AI-driven Progress: Navigating the Business Central 2024 Release Wave 2 Enhancements.

It’s now into the second half of 2024; we at Intwo are excited to share with you some key Microsoft updates for Dynamics 365 Business Central, part of the 2024 Release Wave 2, releasing from October 2024 to March 2025.

This wave brings in a large number of enhancements made in order to simplify and streamline your business operations.

Microsoft is inventing more with Copilot. Updates will speed up the generation of sales orders through Copilot Chat and the setup of product details like Variants and Units of Measure. There is more on the horizon for developers, including new features that’ll take productivity and efficiency up a notch by further automating regulatory compliance.

Here at Intwo, we want to keep you up to date on these updates so that you continue getting the most out of your investment in Business Central. Keep a lookout for our experts to deliver even more on how these updates will impact your business.

What’s New in Business Central Release Wave 2 – 2024?

As a part of this release, Microsoft has addressed several key points related to Business Central, and we will highlight those below.

Application Enhancements: An enhanced feature for e-document, which will now make it easier to send documents than ever before. In the earlier version, Business Central projects had their integration with Dynamics 365 Field Service; now, that integration with a service order will come along. And for those enterprises really going narrow down on sustainability, new reporting capabilities will help in even more accurate greenhouse gas emissions.

Global Expansion: It marches along the globe, now available in more than 170 countries and regions. Now, of course, very good news for businesses wanting to scale their operations internationally.

Developer Productivity: To developers, Microsoft is investing in tools that make your life easier: with new code refactoring options, smoother paths for testing, and enhanced GitHub integration with AL GO, development now goes at a much faster pace. Whether you are using Visual Studio Code or managing solutions in the AppSource marketplace, these updates are designed to help ramp up your productivity.

Governance and Administration: Administrators will be able to do more with control at their fingertips. Such self-service provides a much better way of managing access to an environment, including auditing important functions using Microsoft 365 Audit Log, Customer-managed encryption keys, and Azure Lockbox, further strengthening data privacy. Microsoft is refreshing its suite of tools for administrators to streamline their management of environments, applications, and data migrations. Here’s how:

• Empty Data of Uninstalled Extensions: Finally, empty data of uninstalled extensions.
• Copy Companies with Dataverse Integration Easily and Reliably: Copy companies entirely while keeping the integration of Dataverse intact.
• Rich Data Upgrade Troubleshooting for Dynamics GP Migration: Better tools to troubleshoot data upgrades in the process of upgrading to Dynamics GP.
• Analyze Telemetry Events by Session or User for Browsers and Servers: Track and analyze telemetry events across browsers and servers based on the session or user.
• View and Filter User Details: More details are available on viewing and filtering user information.
• Retain Permissions During Cloud Migration: Keep existing permissions intact when enabling cloud migrations.
• Granular Dynamics 365 Business Central Administration: More controls for the administrators.
• Automatic Update to AppSource Apps: The minor updates of the apps on AppSource will happen automatically.
• Proactive Warnings about invalid Configurations of Cloud Migration: Alerts regarding the possible problems with configurations of cloud migration.
• Effective Permissions: learn more about effective permissions.
• Transfer Environments between Microsoft Entra Tenants: easy transfer environments from one Microsoft Entra tenant to another.
• Options in Migrating Tables: choose specific tables that would be included in or excluded from the process of migration in the cloud.

Compliance and Legislation: Compliance does have a moving target, and Business Central keeps on top of local accounting legislation. Expect improvements in localized versions from Microsoft, which will keep you on the right side of the law at all times.

Reporting and Analytics: More than 70 new reports will be found by Power BI users. General reporting capabilities have also been improved to enable better decisions.

Service and Platform: The last but not the least is foundations. With respect to availability, performance, stability, and security, everything is taken care of. So, Microsoft doubles down on all these items to make Business Central a secure and strong choice for your business.

Microsoft continues advancing its service fundamentals along the lines of performance, stability, resource management, security, and compliance. Key improvements include:

• Tab and action bar faster rendering.
• Enhanced performance when using multiple extensions.
• Reduced database locks for a throughput that is an overall faster speed.
• Faster application scenarios overall.
• Service-to-service apps and device license users can now schedule tasks.
• New limits on scheduled tasks and web requests to make throughput considerably better.
• Synchronization of multiple Business Central companies with a single Dataverse environment.

