Microsoft release new features and functionality for Dynamics 365 Business Central twice a year, with the next 'wave' coming to us in October 2021. This is the place to get an overview on what Microsoft will be delivering - for a more in-depth description, click through on any of the features.
Our blog outlines what is new and planned starting October 2021 through to March 2022. There are features listed that may not have been released yet, therefore certain items may not be released as scheduled due to unforeseen circumstances on Microsoft's behalf.
Some highlights from this wave include:
Enhancements to Microsoft Teams integration: more powerful search mechanisms can only be a good thing.
Enhancement to working with Microsoft Excel: so, so convenient.
Better support for non-inventory Items: extending the limited capabilities.
Improved Bank and payment reconciliations: some great new improvements!
Production BOMs and Routes on stockkeeping units in planning scenarios: more processes in BC will consider the values in the Production BOM and Production Routing fields.
More fields available to add using personalisation mode: easier customisation = better usability!
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 day of release.
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.
With Business Central 2021 release wave 2, Microsoft will deliver updates in areas such as finance and supply chain areas.
In Business Central 2021 release wave 2, find better integration with Excel as well as further support for business processes in Teams.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| Enhancements to Microsoft Teams integration | Users, automatically | - | Oct 2021 |
| Centralised Deployment of Office add-ins | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Enhancements to the Outlook add-in | Users, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Enhancements to working with Microsoft Excel | Users, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Share a record link to Microsoft Teams | Users, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| AL API for sharing files in Microsoft 365 | Users by admins, makers or analysts | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
The 2021 release wave 2 brings Dynamics 365 Business Central to more countries with release in 7 countries globally.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| Country and regional expansion – Argentina | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Bulgaria | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Chile | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Myanmar | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Puerto Rico | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Slovakia | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Country and regional expansion – Ukraine | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
This release wave 2 has improved capabilities for developers, including making the AL language even stronger.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| AL compiler diagnostic messages includes URLs | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Force sync of customer-specific extensions in online environments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Oct 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Generated documentation for AL language | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Profiling AL performance with snapshot debugger | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Richer access control for extension source in cloud environments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Transactional installation and sync of extensions on-premises | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
The 2021 release wave 2 delivers a set of admin and governance capabilities designed to help admins and IT pros set up, secure, manage, govern, and monitor customer environments.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| Manage access to environments using Azure Active Directory groups | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - | Oct 2021 |
| Admins can handle scheduled tasks after a point-in-time restore | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Copying environments of different types | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Operations log enhancements | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Restarting environments | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
With Business Central 2021 release wave 2, integration will be improved between Microsoft Dataverse and Microsoft Power Platform.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| Show reports from named and shared Power BI workspaces in Business Central | Users, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
Business Central 2021 release wave 2 brings a focus on better usability, accessibility, performance and stability.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| Unhindered data entry across rows | Users, automatically | Oct 2021 | - |
| Performance improvements to the Business Central web client | Users, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Usability improvements to the Business Central web client | Users, automatically | Aug 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Discovering reports and administration areas in Role Explorer | Users, automatically | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 |
| Support for localised decimal separator on numeric keypads | Users by admins, makers or analysts | Dec 2021 | Feb 2022 |
SMB's need a dependable service and platform to run their business on and Microsoft continue their efforts to improve the performance of Business Central.
| Feature | Enabled for | Public preview | General availability |
| OData read-only intent | Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically | - | Oct 2021 |
| Protect the Business Central Server against excessive background sessions for an environment | Users, automatically | Oct 2021 | Oct 2021 |
For future release plans and Business Central-related information, make sure to sign up to our Newsletter where we'll keep you in the know! Otherwise, contact us here with any questions you may have.
Interested in learning more about the journey of Dynamics 365 Business Central, including what came before it and the latest updates? Get caught up by reading our Timeline.