How-ToAdministration

How to Back Up and Restore Business Central Data (On-Premises)

Understand backup and restore options for on-premises Business Central environments, including database backups and tenant restore procedures.

Stein Sæstad
7 min read

On-premises Business Central stores its data in SQL Server databases. Backup and restore are handled at the SQL Server level, with additional tools available through the Business Central Administration Shell for tenant-level operations.

This guide covers the on-premises scenario. If you are using Business Central online (SaaS), Microsoft manages backups automatically and you do not need to configure anything, contact Microsoft Support to request a restore.

How On-Premises BC Stores Data

A Business Central on-premises installation has two main database components:

  • Application database, stores application objects, metadata, and shared configuration
  • Tenant database, stores company data (transactions, master data, setup)

In a single-tenant deployment, both can exist in the same database. In a multi-tenant deployment, the application database is shared and each tenant has its own separate database.

When planning backups, you typically need to back up both. The tenant database is the more critical one because it contains all company data.

Take a SQL Server Backup

The standard approach is a SQL Server full database backup, scheduled through SQL Server Agent or taken manually via SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

Via SQL Server Management Studio

  1. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to your SQL Server instance.
  2. Expand the Databases node in Object Explorer.
  3. Right-click the Business Central tenant database (e.g., BC_Tenant_MyCompany).
  4. Select Tasks > Back Up.
  5. In the Back Up Database dialog:
    • Set Backup type to Full
    • Confirm the Destination path and filename
  6. Select OK to run the backup.

For production environments, do not rely on manual backups. Set up a SQL Server Agent job or use SQL Server’s Maintenance Plan wizard to schedule daily full backups and more frequent differential or transaction log backups.

Via T-SQL

You can also take a backup directly with a T-SQL command:

BACKUP DATABASE [BC_Tenant_MyCompany]
TO DISK = 'C:\Backups\BC_Tenant_MyCompany_20260306.bak'
WITH FORMAT, COMPRESSION, STATS = 10;

Restore a Tenant from Backup

Restoring a Business Central tenant from a SQL Server backup involves two steps: restoring the database in SQL Server, and then registering it as a tenant in the BC service tier.

Step 1: Restore the Database in SQL Server

  1. In SSMS, right-click Databases and select Restore Database.
  2. Set Source to Device and browse to the .bak file.
  3. Set the Destination database name. Use a different name if you are restoring alongside the existing database.
  4. Select OK to restore.

Step 2: Mount the Restored Database as a BC Tenant

Use the Business Central Administration Shell (PowerShell).

  1. Open the Business Central Administration Shell as administrator.
  2. If the original tenant still exists and you are replacing it, dismount it first:
Dismount-NAVTenant -ServerInstance BC250 -Tenant default
  1. Mount the restored database as the tenant:
Mount-NAVTenant `
  -ServerInstance BC250 `
  -Tenant default `
  -DatabaseName BC_Tenant_MyCompany_Restored `
  -DatabaseServer localhost
  1. Sync the tenant schema if needed:
Sync-NAVTenant -ServerInstance BC250 -Tenant default -Mode ForceSync

Restore a Tenant Directly with Restore-NAVTenant

If you have a .navdata or .navdatax export file (not a SQL backup), you can use the Restore-NAVTenant cmdlet:

Restore-NAVTenant `
  -ServerInstance BC250 `
  -Tenant default `
  -BackupFile 'C:\Backups\TenantBackup.navdatax' `
  -DatabaseServer localhost `
  -DatabaseName BC_Tenant_Restored

This creates a new database from the backup file and mounts it automatically.

Export Data as a .bacpac File

A .bacpac file is a portable SQL database export format that can be useful for archiving or moving data between environments.

Export via SSMS

  1. In SSMS, right-click the tenant database.
  2. Select Tasks > Export Data-tier Application.
  3. Follow the wizard and specify a destination path for the .bacpac file.

Export via SqlPackage

SqlPackage.exe /Action:Export `
  /SourceServerName:localhost `
  /SourceDatabaseName:BC_Tenant_MyCompany `
  /TargetFile:"C:\Backups\BC_Tenant_MyCompany.bacpac"

To import a .bacpac back into SQL Server, use the Import Data-tier Application option in SSMS or the SqlPackage /Action:Import command.

Test Your Restores

A backup that has never been tested is not a backup you can rely on. Periodically restore a backup to a test environment and verify:

  • The Business Central service starts correctly against the restored database
  • Users can log in and open company data
  • Recent transactions are present and correct
  • No sync errors appear in the BC event log

Schedule a test restore at least quarterly, or after any major update or migration.

Cloud (SaaS) Backup Note

If you are running Business Central online, Microsoft retains database backups for the last 30 days (as of current service terms). You cannot take or restore backups yourself. To request a point-in-time restore, contact Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 admin center. The restore is performed by Microsoft and typically takes several hours.

For data export from a SaaS environment, use Configuration Packages or the Excel export features within BC. See How to Move Data Between Companies in Business Central for more on exporting data using Configuration Packages.