Microsoft just released their plans for updates to all Dynamics 365 applications coming from April 2021 to September 2021 as part of 2021 Release Wave 1. Most of these features will be available for public preview in March with general availability in April. While delivery timelines may change, we now have a good idea of the major updates to Dynamics 365 Business Central that will be coming throughout the middle-part of the year. Here are some of the biggest changes coming to the application that Business Central users and admins should be aware of.

Modern interface updates

Because Business Central is a cloud-based application, Microsoft continues to focus on bringing an easy-to-use interface experience to users. With this update, Microsoft is adding the ability to double-click records within lists to click into a single record. While simple, this has been a highly-requested feature that will make life easier for many users. Another highly requested feature being added is the ability to select all text when clicking on a field. Users who use Tab or Enter keys to select fields sometimes run into fields that don’t select the entire text. This should fix this issue and standardize this action among all fields.

For those using smaller screens to access Business Central, this update will improve the interface to be more responsive as it adapts to various screen resolutions. In the past, sometimes buttons or scroll bars did not automatically adjust to a changing screen size. This update should resolve this issue and make the Business Central experience better on smaller screens.

Feature updates

With this update, Microsoft is focusing on delivering highly requested usability features in areas like banking and payments as well as working towards improved performance for automated processes. For example, with this update, users can now correct mistakes in dimensions for GL entries to ensure financial reporting gives accurate insights without needing to leave notes about data entry mistakes. Administrators can also lock dimensions or view change logs for GL entries to see what changes have been made and revert them if necessary.

Here are other feature updates coming:

• Assisted Setup guide window for adjusting item costs

• Automatic creation of lot and serial number information cards

• Bank reconciliation improvements like

• Updates to synchronization between contacts and customers

• Lot size definitions for various stages of production

• Payment reconciliation journal improvements

• Simplified bank statement file import

With each update to Dynamics 365, Microsoft includes more native integration between their cloud applications. For organizations using both Microsoft 365 and Business Central, there are updates coming to improve the integrated experience with Microsoft Teams and Excel/Outlook add-ins.

For Teams, Microsoft is adding the ability to look up contacts stored in Business Central from the Microsoft Teams search box or message compose area. This can be useful when users need to share a contact with a coworker during conversation on Teams. Users can even view their contact information, historical data, and initiate a phone call without leaving Teams.

For organizations using Universal Print service included with some Microsoft 365 packages, Business Central now supports the service. This means Business Central users can now send documents and reports to any printer defined in the Universal Print management page. This feature does not alter other printing capabilities like HP ePrint or third-party extensions purchased from AppSource.

Power Platform updates

Much like the integration to Microsoft 365, Microsoft continues to bolster the integration between Business Central and the Microsoft Dataverse and Power Platform apps. A great example of this, is the coming ability to synchronize item availability from Business Central to Dynamics 365 Sales. When salespeople engage with customers in Dynamics 365 Sales and Business Central users prepare sales orders for fulfillment in Business Central, it’s important that both systems have accurate item availability so salespeople know when and if an order can be filled. When configured, this feature will automatically update inventory in Dynamics 365 Sales when inventory changes are made in Business Central.

Microsoft is also working to improve Business Central’s connection to Power BI by enabling the Power BI connector to work with Business Central APIs. Currently, Business Central offers integration with Power BI, but it relies on web services to do so. With this update, users will now be able to create Power BI reports and dashboards by using the Business Central APIs including both built-in and customized APIs. This should provide admins with better and faster access to Business Central data in Power BI.

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Want to know if Business Central fits the needs of your organization? Get in touch with a Business Central consultant to review your processes and get your questions answered about Business Central.