changed
Monthly minor updates and biannual major wavesBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)HighNew or changed
Windows desktop client removedBC15 (2019 W2)HighRemoved / deprecated
C/AL and C/SIDE removed — AL extensions onlyBC15 (2019 W2)HighRemoved / deprecated
G/L dimension correction toolBC18 (2021 W1)HighNew or changed
Basic Auth (web service access keys) removed for SaaSBC20 (2022 W1)HighRemoved / deprecated
VAT Date independent of Posting DateBC21 (2022 W2)HighNew or changed
Financial Reports replacing Account SchedulesBC21 (2022 W2)HighNew or changed
Custom fields moved into extensions during migrationBC21 (2022 W2)HighNew or changed
Point-in-time environment restore and deleted-environment recoveryBC21 (2022 W2)HighNew or changed
E-Documents framework as a global capabilityBC23 (2023 W2)HighNew or changed
Cloud migration path from v14 cut offBC26 (2025 W1)HighRemoved / deprecated
Concurrent inventory and warehouse postingBC26 (2025 W1)HighNew or changed
Cloud migration from any SQL Server databaseBC27 (2025 W2)HighNew or changed
French e-invoicing mandate supportBC28 (2026 W1)HighNew or changed
Quality management for incoming goods and materialsBC28 (2026 W1)HighNew or changed
Employee expense managementBC28 (2026 W1)HighNew or changed

UK Making Tax Digital (MTD) ongoing compliance · BC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)

Native MTD VAT submission to HMRC, including OAuth authentication, return submission, and obligation polling. Continually updated for HMRC API changes.

Honest take: If you have UK VAT obligations, this is one of the silent cliffs — and if you don't, this entry is not your problem. NAV's MTD support is via a partner add-on; BC's is native and HMRC-certified. As HMRC extends MTD scope, the native path becomes the default — sticking on NAV means staying on a third-party MTD bridge.

✓ verified · source documentation

API-first integration model · BC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)

REST APIs (v2.0) cover most master and transactional data. OData v4 web services for custom endpoints.

Honest take: The biggest invisible improvement. Most NAV integrations are bespoke; with BC, the standard APIs cover most cases out of the box. Why every new add-on is built for BC rather than NAV.

✓ verified · source documentation

AL programming language · BC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)

AL (modern, VS Code based, Git-friendly, package-managed) replaces C/AL (old, monolithic, C/SIDE-locked). All BC customisation happens in AL.

Honest take: If you have any C/AL code, plan for an AL conversion as part of the migration. There are partial conversion tools but non-trivial code needs rearchitecting. This is the largest single technical risk in a NAV → BC migration.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Power BI embedded reporting · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

Power BI reports embedded directly in role centres and list pages, with native data connectors for BC.

Honest take: The credible answer to 'why is reporting better in BC?'. Not magic and not free — someone still has to build the reports — but the data path from BC to Power BI is genuinely first-class in a way it never was for NAV.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

AppSource & per-tenant extensions · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

Customisations are deployed as AL extensions, either from AppSource or as per-tenant extensions. No more direct object modifications.

Honest take: The structural shift that makes everything else possible. NAV's object-modification model meant every customer's database was unique; BC's extension model means upgrades, support, and add-on compatibility actually work.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Environments & sandboxes · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

Tenants can have one production and multiple sandbox environments. Sandboxes can be copied from production for testing.

Honest take: Conceptually new for NAV teams. NAV environments are whatever you stand up on a server; BC environments are first-class managed objects with copy, restore, and lifecycle controls.

✓ verified · source documentation

Monthly minor updates and biannual major waves · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

BC SaaS receives monthly minor updates plus two major waves per year (April, October). Major waves can be deferred up to 90 days but not skipped.

Honest take: Operationally significant. Requires a regression-test pattern most NAV shops don't have. The upside: never falling further than ~12 months behind. The downside: planning around a continuous update flow.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Windows desktop client removed · BC15 (2019 W2) · removed/deprecated

The classic Windows (RTC-style) client was removed in BC15 — from then on the browser client and mobile apps are the only clients. The interim UWP Windows app was itself retired in BC19 in favour of a web-wrapper app.

Honest take: For anyone coming from the NAV Windows client this is the single biggest day-one change: everyone moves to the browser. Plan retraining, revisit low-spec terminals and anything that assumed a fat client — label printers, scales, attached peripherals — and test keyboard-heavy workflows before cutover. The web client is good now, but muscle memory is real.

