BUSINESS CENTRAL v.24
Twice a year Microsoft releases a new version of Dynamics 365 Business Central. The new versions are launched in connection with the Dynamics 365 release wave upgrades, where the new functions are rolled out from April to October and from October to April. As part of Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1, Microsoft will release Business Central 24 starting in April with, among other things, optimization of the AI capacity Copilot, improved integration to Power Platform, improved service administration and financial management, optimized performance and security and more.
What's new in Business Central 24 2024 release wave 1
With Business Central 24, which Microsoft releases in connection with the Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1 upgrade wave, it is clear that Microsoft has once again prioritized optimizing Copilot, which means that the AI capabilities in the new version of Business Central are raised to the next level. By enhancing the AI-based Copilot, Business Central enables users to optimize their work processes and work more efficiently, speeding up task completion.
Already, GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code has improved developer productivity, and no doubt further improvements and new innovation will come to these top-tier development tools for AL developers. In addition, Microsoft has made it easier for developers to enrich application metadata with more detail, improving the Copilot experience.
With the many new functions and new options Microsoft introduces with Business Central 24, it becomes even easier for companies to conduct business efficiently and flexibly.
The solution provides the ability to automate a number of regulatory tasks and helps the business stay compliant with various government regulations. In this way, Business Central contributes to ensuring that you, as a manager and decision-maker, can keep the focus on the primary business.
As always, ease of use is also in focus, and with Business Central 24, efficiency is increased with choice-conscious and context-based actions.
Overview of Business Central 24
With Dynamics 365 2024 Release Wave 1 and the release of Business Central 24, Dynamics 365 Business Central is enhanced in a number of areas, including:
AI-based innovation and Dynamics 365 Copilot
With the cutting-edge AI-based technology in Dynamics 365 Copilot at their side, Business Central users are empowered to streamline their work processes by reducing repetitive tasks in their daily work. With Business Central 2024 release wave 1, Microsoft is expanding Copilot capabilities to increase productivity for even more business roles.
Faster adaptation with Power Platform
To simplify the setup of workflows in Business Central, Microsoft introduces with Business Central 24 even more templates that out of the box support more business scenarios. This enhancement allows you to automate even more business processes, increasing the efficiency and productivity of Business Central users.
Application Improvements
In Dynamics 365 2024 Release Wave 1, Microsoft has significantly improved the project and service management capabilities of Business Central. In addition, the area of finance and financial management has been improved with an optimization of the consolidation experience.
Country and regions
By expanding the global reach of Business Central, the application is now available to businesses in over 155 countries and regions.
Improvements for developers
Microsoft continues to invest in areas that improve the productivity of developers working with GitHub, Visual Studio Code, and the AppSource marketplace. They also add new code refactoring capabilities that provide an easy path to functional and performance testing and ISV and custom code with AL GO to GitHub.
Management and administration
Microsoft is introducing additional self-service capabilities for Business Central that allow administrators to manage access to environments in greater detail. Critical administrator actions can now be audited using the Microsoft 365 Audit Log, which offers robust capabilities to strengthen data protection through customer-managed encryption keys and Azure Lockbox.
Compliance with legislation
With Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1, Microsoft introduces in Business Central 24 capabilities for accessing VAT dates when you preview the results of posting transactions. Business Central 2024 Release Wave 1 also introduces the Sustainability Journal, which will help you with sustainability reporting.
Analysis of data and reporting
With Business Central 24, Microsoft is adding more options to Analysis mode, and in the new version, Power BI and Excel layouts will be operational and ready to use.
Service and platform
With a focus on high availability, increased performance, improved stability, optimized resource management, as well as better security and compliance, Microsoft has also invested in the basic service in Business Central in this version.
New functions and possibilities in Business Central 24
Below you will find an overview of the many new functions and possibilities in Business Central that Microsoft is introducing in connection with the rollout of Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1, where the many new functions will be released in the period from April 2024 to October 2024.
Please note
There may be deviations in the publication times stated below. This means that it is not certain that the features will be released at the specified time or that a specified functionality will not be released at all. The release of the new updates that make up Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1 will continue until October 2024.