Investment areas

Be More Agile with the Power Platform

With the inclusion of Business Central in Power Platform, the game is totally changed for any business looking to harmonize its operations. You can undoubtedly benefit from an increase in efficiency by automating repeating tasks your way with Power Automate templates.

Microsoft continues to enhance the seamless integration of Business Central with Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. Here’s what is new:

• Control how your embedded content gets rendered in Power BI.
• Design Power Automate flows directly from templates in Business Central.
• Business Central virtual tables are now fully supported on Microsoft Dataverse.
• Make specific virtual tables available automatically for business use while connecting to Dataverse.
• Build Power Automate flows that can dynamically support several companies.
• Power Pages now integrates with Business Central virtual tables on Dataverse.
• Use synthetic relationships and unlock more Business Central data in Dataverse.
• Preview and see the list of companies using the Business Central connector, Power Automate.
• Use Power Automate connector V3 actions for more functionality.
• Business events are now available in the Business Central connector for Power Automate.
• Sync even more fields of your integration with Dataverse and Dynamics 365 Sales.
• Improve approval flow experience in Power Automate.
• Change triggers and bulk updates with new limits on changes.

Application Enhancements

All enhancements in Business Central are based on customer feedback and market trends. For example, the investment in Copilot is to optimize business procedures at more elevated levels, which will make it easy for businesses to stay competitive.

Multi-company capabilities were also bolstered by Microsoft. With more firms extending into different borders, managing multiple companies in Business Central is very much an important business requirement. Besides talking about basic functionality, Microsoft is truly improving everything from inventory management to service and project management and deepening our integrations with other Dynamics 365 applications. Microsoft keeps focusing on enhancing core application functionality to help businesses streamline business processes. They actively listen to partners and customers to ensure every release drives greater productivity. Here are some key updates:

• Synchronizing documents and posting dates for sales and purchases.
• Easier navigation between order, receipt, and invoice documents.
• Archive projects to organize.
• Improved usability on service and project management.
• Increase intercompany transactions across the environment of Business Central.
• Apply deferral codes on journals for both purchases and sales.
• Enhanced count and adjustment on the inventory.
• Add more columns on the pages for deeper insight.
• Join Field Service with Business Central.
• Declare the posting policies of invoices for the service in the system.
• Warehouse and inventory management is now easier to use.
• Attachment control of the document associated with service items and documents.
• Determination of suggestions for the next sales and production order
• Reverse customer and vendor ledger entries with realized gain or loss.
• Generate only open entries with customer statements.
• Set project, project phases as a location.
• Items or variants blocked from service transaction.
• Directed pick and put-away suggestions applied through basic warehouse configuration.
• To connect Business Central with Shopify B2B.
• Financial consolidation now runs much more smoothly.
• Various overviews of availability now take into account the warehouse quantities.
• The inbuilt batch job can be easily replaced to adjust exchange rates.
• Different general ledger accounts can be applied for payables as well as receivables.
• Export/import multiline text via Configuration Packages.
• Simplify Shopify connections.
• Correct errors in service invoices.
• You get greater control over general journal approvals.
• Debug on Shopify integration problems.
• Receive more items than ordered with inventory put-away documents.
• Identify and track items much more easily with item references.
• Prevent editing number series on service documents and cards.
• Warehouse operations may be configured.
• Re-evaluate the general ledger account for improved accuracy.
• Print and scan the barcodes.
• Zero-amount lines are allowed on recurring general journals.
• Intercompany general journal approval will also be included in workflows.
• Entering and approving the timesheet becomes easier.
• General Ledger Allocations provide efficient allocation for cost and revenues.
• Editing item journals and worksheets in the warehouse may be done in Excel.
• Automated reminder process in collections.
• Use inventory package numbers just as item tracking dimensions.
• Customer projects are billable.
• Salespeople can be assigned to customer ship-to addresses.
• Incoming documents are visible in archived quotes and orders.
• Items are assembled for projects.
• Customers can be invoiced for multiple projects.
• New Excel layouts are applied to 35 selected reports.
• Financial data will be consolidated across multiple company setups.
• Item variants can be blocked as necessary.
• Terminology standardization for project management.
• Warehouse and inventory usability has improved.
• Warehouse and inventory functionality has also improved concerning inventory valuation due to cost adjustment controls.
• A new role center will be implemented in collection management.
• Only open entries are allowed in customer statements.
• Use currencies upon posting employee transactions.