✓ verified · source documentation

C/AL and C/SIDE removed — AL extensions only · BC15 (2019 W2) · removed/deprecated

BC15 removed the C/SIDE development environment and C/AL language entirely. The base application became AL, and all customisation must ship as AL extensions — there is no in-database custom code from BC15 onward.

Honest take: The technical heart of the migration, stated as a removal rather than a feature: every C/AL object in your NAV database must be rewritten as an extension, replaced by an AppSource app, or retired. Do the code inventory early — the number of objects you can simply delete is usually the best news in the whole assessment.

✓ verified · source documentation

G/L dimension correction tool · BC18 (2021 W1)

Posted G/L entries can have their dimensions corrected after the fact, with a full audit trail. Previously required reverse-and-repost or direct SQL fixes.

Honest take: Genuinely changes month-end behaviour. The NAV workaround — reverse, correct, repost — is risky and noisy in the audit trail. This is one of the features finance will use immediately and never want to lose.

✓ verified · source documentation

Basic Auth (web service access keys) removed for SaaS · BC20 (2022 W1) · removed/deprecated

Web-service access keys (Basic Auth) were switched off for Business Central online in BC20. Integrations authenticate with OAuth 2.0 via Microsoft Entra ID from then on.

Honest take: The classic silent killer of go-lives. Every NAV-era integration that signs in with a username and web-service key must be reworked for OAuth before cutover — the fix is routine, but never quick. Inventory your integrations first, not last.

✓ verified · source documentation

VAT Date independent of Posting Date · BC21 (2022 W2)

VAT Date is now a separate field on documents and entries, distinct from Posting Date. Allows VAT to be reported in a different period from the GL posting, with separate posting period controls (Allow VAT Date From/To).

Honest take: Long overdue. NAV conflates posting date and VAT date, which causes real pain at period boundaries — particularly when invoices arrive late but need to be reported in the correct VAT period. This is a structural fix, not a feature, and finance will feel it within a quarter.

✓ verified · source documentation

Financial Reports replacing Account Schedules · BC21 (2022 W2)

Account Schedules renamed and rebuilt as Financial Reports, with row and column definition pairing, easier rendering to Excel and PDF, and better drill-down.

Honest take: Genuinely better than NAV's account schedules. Worth retraining finance users — the new model is more powerful but the change in terminology and structure throws people the first time.

✓ verified · source documentation

Custom fields moved into extensions during migration · BC21 (2022 W2)

Fields added directly to base tables in the on-premises database can be mapped into an extension as part of cloud migration, instead of blocking the move.

Honest take: This is the bridge between the C/AL world and the extension world. Nearly every NAV database has fields bolted onto base tables; before this they had to be re-modelled by hand ahead of any migration. It does not remove the redesign work, but it stops it being a prerequisite for cutover.

✓ verified · source documentation

Point-in-time environment restore and deleted-environment recovery · BC21 (2022 W2)

Environments can be restored to a chosen point in time within the retention window, and recently deleted environments can be recovered, from the admin centre without raising a support request.

Honest take: Compare this honestly with what you do today: a NAV restore means finding the backup, finding a server, and finding someone who has done it before. Self-service point-in-time restore is a genuine reduction in operational risk, and it is the answer to the 'but we lose control of our own database' objection that always surfaces in these discussions.

✓ verified · source documentation

E-Documents framework as a global capability · BC23 (2023 W2)

A general-purpose electronic document framework in the base application, handling inbound and outbound document exchange with pluggable formats and service providers, rather than a separate feature per country.

Honest take: The foundation of everything below, and the reason e-invoicing stopped being a localisation problem. If you are on NAV and facing any mandate in the next three years, this framework \u2014 not any single country feature \u2014 is what you are actually migrating towards. Scope your compliance roadmap against it.

✓ verified · source documentation

Cloud migration path from v14 cut off · BC26 (2025 W1) · removed/deprecated

Direct cloud migration and data upgrade from Business Central Spring 2019 (v14) was removed in BC26 — older databases now need intermediate hops before they can reach current SaaS versions.

Honest take: Quietly one of the most important dates in this list. v14 is the classic stepping stone for NAV upgrades — the last version with C/AL. Every wave that passes adds another intermediate hop for your data, so migration cost now rises with time, not just risk.

✓ verified · source documentation

Concurrent inventory and warehouse posting · BC26 (2025 W1)

Multiple users can post inventory transactions at the same time, following the equivalent change for warehouse entries in the preceding wave.

