Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2025 Release Wave 1 Updates
We are not surprised that this release wave is focused on AI innovation, especially with the speedy development of Copilot and the introduction of Virtual Agents. But what updates is Microsoft preparing for Dynamics 365 Business Central users? And of course – how do we benefit from such a high level of automation?
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Copilot and AI
Chat with Copilot and use installed add-on apps effectively
Chat with Copilot was introduced in the 2024 release wave 1: an opportunity for Business Central users to get help from their AI virtual assistant, just by using simple conversational tone. Since most users install one or more ISV add-on apps from Microsoft AppSource to extend their capabilities, Microsoft has made a significant improvement towards optimizing their work. The 2025 release wave 1 introduces updates for enhancing our effectiveness when working with the system – now, Copilot in Business Central can explain and guide workers in their work with these add-on apps.
How does it work?
Users can ask questions about content from installed add-on apps, such as new pages, fields, and business processes. Copilot gives instructions based on documentation provided by the apps installed in their Business Central environment.
Copilot can now summarize a record into a couple of brief sentences, which is the ultimate time-saving hack for users. Copilot summarizes records by displaying the top three most important insights and if necessary, it can add more insights. The summaries provided by Copilot stay up to date with the latest data.
The newest breakthrough in Dynamics 365 Business Central - Sales Order Agent
Microsoft introduced intelligent AI agents for automation of processes for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Users can seamlessly integrate these agents to execute complex tasks, generate reports, automate processes, and optimize the fulfillment of orders using natural language. In November 2024, we got a glimpse of the Sales Order Agent in Business Central during the Directions EMEA 2024 conference, held in Vienna.
Copilot in Business Central is already helping users unlock a new level of productivity. But now, AI Agents can work autonomously and perform assigned tasks and respond to events with a minimum intervention from humans. They can act on behalf of a company, department, team or person.
The Sales Order Agent is configurated to manage the full process: from receiving item requests from customer emails, identifying the customer from those registered in Business Central, drafting the sales quote with the requested items to verifying the availability of the item, forwarding the sales quote to the customer for approval. After receiving the approval, the Agent converts the quote into a sales order and shares it with the customer via email – freeing you up to tackle the other never-ending tasks in your To-Do list.
Sales Order Agent comes with predefined permissions and role, which are automatically assigned when you activate it. You define its name, the channel for receiving requests for sales quotes and orders, as well as the steps you want to include or exclude in the process of taking orders. You always remain in full control as you have full transparency over the changes made by the Agent. After reviewing the steps the Agent performed, you can decide whether you want to keep or discard them.
Suggest gas emissions in sustainability journals with Copilot
Copilot estimates total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) based on descriptions and input parameters.
Enhance purchase order line matching with Copilot
The e-documents feature in Business Central is essential for automating the receipt and processing of vendor invoices. Copilot enhances this process by optimizing the mapping and alignment of invoices with purchase orders, minimizing the time required for manual searches, lookups, and data entry. This feature gives us a valuable boost to our everyday productivity while improving the accuracy of our work – and of course leverage the powerful functionalities of Copilot.
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Application
Integration of Business Central with Dynamics 365 Field Service
Companies can now integrate Field Service with service management features in Business Central. Businesses that provide repair and maintenance services benefit from this integration as they get one unified solution – they handle work orders in Field Service and invoice them in Business Central.
View item availability in Field Service work orders
With the integration of Field Service in Business Central, users can check the item availability on a work order in Field service. They gain visibility into each warehouse or truck, enabling optimized workflows, accurate order scheduling and more efficient service and purchasing operations.
Analyze subscription billing data with Power BI reports
Microsoft is adding a new Power BI app to help companies analyze their subscription billing data. The app contains various reports such as Subscription Overview, Revenue Year-Over-Year, Revenue Analysis, Revenue Development and more.
Post foreign currency adjustments to unrealized gain and loss accounts
Financial reporting becomes simplified and more accurate with this update in Business Central. When adjusting currency exchange rates for bank accounts, you can choose to post the adjustment to realized or unrealized gain/loss accounts.
- Reporting and data analysis
Enhanced analytics for Manufacturing
The newest release wave in Business Central introduces significant improvements in reporting and analytics for the manufacturing area. The tools include:
- New KPIs and scenarios in the updated Power BI Manufacturing app
- Excel layouts replacing RDLC layouts for easier report customization
- List reports now support Word and simple Excel layouts for flexibility
Enhanced Financial Reporting capabilities
The no-code Financial Reporting benefits users by enabling self-service financial reporting without developer’s knowledge. Users can now hide empty rows, allow report owners to document usage, add introductory and closing paragraphs, save and run reports with Excel templates.
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Sustainability Management
Generate a CSRD preparation report
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is an EU regulation that requires companies to provide information about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. This new feature in Business Central allows you to print reports with prepared data and taxonomies if you don’t want to use additional integration for ESG reporting.
Specify default sustainability values for various entities
You can now improve sustainability tracking by setting default values for different business entities, ensuring that the environmental impact data of your company is recorded and reported. A new Default Sust. Account field is available in the following tables:
- G/L Account
- Item
- Item Category
- Resource
- Work Center
- Machine Center
Enable taxonomy elements for ESRS and other standards
Businesses can align their financial and operational data with Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements by mapping their entries to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) taxonomies. Business Central provides preconfigured taxonomies, which you can modify based on your reporting needs.
Capture sustainability data with General Journals
Business Central users can record their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using general journals to ensure they strictly follow their carbon footprint and integrate sustainability data into their financial records for a holistic view. You enter financial details as usual, then select Sustainability Account and enter emission values for different gases: CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide), CH₄ (Methane), N₂O (Nitrous Oxide).
New feature for water and waste management
Microsoft is expanding the sustainability features in Business Central by including water and waste management. This is a key feature for compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as it allows companies to track more data alongside their greenhouse emissions.
Companies can use Sustainability Journals and Recurring Sustainability Journals to log water and waste intensity data. What is more, all data for gas emissions, water and waste is stored in the Sustainability Ledger Entries, which ensures there is one single source for reporting. The feature also includes some specific tracking metrics such as water types, intensity types, etc.
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Supply chain management
Improved customer document layout for service management
Business Central offers an enhanced customer document layout feature for service management. This update ensures that companies send the right documents to the right contacts automatically. Users assign specific contacts to the relevant document type – for example, service invoices are sent to accountant contacts and service orders are sent to purchasers.
Add more columns to pages for more insights
This new feature allows you to personalize and tailor the information on pages by dragging fields or columns from a list to the page.
The new field that can be added include:
- Ship-to Name 2 field
- Work Description field
- Description 2 field
- Routing Link Code field
- Location Code field
- Capacity Ledger Entries page
- Prod. Order Capacity Need page
- Prod. Order Routing page
- Prod. BOM Version List page
- Routing Version List page
- Service Quote Lines page
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an ERP system that supports the future growth of businesses - with such great AI innovations, automation capabilities, compliance with sustainability regulations, it has become a choice that guarantees development and long-term success. Contact us for a demo or consultation.
Explore the rest of the updates part of Business Central 2025 release wave 1...
