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Run cloud migration setup

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Note

Azure Active Directory is now Microsoft Entra ID. Learn more

This article explains how to run the Cloud Migration Setup assisted setup guide to configure the components and connection for migrating data from a Business Central on-premises database to Business Central online environment. To learn more about the mechanics behind the Cloud Migration Setup, go to Cloud migration setup overview.

For an overview of the full end-to-end process for Business Central on-premises cloud migration, go here.

About delegated administrators

Any user running the cloud migration setup flow as delegated administrator must receive approval from a licensed user in order to run the cloud migration. The licensed user must have the Essentials or the Premium license and SUPER permissions. In this case, the Cloud Migration Setup assisted setup guide displays an extra step, where the delegated administrator can copy the autogenerated approval link and send it to the licensed user for approval. Once the licensed user has approved the request, the delegated administrator can continue with the setup of the cloud migration and perform all other steps required to complete that process. The licensed user can always revoke the permission to run the migration by choosing the same approval link that was shared by the delegated administrator, or from the Cloud Migration Approval page.

Prepare

  • Review Check Prerequisites and make sure the environments meet the requirements.

    Important

    Do not set up cloud migration for a production environment that is already in use for business. You risk that the migration process overwrites data that is needed to run the business. Even if your migration targets a different company in that environment, you risk that the upgrade overwrites data that is shared across companies in the target environment.

  • Create table mappings if you need to rename a table during the cloud migration or to move a subset of fields to a different table or table extension. For more information, see Define migration table mappings.

  • If have any users in already in your Business Central online environment and you want them to be able to work as usual during cloud migration, see Retain permissions.

Tip

We recommend that you start the migration by running the assisted setup from a company other than the company that you are migrating data to. For example, sign into the demonstration company, CRONUS, and start the process there. This way, you can make sure that all users are logged out of the original company and the target company. This is especially important when you migrate from Business Central on-premises current version because you can run the migration tool multiple times.

Tip

You can migrate all the data that you want to take with you to the cloud, but be aware of the storage capacity of your online tenant. If you need more storage than the default 80 GB, you can buy additional environments or additional storage capacity. Storage capacity is determined as 80GB + allowances per licensed Essential/Premium user + any storage capacity licenses. To learn more, go to Managing Capacity.

Run the cloud migration setup

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 tenant used by Business Central online.

    The person who sets up and runs the cloud migration must be signed in as an administrator of the Microsoft Entra (Microsoft 365) tenant and Business Central online.

  2. Sign in to Business Central online and open environment want to migrate the data to.

  3. Use search to find and open the Cloud Migration Setup assisted setup.

  4. Read the information on the page and provided links. If you consent, switch on I accept warning & privacy notice, then select Next.

  5. Set Product option to the version that matches the on-premises product that you're migrating, then select Next.

  6. On the Define your SQL database connection page, fill in the information about the SQL database connection and integration runtime.

    For more information about this step, see Define your SQL database connection.

    Select Next when done. Once you choose Next, a new pipeline is created in the Azure service. When completed successfully, the Select companies to migrate page appears.

  7. On the Select companies to migrate page, select one or more companies to migrate or switch on All Companies, then select Next.

    You can always return the page to add more companies.

  8. Select Finish to complete the cloud migration setup.

    If you want to open Cloud Migration Management, where you can run the migration, select Yes.

Define SQL database connection and integration runtime

If the product you selected requires an SQL connection, the Define your SQL database connection page appears as part of the Cloud Migration Setup. Other source applications may require different connection information. The Define your SQL database connection page displays the connection information based on the product that you specified in the Choose your product page of the Cloud Migration Setup. The information is determined from the installed extensions for the product you've selected. The following list provides more details about the fields in this part of the assisted setup guide.

  • SQL connection

    Specify SQL Server if the database is installed locally on an SQL Server instance. Specify Azure SQL if the database is an Azure SQL Database database. The Azure SQL doesn't apply to Dynamics GP, because it's not supported.

  • SQL connection string

    You must specify the connection string to your SQL Server, including the name of the server that SQL Server is running on, and the name of the instance, the database, and the relevant user account.

    For example, Server=MyServer\BCDEMO;Database=BC210;User Id=MySQLAccount;Password=MyPassWord;, if you're migrating from Business Central on-premises.