Honest take: Ask anyone who has run a NAV stock count what happens when two people post at once. Posting locks shape the working day at month end \u2014 this is one of the least visible and most keenly felt differences in the whole comparison.

✓ verified · source documentation

Cloud migration from any SQL Server database · BC27 (2025 W2)

The cloud migration tool accepts any SQL Server database as a source rather than only a supported NAV or BC on-premises install, so heavily modified or partially upgraded databases can be migrated without an intermediate version hop.

Honest take: Quietly one of the most important entries in this whole comparison. The classic blocker for an old NAV estate was 'you must first upgrade to v14 on-prem, then migrate' \u2014 a project in its own right. Removing the source-version constraint changes the shape and cost of the migration itself. Get whoever is quoting the work to re-scope against this before accepting a staged-upgrade quote.

✓ verified · source documentation

French e-invoicing mandate support · BC28 (2026 W1)

Electronic invoicing for France is delivered through the E-Documents framework, aligned to the French mandate's phased obligations.

Honest take: A hard deadline rather than a nice-to-have. If you invoice in France, the mandate sets your migration timetable for you \u2014 this is the entry to put in front of whoever owns the timetable when the question of slipping another year comes up.

✓ verified · source documentation

Quality management for incoming goods and materials · BC28 (2026 W1)

A built-in capability to define quality specifications and record inspection results against incoming goods and materials, in preview from late 2025 and generally available April 2026.

Honest take: Business Central has never had native quality control, so this is new capability rather than catch-up \u2014 and it is the single most common reason mid-market manufacturers buy a third-party add-on. If you licence a QC bolt-on today, put its renewal date next to this entry.

✓ verified · source documentation

Employee expense management · BC28 (2026 W1)

Expense reports as a native capability, with mobile capture, an approval process, and travel requisitions arriving through 2026, working alongside the Expense Agent.

Honest take: Entirely new ground \u2014 NAV had nothing here, and most sites bought a separate expenses product or ran on spreadsheets and receipts in envelopes. Worth pricing against your current expense tool, but check the delivery dates: parts of this were still rolling out through late 2026.

✓ verified · source documentation

Medium-impact changes (70)

