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Licensing Troubleshooting

Here you will find solutions to the most common licensing issues with merchantCENTRAL.

"No license key has been configured"

Cause: No License Key has been entered in the License Setup yet.

Solution:

  1. Open the search and type merchantCENTRAL License Setup
  2. Click the Set License Key action
  3. Enter the key you received from your sales contact
  4. Click Validate Now

Alternatively: Start a free 30-day demo.

"The demo period has expired"

Cause: Your 30-day trial period has expired.

Solution:

  • Contact your ALTENBRAND sales representative for a production license
  • Your data (orders, items, setup) remains fully preserved β€” nothing is lost
  • After activating the production license, all modules are available again immediately

"The module [Code] is not licensed"

Cause: The module is not included in your license or has been deactivated.

Solution:

  1. Open the License Overview and check the module status
  2. If the module shows Suspended or Expired: contact sales
  3. If the module does not appear in the list: the module needs to be added to your license

"Your merchantCENTRAL license has been suspended"

Cause: Your license has been administratively suspended (e.g., due to outstanding invoices).

Solution: Contact ALTENBRAND support at support@altenbrand.de.

Offline Grace Period

What Is the Grace Period?

When the merchantCENTRAL license server is not reachable (e.g., due to network issues, maintenance, or firewall restrictions), merchantCENTRAL continues using the last known license status.

Timeline

Period Without Server Contact Behavior
0–7 days βœ… Normal operation with cached status
7–14 days ⚠️ Warning: "The license has not been validated for X days. Please ensure the license server is reachable."
More than 14 days πŸ›‘ Block: "The license could not be validated for more than 14 days. Please check your internet connection and contact support."

How Do I Detect an Active Grace Period?

  • In the License Setup: The Grace Period Active field shows "Yes"
  • In the Dashboard: The License Status FactBox shows the Grace Period in red text
  • In the License Overview: The FactBox shows the Grace Period status

How Do I Resolve a Grace Period?

  1. Check internet connection β€” Can Business Central reach https://mclicensing.azurewebsites.net?
  2. Test connection β€” License Setup β†’ Action Test Connection
  3. Check firewall/proxy β€” If your company uses a proxy or firewall, the URL must be allowed
  4. Validate now β€” When the connection is established: click the Validate Now action

Automatic resolution

As soon as the connection to the license server is restored, the Grace Period is resolved on the next automatic validation run (at the latest when opening the company next time).

"Could not connect to the license service"

Cause: Business Central cannot reach the license server.

Troubleshooting steps:

  1. Check License Service URL:

    • Open merchantCENTRAL Setup β†’ Section License Service
    • The URL must start with https://
    • Default: https://mclicensing.azurewebsites.net

  2. Check License Function Key:

    • In the same section, the Function Key must be configured
    • If "Not configured": re-enter the key

  3. Check network:

    • Can your Business Central make outgoing HTTPS connections?
    • Is the URL https://mclicensing.azurewebsites.net allowed in the firewall?

  4. Connection test:

    • License Setup β†’ Action Test Connection
    • The test provides information about reachability

"License service returned HTTP status ..."

Cause: The server is reachable but responds with an error.

HTTP Status Meaning Action
401 API key invalid Re-enter Function Key in merchantCENTRAL Setup
403 Access denied Contact support
404 Endpoint not found Check URL in merchantCENTRAL Setup
500 Server error Wait briefly and try again; if recurring: contact support
503 Server temporarily unavailable Try again later (maintenance)

Sandbox Environments β€” Special Rules

In sandbox environments (test environments), special rules apply:

  • βœ… All modules are always usable β€” regardless of license status
  • βœ… No License Key required β€” a key can still be entered
  • βœ… Validation interval: 7 days β€” instead of 24 hours in production
  • ❌ No billing β€” Sandbox usage is always free

Sandbox detection

merchantCENTRAL automatically detects whether you are in a sandbox. The Is Sandbox field in the License Setup shows the status.

License After Environment Migration

If you have migrated or renamed your Business Central environment:

  1. Open the License Setup
  2. Click Detect Environment β€” the new values will be updated
  3. Click Validate Now β€” the license server will be contacted with the new environment data

New Tenant ID?

When migrating to a new Microsoft tenant, the Tenant ID changes. In this case, the license must be reassigned by ALTENBRAND support.

Contact Support

Contact Details
Email support@altenbrand.de
Phone See your contract documents
Helpful information License status, error message, Tenant ID (from the License Setup)