Why set up a new company in Business Central?
You may want to set up a new company in Business Central as your company grows into new locations or countries. Many organisations setup new companies for each physical location they have.
When you set up a new company in Business Central, you’ll be given 3 choices of data setup for your new company. Think about what you need before you set up the new company
Your three company data choices
Evaluation – Sample Data
This creates a company for you which is like the demonstration company. It has the same sample data and setup data. Usually this is the office chair company, Cronus Ltd
Production – Setup Data Only
This creates a company that has a standard chart of accounts and payment methods. You’ll need to import business customer and item data.
Create New – No Data
This creates a blank company without setup data. You can set the company up manually or use a setup wizard to help. You’ll need to add data to get started.
How do I set up the new company in Business Central?
First open the My Settings page from the cog menu

In the My Settings page, click the 3 dot button to the right of the Company field.

In the allow companies popup, select New and then Create New Company

Give the company a name and choose either
- Evaluation – Sample Data
- Create New – No Data
- Production – Setup Data Only
The differences between these 3 options is explained above ⬆️

Click Next and on the next page you can add users to this new company
Visit the Company Information page

Work through the sections to add your company’s specific details.
Copying an existing company
- Go to the Companies page by clicking search (or Alt+Q) and type companies. Click on the companies list page
- Select the company you wish to copy from
- Click Process, then Copy
- Give the new company a name and the system will copy the company and all of its data and extensions
How to switch companies in Business Central
At the top of all Business Central pages, you’ll see the company switcher beside the search icon

The icon could also look like this
You can also click Ctrl + O to access the company switcher
To switch environments in Business Central
Open the Office menu

Click Business Central and you’ll be asked to choose an environment to open
How to install demo business data in Business Central
Microsoft supply demonstration data to use in Business Central to highlight manufacturing, warehousing and service.
You can add this data to an empty Business Central company to learn or demonstrate how to use these capabilities in Business Central.
To add the demo data to Business Central
- In the Extension Management page (ALT+Q and type extension)
- Find and install the Contoso Coffee Demo Dataset for your country
- After they are installed go to the Contoso Coffee Demo Dataset page and edit the settings to match your requirements.
What’s the difference between an environment and a company in Business Central?
Environments can contain multiple companies. Each environment is specific to a particular country, so you’d need a new environment for each country you operate in.
Creating a new environment in Business Central
You can create either a production or sandbox environment
- Enter the Business Central administration centre. You’ll need to be an administrator
- either choose the admin centre link from the settings menu or
- Use the following URL https://businesscentral.dynamics.com/[TENANT_ID]/admin
- You can find your tenant ID in Help (question mark icon) > Help & Support > look for the Microsoft Entra tenant ID:
- In the Business Central administration centre, select Environments, then select the environment that you want to copy.
- Click the Copy button
- In the Copy environment pane, choose environment type that you want to create
- Add a name for the new environment
- Click Copy
When you create a copy of an environment, some processes and settings are changed as a precaution. Microsoft describe them here