The 70 medium-impact changes between NAV 2013 and BC 28, with what each one changes.
FeatureIntroducedImpactStatusWhat changes
Tell Me search barBC14 (2019 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedUniversal search bar (Alt+Q) for finding pages, reports, and actions across the application.
Saved views on listsBC15 (2019 W2)MediumNew or changedUsers can save filtered, sorted views of any list page and share them with colleagues. Personal and shared views supported.
Power Automate connector for BCBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedFirst-class Power Automate connector for BC, enabling no-code automation across BC and other Microsoft 365 services.
Telemetry via Application InsightsBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedBusiness Central emits operational telemetry to Azure Application Insights, queryable with KQL, alertable, and dashboardable. Environment-level telemetry applies from 2019 wave 2; per-extension telemetry was added in 2020 wave 2, and the set of available signals has grown in almost every wave since.
Automation API for tenant configurationBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedREST endpoints for managing tenant configuration: companies, users, permission sets, environment operations.
Personalisation and tenant customisationBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedPer-user personalisation, plus tenant-wide customisation (Designer mode) without writing AL code. Customisations survive updates.
Multiple windows / tabsBC15 (2019 W2)MediumNew or changedOpen multiple BC pages in separate browser windows or tabs — multitasking that was awkward in earlier BC.
Copy and paste rows from ExcelBC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedCopy a range from Excel and paste directly into list pages. Validates each row on paste.
Bank Data Conversion Service retiredBC15 (2019 W2)MediumRemoved / deprecatedThe NAV-era Bank Data Conversion Service was deprecated in BC15 in favour of the AMC Banking 365 Fundamentals extension — which Microsoft is in turn retiring from its Marketplace bundle in 2027.
Legacy best-price calculation replacedBC16 (2020 W1)MediumRemoved / deprecatedThe old best-price logic was deprecated in BC16 and replaced by the new, extensible sales pricing experience.
Mobile approvals via Outlook & TeamsBC17 (2020 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedApproval requests reach approvers where they already are: the Business Central add-in in Outlook, and from BC17 the Business Central app in Microsoft Teams, with richer adaptive cards added in later waves. The approval engine itself is the NAV one.
Improved change tracking and audit trailBC17 (2020 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedSystem audit fields (created and modified, by whom and when) were added to every table in 2020 wave 2, sitting alongside the change log and field monitoring for sensitive fields. Later waves added change log configuration telemetry, Microsoft Purview auditing, a printable Audit Trail report, and permission and approval auditing APIs.
VAT Group ManagementBC17 (2020 W2)MediumNew or changedMembers of a VAT group can submit returns to a group representative, who consolidates and files a single group return — including under UK MTD.
Edit in Excel (modern)BC18 (2021 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedEdit in Excel opens a list page in Excel, edits are made there and published back. The capability is not new, but BC18 was the wave that made it reliable, and later waves extended it to more surfaces including recurring and intercompany journals, item journals, and warehouse worksheets.
Legacy web service protocols phased out (OData v3, SOAP)BC18 (2021 W1)MediumRemoved / deprecatedOData v3 endpoints were removed in BC18, and SOAP has been on a staged deprecation path since — Microsoft pages exposed as SOAP endpoints are disabled by default from BC26 and removed from 2026 wave 2. New development targets the OData v4 REST APIs.
VAT reporting in the W1 baseBC19 (2021 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedVAT return generation, submission, and audit-style reporting moved into the W1 base, replacing country-specific implementations for many jurisdictions.
Word and Excel layouts as first-class report formatsBC20 (2022 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedReports can have Word or Excel layouts that non-developers can edit, alongside or instead of RDLC.
Shopify connectorBC20 (2022 W1)MediumNew or changedFirst-party Shopify connector for product, inventory, customer, and order sync.
Auto-save as you workBC21 (2022 W2)MediumNew or changedChanges are saved as they are made, with the save state shown on the page, rather than depending on the user closing or committing a record.
Business Central embedded in Microsoft TeamsBC21 (2022 W2)MediumNew or changedBusiness Central pages can be embedded as tabs in Teams, alongside record sharing with previews and access for users with certain Microsoft 365 licences.
G/L Settlement (apply ledger entries)BC22 (2023 W1)MediumNew or changedBookkeepers can apply G/L entries against each other during reconciliation, similar to customer/vendor application. Useful for clearing suspense accounts and reconciliation accounts.
Statistical AccountsBC22 (2023 W1)MediumNew or changedNon-financial numerical data (headcount, square footage, visitor numbers) can be entered against G/L periods and combined with financial data in account schedules and analyses.
Intercompany postings rebuildBC22 (2023 W1)MediumNew or changedIntercompany setup, transaction routing, and reconciliation rebuilt. Less manual matching, better visibility on in-flight transactions across companies.
Approval workflows via Power AutomateBC22 (2023 W1)MediumNew or changedApproval flows can be designed in Power Automate using BC connectors, with custom routing logic, conditional approvers, and integration with non-BC systems.
Warehouse pick and put-away enhancementsBC22 (2023 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedA concentrated wave of warehouse workflow work: warehouse documents can be created with filters that control their content, bin and zone codes appear dynamically on the documents that need them, non-inventory items can be shipped and received on warehouse documents, and navigation between warehouse and inventory documents was reworked.
Warehouse Management module unificationBC22 (2023 W1)MediumNew or changedInventory and warehouse modules increasingly unified: consistent terminology, fewer duplicate pages, clearer migration path between basic and advanced WHS configurations.
Permission sets and security groups overhaulBC22 (2023 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedSecurity in Business Central was rebuilt across several waves: permission sets became AL objects deployed by extensions from version 18, security groups backed by Microsoft Entra arrived in 2023 wave 1, and legacy user groups were finally replaced in 2024 wave 2.
Financial consolidation improvementsBC23 (2023 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedBetter consolidation reporting, FX handling on consolidation, dimension mapping between subsidiaries and consolidated entity.
List analysis mode (pivot/excel-like)BC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedToggle on any list page into an Excel-like analysis view: pivots, summaries, cross-tabs, all in-app without exporting.
EDI / electronic invoicing improvementsBC23 (2023 W2) (approx.)MediumNew or changedImproved support for PEPPOL, e-invoicing mandates across multiple EU jurisdictions, OIOUBL and similar formats.
Include or exclude tables from cloud migrationBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedAdministrators choose which tables take part in a cloud migration rather than moving the whole database, with the selection managed per run.
Directed pick and put-away suggestions in basic warehouse setupsBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedGuidance on where to pick from and put away to is available in basic warehouse configurations, not only in full directed put-away and pick.
Projects invoiced to multiple customersBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedA single project can be invoiced to more than one customer, with planning lines directed to the relevant paying party.
Assemble to projectBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedAssembly orders can be linked directly to a project, mirroring the assemble-to-order flow used in sales.
General Ledger AllocationsBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedA dedicated allocations capability for distributing costs and revenue across accounts and dimensions on defined rules.
