Microsoft has unveiled the Business Central Wave 2 2024 update, loaded with features and enhancements designed to enhance ERP functionality.
This release reflects Microsoft's commitment to innovation, with significant investments in AI-powered tools, advanced analytics, and improved user experiences. Here's a breakdown:
Key highlights for Business Central Wave 2 2024
AI-Powered Productivity with Copilot
The Wave 2 release brings notable advancements in AI through Microsoft Copilot, making it a cornerstone of the Business Central experience. Copilot now comes pre-configured, reducing setup time and enabling businesses to leverage its capabilities straight away.
Users can engage with Copilot through an enhanced chat interface, allowing for intelligent queries such as “Show me the top customers” or “List all blue items on this page.” Copilot then generates dynamic analysis views, links directly to relevant data, and provides actionable insights.
With added support for 20 new languages, businesses worldwide can benefit from AI-driven analysis and workflows in their preferred language.
In finance, Copilot offers a specialised solution, helping teams handle tasks such as responding to emails, managing disputes, and updating payment schedules—all tightly integrated with Business Central. This marks a significant step towards transforming administrative processes with AI.
Enhanced Reporting and Analytics With Power BI
Business Central Wave 2 introduces over 70 pre-configured Power BI reports, catering to critical business metrics like income, profit, and operational performance. These reports are embedded within the platform, allowing users to access rich analytics without leaving Business Central.
For finance teams, 12 new out-of-the-box financial reports, coupled with enhanced row and column definitions, offer greater flexibility for customisation. Sustainability tracking is another standout feature, with new modules enabling businesses to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, set goals, and align with regulatory requirements.
Subscription Billing & Streamlined Operations
This release brings a full-fledged subscription billing capability to Business Central. Businesses can now manage service contracts, automate billing cycles, and ensure accurate revenue recognition across fiscal years. This addition is particularly valuable for organisations operating in subscription-driven industries.
Further enhancements include the substitution generator, which uses Copilot to suggest alternative items or dimensions, and improved job queue management, allowing businesses to assign priorities to tasks and streamline workflows.
Shopify & Dynamics 365 Field Service Integration
For e-commerce, the improved Shopify integration simplifies setup and ensures faster, more reliable connectivity between platforms. With over 2.5 million Shopify stores globally, this feature is ideal for businesses looking to expand their online presence.
In the realm of field services, enhanced integration with Dynamics 365 Field Service provides businesses with a unified approach to managing service orders, bridging back-office operations and front-line workflows seamlessly.
Performance Optimisations & Modern Search
Performance remains a key focus in this release. A revamped modern search offers faster, more precise results, even for businesses managing vast inventories or datasets. Improvements in job queue flow and warehouse ledger entry processing ensure smoother, more efficient operations.
Development and AI Toolkit Enhancements
For developers and partners, the Business Central Wave 2 update introduces new tools and capabilities to simplify app development and testing. The AI Toolkit, introduced in a previous release, now includes telemetry to help ISVs and partners track AI usage, ensuring better optimisation and customer experience.
In addition, the in-client performance profiler can now run scheduled diagnostics, helping businesses identify and resolve performance bottlenecks proactively.
Flexible Update Management
Recognising the diverse needs of its customers, Microsoft has introduced flexible update management, allowing administrators to schedule updates within a five-month window. This ensures businesses can adopt new features at their own pace while maintaining continuity.
Support Upgrading To Business Central Wave 2 2024
With its AI-powered tools, enhanced reporting and new tailored features, Business Central Wave 2 2024 has many exciting ERP solutions to explore.
For existing users of Business Central looking to get on top of these new features, get in touch with our consultants for assistance.
For organisations considering Business Central, this release demonstrates why it remains a leader in modern ERP solutions. To explore Business Central in more depth, please get in touch:
