Nikoo Samadi
Business Central Power BI integration gives companies a way to see financial and operational data in real time. Specifically, Power BI creates reports and dashboards from the transactions, customers, and inventory stored in Business Central. As a result, decision-makers no longer have to wait for spreadsheets or manual exports; instead, they can view current numbers directly within Business Central or Power BI.
In this guide, we provide step-by-step instructions for configuring the integration. You will also discover which techniques are most effective for real-time reporting, how to connect the two systems, and what preparatory steps to take before you begin. Moreover, we discuss common problems, such as performance issues and refresh failures, along with workable solutions.
While making the connection is important, creating dashboards that are accurate and easy to maintain is equally critical. By the end, you will understand how to link Business Central to Power BI, share insights with your team, and automatically refresh the data. With the correct configuration, dashboards reflect actual activity, reports update on time, and you can spend more time making decisions rather than generating numbers.
What is Business Central Power BI Integration?
At its core, Business Central Power BI integration connects Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which manages financials and operations, with Power BI, Microsoft’s analytics platform. In other words, the goal is to give users live or near real-time reporting on the data they already enter into Business Central.
Specifically, Business Central makes its data available via OData web services and APIs. Power BI then imports, refreshes, and visualizes the data using those connections. As a result, an operations leader can view stock levels, a finance team can monitor cash flow, and a sales manager can track orders without switching between tools.
Integration can occur in several ways. For instance, installing pre-made Power BI templates that Microsoft offers for Business Central is the most straightforward approach. Alternatively, you can create custom dashboards and connect Power BI Desktop directly to Business Central data for greater flexibility.
Moreover, for on-premises deployments, the setup often requires a data gateway to bridge internal systems with Power BI. Consequently, this ensures seamless data flow while maintaining flexibility in reporting.
Ultimately, this connection transforms teamwork and goes beyond technical setup. Users receive dashboards that automatically refresh instead of relying on static reports. In addition, this change minimizes manual reporting duties and enables teams to make decisions based on current data.
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Benefits of Connecting Business Central and Power BI
The main advantage of a Business Central Power BI integration is better insight. Spreadsheets and static reports are no longer where data is kept. Rather, it flows straight into automatically refreshed dashboards. There are numerous obvious benefits to this change.
Real-time reporting
Numbers that represent recent activity are visible to users. For instance, a sales manager may monitor open orders as soon as they appear in Business Central. Power BI minimizes reporting delays by supporting both scheduled refresh and near real-time updates.
Unified dashboards
Although most businesses also track information elsewhere, Business Central contains financial and operational data. Business Central data, CRM, HR, and external sources can all be combined into a single view using Power BI. This results in dashboards that show the entire picture rather than just one department.
Embedded analytics
Dashboards may show up within Business Central. Viewing reports no longer requires users to navigate between apps. This increases uptake and guarantees that reports are visible where employees currently work.
Reduced manual effort
Teams can spend more time analyzing results and less time exporting data to Excel by connecting the systems. Automation reduces the possibility of human error and prevents repetitive reporting tasks.
When taken as a whole, these advantages make the integration beneficial for all departments that rely on timely information, not just IT teams.
Prerequisites Before Integration
Before setting up a Business Central Power BI integration, you need to confirm a few requirements. Ignoring these steps frequently results in poor connectivity or restricted functionality.
Licenses
- Users need a valid Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central license (Essentials, Premium, or Team Member depending on access needs).
- Power BI requires a Pro or Premium Per User license if you plan to share dashboards or schedule refreshes.
Permissions
The account used for integration must have the right permissions in Business Central. It needs access to the data you plan to expose, whether through APIs or OData web services.Environment type
- Business Central Online: Integration is simpler because the service is already cloud-based.
- Business Central On-Premises: You must configure endpoints and often install the On-premises Data Gateway to allow Power BI to reach the local system (Microsoft Docs).
Data preparation
Decide which entities you want to report on, for example, sales orders, customers, vendors, or general ledger entries. Microsoft recommends exposing data through APIs rather than OData feeds for better performance.Security
Plan governance. Use role-based access in Business Central and Row-Level Security in Power BI to ensure users only see the data that applies to them.