Intercompany transactions across environmentsBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedIntercompany transactions flow between companies in different Business Central environments, not only between companies in one database, with intercompany general journals included in approval workflows.
Digital vouchersBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedRules requiring a supporting digital document to be attached to postings, with enforcement configurable by transaction type.
Payment practices and payment times reportingBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedReporting on how quickly suppliers are paid, for regimes that require large businesses to publish payment performance, extended with a dedicated Payment Practices feature in the UK localisation in 2026.
Reduced database lockingBC23 (2023 W2)MediumNew or changedPlatform work to reduce lock contention in the database, alongside broader data stack performance improvements.
Sustainability moduleBC24 (2024 W1)MediumNew or changedNative module for tracking emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3. Sustainability Ledger entries integrate with G/L. Continued investment in subsequent waves.
Incoming documents: external OCR plus Copilot line matchingBC24 (2024 W1) (approx.)MediumNew or changedThe Incoming Documents page carries over from NAV, and OCR itself remains a third-party service you contract for from Marketplace rather than something Microsoft ships. What Business Central added is AI assistance on the Business Central side of the process - Copilot mapping of e-document lines to purchase order lines from BC24 - alongside the E-Documents framework as the structured alternative to scanning paper at all.
Projects (formerly Jobs) modernisationBC24 (2024 W1)MediumNew or changedThe Jobs module was renamed to Projects in BC24, with a substantially rebuilt UX, modernised costing workflows, and improved time-sheet integration.
Automated reminders and collectionsBC24 (2024 W1)MediumNew or changedThe reminder process runs on automation: scheduled creation, issuing, and emailing of reminders with per-customer reminder terms and communication texts.
Dynamics 365 Field Service integrationBC24 (2024 W1)MediumNew or changedNative integration with Dynamics 365 Field Service: work orders flow to BC for invoicing, item availability is visible from Field Service, and the service module connects both ways (deepened through BC26).
Barcode scanning in the mobile appBC24 (2024 W1)MediumNew or changedAL-controlled barcode scanning works across the mobile app — item lookup, inventory counts, and warehouse scenarios — without third-party scanning apps.
User groups replaced by security groupsBC25 (2024 W2)MediumRemoved / deprecatedLegacy user groups were deprecated from BC22 and replaced by security groups plus composable permission sets, with the replacement completing in BC25.
Projects integrated with warehouse and replenishmentBC25 (2024 W2)MediumNew or changedProjects work with directed put-away and pick warehouses, items can be replenished for projects, and project items can be received through receipts and put-aways.
Customer-managed encryption keysBC25 (2024 W2)MediumNew or changedData at rest can be encrypted with a customer-managed key held in the customer's own key vault, rather than only with Microsoft-managed keys.
Job queue failure notificationsBC25 (2024 W2)MediumNew or changedNotifications when job queue entries fail, delivered both inside the product and to external channels, plus warnings about background processing problems.
Service-provider connectors for e-documentsBC26 (2025 W1)MediumNew or changedConnectors for third-party e-document service providers plug into the framework, covering access-point and document-exchange services across several markets.
German e-invoicing formats (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD)BC26 (2025 W1)MediumNew or changedGerman e-invoicing formats are supported through the E-Documents framework, alongside the localised framework for Germany delivered in the preceding wave.
Production order lifecycle controlsBC26 (2025 W1)MediumNew or changedFinished production orders can be reopened, orders that already carry consumption can be cancelled, and items or variants can be blocked from production output.
Manufacturing costing accuracy and cost-adjustment controlBC26 (2025 W1)MediumNew or changedImprovements to how manufacturing costs are calculated and adjusted, together with better control and troubleshooting of cost adjustment runs.
Production output through warehouse put-aways and picksBC26 (2025 W1)MediumNew or changedProduction output can be handled with warehouse put-aways, overpicking is supported for production orders, and warehouse picks can be omitted for manual flushing methods.
RDLC report layout deprecation pathBC27 (2025 W2)MediumRemoved / deprecatedSome legacy RDLC layouts are being phased out (deferral reports replaced with Word/Excel in BC27). Wider RDLC deprecation may follow.
Sales Order Agent (autonomous order-taking)BC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedAn autonomous Copilot agent that monitors a mailbox, reads customer order emails, drafts sales quotes and orders, matches items, and routes everything through human review. Preview from BC25, generally available November 2025.
Payables Agent (automated vendor invoice capture)BC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedAn agent that picks up vendor invoices from email, drafts purchase invoices, matches them to purchase orders, and flags its own confidence level for review. Generally available November 2025.
MCP server for AI agent integrationBC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedBusiness Central exposes its data and actions to external AI agents through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, in preview from October 2025 and extended in BC28 with broader data access and an agent task pane to manage work from all agents in one place.
Power BI apps rebuilt (finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, manufacturing)BC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedThe bundled Power BI apps were rebuilt on modern semantic models with dozens of ready reports per area, drill-back into BC, and open-sourced templates you can extend.
Export sandbox environment databasesBC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedSandbox databases can be exported from the admin centre, giving a downloadable copy of the environment's data.
Clearance model support in the E-Documents frameworkBC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedThe framework supports clearance-model regimes, where invoices are submitted to a tax authority for validation before they reach the customer.
Excise, plastic, and sugar tax calculationBC27 (2025 W2)MediumNew or changedCalculation of excise duties and of environmental levies such as plastic packaging and sugar taxes, delivered across the 2025 wave 2 and 2026 wave 1 releases.
Document attachments stored outside the databaseBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedDocument attachments can be stored in external Azure storage rather than the BC database. Reduces database size and backup duration.
Reimplementation projects in the cloud migration toolBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedThe migration tooling supports a reimplementation path \u2014 bringing master data and balances into a freshly configured environment \u2014 rather than only lift-and-shift of an existing database.
Payments handled within the E-Document frameworkBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedThe framework extends beyond invoices to payment documents, keeping payment exchange in the same pipeline as other electronic documents.
Subcontracting in production processesBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedDedicated subcontracting capabilities within production, covering the flow of material and operations out to and back from a subcontractor.
Self-billed invoicesBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedNative support for self-billing, where the buyer raises the invoice on the supplier's behalf.
Withholding tax on vendor transactionsBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedWithholding tax calculation for vendors in the base application rather than only in specific localisations.
Accelerated depreciation and investment allowancesBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedAccelerated depreciation methods for fixed assets, alongside support for investment-boost style first-year allowances, plus the ability to create multiple fixed asset cards at once.
Permission and approval auditingBC28 (2026 W1)MediumNew or changedAuditing of user and group permissions across installed apps, with APIs for analysing permissions and approval workflows for auditors and IT staff.

