Another exciting week in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central!
From smart AL tricks and dark mode tips, to AI demos, technical updates, and community insights, Week 44 has something for every BC consultant and developer.
Table of Contents
- Merge External PDFs in BC Reports
- Switch to Dark Mode
- Martin’s Manufacturing Digest – Vol. 03
- BC27 Date Methods Change
- Yun Zhu on Blank Date Queries
- AI Sales Interaction Assistant
- BC Outage & Azure Front Door Issue
- Friday Tip: Report Explorer
Merge External PDFs in Business Central Reports — No ControlAddIn, No Azure!
A brilliant contribution from Mir Kasim Ali Naqvi this month! 💡
He shared a powerful new approach to merge external PDF files directly in Business Central reports — using pure AL code only.
No ControlAddIn, no Azure Functions — just clean, fully supported code that works on both On-Prem and SaaS environments.
This is a game-changer for developers who want to attach, merge, or combine PDF documents (like invoices, certificates, or external files) into a single Business Central report output — without relying on external services.
📖 Read the full post here:
Merge External PDFs in Business Central Reports — No ControlAddIn, No Azure!
This Halloween… Switch to the Dark Side of Business Central 👻
A creative post by Gonzalo Portal Rosa from AXPA365 Consulting added a bit of Halloween spirit to the Business Central world! 🕸️
Did you know that you can also enjoy Business Central in Dark Mode?
No spells or extensions needed — just a browser trick in Microsoft Edge:
1️⃣ Type in the address bar: edge://flags/#enable-force-dark
2️⃣ Change the option to Enabled
3️⃣ Restart the browser
4️⃣ Open Business Central and… welcome to the darkness! 🌑
Besides the cool look, Dark Mode helps reduce eye strain and makes long working hours more comfortable.
🧭 Check out the full post here:
This Halloween… switch to the dark side of Business Central 👻
Martin’s Business Central Manufacturing Digest — Vol. 03
Martin Karlowitsch, former CEO of NETRONIC, is back with renewed energy for the Business Central manufacturing community.
A few years ago, Martin had launched a bi-weekly newsletter dedicated to Business Central and manufacturing — but life and priorities got in the way. Now, with more time to reflect and a strong passion for the ecosystem, he’s bringing the idea back to life 💪
The third edition of his Business Central Manufacturing Digest is out, and he’s committed to publishing every other Wednesday — sharing deep insights, product thoughts, and community trends.
📰 Check it out here:
Martin’s Business Central Manufacturing Digest – Vol. 03
👉 Read the post on LinkedIn
Date Methods Behavior on Blank Date and DateTime Fields
Yun Zhu’s article titled “Business Central 2025 wave 2 (BC27): Date methods behavior on blank Date and DataTime fields when retrieving date data in queries” explains a subtle but important change in Business Central when dealing with blank date/time fields
Boost Dynamics 365 Business Central with Private AI — Sales Interaction Assistant
Nebojsa Visic shared a fascinating demo that brings AI directly inside Business Central — without sending data to the cloud.
“Imagine walking up to a retail counter where the ERP system already knows who you are, understands what you said, and suggests your order – without ever sending your data to the cloud.”
That’s exactly what his AI Sales Interaction Assistant showcases — a private AI model integrated with Business Central that delivers a human-like, conversational experience for counter and retail sales.
It’s a strong example of how on-premise or hybrid AI can enhance user experience, security, and speed — all while keeping customer data local.
🧠 Read more on his blog:
Boost Dynamics Business Central with Private AI – Sales Interaction Assistant
Dynamics 365 Business Central and Azure Front Door Issue
In his latest post, Stefano Demiliani provided a clear technical explanation of what really happened.
👉 Read the full article here
The outage wasn’t actually caused by Business Central itself — the root issue was with Azure Front Door, a global service Microsoft uses to deliver cloud applications efficiently worldwide.
“Azure Front Door is like a global delivery network that makes cloud services faster, safer, and more reliable. When it faces issues, the impact can ripple across multiple Microsoft 365 and Dynamics services.”
Demiliani’s post dives into how Azure Front Door works and why its temporary failure caused access problems for Business Central users — a must-read for anyone responsible for cloud performance and reliability.
Discover Reports Faster with Report Explorer
It’s #BCFridayTips time! This week, Teddy Herryanto shared a handy tip for all Business Central consultants: the Report Explorer.
The Report Explorer lets you browse all available reports and quickly find the one you need — even if you don’t know its name.
How to open it:
- From your Role Center, click All Reports
- Or use Tell Me and select Exploring Reports
Why use it:
✅ Quickly locate reports without knowing their names
✅ Discover useful reports you might not have known existed
Give it a try to make your report navigation faster and more efficient!
📖 Read the full tip here:
BC Friday Tips – Report Explorer
That’s a wrap for Week 44! The Business Central ecosystem never sleeps, and keeping up with community insights, system updates, and productivity hacks can make a big difference in your daily work.
Stay tuned for Week 45, coming next Sunday night! Meanwhile, feel free to connect with me for discussions, questions, or collaborations:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taher-el-mehdi/
- X/Twitter: @taher_el_mehdi
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