Dynamics NAV allows you to have an unlimited number of companies within the same database. All companies share the same customized objects. However, the data for each company is kept separate. This means that configuration tables, master tables, ledger entries, and document tables in each company are stored completely independently.
Reasons to create a new company in Dynamics NAV
There are many reasons why you might need to create a new company — perhaps because there are multiple legal entities, or because you want to create a duplicate for testing or training purposes. Whatever the reason, if you want to create a new company you should go to:
Departamentos → Administración → Administración de IT → General → Empresas
(Departments > Administration > IT Administration > General > Companies)
Options available when creating a company
Once inside, you will see the list of existing companies in the database, and at the top you will find two different options:
New blank company
This option creates a company without any data — no customers, no vendors, no configuration, nothing. It generates a completely empty company so you can configure it however you want.
Copy an existing company
This functionality creates an exact duplicate of one company into another within the same database. It not only copies configurations and dimensions, but also all data such as sales documents, purchase documents, journal entries, and ledger entries from the source company.
When to use the Copy functionality in Dynamics NAV
The Copy functionality may not be the best choice if, for any reason, you need to create a company with the same configuration as an existing one but without data. In that case, you would need to manually delete all documents and ledger entries—provided your license allows it; otherwise, you would need to contact your partner to perform the task.
However, if what you need is to create a company with documents and ledger entries for testing purposes, training, or business scenario simulations, this functionality will be very useful.
Using a company as a template in Dynamics NAV
If, during the initial implementation, a fully configured company is created, it is advisable to make a Copy before starting operations and keep it as a template. This allows you to reuse it in the future whenever needed.
Creating companies with RapidStart in NAV
Alternatively, you can also use the RapidStart services in NAV 2016 to create a new entity based on a configuration package from another entity.
Even so, there will be many configurations and adjustments you will need to make because they are too specific for each company (such as users, dimensions, etc.). It is more complete than the “New company” option, but it requires more effort than the “Copy” option.
Using company copy through PowerShell
You must run the program as an administrator.
The syntax is as follows:
Copy-NAVCompany [-ServerInstance] <String> [-SourceCompanyName] <String> [-DestinationCompanyName] <String> [-Force] [-Tenant <TenantId>] [-Confirm] [-WhatIf] [<CommonParameters>]
In this case, for example, we could write:
Copy-NAVCompany -ServerInstance DynamicsNAV90 -SourceCompanyName ‘CRONUS España S.A.’ -DestinationCompanyName ‘Cronus Portugal’ -tenant default
ABD Consulting: experts in Dynamics NAV and Business Central
At ABD Consulting and IT Solutions, we help companies get the most out of Dynamics NAV and Business Central, from creating new companies to migrating to the cloud.
If you want to optimize your NAV environment, implement testing or training processes, or make the move to Business Central, our team will guide you throughout the entire process.