Lower-impact changes (64)

Continia Document Capture add-on delta (7)

Add-on, not base product: the entries below require Continia Document Capture (Continia Software) licensed on top of Business Central. If you do not run that add-on, skip this section — nothing outside it depends on it. Add-ons are listed separately, per vendor, so they are never mistaken for standard BC features.

Document Capture becomes an AL app, C/AL customisations do not carry over · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

On Business Central online, Document Capture is an AppSource extension. NAV-era installs based on C/AL objects delivered as a FOB, and any C/AL customisation layered on top of them, have no path forward as code - Continia documents the conversion as a separate exercise from the Business Central upgrade itself.

Honest take: This is the Continia equivalent of the base-product C/AL to AL rebuild, and it is routinely left out of migration estimates because Document Capture is thought of as a product rather than as code. Inventory your customisations early: most NAV Document Capture installs have at least a modified approval flow or an extra field, and each one is a rebuild rather than a port.

✓ verified · source documentation

On-premises OCR is not available on Business Central online · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.) · removed/deprecated

Continia states it plainly: if you migrate to Business Central online, you can no longer use on-premises OCR. The locally installed ABBYY engine and the Continia File Service that feeds it are on-premises only, and recognition moves to the Continia Cloud OCR engine.

Honest take: The single most commonly missed line item when an estate running Document Capture on NAV prices up a move to SaaS. It is not a feature you lose - recognition still happens - but it is a different engine, a different commercial model, and a different set of tuning, so treat template accuracy as something to re-test rather than something that migrates.

✓ verified · source documentation

Continia eDocuments and the Continia Delivery Network · BC24 (2024 W1) (approx.)

