This is Part 3 in our series on Upgrading from MS Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 to MS Dynamics NAV 2016. We suggest reading Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing below.

Part 3: Importing Customized Objects and Completing Data Conversion

Once your NAV 2013 R2 Development Environment has been set up, and the NAV Server is connected to the new database, begin importing all customized objects into the NAV 2013 R2 database. It is important to import all the NAV 2013 R2 objects, as well as customized objects from NAV 2009 R2. To do this, you will need to create a combined export file (in text) with all the base and customized objects from NAV 2009 R2. You will need a merge tool that can display all three existing versions of the objects, which are the standard NAV 2009 R2 versions, Customized NAV 2009 R2 versions and the standard NAV 2013 R2 versions of the objects you have customized. This will assist in creating the new fourth merged file, the customized NAV 2013 R2 file. For more help in creating the new merged object file, read the following article, Merging[1], for a table that will help with creating the file.
 
Once the new merged file has been created, it should be imported into NAV 2013 R2 using the Object Designer. A warning may appear stating that some objects have conflicting versions. If that happens, press “OK” to run the Import Worksheet and choose the REPLACE ALL option, then click “OK”. Any errors in importing will cause the process to stop, so if they occur you must correct the issue in the new customized database (on NAV 2009 R2) and export the file again, then import it into NAV 2013 R2[2]. Compile all objects once they have been successfully imported into NAV 2013 R2.
 
Now that the majority of the conversion is complete, there are only a couple more things that must be done. You must import the “Upgrade601700.2” .fob file into the NAV 2013 R2 Development Environment. This can be found once again in either the Local Objects folder under the UpgradeToolKit directory (if you are upgrading a local version) or in the Data Conversion Tools folder if not upgrading from a local version. After importing, close the Development Environment and restart the NAV Server instance. Next, set the language of the customer database for each company. Set this from Tool > Language. Verify that the NAV Windows client works by running then closing it[3].
 
Since all the objects have been converted, the data must now be converted too. Open the Development Environment and the company you want to upgrade, then run page 104002 (Upgrade – New Version) from the Object Designer. Make sure the value for SQL Server Name is correct, if not you must update it. Choose Test Database Connection to verify the connection. Once complete, choose Transfer Data. To correct any errors, select the error then choose Show. This will open the relevant page and if possible will show the specific record with the error[4]. You must now complete the data changes by running page 257 (Source Codes) in the NAV Windows client and making note of any source codes that have been added. Update the Source Code and Source Code Setup tables for any additional source codes in the new version[5]. Finally, initialize the company by running codeunit 2 (Company-Initialize) from the Object Designer in the Development Environment, and repeat for each additional company in the database[6].

[1] Upgrading the Application Code - Merging

[2] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Import All Customized Microsoft Dynamics NAV Objects       

[3] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Data/Object Changes Prior to Step 2

[4] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Step 2 Data Conversion

[5] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Complete Data Changes After Step 2

[6] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Initialize the Company

If you're finding this series helpful and would like us to lead the upgrade of your company's system, don't hesitate to contact us.

This is Part 2 in our series on Upgrading from MS Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 to MS Dynamics NAV 2016. To read Part 1, click here.

After upgrading the application code as noted in Part 1 of the series, the next step is to upgrade the data by using provisioned data conversion tools to convert the existing data with NAV 2009 R2’s table and field structure, so that it functions with NAV 2013 R2’s table and field structure.

Part 2: Upgrading the Data
 
Upgrading the Data [NAV 2009 R2 -> NAV 2013 R2]

Upgrading the NAV 2009 R2 database requires:

• Upgrading company-specific data
• Upgrading data common to all companies,
• Deleting unused tables
• Testing the new database

 
To upgrade company-specific data, follow the steps below. More details on the tasks below can be found in the Upgrading Company-Specific Data article[1].

• Open the NAV 2009 R2 Classic Client and make a copy/backup of the database that is being upgraded.
• Import the “Upgrade601701.1” .fob file found in the UpgradeToolKit directory of the NAV 2013 R2 installation files. The purpose if this import is to replace some tables to a clean state to prevent compilation errors in the future
• For each company in the database you will have to run the “Adjust Cost-Item Entries” batch job to make sure that the inventory cost data in the customer’s database is up-to-date

 
You are now ready to transfer the data. The following steps should be taken:

•  Run form 104001 (Upgrade - Old Version) from the Object Designer in NAV 2009 R2. Chose Transfer Data once for every company in the database.
• The Upgrade Error Log window will show any errors that need to be corrected that may occur.
• Run report 104001 (Table Information) to see the size of your database and make note of it as it will be needed later on when you set the size of the new database[2].

 
Once data transfer is complete, delete all non-table objects in the database, as well as tables that belong to features not available in NAV 2013 R2. To do this, simply run form 104001 again and chose Delete Objects. This will make sure that no conflicts or compilation errors occur during later tasks. A list of removed tables can be found in the Eliminated Tables[3] article.
 
