What's New: Data Analysis (2025 release wave 2)
Business Central data analysis (analysis mode) in the 2025 release wave 2: Analysis Assist Copilot can add fields from related tables, server-side mode can pivot on date hierarchy, and right-click menu options were added. Flow fields cannot be calculated server-side.
- Introduction to Data Analysis and Analysis Mode
- Copilot Demo - Adding Fields from Related Tables
- Server-Side Loading and Field Limitations
- Pivoting on Date Hierarchy in Server-Side Mode
- Productivity Improvements and Right-Click Menu
- Summary of Three New Features
- Learning Resources and Documentation
- Community Resources and Closing
Overview
The video covers three changes to data analysis, the ad hoc analysis tool on list pages and queries. It states that more than 70% of Business Central customers use it. Copilot support for natural language analysis was added a couple of releases earlier.
In the demo, Analysis Assist adds fields from tables related to the current analysis, such as a location name. Adding data from other tables, or analyzing large data sets or query objects, switches analysis to server-side loading, where data is retrieved on demand. In that mode, flow fields cannot be calculated. Pivoting on date hierarchy (year, quarter, month) now works in server-side mode. The video also shows right-click menu productivity improvements and points to learning and community resources.
Key points
- Analysis Assist can now add fields from tables related to the current analysis, joining data across the data model, for example to bring in a location name.
- Users can do this manually with the ‘add columns from’ feature, which was added in the previous release and which Copilot now uses.
- Adding data from other tables, or analyzing large data sets or query objects, switches data analysis from client-side to server-side loading, and an info message shows this.
- In server-side mode, flow fields and other calculated fields cannot be used.
- Pivoting on date hierarchy (year, quarter, month) was not possible in server-side mode before this release and now is.
- The right-click menu offers add to labels, group or ungroup from row groups, and a scroll into view action to navigate fields.
- Data analysis is available on list pages and queries and lets users pivot and group data without building a report.
Features
Every feature below: status not stated, demoed.
| Feature | At |
|---|---|
| Analysis Assist Copilot | 0:38 |
| Add Columns from Related Tables | 3:31 |
| Server-Side Data Loading | 3:52 |
| Pivot on Date Hierarchy in Server-Side Mode | 4:32 |
| Right-Click Menu for Data Analysis | 5:40 |
| Data Analysis Feature | 0:16 |
Quotes
- 0:16 “more than 70% of all Business Central customers use data analysis, also known as analysis mode”
- 0:38 “we even added a great co-pilot experience a couple of releases back so that you can also use natural language”
- 3:31 “we have now ability for analysis assist to also add fields from tables that are related to what you’re using here”
- 4:20 “there are few things we you can’t do such as flow fields things that are calculated”
- 4:32 “One of the things you could not do in serverside mode until this release is pivoting on date hierarchy”
- 5:40 “the third feature I wanted to show you is that we have some productivity improvements on the menu here”