Structured document exchange over Peppol and equivalent national networks, using the Continia Delivery Network as the access point. Business Central documents are converted to and from XML, with validation before sending, order responses back from vendors, and localised formats including OIOUBL, PINT and PINT A-NZ, SimplerInvoicing, FA(3) for Poland, and the French plateforme agreee designation.

Honest take: This is Continia competing directly with the Microsoft E-Documents framework, and for an estate already running Document Capture it is usually the shorter path because the capture, approval and archive sides are already in place. Decide deliberately which framework owns e-invoicing rather than ending up with both - that is a real risk when the base product and the add-on both grew into the same space.

✓ verified · source documentation

LS Central add-on delta (12)

Add-on, not base product: the entries below require LS Central (LS Retail) licensed on top of Business Central. If you do not run that add-on, skip this section — nothing outside it depends on it. Add-ons are listed separately, per vendor, so they are never mistaken for standard BC features.

LS Nav rebrand to LS Central on BC · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

LS Nav was officially rebranded to LS Central in 2019, running on Business Central. LS Retail's product investment now happens almost exclusively in LS Central; LS Nav is in legacy support.

Honest take: Despite branding continuity, LS Nav → LS Central is a re-implementation, not an upgrade. Replication, POS configuration, and data offload patterns may need redesign. Plan as a parallel workstream.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

LS Central on BC SaaS · BC15 (2019 W2) (approx.)

LS Central runs on BC SaaS. POS can be online or hybrid (online + offline fallback). Continued development and ISV ecosystem support.

Honest take: The headline retail story. LS Nav is end-of-life in all but name; LS Central is where every new feature, integration, and partner investment is going. The retail entries below cover what actually changes: POS architecture, replication, payments, and the omnichannel stack.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Online POS and LS Hardware Station · BC16 (2020 W1) (approx.)

LS Central's POS runs in the browser against the SaaS tenant, with LS Hardware Station installed locally to drive receipt printers, EFT terminals, scanners, scales, and cash drawers.

Honest take: This is the POS architecture conversation, not a feature. Every lane needs Hardware Station for its peripherals, and some legacy hardware won't make the trip — audit tills, printers, and EFT devices per store before you price the rollout, because that audit usually moves the budget.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

LS Pay replaces per-terminal EFT integrations · BC16 (2020 W1) (approx.)

LS Pay is the unified payment integration layer with certified plugins for payment providers and terminals, replacing the bespoke EFT integrations typical of LS Nav sites.

Honest take: Assume your existing EFT integration will not port. Re-certifying with your acquirer through LS Pay has lead times that sit squarely on the go-live critical path — start that conversation the week the project is approved, not the month before cutover.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Offline POS via web replication · BC19 (2021 W2) (approx.)

Stores that must trade through connectivity loss can run offline POS with a local database, kept in sync with the SaaS head office through Azure Storage-based web replication.

Honest take: Decide per store, not per estate. Online-only lanes are simpler and cheaper; offline lanes are a small architecture with its own patching and monitoring. If a store genuinely cannot stop trading when the line drops, this is your retail critical path — test the failure modes, not just the happy path.

○ unverified draft · source documentation

Migration risks & honest trade-offs

C/AL → AL conversion high

NAV customisations are in C/AL. BC extensions must be in AL. There is no automated lift-and-shift for non-trivial code; bespoke logic gets re-architected as an extension or replaced with native BC functionality.

RDLC report rebuilds medium

Custom NAV reports often need rework. Word and Excel layouts are now first-class in BC; some legacy RDLC reports are being phased out (deferral reports replaced with Word/Excel in BC27).

Monthly release cadence medium

SaaS BC updates monthly with two major waves a year (April, October). Major waves can be deferred up to 90 days but not skipped. Organisations need a regression-test pattern they typically don't have for NAV.

Loss of direct SQL access medium

SaaS BC has no direct SQL Server. Reports, integrations, and bespoke queries that hit SQL today must be refactored to use APIs, OData, or Power BI. It bites hardest wherever operational reporting was built straight onto the database rather than through the application.

Add-on compatibility medium

Every NAV add-on needs a verified BC SaaS equivalent on AppSource, or a contracted port. Audit before committing — a missing add-on can stall a migration.

ISV re-implementation, not a port high

Where an add-on has been re-platformed rather than upgraded, the migration is a second project running alongside the BC one. LS Nav → LS Central is the clearest example: despite branding continuity it is a re-implementation, and replication, POS configurations, and data offloading patterns may all need redesign. Check each ISV in your estate for which pattern applies before assuming any of them come across intact.

