How to: Upload the License File

Article
10/22/2020

After an administrator or a Microsoft Certified Partner initially installs Dynamics NAV, the next step is to upload the license file that is supplied by Microsoft.

To save the license file, you must have the Per Database license granule (2020) in your license. You must also have the necessary roles and permissions in SQL Server. See Setting Database Owner and Security Administration Permissions.

Note

Uploading the license file is typically something you do once for each database installation, not once for each client installation. If you need to upload a license for a specific database, see Uploading a License File for a Specific Database.

Initially, Dynamics NAV uses CRONUS.flf, which is the demonstration license file. All license files that are not demonstration license files are named FIN.flf. The demonstration license file has been given a different name so that it cannot be mistakenly overwritten.

Licences and Databases

Each Dynamics NAV production database requires a separate Dynamics NAV license file.

With one Dynamics NAV license, you are allowed to run one Dynamics NAV database. If you have multiple Dynamics NAV production databases, you must purchase a Dynamics NAV license for each database.

You are allowed to use a Dynamics NAV license on copies of your Dynamics NAV production database as long as the copies of the database are used for:

Backup
Storage of historical data
Testing
Internal use only development

The databases must not be used in production.

Uploading the License File to SQL Server

The following procedure uploads the license for all Dynamics NAV databases on the SQL Server instance.

To upload your license file for all Dynamics NAV databases

Start the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment.

Note

On a computer running any version of Windows with User Access Control enabled, you must start the development environment with administrator privileges. In the Start menu, right-click Dynamics NAV Development Environment, and then choose Run as administrator.
Verify that you are connected to your database. On the File menu, point to Database, and then choose Open.
Upload the new license.
1. On the Tools menu, choose License Information.
2. In the License Information window, choose Upload.
3. In the Upload License File dialog box, browse to and open the license file.
  
  You should see the following message:
  
  The Server license was successfully uploaded.
Restart the development environment to activate the license.
Restart all Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instances on the computer to activate the license for other clients. For more information, see Managing Dynamics NAV Server Instances.

Note

Always review your license file after uploading, to verify that all information is correct and that you have all necessary license granules.

Uploading a License File for a Specific Database

To upload a license file for a specific database

In the development environment, on the File menu, point to Database, and then choose Alter.
In the Alter Database window, choose Integration, and then select Save license in database.
Restart all Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instances on the computer to activate the license for other clients. For more information, see Managing Dynamics NAV Server Instances.