Migrate from AFAS to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

AFAS stores the Dutch chart of accounts with statutory account codes, cost-center mappings, and fiscal account references across its GL module. We map each AFAS G/L account to a D365 Main Account with the correct account type (Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Expense, Revenue), assign it to the appropriate COA structure, and attach the financial dimension set that AFAS uses for cost-center reporting. D365 F&O requires a formal account structure framework; Business Central uses G/L account categories. The mapping output includes the full COA spreadsheet with D365 Main Account IDs, account types, and dimension assignments for the customer's finance team to validate before import.

AFAS Customer records with contact details, payment terms, VAT registration numbers (BTW-nummer), and addresses map to D365 Customer (Account) records. AFAS stores a primary invoice and delivery address per customer; D365 F&O supports multiple addresses but marks one as primary per type. We preserve the BTW-nummer in the Tax Identification Number field on the Customer and validate the Dutch VAT format (NL + 9 digits + B01) before insert. Business Central uses Customer cards with address lines and VAT registration fields that align directly with AFAS fields.

AFAS Supplier records map to D365 Vendor records with the same address and payment-term mapping as Customer. Dutch supplier BTW-nummers are validated and mapped to the Tax Identification Number field on the Vendor. AFAS purchase invoice terms and any supplier-specific invoice discounts migrate as Vendor payment terms. D365 uses a unified vendor group structure; we assign AFAS supplier categories to D365 vendor groups during configuration.

AFAS generates sales invoices, purchase invoices, and credit notes with line items, tax codes, and payment references. We extract open and historical invoices. Each invoice line carries an AFAS BTW code that maps to a D365 Sales Tax Item Group and Sales Tax Group combination. Historical invoice PDFs and attached documents migrate as document attachments to the corresponding D365 invoice record. Closed invoices in AFAS are marked as paid in D365 using the original AFAS payment date and bank reference. We scope historical invoice depth with the customer, typically limiting to open items plus two to three years of closed history to manage migration volume.

AFAS inventory Items with stock levels, warehouse locations, pricing tiers, and BOM structures map to D365 Released Products. AFAS warehouse references map to D365 inventory dimensions (site, warehouse, location, license plate in F&O; location in Business Central). Item pricing migrates to purchase and sales price tables with currency and unit-of-measure assignments. BOM structures from AFAS transfer as D365 BOM versions with route and operation references if the destination is F&O Manufacturing. We preserve the AFAS item status (active/inactive) and reorder thresholds.

AFAS Project records and associated time entries use the project management module. Custom fields on AFAS projects require field-level mapping during migration, as every AFAS installation diverges from the standard schema here. We map AFAS project types (time and material vs. fixed price) to D365 Project Types, time entry billable flags to Project Line properties, and AFAS cost categories to D365 Project Categories. D365 F&O supports Projects with full WBS, resource management, and budget control; Business Central supports Jobs and Projects with simpler time tracking.

AFAS maintains employee records with contract details, department assignments, and employment status. We extract active and recent employees and map them to D365 Workers (Finance and Operations with Human Resources module) or Employees (Business Central). The AFAS personnel number becomes the D365 Personnel ID. AFAS custom fields on employee records (common in established AFAS installations) require pre-migration field inventory before mapping. Historical employees with terminated status migrate as inactive records.

AFAS payroll history across employment periods includes earnings, deductions, employer contributions, and journal entries that feed into the financial modules. D365 Finance and Operations includes a native payroll module with Dutch payroll configurations; Business Central requires a third-party payroll ISV such as CleverBase or N漫come for Dutch payroll. We scope payroll extraction to the last three to five years of active employment history plus all year-end closing records, as AFAS can retain ten or more years of payroll data that exceeds migration volume targets. Effective-dated compensation records migrate as payroll journals in F&O or as historical entries via the configured ISV.

AFAS bank account configurations and current balances from the cash management module map to D365 Bank Accounts under Cash and Bank Management. Account numbers and SWIFT/BIC codes migrate as bank account identifiers. AFAS bank reconciliation data (statement lines and matched transactions) transfers as opening balances and reconciliation history in D365, though D365 requires manual rebooking of reconciliation records rather than an automated import.

AFAS administrators extend standard objects with custom fields and create entirely new tables, making every AFAS installation unique. We inventory every custom field on every standard object and every user-defined table during discovery before any extraction begins. Custom fields map to D365 extension fields with equivalent data types (text to text, number to decimal or integer, date to date). User-defined tables in AFAS map to new D365 tables via custom entities in the data management framework. The AFAS custom field inventory is the single most important pre-migration deliverable because skipping it results in silent data loss on any record that uses non-standard fields.

AFAS links documents to records across modules. We extract attachments associated with transactional records (invoices, projects, employees) and store them as files. In D365 F&O, documents attach to records via SharePoint or Azure Blob Storage; in Business Central, attachments store via the document attachment functionality. The AFAS internal document storage format may require conversion for some file types. We deliver the document set organized by AFAS module and record reference, and the customer's admin attaches them to the corresponding D365 records after migration.

AFAS workflows define approval chains, conditional routing, and automated actions across HR, finance, and operations. These are platform-configured business processes, not data records. We do not migrate workflows as data or code because AFAS workflow logic does not have a direct equivalent in D365's workflow architecture. We extract the full configuration of active AFAS workflows and deliver them as a documented process map identifying trigger events, approval steps, conditions, and actions. The customer's D365 implementation team rebuilds these in Power Automate (Finance and Operations) or D365 approval entries (Business Central).