Copilot and AI Innovation

AI is no longer a Luxury only for the Giant Firms. With the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot, SMBs have the enablement to reduce more mundane work. This release wave gives one more push toward the increased reach and benefits of Copilot to many other roles in the SMB toward working smarter, not harder. This update takes the original Copilot feature, which was originally used to provide marketing text suggestions and propels productivity across even more SMB roles. It enables you to:

• Get marketing text suggestions with Copilot.
• Accelerate bank account reconciliation with Copilot.
• Include generative AI smoothly in your AL solutions.

Country and Regional Expansion

Business Central is rapidly expanding its international presence, and this is certainly because of our partners, who are the leaders in localizations. What this means for your business is that today, Business Central can be accessed by more than 170 countries, and you can find localized apps on AppSource. For locations where Microsoft maintains the localization, rest assured that all regulatory updates are up to date, freeing you to run your business. Microsoft has expanded Business Central to more countries and regions in the latest release wave, bringing several new features:

• Direct transfer in Czechia.
• E-submission of VAT returns in Denmark.
• Intercompany posting cues for the Accountant Role Center in Czechia.
• Registration and notification functionality in Denmark.
• A refreshed design for report Language and Region settings.
• Iceland localization app (delocalization).
• Support for additional countries and regions.
• Responsibility Centers for Advance Payments in Czechia.
• Advance payment and posting preview of tax documents in Czechia.
• E-invoicing with NemHandel in Denmark.
• Updated Intrastat for Czechia.

Development Tools

To developers using AL, Microsoft has laid the groundwork for namespace support that makes structuring apps easier and reduces conflicts. Data protection while debugging has seen significant enhancements, and control has also been given to developers through more effective analytics and reporting.

Microsoft is continuing to enhance the productivity of Business Central AL developers and empower consultants, citizen developers, and users to do more while reducing the cost of change. Here are some of the most recent updates:

• Use Azure Files with the Azure File Service API module.
• Support for IntelliSense to add variables in the AL debugger console of Visual Studio Code.
• Simplify the management of System Application permissions.
• Implement the option to suppress data analysis mode on pages and queries.
• Default folder locations for new AL projects.
• Inlay hints for AL method parameters and return types in the source editor.
• Multi-worksheet datasets for Excel reports.
• Built-in rich text editor for data entry.
• Teaching tooltips are available on queries and report request pages.
• Smarter IntelliSense method signature recommendations.
• AL Language extension is available in prerelease on Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
• AppSource ISV publishers can now preview their apps with selected customers.
• Preview the AL Language extension for Linux.
• Syntax highlighting for AL in Azure DevOps.
• Call Microsoft Graph using the Microsoft Graph module by AL.
• General ledger posting aggregations extension.
• Show a list of keys when working with AL code.
• Multi-file upload and drop zones support.
• AL code is split to avoid names from namespaces.
• SecretText was added, which enables the protection of credentials and sensitive text values.
• Sell Business Central apps through AppSource.
• Hover over label variables to view the text string value.
• Source tracking and metadata on extensions.
• You now have additional sampling intervals for snapshot and in-client profiling.
• ALDoc tool, which documents extensions, is now available to partners.
• Find all references, which also now include triggers, system methods, and trigger events.
• Validate hotfixes for AppSource apps against the latest app version.
• Cookies are now supported for making HTTP calls from Business Central.
• A new output folder setting that stores app files at the build of an AL project.
• Add new FieldGroups to existing tables.
• AL Rest Client module to invoke web services.
• Open Visual Studio Code from the web client to debug extensions.

