What's New: Business Central Integration with Power Platform including Power BI(2024 release wave 2)
Business Central 2024 release wave 2 integration with Power Platform: Power Automate (linked environments, Find One Record and Find Records actions, job queue event, new designer), Copilot Studio connector with a demo, and Power BI (preview apps with 60+ report pages, embedding, multilanguage, connector options).
- Introduction and Power Platform Overview
- Power Automate Improvements
- Job Queue Features and Copilot Support
- Copilot Studio Integration Overview
- Copilot Studio Demo - Inventory Helper
- Power BI New Content and Reports
- Power BI Embed Experience Demo
- Power BI AL Code and Developer Experience
- Power BI Multilanguage Support and Connector Improvements
Overview
The video, published 2024-10-09 and 16 minutes long, walks through what changed in Business Central’s integration with Power Platform in 2024 release wave 2. It starts with Power Automate, then covers the Copilot Studio integration with an Inventory Helper demo, and finishes with Power BI.
On Power Automate, linked environments from the tenant admin center are now honored and there are new record-finding actions. A job queue business event is announced, with templates coming later. On Power BI, new apps in preview have more than 60 report pages. The embed experience, bookmarking, search, multilanguage support, the system application add-in, a code generator and connector refresh options are also covered.
Key points
- Power Automate honors the linked environment defined in the tenant admin center. An assisted setup page lets you configure or change the linked environment for Business Central.
- New Power Automate actions: Find One Record pinpoints a record using friendly search criteria. Find Records returns a selection that a flow can iterate over.
- A job queue business event is announced, and Power Automate templates for job queue problems will be available later. Copilot-assisted flow building inside Business Central is not ready and is coming later in this wave.
- The new Power Automate designer, which includes copilot, is now enabled for Business Central triggers.
- The Copilot Studio connector exposes Business Central data, actions and plugins. Its generative AI mode was demoed with an Inventory Helper, and the connector is still being enhanced.
- Power BI apps in preview have more than 60 report pages and are available from the first minor update onward. Embedded reports support filter panes, bookmarks and multiple pages, and report pages are searchable and bookmarkable.
- The Power BI add-in is now in the system application. A code generator turns an Excel file into AL pages for embedding reports. Multilanguage labels are not all translated yet. The connector has new refresh and OData timeout options with recommended defaults.
Features
| Feature | Status | At | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linked Environment Support | status not stated | 1:29 | |
| Find One Record Action | status not stated | 1:49 | |
| Find Records Action | status not stated | 2:10 | |
| Job Queue Business Event and Templates | announced | 2:31 | “we have added a new um business event and a set of power automate templates that will be available for you later” (2:51) |
| Power Automate New Designer Support | status not stated | 3:07 | |
| Copilot-Assisted Flow Building in Business Central | announced | 3:27 | “it will be also possible within business Central it’s just this feature is still not ready will be coming later this wave” (3:48) |
| Copilot Studio Connector for Business Central | status not stated, demoed | 4:00 | |
| Copilot Studio Generative AI Mode | status not stated, demoed | 5:00 | |
| Power BI New Content Apps | preview, demoed | 9:01 | “since the first minor update you will actually have access to some new apps in preview which contain a lot more than 60 actually” (9:43) |
| Power BI Embedded Reports with Full Capabilities | status not stated, demoed | 10:04 | |
| Power BI Report Page Bookmarking | status not stated, demoed | 11:19 | |
| Power BI Report Page Search | status not stated, demoed | 11:40 | |
| Power BI Multilanguage Support | announced, demoed | 12:00 | “now not all of the labels are translated we are still working on this so that’s why it’s upcoming for a minor release” (12:21) |
| Power BI Add-in in System Application | status not stated | 13:21 | |
| Power BI Code Generator | status not stated | 13:53 | |
| Power BI Connector Refresh Options | status not stated | 14:46 |
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 “find one record” at 1:49
- other “find records” at 2:10
- other “BC inventory helper” at 5:21
- other “return inventory level” at 6:12
- other “PowerBI add-in” at 13:41
Quotes
- 1:09 “starting with power automate improvements in our integration with power automate in this wave we start with a very basic thing which is the”
- 2:51 “we have added a new um business event and a set of power automate templates that will be available for you later allowing you”
- 3:07 “power automate right now comes with a new designer H which allows you to use copilot within power automate and build your flows with”
- 3:48 “it will be also possible within business Central it’s just this feature is still not ready will be coming later this wave”
- 9:43 “since the first minor update you will actually have access to some new apps in preview which contain a lot more than 60 actually”
- 10:59 “since this release you have some additional capabilities here so you can see that uh you can choose as a developer to embed the”
- 13:41 “the powerbi addin is now in the system application which means you can just make use of it uh directly from your”
- 15:07 “we have added some new options so that you as a report Creator can have more flexibility when it comes to uh the way”
Disclaimers in the video
- 2:51 coming-later: a set of power automate templates that will be available for you later
- 3:48 coming-later: this feature is still not ready will be coming later this wave
- 9:43 preview: new apps in preview which contain a lot more than 60 actually different report pages
- 12:21 subject-to-change: not all of the labels are translated we are still working on this so that’s why it’s upcoming for a minor release
Presenters (as heard): BU Koto, Ero Chiman, Enrio.