Performance Tips for Business Users

Article
02/09/2023

This section describes how you can work with end-users to improve the performance that each individual experiences with Business Central.

Choosing a desktop browser

Business Central supports multiple browsers. Each browser offers various features and capabilities. The browser plays a significant role in the responsiveness and fluidity of the user interface.

Use one of the supported modern browsers, like Microsoft Edge, which generally offer better performance. See the list of supported and recommended browsers for Business Central online and Business Central on-premises.

Avoid older browsers like Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge Legacy. Business Central ended support for these browsers in April 2021.
Always keep your browser updated to the latest version, which may include the latest performance enhancements.
Be cautious using development versions of browsers as they can have instabilities that aren't present in the stable releases.
Some Business Central performance features and optimizations, such as page caching, are only available for modern browsers.

Browsers and page caching

The overall structure of a page (but not business data) is cached on the client device when a page is accessed the first time. The next time that same page is accessed, the layout of the page will be immediately displayed, while the latest data is fetched from the Business Central service. To take full advantage of page caching, Business Central requires a modern browser with access to the browser's storage mechanisms.

Browser	Page caching availability
Microsoft Edge	Available
Chrome	Available
Safari	Partly available. In some cases, users won't benefit from page caching across sessions.
FireFox	Partly available. In some cases, users won't benefit from page caching across sessions.
Microsoft Edge Legacy	Unavailable
Internet Explorer	Unavailable

Important

Browsers that run in private or guest mode typically discard browser storage when the browser window is closed. This discards cached data and users won't be able to take advantage of page caching the next time they sign into Business Central. Users relying on private or guest browsing to work across multiple identities and organizations are advised to use browser profiles instead.

Any browser policies or settings that restrict access to local storage or the browser's IndexedDB may prevent Business Central from applying performance optimizations.

Choosing a network connection

If a choice of networks is available, consider connecting to a secure network that has lower latency. In general, the user interface performs better when latency is low.

Business Central is designed for networks that have a latency of 250–300 milliseconds (ms) or less. This latency is the latency from a browser client to the Microsoft Azure datacenter that hosts the app. We recommend that you test network latency at AzureSpeed.com or similar services.

Bandwidth requirements for Business Central depend on your scenario. Most typical scenarios require a bandwidth, which is 1 megabyte per second (MBps) or more. However, we recommend more bandwidth for scenarios that have high payload requirements, such as scenarios that involve rich media or client add-ins.

Important

Don't calculate the total bandwidth requirements from a client location by multiplying the number of users by the minimum bandwidth requirements. The concurrent network usage of a given location is very difficult to calculate.

Keep powered up

Newer browsers and operating systems are better at handling resources such as memory, network, and storage. Some devices will automatically limit resources available to the browser when running on battery power. Consider keeping laptops and similar devices plugged in to a power source for best performance.

Making pages load faster

Business Central has numerous mechanisms that make the user interface more responsive and help pages load faster. For example:

List pages load records in small batches while the user scrolls through the list, allowing it to scale to large tables.
The overall structure of a page (but not business data) is cached on the client device after a page is accessed the first time.
Parts on the Role Center and in the FactBox pane load on-demand. This behavior means that only parts that are currently in view are loaded— the other parts are loaded only if you scroll to them.
The time taken to load any page is also affected by the number of controls shown on the page. Users can improve performance on complex pages using these methods:
- By collapsing secondary content that may be needed only occasionally. For example, when the FactBox pane on a page is collapsed, Business Central saves time from attempting to process and display all the related facts.
- By hiding secondary content entirely from the page. For example, hiding Role Center parts or columns that aren't used by the user, department, or organization will also improve the time needed to load the page. Learn more about Personalizing Your Workspace.

Agility of navigating and entering data

Raw speed isn't the only factor that determines whether users have a pleasant and performant experience. Business Central provides numerous features that increase efficiency when exploring, navigating and entering data:

Attaching pictures and other files

High quality images or large documents can take time to process or download from Business Central. Consider the following suggestions that may improve performance when working with files:

Reduce the size or quality of any images or photos that you upload. Some addon apps for Business Central that capture images from your device may also include settings for image quality.
To avoid having to download files repeatedly simply to preview them, consider storing files on external storage that allows previewing of pictures and documents, such as SharePoint Online. You can then create a link from a record in Business Central to that file. Generally reducing the number of images and documents stored in Business Central also lightens the load of routine database maintenance tasks.
Learn how to Manage Attachments, Links, and Notes on Cards and Documents.

Searching and filtering records

Search in lists searches all columns in a table. To avoid resource starvation on broad data searches, a search might be subject to a timeout in which case the user will see a "Searching for rows is taking too long. Try to search or filter using different criteria." message.

Users experiencing slow search in lists should consider using a column filter instead. Learn about Searching and Filtering.

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