Get ready for a game-changing update in the world of business management! Dynamics 365 Business Central, a powerhouse for small and mid-sized organisations, is here with a wave of enhancements that promise to supercharge your operations. It’s all about automation, adaptability, and efficiency as Business Central empowers you to streamline your finances, supply chain, and more. In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the key updates from Microsoft 2023 Second Release for Dynamics 365 Business Central. From Copilot integration to global expansion, there’s something for everyone. So, fasten your seatbelts, because the 2023 Business Central second release is taking you on an exciting ride! Because it’s time to for you to lead, innovate, and thrive in the ever-evolving world of business. 

Get More Productive While Approving Timesheets 

General Availability Nov 2023 

If you find the process of approving timesheets cumbersome, you’re not alone. Managers and admins across many companies spend valuable hours meticulously reviewing and approving individual time sheets. 

Microsoft clearly understands this pain. That’s why the 2023 Business Central second release enhances your timesheet approval workflow. Now, it’s easier than ever to streamline this process and regain your precious time for more critical business tasks. 

Thanks to this update, approvers now get instant notifications when employees submit their timesheets. And the employees, too, get notified of the approvers’ response. This way, you can keep everyone in the loop. In addition, the system now supports multilevel approvals while ensuring a seamless flow of the approval process. Sometimes, approvers may be unavailable. But you can easily designate a substitute to keep things moving smoothly. 

The most significant advantage of this update is efficiency. You can approve and reject multiple timesheets at once, saving you the hassle of handling them one by one. This streamlined process gives you more control over your time. By regaining valuable hours that were once spent on tedious timesheet approvals, you can finally focus on what truly matters – your core business activities. 

Unlock Seamless Collaboration with Power Pages Support for Business Central

Public Preview Nov 2023 

Do you face challenges when it comes to granting external users access to perform essential operations on Business Central tables? Are you looking for a solution to allow external users, both anonymous and authenticated, to interact with your Business Central data seamlessly? Get ready for this new groundbreaking feature that transforms how you manage external user interactions with Business Central virtual tables in Microsoft Dataverse. 

With this feature, external users can participate in critical processes involving Business Central data, like bidding or onboarding, even if they don’t have Business Central accounts. Anonymous access via Power Pages empowers them to perform create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) operations on Business Central tables without needing to sign in. 

What’s more, administrators have the flexibility to select which operations, tables, and rows are open to anonymous or authenticated access by external users. Additionally, Power Pages Support extends authenticated access to internal and existing Business Central users, much like authenticated access through Power Apps or Power Automate. 

This feature streamlines operations, allowing external users to collaborate and contribute, reducing the complexity and time required for data management. It broadens your reach by enabling everyone to interact with Business Central data. This inclusivity can lead to increased engagement and participation in various processes.  

Navigate Easier Between Order, Receipt, and Invoice Documents 

General Availability Oct 2023 

Are you struggling to keep track of the complex chain of documents that follow sales, purchase, and service orders and returns?

In the 2023 second release for Business Central, Microsoft is offering a new feature that simplifies your document management process. It grants you the flexibility to handle shipments, receipts, invoices, and credit memos seamlessly, all directly from an order or return. This means no more jumping through hoops to access the necessary documents – they’re right at your fingertips. 

With this feature, you can post shipments and receipts directly from orders, whether it’s for the entire order or partially. You can also leverage warehouse documents to streamline the process. Similarly, invoices and credit memos can be posted directly from an order, completely or partially.  

Plus, you have the option to combine shipments and receipts for even more efficiency. Regardless of how you choose to handle shipments and invoices, this release ensures a smooth transition between documents. No more hassle, just seamless navigation. 

Enhance Collaboration by Sharing Data Analysis with Co-Workers 

General Availability Oct 2023 

When your data analysis processes are siloed, they cause unnecessary delays and interruptions in your workflow. For instance, people may need to constantly switch between applications, like Excel, and Business Central to share data analysis, taking up their valuable time. 

There’s a perfect solution for that – Data Analysis Mode in Business Central. The 2023 second release has enhanced this feature, offering you a fresh approach to data interaction right from your list pages. Now, from any analysis tab, you can seamlessly share a link with your colleagues. No more complex report generation or application hopping. Simply share your insights at the click of a button. 

These shared links also serve as one-click installations for hassle-free, out-of-the-box analysis. So, say goodbye to time-consuming setups and get straight to productive work. And get ready to unlock the full potential of your data analysis with this feature. Embrace efficiency, collaboration, and reduced workflow interruptions, ultimately boosting your team’s productivity. 

Easily integrate generative AI with your AL solutions 

General Availability Nov 2023  

Are you struggling to seamlessly integrate generative AI into your Business Central experience? Is it a challenge to manage AI-powered extensions and add-ons effectively? 

Integrate Azure OpenAI Service with Business Central, thanks to this new capability from Microsoft 2023 second release. It empowers your Microsoft partners to effortlessly extend their solutions with powerful generative AI models, enhancing the user experience. With just a few lines of AL code, developers can seamlessly integrate AI into your systems, ensuring a natural fit for your add-ons and customisations. 

