Store Files Outside Business Central Using External File Accounts (BC 2025 Wave 1)

Overview

The video covers the External File Storage module in Business Central 2025 Wave 1, which manages external files through a unified API. It includes extensions for Azure Blob Service, Azure File Service and a SharePoint connector.

The presenter installs the extensions from Extension Management, configures an Azure storage account and its keys, and creates external file accounts with a setup wizard. A new blob storage account is then set up, and the Storage Browser is used to navigate directories, upload files and create folders. The video ends with use cases and future possibilities.

Key points

• The External File Storage module offers a unified API for managing external files. Searching Extension Management for external file storage shows three extensions: Azure Blob Service, Azure File Service and SharePoint connector.
• Containers are managed by the Azure Blob Service extension and file shares by the Azure File Service extension.
• If External File Accounts or Set up External File Accounts are missing, the external file storage extensions are most likely not installed.
• Both Azure connectors use the storage account’s access keys (shared key), found in Azure under Security and networking; the demo storage account has two keys.
• Choosing Set up external file account starts a wizard that asks for the account type, account name, storage account name, shared key and container or file share name. A toggle can make the account the default storage.
• The Storage Browser shows the account contents and lets users navigate directories, create folders and upload files. It has no drag and drop, so users click Upload.
• The presenter did not demo the SharePoint connector because he has no SharePoint server or web application of his own.

Features

Every feature below: status not stated, demoed.

AL objects mentioned

As heard in the captions. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.

• other “external file storage” at 0:50
• page “External File Accounts” at 6:29
• page “Set Up External File Accounts” at 6:41
• page 2500 “Extension Management” at 2:22
• other “Storage Browser” at 9:45

Not found in BC28-30: page “External File Accounts”, page “Set Up External File Accounts”.

Quotes

• 0:34 “which was released on April 14th. 2025”
• 0:50 “Manage external files more easily through a unified API in the external file storage module”
• 4:11 “The containers will be managed by the Azure blob service. Uh the fileshares will be managed by the file service uh extension”
• 5:13 “they are connected to this demo BC 2025W1 um storage account. So I have two keys here”
• 6:41 “you can click on set up external file account and you will be taken through a wizard”