Tecman Deutschland partnered with Simplanova to overcome complex C/AL customizations and tight deadlines, successfully upgrading Dynamics NAV to Business Central v.25 ahead of schedule and fully SaaS-ready.
Project details:
| Current version | NAV 14 |
| Target version | BC 25 |
| Database upgrade size (GB) | 26 GB |
| Destination (will be migrated to) | BC SaaS |
| Number of companies to migrate | 7 |
| Project term | <2 months |
| Warranty period | 2 months |
CLIENT OVERVIEW
Tecman Deutschland GmbH is the German arm of the UK-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner. It combines over 20 years of Dynamics 365 experience from the UK team with strong local expertise in Germany, now supported by more than 50 years of combined ERP experience from the German team itself.
They specialize in delivering Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Sales solutions for small and medium-sized businesses across sectors such as wholesale, food & beverage, consumer goods, and discrete manufacturing, offering fast, fixed‑price, cloud-based implementations with transparent scoping and robust support.
When Tecman Deutschland customer decided to move from Dynamics NAV to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central v.25 (SaaS), Tecman faced a familiar challenge: a large, customized C/AL codebase and a tight deadline. Migrating legacy C/AL customizations to AL while preparing for Business Central SaaS was Tecman’s main hurdle.
Tecman needed a partner who could:
- Manage a technically complex upgrade across multiple entities
- Convert C/AL customizations into clean, maintainable AL code
- Work under a tight deadline to match the client’s go-live date
- Provide transparent pricing and proactive communication
With limited development capacity and insufficient internal knowledge for the conversion, we needed a strong partner. Simplanova delivered exactly that – fast, structured, and reliable support that helped us modernize without compromising functionality.
To deliver the project efficiently, Tecman partnered with Simplanova, an expert in Dynamics NAV to Business Central upgrades. With extensive experience and automation tools, Simplanova helped Tecman modernize their environment while saving time and reducing risk. Simplanova provided a full Dynamics NAV to Business Central v.25 upgrade using a structured and automated approach.
We evaluated several upgrade partners, focusing on experience with complex C/AL to AL migrations and Business Central SaaS readiness. Simplanova stood out with their structured approach, clear communication, and proven track record. Their ability to handle customizations efficiently and deliver clean, maintainable AL code made them the ideal choice.
Key steps included:
- Technical analysis – Reviewing NAV customizations, data volumes, and compatibility issues.
- Data preparation – Cleaning and optimizing data to ensure smooth performance in the cloud.
- C/AL to AL conversion – Restructuring extensions and aligning with Microsoft’s latest SaaS standards.
- Module rework – Updating the Sales Price module to meet specific client needs.
- Automated tools – Using proprietary Simplanova utilities to accelerate the upgrade process.
- Testing and validation – Ensuring stability across seven company environments, followed by a two-month warranty period.
Upgrade Process
The upgrade was technically demanding due to the scale of the environment and the need for seamless migration of multiple entities, but was completed successfully within a tight timeframe.
The upgrade involved a structured and phased approach, starting with a technical analysis of the NAV database. Simplanova assessed object customizations, data volume, and compatibility issues between the source and target environments.
Data was cleaned and optimized during the migration process to ensure integrity and performance in the cloud environment. The upgrade also included converting the C/AL-based customizations to AL language, restructuring extensions where necessary, and aligning with Microsoft’s latest cloud standards.
Simplanova’s automated tools were used to accelerate the upgrade process, including Simplanova’s proprietary transformation utilities and upgrade assessment techniques. The solution was deployed to BC SaaS with complete testing and validation across all 7 companies, followed by a two-month warranty and support period to ensure post-migration stability.
During the project, Simplanova learned that the current Sales Price functionality would soon become obsolete. To ensure the best outcome for Tecman, Simplanova’s team proposed moving the Sales Price functionality to the new Sales module at no additional cost. Thanks to Wencke from Tecman – whose friendly and collaborative approach greatly contributed to the process – Simplanova and Tecman worked closely together to implement the improvement efficiently and align the final result with project expectations.
Tecman evaluated the upgrade early, followed by a lengthy negotiation phase, awaiting the end user’s approval. The end user approved suddenly. Tecman needed to start the upgrade ASAP to match the go-live date the end user wanted. Simplanova was able to expedite the project as Tecman requested, delivering the upgrade almost a month early.
Simplanova impressed us with fast response times, transparent pricing, and clear, proactive communication. Their support was reliable and solution-oriented throughout the upgrade process.
The partnership delivered significant benefits:
- Fast delivery: Upgrade completed almost a month early, matching the client’s go-live requirements.
- High-quality AL code: Customizations were converted cleanly for long-term maintainability.
- Seamless migration: Data integrity and performance optimized for SaaS.
- Reliable communication: Transparent pricing, quick responses, and proactive updates.
- Time and resource savings: Tecman’s internal team could focus on other priorities.
Upgrading from Dynamics NAV to Business Central can be complex, costly, and risky for in-house teams. Simplanova helps partners:
- Save time and resources by managing the whole upgrade process
- Avoid mistakes with tested upgrade tools and proven methods
- Meet deadlines without overloading internal staff
- Ensure SaaS readiness with high-quality AL code
Working with Simplanova has been a great experience for us and the client. Their upgrade services for Dynamics NAV / Business Central are fast, structured, and reliable. I’d definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a smooth transition to Business Central SaaS.
Free Dynamics NAV / 365 BC Project Estimate
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Case study prepared by Microsoft. Learn more: Power Platform partners and Dynamics 365 partners
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