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Technical Code Changes in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2024 Release Wave 2

Thursday, November 14, 2024
Reading time: 7 minutes

On October 1st, Microsoft launched Dynamics 365 Business Central 2024 Wave 2 (version 25), introducing a range of new features and updates. This release includes enhancements across security, environment management, and migration functionalities, as well as a list of removed or replaced functionalities. Key updates include:

  • Security:
  • Encrypt at rest with customer key
  • IPv6 support
  • Environment Management:
  • Manageable Apps List (December)
  • PTEs (December)
  • App Compatibility (December)
  • Update Flexibility (Preview, March)
  • Management:
  • Failed Job Queues Notification (In-app)
  • Failed Job Queues Notification (External, Preview)
  • Migration:
  • Record Links and Notes (November)
Here we’ll take a closer look at some of the updates.

Get a List of Manageable Environments for Microsoft Entra Apps

In the admin center, you can view a list of Microsoft Entra apps that can access your environment. This list allows partners to keep their customers updated. However, partners often face a challenge—they may not know exactly which environments they can access.
To address this, the system will be updated to show partners the specific environments accessible to them through each Microsoft Entra app. This feature will help partners manage and support their customers more effectively.

Manage Per-Tenant Extensions (PTEs) in the Admin Center

In the admin center, you can currently view Microsoft AppSource apps that are installed. Soon, this list will be expanded to include per-tenant extensions (PTEs), allowing you to install and manage PTEs directly from the admin center.

Failed Job Queue Notification

Business Central already provides job queue notifications. Previously, if something went wrong with job queues, administrators had to check each environment individually. Starting with Business Central version 25, an in-app notification feature shows a blue banner at the top, alerting users if a job queue issue occurs, with the option to restart it directly from there.

An external notification feature is now also in preview. This feature emits a business event, allowing integration with tools like Microsoft Power Platform. This means external systems can query environments or receive alerts when job queue issues arise, signaling administrators to take action.

Developer Changes in Business Central 2024 Release Wave 2

The latest Business Central release also brought key updates for developers, including:

1. AL Language Enhancements

  • Interface Extension: Interfaces can now be extended, allowing developers to create new interfaces that build on existing ones.
  • Interface ‘as’ and ‘is’ Keywords: New functionality enables you to check if an interface matches another using ‘is’. For example, if interface ‘IB’ is compatible with ‘IA’, you can cast ‘IB’ as ‘IA’ to call functions requiring ‘IA’.
  • Profile Extension: User profiles can now be customized further. You can add captions and modify existing profiles, improving customization for users.
  • Full-Text Search Indexes: Full-text search can now be implemented directly in code, enabling enhanced search functionality on table fields.
  • Ternary Operator: Similar to JavaScript and other languages, the ternary operator is now available in AL. This provides a shorter, more readable syntax for conditional expressions, saving lines of code.

For more information, visit:

2. New Date/Time/DateTime Methods

Business Central v.25 introduces new Date functions in AL (documented in the AL compiler changelog). These standard functions provide an additional way to retrieve day, month, and year values, aligning with conventions in other Microsoft languages.

For further details:

3. Capture Performance Profile

  • You can now automate performance profiling by scheduling start and end times, along with filters, allowing profiling to run at specific times without manual intervention.

VSCode Changes

  • Pull Extension Source. You can now retrieve symbols and source code directly from AppSource for certain apps, enabling easier code access and integration when apps permit it.
  • Code Action for ‘with’ Statement. The “with” command is being deprecated. Developers should replace it with direct code references to improve clarity and maintainability.
  • Package Resources in AL (Available December). Beginning in December, you’ll be able to package resources, such as setup data and images, directly within your AL code. This feature allows you to bundle necessary data within your app, eliminating the need for external links or extensive custom code to load large data sets. Instead, you can create a configuration package that installs seamlessly within your app.

Other Changes in Business Central 2024 Release Wave 2

  • Download AppSource Symbols. In this release, you can now download symbols from AppSource apps directly. This is particularly beneficial when building extensions that rely on third-party apps. Previously, obtaining these symbols required complicated arrangements with ISVs or working within environments like AL-Go for GitHub. Now, Microsoft automates the process, allowing your GitHub environment to test your app against installed AppSource apps seamlessly.
  • Restore Extensions After Failed Installation. If an update to an app fails and causes other dependent extensions to be uninstalled, those dependencies will now be automatically reinstalled. This change ensures that your environment is restored to its previous state, reducing disruption caused by failed updates.
  • Use Sections in Word Layouts. You can now utilize sections in Word layouts, even when a Word merge data item is present in your report. Previously, this was restricted, but the update allows for greater flexibility in designing Word layouts, making it easier to structure reports.

Evaluate Your Options for Migrating to the Latest Version of Business Central

For those considering migrating to the most recent version of Business Central, you can accelerate the process through the Companial Migration & Modernization Program. With over 900 successful migrations and assessments of more than 6,000 NAV/Business Central solutions, we bring extensive experience to the table. This program, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, is designed to assist Dynamics partners who may face resource constraints that limit their migration capabilities. For more information, visit our Migration and Modernization Program page.

If you want to learn more about the technical, functional, and administrative enhancements in the latest Dynamics 365 Business Central release, as well as view a live demo, check out our webinar.

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Jan Veenendaal
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