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Prerequisites

To get started with code conversion, first make sure to open an upgrade project using Visual Studio Code. It is very important to have these prerequisites:

If your doing txt2Al transformation yourself:​

  • Convert your C/AL solution to AL using Microsoft guidelines
  • When comparing C/AL code to generate delta files (using Compare-NAVApplicationObject powershell command), apply the -NoCodeCompression parameter. I.e.
Compare-NAVApplicationObject -OriginalPath "C:\Users\BC-User\Desktop\Convert\Deltas\StandardObjects.txt" -ModifiedPath "C:\Users\BC-User\Desktop\Convert\Deltas\CustomizedstandardObjects.txt" -DeltaPath "C:\Users\BC-User\Desktop\Convert\ExportedDeltas" -ExportToNewSyntax -NoCodeCompression
  • Convert your C/AL code to AL using txt2al tool provided by Microsoft, following standard upgrade guidelines. You can also find additional information in Simplanova's blog.
  • Setup GIT for your solution to be able to revert any undesirable changes
  • Include delta files in your project folder (e.g., place them in ./deltas folder in the root of your project folder)
  • Download symbols for the base application (make sure .alpackages folder is present and contain files ending with .app extension)

If your using txt2Al transformation using SALT:​

SALT txt2Al runs locally on your system. So if you are looking to upgrade using our txt2Al module these are the things that your system needs to have:

  • Powershell 5 & 7. These two together on the same machine are a must.
  • NuGet package manager. This can be installed using the command Install -PackageProvider -Name NuGet in both of your shells, meaning it needs two separate installations.
  • A working Business Central service. It does not matter on which database instance it is based on.
  • SqlServer modules for both powershell 5 and 7 installed in AllUsers scope. This can be installed using the command Install-Module -Name SqlServer -Scope AllUsers -Force. Running this command is a must in both Powershell 5 and 7. SALT will try to install it if it is not present in either of the shells.
  • Working NAV license on a server. This is a must in order to smoothly export objects from your database. If by using SALT txt2al you will be using Download from Microsoft option for standard database download then the license must be uploaded directly into the working database instance of your custom database: the easiest way of doing that is by running finsql development environment opening custom database clicking Tools -> License Information -> Upload -> Uploading working license into the server -> Change -> Changing to the working license. This way once you download standard database using our module it wont throw licensing errors.