That means you can now connect to Azure OpenAI Service, including models like GPT, with minimal code. You can also create generative AI experiences that retain the Copilot identity, complete with signature visuals and built-in safety controls for customer confidence. Plus, you have the flexibility to bring your own Azure AI key, giving you full authority over your AI capabilities. 

Get marketing text suggestions with Co pilot 

General Availability Nov 2023 

Expedite your product launches and supercharge your marketing efforts with ease! Say goodbye to time-consuming marketing text creation and the hassle of introducing new products to the market. We’ve got a solution! 

With the Azure OpenAI Service now accessible in select countries and regions, you can seamlessly integrate AI-driven marketing text suggestions into Business Central. It’s designed to streamline your product launches and enhance your marketing efforts. 

 The best part? No more one-time setup hassles for customers and partners connecting to Azure OpenAI within their region. 

However, for cross-region data movement when connecting to Azure OpenAI services outside of your environment’s region, administrators will need to provide consent. It’s important to note that environments within the EU boundary will soon be exempt from mandatory data consent, although administrators can exercise their choice at any time. 

This update isn’t just about new features; it’s about saving time, improving efficiency, and giving your marketing efforts the boost, they deserve. 

Search Data from Anywhere in Business Central 

Public Preview Oct 2023

Your office workers could be burning up to 20% of their time hunting for information. That’s because searching across your business management solution without tailored queries is a complex process, causing productivity bottlenecks. 

In response to these challenges, the 2023 second release enhances Business Central’s smart search feature. It empowers your workforce to swiftly access relevant content tailored to their roles, eliminating the need for laborious, time-consuming searches. Now you can initiate searches directly from the Tell Me dialogue, accessible throughout Business Central. Whether you input keywords in Tell Me or run it in the context of an editable page, it intelligently scans your chosen field. 

This enhancement prioritises the most pertinent results, ensuring that you discover what matters most. By enabling your team to conduct efficient, context-aware searches, you can shave off the hours wasted on information retrieval. This streamlined approach means more work gets done in less time. And, with top results presented upfront, your employees can zero in on critical tasks, contributing to an increase in productivity and driving the business forward. 

You have the freedom to extend your search capabilities, thanks to the “Show tables to search” feature. This functionality lets you decide which tables to include, ensuring that your system works for your unique business requirements. All in all, this update equips your workforce to work smarter, not harder, saving time, optimising focus, and ultimately propelling your business to new heights. 

Ensure Audit Trail and Compliance with Digital Vouchers 

General Availability Nov 2023 

Are you struggling to maintain a clear audit trail with complete documentation for each GL entry? Do you face challenges ensuring compliance with changing legal requirements for document attachment? 

 
With this latest feature update from Microsoft 2023 second release for Business Central, you’ll have the power to enhance your record-keeping process as well as effortlessly meet legal obligations. the same time. 

When you attach a document to a particular transaction, the document seamlessly becomes an attachment to the corresponding General Ledger (GL) entry, ensuring a comprehensive audit trail. If you’ve configured your system to mandate the use of vouchers, it will actively prevent the submission of documents, journals, or other postings without the necessary attachments. 

What’s more, customisation is at your fingertips. You can fine-tune the requirement per entry type through Digital Voucher Entry Setup page, specifying the exact voucher type using the Check Type option. Even when there isn’t an obvious space for uploading specific documents, such as cost adjustments or adjusted exchange rates, the system can still generate a source document, automatically ensuring compliance with legal mandates.  

Manage VAT Posting Efficiently in General Ledger Setup 

General Availability Dec 2023

Managing VAT dates and Posting dates independently in Business Central was a real challenged previously. So, it was a hassle to backdate VAT entries without opening prior posting periods and dealing with discrepancies between Posting Date and VAT Date ranges. 

Not anymore! Get ready for this groundbreaking feature that simplifies your financial operations. 

Currently, your VAT Date functionality may present limitations, as it closely aligns with the validation settings for both the Posting Date in the General Ledger Setup and the User Setup. This alignment can be a significant hurdle, as it restricts your ability to backdate VAT entries and often results in misalignments between the Posting Date and VAT Date ranges. 

This new feature introduces a set of new, separate setups that empower you to manage VAT Dates independently of Posting Dates. This newfound flexibility allows you to configure the VAT Date range within the VAT Setup page, offering these options: Allow VAT Date From and Allow VAT Date To. 

By embracing this feature, your business can gain better control over VAT dates without being bound by Posting Dates, simplifying your financial processes. 

You can also easily backdate VAT entries seamlessly, eliminating the need to open prior posting periods, and ensure consistency in date ranges. By extending these configurations to your users, you can provide them with the flexibility they need to operate effectively, ensuring VAT compliance. 

Master the Future of Business Management

These new Business Central updates open a whole new door to the future of efficient business management. But do you need assistance translating these updates into practice? Our Business Central experts are keen on helping you embrace these changes so your business can thrive. Or are you so impressed by these features that you want to implement Business Central? Allow us to help! Dogma has nearly two decades of experience empowering business globally to embrace their digital imperative with solutions like Business Central. You could be next!