Business Central Extensions: 10 Supercharged Features & Benefits

If your operations are evolving, the answer is to extend what you already have, safely, quickly, and in a way that stays upgrade-friendly. That’s exactly what Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extensions (apps) deliver, and it’s how Dynavics helps customers unlock new value  from BC without breaking what works.

Here are the top 10 features and benefits of Business Central extensions add-ons from the Dynavics portfolio…

1) Upgrade-safe customisation (no version dramas)

Business Central is built to be extended through AL extensions rather than modifying the base application. That means your custom logic lives outside Microsoft’s core code, so you can adopt new releases while keeping your enhancements intact. In short: fewer upgrade headaches, more continuous improvement.

Why it matters: You move faster, taking advantage of new Business Central features, security updates and compliance changes; without re-engineering bespoke code every cycle.

2) Tailored dashboards that drive decisions (Role Center Manager)

Your home screen should be a control tower, not a cluttered inbox. Dynavics Role Center Manager lets you design bespoke Role Center dashboards, with panels, tiles and visual indicators mapped to the KPIs you care about. Add click actions, define data views, surface credit control or sales performance at a glance, and roll layouts to specific roles.

Why it matters: You don’t need “more data.” You need the right data, in the right place, and at the right time to make informed decisions.

3) Resource & job planning that your team actually uses (Resource Planner)

Calendar chaos is a silent margin killer. The Dynavics Resource Planner gives you an interactive, colour-coded calendar to book, drag, extend and prioritise work by person or team across daily, weekly or monthly views, and all inside Business Central. Visibility goes up and scheduling ping-pong goes down.

Why it matters: Better utilisation, fewer clashes, tighter handovers and a calmer, more predictable day for your delivery teams.

4) Event-driven email and approvals (Advanced Mail)

Stop copy-pasting from Outlook. Advanced Mail lets you configure and distribute emails automatically from within Business Central, including approval flows where approvers can approve/decline by replying to the email. You can attach Jet Reports to give approvers the context they need, without logging in elsewhere.

Why it matters: Faster approvals, tighter audit trails and fewer “could you forward me that report?” time eaters.

5) A self-service customer portal that reduces admin (Extranet)

Empower your customers to help themselves with a secure Extranet, that shows a personalised catalogue, prices, open orders, order history, shipping status and addresses. Customers can export to Excel, update quantities, and submit; your team gets cleaner orders and fewer phone/emails. Multi-language is supported, and everything runs in real time with Business Central.

Why it matters: Less admin for your team, faster order cycles for customers, and a better customer experience overall.

6) Click-to-deploy apps & flexible scope (AppSource + per-tenant)

Whether you need a packaged solution from AppSource or a per-tenant extension for something uniquely yours, the extension model supports both, and makes installing, updating or removing apps as straightforward as any modern SaaS; you keep the system lean while solving real problems.

Why it matters: Add capability when you need it, test in sandbox, and scale with confidence.

7) Reporting that reflects how you run the business

Extensions can standardise data structures and feed reporting stacks like Jet Reports/Analytics and Power BI, so your Sales, Operations and Finance teams all speak the same truth. With dashboards embedded in Role Centers (see #2), decision-makers get KPIs where they work, not hidden in monthly decks.

Why it matters: One version of the truth; from daily sales ladders and ageing to resource utilisation, event profitability and margin by SKU.

8) Governance & performance baked in

Microsoft outlines clear guidance for maintaining AppSource apps and per-tenant extensions alongside regular major/minor releases. Trusted partners like Dynavics build within those guardrails, so performance, security, and compatibility stay front-of-mind (and upgrade-friendly).

Why it matters: Your ERP stays safe, compliant and agile as you evolve, without a maintenance problem happening in the background.

9) “Compose, don’t customise” (integrate the tools you love)

The extension approach is designed to play nicely with your stack, from POS (LS Retail) to WMS (Tasklet), EDI (TrueCommerce), AP automation (Continia), banking (Yavrio), and e-commerce (Shopify/Sana). The net effect? End-to-end flows with fewer manual touchpoints and less reconciliation pain.

Why it matters: Real-time inventory, faster month-end, cleaner ops, and fewer swivel-chair moments between systems.

10) A delivery model that reduces risk (and time to value)

Because extensions are modular, Dynavics can deliver in sprints: start with the biggest wins (e.g. Role Center Manager + Advanced Mail), add Resource Planner or Extranet, then fold in POS/WMS/EDI as needed. You get value early, change management is smoother, and the roadmap stays under your control.

Why it matters: Measurable ROI within weeks.

Where Dynavics fits

We design, build and support Business Central extensions that close the real gaps your users feel every day, while staying true to Microsoft’s extension-first approach. The result is a system that remains upgradeable and adaptable, with dashboards people actually use, approvals that move at the speed of work, schedules that stick, and customers who can self-serve without raising a ticket.

Quick FAQs

Are extensions safe for future upgrades?
Yes. Business Central is now extension-based only, and Microsoft provides guidance for migrating customisations into apps and keeping them current across releases.

Can we run both AppSource and bespoke (per-tenant) extensions?
Absolutely, and you can install/uninstall with permissions via Extension Management in the client.

We’ve had painful upgrades before in various systems…
Not with BC, Extensions isolate your logic from the Microsoft base app. That’s the foundation for smoother, more frequent updates with less regression risk.

In Summary

• Faster decisions with Role Center dashboards tuned to your KPIs
• Better utilisation with a planner that makes scheduling simple
• Quicker approvals & cleaner audit via event-driven email
• Lower admin & happier customers through a real-time Extranet
• Upgrade-safe growth thanks to Microsoft’s AL extension model

Ready to discover more?

Ask us for a 30-minute walk-through of the Dynavics extensions most relevant to your team. Get in-touch today for friendly advise from our expert team. Say hello here