    The following snippets illustrate a couple of connection strings with different formats for an SQL Server database:

    Server={Server Name\Instance Name};Initial Catalog={Database Name};UserID={SQL Authenticated UserName};Password={SQL Authenticated Password};

    Server={Server Name\Instance Name};Database={Database Name};User Id={SQL Server Authenticated UserName};Password={SQL Server Authenticated Password};

    Important

    In the second connection string format, don't forget to add the space in User Id parameter as it's mandatory and can throw an error if it's missing.

    For a Business Central database hosted on Azure SQL Database, a connection string typically looks like this:

    Server=tcp:{ServerName}.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog={DatabaseName};Persist Security Info=False;User ID={SQLUserName};Password={SQLUserPassword};MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;

    For more information about connection strings, see the SQL Server blog.

    The SQL connection string is passed to Azure Data Factory (ADF). From there, it's encrypted and delivered to your Self-Hosted Integration Runtime and used to communicate with your SQL Server instance during the data migration process.

  • Integration runtime name

    When the SQL connection is set to SQL Server, you must specify the self-hosted Microsoft integration runtime instance to use to replicate the data from the defined source to Business Central online. The integration runtime must be running on the machine that holds the SQL Server database.

    • If you already have an integration runtime service instance, you can use the instance by entering its name in the Integration Runtime Name box. Then, select Next to continue Cloud Migration Setup assisted setup.

    • If you don't have an existing integration runtime service instance, leave the Integration runtime name field empty, then select Next to download and install the self-hosted runtime.

Download and install the self-hosted runtime

A new page appears from where you can download the self-hosted integration runtime that you must install. Follow the instructions on the page.

  1. Select Download the Self-hosted Integration Runtime to go to the Microsoft Download Center.

  2. On the Download Center, select Download > IntegrationRuntime_<latestversion>.msi > Next.

    The file is downloaded to your computer.

  3. Select Open file to start the installation.

    When completed, the Register Integration Runtime (Self-Hosted) page opens.

  4. Go back to the Cloud Migration Setup page in Business Central and copy the value in the Authentication key field.

  5. Go back to the Register Integration Runtime (Self-Hosted) page and paste the key value in authentication key box, then select Finish.

  6. Go back to Cloud Migration Setup and select Next.

Once you choose Next, a new pipeline is created in the Azure service. This operation takes less than a minute to complete, in most cases. If you want to test your SQL string, open the Microsoft Integration Runtime Configuration Manager, and then choose the Diagnostics menu option. From there, you can test to see if the connection is good.

Rerunning cloud migration setup guide

There are some scenarios where it may be necessary for you to run the cloud migration setup guide more than once.

Tip

We recommend that you take a backup of the target environment so that you can easily restore the environment to a specific state and time, should you want to.

The following list highlights a few examples:

  • Multiple companies in Business Central on-premises

    One example is if you want to add more companies to the migration, or if you want to change the companies to migrate, run the assisted setup guide again. A more efficient option, though, is to use the Select Companies to Migrate action from the Cloud Migration Management page.

  • Add tenants to an existing runtime service

    If you're a hosting partner, you may have multiple tenants running on the same integration runtime service. Each tenant is isolated in their own data pipeline. To add tenants to an existing integration runtime service, enter the name of the existing integration runtime service into this field. The integration runtime name can be found in the Microsoft Integration Runtime Manager. For more information, see Create and configure a self-hosted integration runtime in the Azure docs.

In both examples, you're making updates to an existing runtime service. When you get to the point of the assisted setup guide where you can specify an existing runtime services name, open the Microsoft Integration Runtime Service Manager. Then enter the runtime name in the field; you aren't allowed to copy and paste. The runtime service identifies that you're making updates to an existing service and doesn't create a new one.

Complete the steps in the wizard to update the runtime service. If the change was related to adding tenants to an existing service, a new data pipeline is created for that tenant. Regenerating an Azure Data Factory (ADF) key may be done using the Cloud Migration Management page in your Business Central online. For more information, see Run the assisted setup guide.

Tip

If you are using Business Central on-premises, the same setup guide is also available in your on-premises solution. You will automatically be redirected to your Business Central online to continue the configuration process.

Caution

If you have mapped users in the first run of the cloud migration setup guide, then do not choose the Define User Mappings action again in subsequent runs.

Troubleshoot and fix problems

If you have any problems during setup, refer to the Cloud migration troubleshooting documentation for Business Central in Microsoft troubleshooting documentation.

Next steps

Once the setup guide is complete and data migration is activated, the initial data migration ready to be run from the Cloud Migration Management page.