Business Central 28: What’s New and When Should You Plan Your Upgrade?  

By Rajib Lochan Huzuri

Microsoft recently rolled out Business Central 28, the latest version of its flagship ERP system, Dynamics 365 Business Central. If your business relies on Business Central, or if you are currently weighing it as an option, two pressing questions have likely crossed your mind: What does this update actually bring to the table? and Is it stable enough to deploy in a live production environment?

In this article, we’ll dive into both questions, focusing heavily on the practical, everyday improvements that will make the biggest difference to your team’s workflow.

At a Glance: The Standout Features of Business Central 28

If you’re short on time, here is a quick snapshot of the most impactful upgrades in this release:

• Snappier performance: Pages open much faster thanks to smarter calculations for FlowFields.
• Built-in Quality Management: A brand-new module designed specifically for manufacturing workflows.
• Better reporting: More flexible financial reports and easier customization for Word layouts.
• Smoother logistics: Greater flexibility for drop shipments and faster purchase invoicing.
• Lighter databases: Attachments can now be routed directly to SharePoint or Azure Storage instead of cluttering your SQL database.
• Smarter AI: Ongoing enhancements to Copilot and autonomous AI agents (exclusively for Cloud/SaaS users).

Is Business Central 28 Ready?

When it comes to major updates, we always advocate for a measured, cautious approach. Before recommending a rollout, our team thoroughly tested the new version, verified that our custom solutions and localizations run seamlessly, and waited for Microsoft to release its first wave of critical hotfixes.

Based on our rigorous testing, we can confidently state that version 28.2 is highly stable and fully ready for production environments. Over the coming months, we will begin working closely with our clients to schedule and execute their upgrades in a controlled, phased manner.

A Faster, More Responsive User Experience

Nobody likes staring at a loading spinner. That’s why one of the most welcome improvements in this version is a massive boost to system performance. Business Central now calculates certain dynamic data fields (known as FlowFields) only when they are actively displayed on your screen.

The result? Pages open noticeably faster, and navigating the system feels incredibly fluid. You’ll feel this difference the most if your business handles large volumes of data, such as massive item catalogs or extensive general ledger entries.

Copilot and the Evolution of AI

Microsoft is doubling down on its AI assistant, Copilot, with this release. The latest updates introduce more sophisticated search capabilities, making it easier to pull specific insights out of your system using natural language. They are also paving the way for specialized AI business agents designed to automate repetitive, manual tasks.

While these features are currently exclusive to SaaS (Cloud) environments, they send a clear signal about where Microsoft is taking the platform in the years to come.

Financial and Reporting Upgrades

For the finance team, Business Central 28 brings several practical quality-of-life improvements:

• Adaptable Financial Reports: Enjoy more control over how data is displayed, alongside expanded management and editing options.
• Company-Wide Document Languages: You can now set a default document language at the company level. This functions entirely independently of individual user language settings, a massive win for multinational businesses.
• Streamlined Word Layouts: An updated tool for Word-based outputs makes it much easier to tweak the design of your business documents without needing to loop in a developer.

Sales, Purchasing, and Supply Chain Control

On the logistics front, the standout feature involves drop shipments. In version 28, sales and purchase documents can be managed independently. This small shift greatly simplifies data entry for complex supply chain scenarios.

Purchase invoicing has also received a streamline. A new feature allows you to pull lines from purchase orders into purchase invoices much faster, cutting down on manual data entry and reducing the risk of costly typos.

Finally, inventory managers will appreciate the upgrades to item variants: you can now attach distinct images and custom attributes to individual variants, making products much easier to identify at a glance.

Manufacturing gets a Quality Boost

Microsoft continues to invest heavily in its manufacturing capabilities. Version 28 introduces a dedicated Quality Management module, giving businesses tighter control and better visibility over quality checks directly within their production lines.

Additionally, subcontracting workflows have been refined, allowing teams to manage vendor price lists and external labor costs with much greater precision.

Slimmer Databases and Smarter Document Storage

As a business grows, its database grows with it, often driven by PDFs, images, and other attachments. Business Central 28 addresses this by allowing you to offload these files directly to external storage options like SharePoint or Azure Storage.

By keeping these files out of your core SQL database, you can slow down database growth, rein in cloud storage costs, and keep your overall system running lean.

Next Steps: Moving Forward with Your Upgrade

A system upgrade shouldn’t be stressful. Over the next few months, we will be reaching out to our clients to map out individual upgrade paths, audit system prerequisites, and ensure a seamless transition to the new version.

If you are ready to explore what Business Central 28 can do for your business, get in touch with us to plan your next steps.