Application Improvements
As always, the core application functionality is an important area of investment for Microsoft. It is the broad core functionality that helps companies optimize their daily business processes and workflows. Microsoft has also with Business Central 2024 release wave 1 listened to their business partners and customers to ensure that the new Functions delivered are also what they need to increase their productivity with each release.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
Archive your projects | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Improvements to the usability of projects and services | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Use deferral codes in your purchase and sales journals | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Integrate Dynamics 365 Field Service to Business Central | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Define a unique service invoice posting policy for different users | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Manage your document attachments in service items and documents | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Define a default location for a project or for a project phase | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Block an item, item variant, or service item from use in service management transactions | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Connect your Business Central financial system with the Shopify B2B webshop | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Financial consolidation setup runs more smoothly and efficiently | Users, automatically | April 2024 | April 2024 |
By using Configuration Packages you can export and import multiline text | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Simpler and more straightforward connection to Shopify | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Correct any errors and deficiencies in service invoices | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Prevent that editing is done in number series on service documents and cards | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Improve your accounting accuracy with general ledger account revaluation | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Increase the efficiency of your employees when entering time sheets | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Increase your efficiency when approving time sheets | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
I BC24 inventory package numbers will work just like item tracking dimensions | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Create projects in Business Central that you can invoice to several different customers | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Assign a salesperson to a specific customer's ship-toaddress | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
See received documents in archived quotes and orders | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Assemble is added to project | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Invoice a customer for several different projects | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Use the brand new Excel layouts for 35 different selected reports | Users, automatically | April 2024 | April 2024 |
You can now use standard terminology in project management | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Use different currencies when posting employee transactions | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
AI and Copilot
With Business Central 24, which is released with Dynamics 365 2024 release wave 1, Microsoft extends the Copilot capabilities of Dynamics 365, and thus Business Central, and improves the AI-generated marketing text, which increases productivity for several of the company's business roles.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
Create Power Automate flows with the AI-based Copilot | Users, automatically | May 2024 | - |
Chat with the AI-based Dynamics 365 Copilot | Users, automatically | April 2024 | - |
Use Dynamics 365 Copilot to map e-documents to purchase order lines | Users, automatically | April 2024 | - |
With Dynamics 365 Copilot, you can easily create sales lines | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | April 2024 | - |
Extend Copilot functionality using better development tools | Users, automatically | - | April 2024 |
Gain faster insight into data with Copilot-generated analytics tabs | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | April 2024 | - |
Faster creation of product information with Dynamics 365 Copilot | Users, automatically | July 2024 | - |
Ask Dynamics 365 Copilot for help regarding fields | Users, automatically | April 2024 | - |
Administration and management
With Business Central, Microsoft is adding 24 brand new management tools and enhancing existing tools so administrators can manage environments, apps and data migrations.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
Use a linked environment in the Dataverse integration | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - | April 2024 |
Safely copy companies with Dataverse integration | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
In Microsoft Purview, you can audit Business Central operations | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - | May 2024 |
View and filter users with additional userinformation | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
With customer-administered encryption key, you can encrypt data at-rest | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - | May 2024 |
Allow your customers to consent to Microsoft Support accessing their data | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - | May 2024 |
Link and connect Power Platform environments to Business Central environments | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - | May 2024 |
Manage partner access for each environment | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - | April 2024 |
Compliance with legislation and regulations
With Business Central 2024 release wave 1, Microsoft is introducing a number of new regulatory possibilities that can act as a foundation for more specific requirements in local Business Central versions.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
See the VAT date in the posting previews | Users, automatically | May 2024 | June 2024 |
Automation of country of origin listed for item tracking code in Intrastat reporting | Users, automatically | May 2024 | June 2024 |
Achieve sustainable compliance with legislation and regulations with Business Central | Users, automatically | April 2024 | May 2024 |
Analysis of data and reporting
Having direct access to the right reports and data analysis functions is essential for the company's decision makers who want to have control over the company's business processes and operations as well as the ability to identify new growth opportunities.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
Easy discovery of report and data analysis content | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | April 2024 | April 2024 |
Improved user experience
An even better user experience (UX) helps Business Central users enter, update and correct errors in their data in an easy and intuitive way.
Function | Available for | Public preview | General availability |
---|---|---|---|
Attach multiple files by using drag and drop | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Go to those pages that contains a field that causes a platform error | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Access worksheet pages directly from your mobile phone | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |
Users can share error information to get help from another users | Users, automatically | March 2024 | April 2024 |