Cloud Replicator Documentation
Index

Overview

Cloud Replicator is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extension that replicates data from your Business Central environment to various Azure cloud databases, either on demand or on a schedule you control. This powerful tool allows you to synchronize your business data for analytics, reporting, integration, and backup purposes.

What is Cloud Replicator?

Cloud Replicator bridges the gap between your Business Central data and cloud-based data services. It replicates selected tables from Business Central to your chosen cloud destination — manually or on a schedule you define through the Job Queue — so your external systems have access to current business information. Replication is incremental: after the first run, only records changed since the last successful run are processed.

The Problem It Solves

Business Central contains valuable business data that organizations often need to:

  • Analyze using external business intelligence tools
  • Search across large datasets with full-text search capabilities
  • Integrate with other cloud-based applications
  • Archive for compliance and historical analysis
  • Transform and reshape for specific reporting needs

Traditionally, extracting this data required custom development, manual exports, or complex integration solutions. Cloud Replicator simplifies this process by providing a configurable, automated replication pipeline.

How It Works

Cloud Replicator operates on a simple but powerful principle:

  1. Configure - Select which Business Central tables you want to replicate and choose your destination
  2. Map - Optionally configure field-level actions to transform, exclude, or expand data
  3. Replicate - Run manually or schedule automatic replication through Job Queue
  4. Monitor - Track replication progress and history through built-in logging

Replication Flow

Business Central Tables
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        v
  Table Mappings (select tables, configure options)
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        v
  Field Actions (transform, expand, exclude fields)
        |
        v
  Replication Engine (parallel processing)
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        v
  Cloud Destination (Azure Table Storage, Cosmos DB, or AI Search)

Supported Destinations

Cloud Replicator supports four Azure cloud destinations, each suited for different use cases:

Destination Best For
Azure Table Storage Cost-effective storage for large datasets, simple queries
Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL) Global distribution, flexible document storage
Azure Cosmos DB (Table) Table API compatibility with Cosmos DB features
Azure AI Search Full-text search and cognitive search capabilities

Key Benefits

Automated Data Pipeline

Once configured, Cloud Replicator handles all aspects of data synchronization automatically. You can schedule replications to run at specific intervals, ensuring your cloud data stays current.

Parallel Processing

The replication engine supports multiple parallel workers, significantly reducing the time required to replicate large tables. You can configure the number of engines based on your performance needs.

Flexible Configuration

Every table and field can be configured individually. Include only the data you need, transform fields during replication, and expand related data inline for denormalized datasets.

Enterprise Ready

Built for production use with comprehensive error handling, retry logic, and detailed logging. Monitor replication status in real-time and troubleshoot issues with complete audit trails.

Use Cases

Business Intelligence

Replicate sales, inventory, and financial data to Azure for analysis with Power BI, Azure Synapse, or other BI tools without impacting Business Central performance.

Full-Text Search

Enable sophisticated search capabilities across your business data by replicating to Azure AI Search. Find customers, items, or documents using natural language queries.

Data Integration

Feed Business Central data to other cloud applications through Cosmos DB. Build event-driven architectures that react to changes in your business data.

Compliance and Archival

Maintain historical snapshots of your data in Azure Table Storage for compliance requirements or long-term archival at minimal cost.