Having these prerequisites in place avoids delays and ensures your setup is secure and reliable.
Integration Methods
There are several ways to set up a Business Central Power BI integration, and the right choice depends on your environment and reporting needs.
Built-in Power BI apps
Microsoft releases pre-made Business Central Power BI templates. For example, these applications cover topics such as purchasing, sales, and finance. By installing them straight from AppSource, you can view dashboards with minimal setup and connect directly to your Business Central environment. Therefore, this method provides the quickest way to get started.
Power BI Desktop connection
Use Power BI Desktop for custom reporting. Choose Dynamics 365 Business Central from the “Get Data” menu, log in, and pick the necessary tables or APIs. This approach enables you to integrate Business Central data with other sources, apply transformations, and create visuals.
Business Central APIs vs. OData
- APIs: Offer better performance and stability.
- OData feeds: Still supported but slower for larger datasets.
Microsoft recommends using APIs for new reports.
On-Premises Data Gateway
If your Business Central environment is hosted locally, you will first need a data gateway to connect to Power BI Service. This gateway, in turn, safely moves data between cloud and on-premises systems.
However, every approach has compromises. Therefore, as reporting requirements increase, many organizations switch from using templates to Power BI Desktop and APIs.
Step-by-Step Integration Guide
Setting up a Business Central Power BI integration follows a series of steps. Overall, the process is straightforward in the cloud but requires more setup for on-premises systems.
Step 1: Enable Power BI in Business Central
In Business Central, search for “Power BI Setup” or use the Assisted Setup guide.
Sign in with your Power BI credentials.
Then, confirm that the environment is connected.
Step 2: Install Power BI apps from AppSource
Open Power BI Service → Apps → Get Apps.
Search for “Dynamics 365 Business Central.”
Next, choose a template (Finance, Sales, or Purchasing) and install it.
Enter your Environment Name and Company Name.
Authorize with your Business Central login.
Step 3: Connect Power BI Desktop
Open Power BI Desktop → Get Data → Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Select the environment and company.
Choose the data (tables or APIs) you need.
Additionally, use Transform Data in Power Query to filter or reshape before loading.
Step 4: Configure refresh or live connection
For Business Central Online, you can schedule dataset refreshes directly in Power BI Service.
For on-premises deployments, install and configure the On-Premises Data Gateway to allow refreshes (Microsoft Docs).
Then, set refresh frequency based on reporting needs.
Step 5: Publish and share reports
Publish the report from Power BI Desktop to your workspace.
After that, share dashboards with colleagues who have Power BI Pro licenses.
Step 6: Embed reports in Business Central
In Business Central, open the Role Center.
Use the Power BI FactBox to add the report.
Finally, users can see dashboards directly in Business Central.
Overall, this workflow delivers a connected system where dashboards reflect the latest data without relying on manual exports.
Achieving Real-Time Reporting
One common reason for setting up a Business Central Power BI integration is the desire for real-time reporting. However, in reality, “real-time” often means almost real-time because Power BI does not stream Business Central data continuously by default. Instead, you can choose between direct connections and scheduled refreshes.
Scheduled refresh
Typically, most organizations use scheduled refreshes. For example, Power BI Premium can handle up to 48 refreshes per day, while Power BI Pro supports up to eight. In addition, dashboards can stay near real-time by setting short intervals, such as every 15 or 30 minutes. Furthermore, for larger datasets, consider incremental refresh, which reloads all data but only updates new records.
Direct or live connection
You might prefer a live connection for specific use cases. Power BI can directly query Business Central thanks to tools like the CData ODBC driver. Although this produces results instantly, it may put additional strain on the Business Central environment. Stable connectivity is also necessary.
Best practices for real-time scenarios
- Use APIs rather than OData feeds for faster queries.
- Limit the volume of data per refresh with filters.
- Avoid refreshing during peak business hours to reduce system strain.