Governance and Administration

Microsoft offers administrators even more solutions to environments, apps, and data migrations. Further granular detail in roles and upgraded processes in updating are continuously giving administrators more control and flexibility. More new tools and even an upgrade to some will further make it easier for admins to manage environments, apps, and data migrations. Here are the new features:

• Remove data from uninstalled add-ons as an administrator.
• Copy companies that support Dataverse integration safely.
• Improved debugging for Dynamics GP migration data upgrades.
• Telemetry event analysis on both the client and server sides for a given session/user.
• Visibility and filtering of users with additional information.
• Preserving permissions during a cloud migration.
• Fine-grained control as a Dynamics 365 Business Central administrator.
• Minor AppSource application updates will be updated automatically.
• Ineffective warnings for invalid configurations of cloud migration.
• Ineffective permission details.
• Transfer environments across Microsoft Entra tenants.
• Include or exclude particular tables during cloud migration.

Compliance Legislation

These are regulations that a company must respect at a country level, and Business Central has made it much easier since most of these have been automated. Voucher generation for audit trails and retention policies- all that is the idea to make regulatory compliance features of Business Central run-of-the-mill features such that you can grow your business and know all compliance issues are taken care of. The latest update for Business Central brings in some key legislative features, thereby setting the scene for compliance with localized requirements. What’s new:

• Drop shipment support within triangular Intrastat trade.
• Global e-document solutions.
• Digital voucher capabilities.
• Payment reporting for large enterprises.
• Easy setup with enhanced data.
• VAT posting within the General Ledger setup.

Reporting and Data Analysis

Data is new oil, and only understanding how to extract actionable insights from it gets one ahead. The reporting strategy for Business Central from Microsoft is to put strong BI and analytics right inside your Business Central. You can, therefore, make intelligent decisions to move businesses ahead based on both first-party and third-party data you have access to. Really, the right reports and data analysis tools are what are critical for businesses wanting to stay on top of things and find new growth opportunities.

• Analyze, group, and pivot data from queries.
• Utilize static and runtime metadata in Excel layouts.
• Work with translatable Excel layouts.
• Share data analysis with a colleague.
• Analyze, group, and pivot data directly from lists.

User Experience Enhancements

Whether the user is working at a desk with a browser, on the road on a mobile device, or out in the field with a browser, Business Central delivers a consistent and powerful experience. With each release, Microsoft is building functionality to make it easier to work with data, correct errors, and keep operations for your business in a steady state. Delivering seamless user experiences means making it easier for users to manage their data effortlessly. Here’s how Business Central keeps things intuitive:

• Quickly locate pages and data in the mobile app.
• Locate data search from any place in Business Central.
• Go to pages connected with fields that are causing platform errors.
• Display related record information straight from the lookups.
• Include existing table fields to reinforce your pages.
• Share plain, readable, deep links to specific pages and records.
• Quickly find browser tabs when you are working with multiple applications.
• Share error details to obtain support-related help from others.
• Specify fields as read-only when you are designing the user experience.
• Solve errors directly with in-line actions.
• Scan barcodes using the Business Central mobile app for iOS and Android.

To access the entire list of all that’s new in this wave of release, please refer to the Dynamics 365 Business Central release plan.

Importance Changes to the Application Administrator in Business Central Release Wave 2

Automatic User-Impacting Features

Some of these features could potentially affect the user experience. They are turned on automatically with new drops. Application administrators should go through them in advance. You will get a clearer view and more control over the drop and be guaranteed non-disruptive onboarding of new capabilities. A list of these features labeled as “Users, automatically” can be found in the release plan.

Admin-Enabled Features

What’s new? This product update mostly features that are intended to be activated by admins, makers, or business analysts before the users will be able to access them. To learn more about these features, refer to the release plan for features tagged “Users by admins, makers, or analysts.”

Final Thoughts

Business Central Release Wave 2 updates reflect the continuous improvement that is shown by Microsoft to build better tools for administrators to do their jobs better. Giving businesses even more control, better integration capabilities, and better processes. This way, users will be assured of smooth operations and flexibility in managing their environment.

With the platform on its way forward, it becomes very important to successfully transition and optimally use such new capabilities by aligning with a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation (Azure).