License model change low

Per-user subscription replaces concurrent-user licensing. Cost modelling needs redoing — Premium vs Essentials user mix matters, and team-member licences are cheaper for read/approval-only roles.

Data migration scope medium

Cloud Migration tool covers core ledgers and master data. Open documents, configurations, and posted history need explicit decisions about what travels and what stays in a NAV archive.

Support timeline

NAV mainstream support

ENDED · ALL RELEASES Every Dynamics NAV release has passed mainstream support. Past that point a release gets security patches only — no new features and no regulatory updates.

NAV extended support

FIXED LIFECYCLE POLICY End dates by release: NAV 2009 R2 · 14 Jan 2020 — NAV 2013 · 10 Jan 2023 (R2 · 9 Jan 2024) — NAV 2015 · 14 Jan 2025 — NAV 2016 · 13 Jan 2026 — NAV 2017 · 12 Jan 2027 — NAV 2018 · 11 Jan 2028. After a release's date, that system is unsupported entirely: no fixes, no compliance updates, no Microsoft escalation path.

BC SaaS

CONTINUOUS Modern lifecycle policy — no end-of-support date to plan against. Two major waves a year (April, October), monthly minor updates. Currently on BC28.

BC on-premises

PER-VERSION On-prem BC versions carry their own fixed support windows rather than rolling forward automatically. If you are staying on-prem, check the lifecycle page for the specific version you are targeting.

LS Nav add-on

DISCONTINUED · 2019 Only relevant if you license LS Retail's product. LS Nav was rebranded to LS Central in 2019; it remains on legacy support but gets no new development.

NAV 2013 to BC 28: frequently asked questions

Can I upgrade directly from NAV 2013 to Business Central 28?

No, and NAV 2013 is the harder case — it appears in no Business Central upgrade-path table at all. Microsoft's documented route is 4 steps: NAV 2013 → Dynamics NAV 2018 CU2, then the latest NAV 2018 CU → Business Central Spring 2019 → Business Central 2024 release wave 2 → Business Central 2026 release wave 1. The first hops run entirely on the NAV side, before Business Central will accept the database at all.

Is NAV 2013 / R2 still supported?

Extended support for NAV 2013 / R2 ended on 10 January 2023 — 3 years 9 months ago. The system still runs, but it is unsupported: no fixes, no compliance or regulatory updates, and no Microsoft escalation path if something breaks.

How many things change between NAV 2013 and Business Central 28?

156 catalogued base changes: 22 high impact, 70 medium and 64 low, including 12 removals or deprecations. 125 of the 156 are verified against the Microsoft release notes cited on this page. A further 19 entries cover Continia Document Capture and LS Central add-ons.

What happens to C/AL customisations when upgrading from NAV 2013?

They are rewritten. Microsoft attaches the same condition to every path off this version: it requires you convert your application from C/AL to AL. C/SIDE objects do not carry forward — customisations become AL extensions, and codeunit 1 is replaced by the system event model rather than migrated.

Can I move NAV 2013 straight to Business Central online?

Not directly. Microsoft is explicit: if you are on a version of Dynamics NAV you must upgrade to Business Central on-premises first, then switch to Business Central online. The cloud migration tool has no NAV 2013 source path, so the on-premises route above is a prerequisite, not an alternative.

What is the biggest NAV 2013-specific risk?

The NAV 2018 hop is two upgrades, not one. NAV 2013 and 2013 R2 are the only sources Microsoft routes through a specific cumulative update: a full application-and-data upgrade to NAV 2018 CU2, then a second full upgrade onto the latest CU. Budget two data upgrades for this step alone.

Do I have to pass through Business Central v14 coming from NAV 2013?

Yes. Business Central Spring 2019 (v14) is the mandatory bridge for anything on version 13 or earlier, and it is the only release that accepts a converted NAV database. Mainstream support for v14 ended in October 2023, so it is a staging point to move through quickly, not somewhere to sit.

Other comparisons

NAV 2009 R2 → BC 28 (2026 W1) · NAV 2015 → BC 28 (2026 W1) · NAV 2016 → BC 28 (2026 W1) · NAV 2017 → BC 28 (2026 W1) · NAV 2018 → BC 28 (2026 W1) · BC 14 (2019 W1) → BC 28 (2026 W1)

Every Business Central feature, BC 14 to BC 28 — full release-plan index