The next task to perform is creating a new NAV database. Begin by creating another copy of the current database and then close and uninstall NAV 2009 R2. NAV 2009 R2 can be reinstalled later on. Ensure that the all the user permissions for the database are in place (see the “Preparing to Upgrade” section in Part 1). After that is done, it's time to install NAV 2013 R2 with the Developer Option. If using SQL Server 2008, set the compatibility level for the database to 100, otherwise set compatibility level to 110. This can be set from the SQL Server Management Studio after connecting the server instance that NAV is attached to.
 
Once installed, open the NAV 2013 R2 Development Environment and open the database that was copied before uninstalling NAV 2009 R2. This will prompt a database conversion which updates the system tables, enables Unicode in the database objects, upgrades to the newest Windows collation, and marks all objects in the database as not compiled. Once this step is complete, increase the size of the database to the size copied down earlier in this guide.
 
The next step is to upload your NAV 2013 R2 developer licence to the database and configure the NAV Server to connect to the new database. This can be done by starting the NAV Server Administration tool and selecting the appropriate NAV Server instance in the left pane. Choose Edit then update the database options to point to the converted database. Save once you are finished and restart the NAV Server instance[4].

Stay tuned for Part 3. More information can be found in the cited links below.

[1] Upgrading Company-Specific Data

[2] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Step 1 Data Conversion

[3] Upgrading the Data - Eliminated Tables

[4] Upgrading Company-Specific Data - Create the New Microsoft Dynamics NAV Database

If you're finding this series helpful and would like us to lead the upgrade of your company's system, don't hesitate to contact us.

Many companies are deciding to make the switch from older Microsoft Dynamics NAV systems to the newer Dynamics NAV 2016. If you’re upgrading from NAV 2013, the process is relatively simple. However, if you’re currently using NAV 2009 R2, the upgrade process requires the additional step of upgrading to NAV 2013 first.

NAV 2009 R2 > NAV 2013 R2 > NAV 2016

We're breaking down the process in a multi-part series. If you have any questions or would like us to guide your company through this process, let's get in touch.
 
Part 1: Preparing to Upgrade and Upgrading the Application Code
 
Preparing to Upgrade [NAV 2009 R2 -> NAV 2013 R2]
 
Before beginning the upgrade, it’s important to note that the upgrade (to NAV 2013 R2) requires a 64-bit operating system and a 64-bit version of SQL Server[1]. There are also some actions that you should take before beginning the upgrade to NAV 2013 R2:

• Upgrading to NAV 2013 R2 from NAV 2009 R2 causes the link between interaction records and logged email messages to be lost. To resolve this, log all emails again to restore the links[2].
  
• If NAV 2009 R2 is used with a native NAV database, a migration must be performed to an SQL Server database.
  
• Verify that the user performing the upgrade has the necessary roles and permissions in SQL Server Management Studio. The user must have the “db_datareader”, “db_datawriter”, and “db_ddladmin” database roles for the database. The user must also have the “sysadmin” Server Role for the instance of SQL Server that is hosting the NAV database. The default schema for the user’s account must also be “dbo”.
• Ensure that the “superuser” is the one performing the upgrade and is the only one connected to the database,
• Ensure there are no locked objects in the Object Designer, the database has been backed up onto a safe location, and a copy of the customer’s database has been created.
• Database integration properties must also be disabled before the upgrade.

 
 
The final check before beginning the upgrade is to test the NAV 2009 R2 database to correct any errors if they exist. To test the database, you must run the test on the classic client. If the test fails, follow the workflow for repairing damaged databases. After testing, compile all the objects and make sure to repair any that are not compiling correctly[3].
 
It is also important to note that there may be some other product changes that may affect the upgrade, such as use of the Excel Buffer Export/Import, key generation and storage for payment services, change log support for sessions in multiple languages, and errors when importing XMLports.
 
Upgrading the Application Code [NAV 2009 R2 -> NAV 2013 R2]
 
The next step in upgrading from NAV 2009 R2 to NAV 2013 R2 is to upgrade the application code, thereby bringing forward the customizations made in NAV 2009 R2 to NAV 2013 R2. To do this, the application code must be upgraded by using a compare-and-merge process known as a code upgrade. The code upgrade is performed before the data upgrade.
 
The first step in the code upgrade is to update partner solutions. If there is a version of an add-on from a third-party, make sure that that add-on is compatible with NAV 2013 R2, or obtain the source code from the vendor and import it into the NAV 2009 R2 database before performing the upgrade. If there is no NAV 2013 R2 version of the add-on, you can choose to not transfer the third-party solution to NAV 2013 R2, or you can transfer the third-party solution to the target version as is and then do a code compare and merge for your standard application[4].

Stay tuned for Part 2. More information can be found in the cited links below.


[1] Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 - Introduction

[2] Troubleshooting: Email Logging

[3] Testing the Old Database

[4] Upgrading the Application Code - Updating Partner Solutions


If you're finding this series helpful and would like us to lead the upgrade of your company's system, don't hesitate to contact us.