What's new and planned for Dynamics 365 Business Central
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
This topic lists features that are planned to release from October 2020 through March 2021. Because this topic lists features that may not have released yet, delivery timelines may change and projected functionality may not be released. For more information, go to Microsoft policy.
- For a list of the previous wave's release plans, go to 2020 release wave 1 plan.
- For a list of the next wave's release plans, go to 2021 release wave 1 plan.
In the General availability column, the feature will be delivered within the month listed. The delivery date can be any day within that month. Released features show the full date, including the date of release.
This check mark (
) shows which features have been released for public preview or early access and for public preview, early access, and general availability.
Administration
The 2020 release wave 2 delivers a set of features that are designed to simplify and improve the way partners administer tenants, and the way administrators carry out administration tasks for licensing and permissions.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improved overview and management of the available database and file capacity | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Log of admin operations in the Business Central admin center | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Service-to-service authentication for Automation APIs | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Support for additional Azure AD roles for the customer admins to access Business Central admin center | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Support for an unlimited number of production and sandbox environments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Manage irreversible features | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Jun 10, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Database access intent changed to read-only for frequently used reports | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Deprecation of the legacy Dynamics NAV Help Server component | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Speed up low-level code calculations | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Disable Integration Records and Integration Management | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Schedule data update of application features enabled through Feature Management | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Extension lifecycle telemetry in Application Insights for ISVs | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Dec 1, 2020 |
| Restoring environments to a point in time in the past | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Jan 12, 2021 |
Apr 1, 2021 |
Application
With Business Central 2020 release wave 2, we deliver enhancements that were suggested through the aka.ms/bcideas website.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Central company hub | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| VAT group reporting | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Default unit cost for non-inventory items | Users, automatically |
May 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Track packages from more types of sales documents | Users, automatically |
May 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Consolidation file format support for Dynamics 365 Finance | Users, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Auto-resolve Microsoft Dataverse conflicts | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Check financial journals in background | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Improved control over how and when you post WIP entries for jobs to the general ledger | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Write longer item references | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Use the copy journal function on Posted General Journals and control date for reversing entries in Recurring General Journals | Users, automatically |
Aug 4, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Use Word document layouts to customize outgoing customer documents | Users, automatically |
Aug 4, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Easier to choose the right Role Center | Users, automatically |
Aug 5, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Remove coupling of records integrated with Microsoft Dataverse in bulk | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Restore synchronization defaults for Microsoft Dataverse integration for selected Integration Table Mapping | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Use contact mobile phone number and email consistently across application | Users, automatically |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Use conversion templates to convert contacts to vendors and employees | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Define retention policies | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Notify users of high-risk changes in selected setup fields | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Nov 3, 2020 |
| Enhanced email capabilities | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Nov 11, 2020 |
| Control how Account Schedules for core financial reports are generated | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - |
Nov 16, 2020 |
| Use new sales pricing experience | Users by admins, makers, or analysts | - |
Nov 16, 2020 |
| Improved VAT registration number validation | Users, automatically |
Nov 19, 2020 |
Nov 19, 2020 |
| Use shortcut dimensions in G/L entries for financial reporting | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Dec 16, 2020 |
Jan 11, 2021 |
| Handle price list exceptions with Allow Updating Defaults | Users, automatically |
Dec 23, 2020 |
Jan 11, 2021 |
| Use recurring journals to allocate balances by dimension values | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Jan 22, 2021 |
Feb 3, 2021 |
| Bank reconciliation improvements | Users, automatically |
Mar 1, 2021 |
Apr 2, 2021 |
Better with Microsoft 365
In 2020 release wave 2, we enable better cross-app productivity by using Microsoft Teams as a way to interact in business processes.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps are moving to office.com | Users, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Business Central in Microsoft Teams | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Jan 27, 2021 |
Country and regional
Global availability of Dynamics 365 Business Central has been expanding regularly with every release wave. Here we describe the plans for expansion going forward and new regulatory features and enhancements.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country/regional expansion – Brazil | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Country/regional expansion – Ireland | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Country/regional expansion – Lithuania | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Country/regional expansion – India (public preview) | Users, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Apr 1, 2021 |
Microsoft Power Platform
This area covers our investments in our integration with Microsoft Power Platform. In this release we are investing in enabling virtual entities.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrate Business Central and Microsoft Dataverse with fewer synchronization conflicts | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Support for latest Microsoft Dynamics 365 SDK | Users, automatically |
Aug 3, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| ISV apps and environments supported in the Power Automate and Power Apps connector | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Feb 28, 2021 |
Mar 18, 2021 |
| Microsoft Dataverse virtual tables | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
To be announced |
Migrations to Business Central online
Features for migration from on-premises products to Business Central online.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continued enhancements for migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Historical data migration from Dynamics GP to Azure Data Lake | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Migrate from Business Central 14.x on-premises to Business Central 16.x online | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Migrate from Business Central 15.x on-premises to Business Central 16.x online | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Modern clients
In 2020 release wave 2, we shift our focus toward maturing the reliability and usability of current productivity features, including more user options for printing, and ensuring clients are accessible to our diverse set of users.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Updates to page styling | Users, automatically |
Jul 28, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Changes to the action bar in lookup dialog boxes | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Jul 31, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Improved accessibility for low-vision users | Users, automatically |
Jul 31, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Page Inspector supports temporary tables | Users, automatically |
Jul 31, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Pages with FactBoxes are more responsive | Users, automatically |
Jul 31, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Report request page can open multiple previews | Users, automatically |
Aug 4, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Update the navigation experience terminology to improve usability | Users, automatically |
Aug 4, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Role Centers open faster | Users, automatically |
Aug 10, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Easy access to production or sandbox environments from the mobile app | Users, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 15, 2020 |
| Unblock multifactor authentication for mobile apps | Users, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Oct 15, 2020 |
Modern development tools
As we have made the move entirely to Visual Studio Code, we continue to invest in areas that enhance productivity for developers.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppSource apps can store their secrets in Azure Key Vault | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Code documentation comments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Code region compiler directive | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Delete extension data | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Obsolete implicit and explicit use of 'with' | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Suppress AL warnings | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Aug 1, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Business Central Performance Toolkit | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Sep 8, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Aligning license checks between sandbox and production environments | Users by admins, makers, or analysts |
Sep 11, 2020 |
Oct 1, 2020 |
| Download symbols using initialize snapshot launch configuration | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Nov 1, 2020 |
Nov 1, 2020 |
| EnvironmentType and environmentName launch.json properties replace sandboxName | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Nov 1, 2020 |
Nov 1, 2020 |
| Snapshots – troubleshooting in production environments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically |
Oct 1, 2020 |
Jan 11, 2021 |
Seamless service
No matter the industry type of a small or medium-sized business (SMB), business users expect a dependable service and platform on which to run their business.
Description of Enabled for column values:
Users, automatically: These features include changes to the user experience and are enabled automatically.
Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically: These features are meant to be used by administrators, makers, marketers, or business analysts and are enabled automatically.
Users by admins, makers, or analysts: These features must be enabled or configured by the administrators, makers, or business analysts to be available for their users.
For a list of the countries or regions where Dynamics 365 business applications are available, go to the International availability guide. For more information about geographic areas and datacenters (regions), go to the Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform availability page.