- For mission-critical dashboards, combine scheduled refresh with selective live queries.
The best balance between freshness and performance is typically achieved with a short interval between scheduled refreshes. When the benefits of instant updates outweigh the risks of slower response or system load, direct connections can be helpful.
Common Challenges & Solutions
Even with a well-planned Business Central Power BI integration, users often encounter issues during setup or daily use. Knowing the common challenges and how to resolve them saves time and frustration.
Refresh failures
- Cause: Gateway not running, expired credentials, or network interruptions.
- Solution: Check the status of the On-premises Data Gateway if using one. Re-enter credentials in the dataset settings and confirm that the account still has permission (Microsoft Docs).
“Key didn’t match any rows” error
- Cause: Incorrect company name or environment name when connecting from Power BI Desktop.
- Solution: Verify the exact company name as it appears in Business Central.
Slow refresh or timeouts
- Cause: Large datasets or broad queries pulling too much data.
- Solution: Apply filters in Power Query, use APIs instead of OData, and enable incremental refresh for large tables.
Reports not showing inside Business Central
- Cause: Reports not published to the right workspace, or not enabled within Business Central.
- Solution: Confirm the report is in Power BI Service, then select it in Business Central’s Power BI FactBox
System performance issues
- Cause: Too many live queries against Business Central.
- Solution: Switch to scheduled refresh with short intervals, and avoid heavy queries during peak business hours.
By anticipating these issues, teams can keep dashboards reliable and ensure real-time reporting remains smooth.
Example Implementation Scenario
To see how a Business Central Power BI integration works in practice, consider a mid-sized manufacturing company. While the sales department keeps track of orders and income, the finance team uses Business Central to manage budgets and cash flow. A shared dashboard that displays daily performance without the need for manual reporting is what both teams desire.
Step 1: Planning
First, the IT administrator confirms licenses, sets up user permissions, and decides to use the standard Business Central APIs for reliability. Next, finance and sales managers list the key metrics they need, including open sales orders, receivables, and inventory levels.
Step 2: Initial setup
Then, the admin enables the Power BI connection in Business Central and installs the “Business Central Sales” and “Business Central Finance” template apps from AppSource. As a result, this provides a starting set of dashboards.
Step 3: Custom reporting
Using Power BI Desktop, the admin connects directly to Business Central’s APIs. They create a custom report combining sales order data with financial transactions, adding filters for region and product line. The report is then published to Power BI Service.
Step 4: Refresh configuration
Since the company uses Business Central Online, scheduled refresh is set to every 30 minutes. Incremental refresh is enabled for sales order history to reduce processing time.
Step 5: Embedding and rollout
The final dashboard is embedded into the Business Central Role Center for sales and finance users. Managers see updated KPIs as soon as they log in each morning.
This implementation saves hours each week that were previously spent exporting spreadsheets. Instead of reconciling numbers manually, staff can focus on interpreting results and adjusting operations.
Final Thoughts
A well-designed Business Central Power BI integration turns raw business data into actionable insight. Consequently, teams can view dashboards that update on time and reflect actual operations, rather than relying on manual exports or static spreadsheets. For example, this enables accurate cash flow and receivables reporting for finance teams. In addition, sales can monitor order trends without waiting for end-of-day reports, and management gains a single perspective across departments.
Although advanced development skills are not necessary for setting up the integration, careful planning is essential. Specifically, you must choose between APIs and OData feeds, verify licenses and permissions, and configure refresh options that balance reporting needs with system performance. While Power BI Desktop’s custom dashboards offer flexibility, using pre-installed Power BI templates provides a faster way to get started.
After configuration, dashboards can be built directly into Business Central, allowing users to access insights where they already work. Moreover, the system maintains efficiency and security by following best practices such as API-based queries, incremental refresh, and row-level security.
As a result, you gain a dependable reporting environment that reduces manual work and supports timely decision-making across all departments. Ultimately, integrating Business Central with Power BI establishes a strong foundation for data-driven operations, whether your company aims for real-time reporting or simply wants consistent, reliable dashboards.
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