What's New: Enhanced Document Reporting (2026 release wave 1)
Enhanced document reporting in Business Central 2026 release wave 1: Word add-in data picker improvements, a preview insert table action, layout lifecycle states for user-defined layouts, a company-level default document language, modernized report selection pages (28.x) and 36 new document type APIs.
- Introduction and investment overview
- Updated Word add-in and UX improvements
- Data picker enhancements and dark mode
- Preview table builder feature
- Layout lifecycle and status management
- Multi-language document support
- Report selection pages and API expansion
- Documentation and resources
- General resources and closing
Overview
The video covers what is new for document reporting in 2026 release wave 1. It starts with the Word add-in and data picker, which gets the BC theme, easier navigation of nested levels, double-click insertion, automatic cursor movement in tables, a search and filter section, and dark mode. A new insert table action, released in preview, helps build and populate tables in one place.
It then covers layout management and multi-language support. User-defined layouts can move through draft, pending approval, approved and retired states, and only approved layouts show on report request pages. A company-level default language is used when the customer card has no language. The video also covers modernized report selection pages coming in 28.x, tooltips refactored to table level, and 36 new document type APIs for sales, purchasing, inventory and assembly documents.
Key points
- The insert table action in the Word add-in data control section is in preview. It lets you set columns, headers and data items in one place.
- The data picker now has a filter section for searching fields across levels and labels, double-click insertion, automatic cursor movement in tables and dark mode; these are available in both the preview and release versions of the Word add-in.
- User-defined layouts can be set to draft, pending approval, approved or retired. Only approved layouts appear on report request pages.
- Layout lifecycle applies only to user-defined layouts, not to app-deployed layouts, in this release wave.
- A company-level default language is used for documents when the customer card has no language specified, even if the user works in another language such as French.
- Modernized report selection pages with teaching tips and aligned captions and categories are coming in 28.x.
- 36 new APIs cover sales, purchasing, inventory and assembly document types, for use with Copilot Studio and other automations.
Features
| Feature | Status | At | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhanced data picker UX | status not stated, demoed | 1:55 | |
| Data picker search and filter | status not stated, demoed | 3:11 | |
| Dark mode for data picker | status not stated, demoed | 3:50 | |
| Insert table action | preview, demoed | 4:03 | “we want to make the experience easier for everybody and that’s why in preview we are releasing a new action.” (4:03) |
| Layout lifecycle and status management | status not stated, demoed | 5:55 | |
| Company-level default language for documents | status not stated, demoed | 8:17 | |
| Refactored tooltips on table level | status not stated | 10:44 | |
| Modernized report selection pages | announced, demoed | 11:04 | “As part of this, we also modernized the report selection pages in the application. This is coming in 28.x.” (11:14) |
| 36 new document type APIs | status not stated | 11:51 |
Quotes
- 0:45 “More effective document layout management in general, easier support for multi-language companies and finally opening up with APIs for different document types.”
- 1:19 “with word the intention is that it’s not going to be all developers who create layouts for documents. It’s more moving towards um an”
- 6:58 “in this release wave we are adding the ability with a like a life cycle going from a draft, pending approval, approved and even”
- 8:05 “note that this for now only work for user-defined layouts. Uh we want to make that also for apps, but that will not be”
- 10:25 “then even though the user is using Business Central in French, the and even though the customer card have not specified English, the company-level”
- 11:51 “we added not one not two but 36 new apis for document types so that you can now use apis to”
Disclaimers in the video
- 4:03 preview: in preview we are releasing a new action
- 8:05 not-in-this-release: that will not be in the list in this release wave
- 11:14 subject-to-change: This is coming in 28.x
Presenters (as heard): Kenny Pontevedra, Mirko.