What’s New in Dynamics 365 Business Central 2021 Wave 1 Release
What’s New in Dynamics 365 Business Central 2021 Wave 1 Release
One of the many benefits of Dynamics 365 Business Central is that its SaaS model allows for continual updates, fixes, and improvements by Microsoft. These updates are automatically applied and available for users without roping in IT for a ‘planned update.’ This convenience also means that Business Central administrators should stay plugged into planned and upcoming features, to ensure they are always getting the most from their solution.
Our favorite places to scan for upcoming features in Business Central:
We were very excited to learn that Microsoft has some rather notable features and enhancements coming out in April and September 2021, so we decided to outline our most anticipated for you here.
Note: This post and video outlines select enhancements and new features planned for release in Dynamics 365 Business Central in 2021. Please note that delivery times may have changed since this was posted, so we recommend using the links provided below to find the most current estimated delivery dates.
Summary of our favorite enhancements and features coming in the Business Central 2021 wave 1 release:
The ability to export larger databases: For companies that require the ability to export data for data analysis, long-term data retention purposes, or troubleshooting, Microsoft is releasing a more reliable solution which allows exporting of much larger databases.
The ability to re-assign databases: In this wave, Microsoft is adding a new capability to Business Central online so that Microsoft Support can reassign an environment from one Azure Active Directory organization to another. This feature becomes extremely useful if a business entity merges or is acquired by another organization as it resolves the merger of the financial system environments between the different organizations. Your Microsoft Partner can assist with this.
Better Teams extension: You might already be familiar with the Business Central app for Outlook, which allows you to interact with Business Central customer master records and transactions. Now Microsoft is adding a messaging extension to the Business Central App for Teams, which allows the user the ability of looking up contacts such as your customers or vendors, that are sourced in Business Central. You will be able to view contact information, history of interactions, and other insights such as outstanding payments or open documents, in the details window in Microsoft Teams.
Universal print: Universal Print is a Microsoft 365 service that enables cloud printing to any of the printers defined in your ‘Universal Print management’ page. Unblock the move to the cloud and support printing for Azure Active Directory users without a complex, hybrid print setup. Print only to devices users have access to. Eliminate the need to manage print servers or install printer drivers, including existing printers (via a software connector, connector appliance, or directly). And finally, you will be able to print from anywhere when connected to the internet and authenticated to your Azure Active Directory.
Word Mail Merge: Microsoft is bringing Word Mail Merge capability to Business Central. When you want to send a document to a lot of recipients—for example, to your customers and contacts as part of a sales campaign—you can use Word’s mail merge capability to personalize each document by pulling data about the recipients from Business Central.
Power Platform Updates to Note:
Synchronized item availability between Sales/CRM and Business Central: When users enter sales order lines in Dynamics 365 Sales, the Quantity on Hand field on the sales order will contain information about the available inventory from Business Central.
Power BI API’s: Prior to the update, the integration between Business Central and Power BI relied strictly on web services. The update will allow the user to create Power BI reports and dashboards by using Business Central APIs (application programming interface), including both built-in and custom APIs.
General Client Enhancements:
With this release, users will see client performance improvements such as faster posting of journals and batches, faster reporting performance, and a faster loading homepage where the role center parts load one by one, starting from the top, and only if they are shown on screen.
Phones and tablets running Business Central can now print to cloud-enabled printers and users will now change the cloud-enabled printer selection prior to printing a report or document.
Usability Enhancements:
Notable usability enhancements include:
- Lists of records now accept double-clicking as a quick way to activate a single record. You can now double-click in the empty space between record values as well to activate
- Consistently select all text when clicking on a field; for example a customer name
- Microsoft has made the Business Central desktop interface more responsive, where it adapts automatically to the available space on your desktop. This works well for various screen resolutions and low-vision users.
Our Favorite Application Enhancements:
Bank Reconciliation: Features for the bank reconciliation have been improved to make it easier to see how the automatic application rules have been applied. The bank reconciliation report, known as the test report for bank reconciliation, is now also available for posted bank reconciliations. From the Bank Acc. Reconciliation page, you can now also cancel a bank reconciliation that was posted if it had an error, and then from the Bank Statements page, you can run a new bank reconciliation report. You can also change the Statement No. previously used (if now you are running a new report) especially handy if your statement numbers in Business Central are in-sync with your bank reports.
Simplified Bank Statement Import & Wizard: In this update, Microsoft has simplified the bank statement import capability, so that users can take a regular flat-file (.csv, .txt), and map the file’s columns to fields in Business Central, making import of bank files much easier. Microsoft makes this process user-friendly with a bank statement file import wizard.
Adjust Your Inventory: In the present Business Central version, inventory adjustments are entered as positive and negative adjustments. In the new wave of Business Central, both documents are ready to use after you set up the number series on the Inventory Setup page.
Automatic Creation of a Lot and serial Number Information Cards: To create an information card when you post journals or documents, you can now go to the Item Tracking Code page and turn on the toggle for Create SN Info. on posting or Create Lot No. Info on posting. For even more control, go to the Item Tracking Lines page and use the New SN Information Card or New Lot Information Card actions.
Easy Contact History and Access to Insights: The Contact Card now also has an Interaction Log Entries FastTab that gives one-click access to the history of interactions your company has had with the contact. For example, the system would log if a sales order was sent to a customer and the date it was sent.
For a complete list of all Dynamics 365 Business Central enhancements available to users in the 2021 wave 1 release, click here or watch below.
Need help navigating the new enhancements? Contact CRGroup, experts in Dynamics GP, AX, Nav, F&O, Business Central, CE, and CRM.
