10 New Features in Business Central That Actually Make Work Easier

"At the end of the day, good technology should work the way people work — not the other way around.” 

That’s exactly the mindset Microsoft keeps in focus with every Business Central update. 

The new 2025 Wave 1 release is full of practical improvements that can save you time, reduce stress, and help your teams make the most of the system you already use. 

Whether you’re a finance leader tightening up reporting, an operations manager fixing supply chain issues, a developer creating smarter customizations, or an admin ensuring everything runs smoothly, there’s something new for you. 

Let’s look at 10 truly useful new features and see how they, backed by solid Business Central support, can save you time and reduce your manual workload. 

Make Data Entry Disappear with Copilot Autofill 

Data entry is one of those unseen time wasters every team deals with, but they shouldn’t have to. With Wave 1, Copilot now does more than just suggest answers in a chatbot; it actually fills in the blanks for you.  

When you’re updating customer cards, creating new sales orders, or adding items, Copilot reviews what you’ve done before, what’s in your company’s data, and what makes sense for the situation. It then offers smart suggestions for you to accept or adjust.  

Where’s the real benefit? If your team processes bulk sales orders, regularly updates customer information, or handles repetitive line items, you’ll regain hours every week.  

Pro tip: Combine Copilot’s suggestions with good data practices. Make sure your key fields (like item codes and customer segments) are accurate and consistent.  Cleaner your base data, Copilot will give you better recommendations.  

So next time you find yourself typing the same value 20 times, pause and let Copilot help. It’s not just a shortcut; it’s a shift that allows your team to focus on decisions instead of data tasks. 

Check PDFs Instantly Without the Download Hassle 

Preview PDFs Instantly. Keep Work Moving We all know the struggle: you open an email, download an invoice, open it again, and then close it just to check a total or a line item.  

Now, you don’t have to. Business Central’s new PDF preview lets you open attachments directly in your web client.  

Where’s the benefit? If your team handles dozens of supplier invoices, shipping documents, or customer POs every day, this feature can save hours of time each week.  

Try this: Use it with your approval flows. You can check PDFs quickly in-line, speed up sign-offs, and avoid moving files between desktops. 

Keep AL Code Clean and Bugs at Bay 

If you’re a fan of AL, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of dealing with messy long strings and clunky JSON formats. But with the new @ prefix for multiline strings, your code can look tidy and easy to read, which means you’ll encounter fewer annoying bugs when you’re copy-pasting payloads. 

So, what’s the real benefit? You’ll really appreciate this when you’re diving into APIs, web services, or any configuration-heavy extensions. 

Here’s a tip for developers: Pair this with clear indentation and comments — your future self (or a colleague) will definitely thank you at 2 AM during a hotfix! 

Make Your FactBox Work the Way You Do 

We all have our own ways of working. Some folks prefer a wide-open FactBox for quick context, while others hardly use it at all.  

The great news? You can now resize it to fit your needs on each page, and Business Central will remember your preferences for next time.  

So, what’s the benefit? For those power users managing customer or item data, this means more space to breathe, less scrolling and more focus on what matters.  

Here’s a tip: If your page feels a bit cramped, try adjusting the FactBox and see which layout helps you save clicks. Sometimes, small changes can lead to a big improvement in your workflow. 

Hand Off Routine Orders to the Sales Agent 

Imagine all those straightforward email requests: “Can I get 100 more units?” or “What’s the price for this configuration?” Instead of having a sales rep manually type everything out, the new Sales Order Agent takes care of it al. It reads the email, matches it to the right customer, checks the stock, generates a quote, and sends it off for approval.  

So, what’s the benefit? Your reps can spend less time typing and more time focusing on upselling or closing larger deals.  

Make it even smarter: Keep your pricing and inventory data spotless. Remember, a good agent is only as smart as the information you provide it. 

Correct Production Mistakes Without the Mess 

Anyone who's worked in manufacturing understands that mistakes are part and parcel of the game, but the real kicker is the time wasted trying to fix them.  

This update allows you to cancel production orders along with consumption and roll back materials, output, and work-in-progress, all without the hassle of messy manual journals or clunky workarounds.  

So, what's the benefit? Less stress when plans shift unexpectedly during a shift. Quicker corrections. More accurate stock levels and fewer write-offs.  

Pro tip: Create a simple checklist for your shop floor team, when they notice an error, they'll know exactly how to use the new cancel flow to sort it out properly. 

️Keep Field Crews and Finance Always in Sync 

If you’re in the maintenance or repair business, you’ve probably felt the frustration when your service information and financial data don’t match up.  

This enhanced connection between Business Central and Field Service ensures that work orders, inventory levels (including what’s loaded on a technician’s truck!), and invoices are all in sync.  

What’s the benefit? Improved first-time fix rates, no missing parts, and fewer unexpected write-offs.  

The next step: Equip your dispatchers and field technicians with the tools to check inventory locations in real time, and say goodbye to unnecessary trips back to the warehouse! 

Polish Financial Reports Without Waiting on IT 

If you’re in finance, you’re probably all too familiar with the routine: a minor tweak to a report layout can quickly turn into a helpdesk ticket or, even worse, a frantic rush the night before a board meeting.  

Hidden rows, clunky formatting, and broken templates can really throw a wrench in your plans when you’re on a tight schedule. Wave 1 simplifies this process for you. 

 Now, you can easily hide empty rows, add introductory or closing notes, switch between portrait and landscape orientations, and reuse your favorite Excel templates without waiting around for developers to make small adjustments.  

So, what’s the real benefit? Month-end closes happen more smoothly, your board reports look polished, and your team won’t be stuck fixing the same formatting issues repeatedly.  

Here’s a tip: Create a straightforward template for your regular board or investor presentations, and lock in your formatting once, so you’re not starting from scratch every month. 

Build Extensions Faster and Fix Bugs Earlier 

Small tweaks for developers can really add up to significant time savings.  

With Wave 1, developers can now retrieve values more quickly using the enhanced JsonObject methods. This means developers can write neater loops with the new continue keyword, and manage YAML read/write directly in AL.  

Plus, improved telemetry means that issues can be identified and resolved long before they turn into headaches in production.  

So, what’s the real advantage? Fewer obstacles when creating or maintaining extensions, smoother upgrades, and less hassle for the folks who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.  

Pro tip: Make telemetry a regular part of your workflow. It’s way easier (and more cost-effective) to catch and fix issues in the sandbox than to deal with unexpected surprises after your users encounter them. 

Run Admin Tasks Smoothly with Fewer Surprises 

Being an admin is no easy feat. Now, you can check app compatibility for upcoming versions before anything goes wrong, safely test updates in sandboxes, and automate your environment tasks using the Power Platform connector.  

What’s the benefit?  

You’ll face fewer late-night crises, enjoy smoother upgrades, and have more predictable support tickets.  

And here’s a bonus tip: Set up Power Automate flows for routine tasks like copying environments or scheduling updates, then you can kick back and forget about those repetitive admin clicks! 

Wrapping Up 

Business Central 2025 Wave 1 isn’t about big changes, it’s about practical upgrades that help real teams cut out routine hassles, save valuable hours, and keep everyday work running smoothly. 

Smarter Copilot data entry, agents handling routine orders, clearer financial reporting, and better developer tools all add up to one goal: giving your people more time to focus on what actually drives growth. 

But these new capabilities only deliver real value when they’re set up the right way, tested properly, and woven into how your teams really work day to day. . That’s exactly where the right Dynamics 365 support partner makes all the difference. So, find the right partner who can give you the expertise and support you need so your system works exactly the way your business work