Wave 1 2026 is coming to Dynamics 365 Business Central, and we're genuinely excited about what Microsoft has lined up. This isn't just another quarterly release; it's a significant step forward for SMBs looking to stay competitive in an increasingly AI-driven business landscape. We've spent time reviewing the planned features, and we wanted to share what's on the horizon and what it means for your organisation.

For two decades, Creative has been helping businesses navigate software transformations. We've seen plenty of releases come and go, but this wave feels different. The focus is unmistakably on enabling growth without the friction that typically accompanies it. Let's walk through what you need to know.

The AI Story Continues: Meet Your New Agents

If you've been paying attention to Business Central lately, you'll know that artificial intelligence has become central to its roadmap. Wave 1 takes this momentum and runs with it. The headline here is the introduction of autonomous agents that handle tedious, repetitive tasks so your team can focus on what matters.

We're particularly interested in the new agent designer capabilities, which will be available in May 2026. This feature allows your organisation to envision and prototype custom AI agents directly within Business Central. Rather than waiting for consultants to build custom solutions, you'll be able to configure these agents through a user-friendly interface. This is genuinely game-changing for businesses that operate with unique workflows.

The Payables Agent is getting smarter too. Come April 2026, you'll be able to discover emails in your mailbox that have been processed by the agent, giving you complete transparency over what's happening behind the scenes. We've found that transparency builds confidence in AI adoption, and this feature does exactly that.

There's also the ability to manage tasks from all agents in a single dedicated task pane, launching in April. For organisations running multiple agents simultaneously, this unified view will streamline operations considerably.

You can dive deeper into these capabilities here: Manage tasks from all agents in dedicated task pane and Envision and design AI agents in Business Central.

Copilot Gets Smarter and More Flexible

Beyond agents, Copilot continues to evolve. Wave 1 brings the ability to suggest gas emissions in sustainability journals with Copilot assistance, which is particularly valuable for organisations tracking their environmental impact. If sustainability reporting is on your agenda, this feature will significantly accelerate your efforts come August 2026.

For developers and makers, there's excellent news. You'll now be able to use AI resources for your Copilot extensions, rolling out in April. This opens possibilities for creating domain-specific AI capabilities tailored to your industry or business model. Whether you work in manufacturing, distribution, or professional services, this flexibility matters.

One subtle but valuable addition: you'll soon see avatars for record creators and modifiers in lists. It's a small thing visually, but it improves accountability and collaboration across teams, particularly for organisations with multiple users working on the same processes.

Learn more about these Copilot enhancements: Use AI resources for your Copilot extensions and Suggest gas emissions in sustainability journals with Copilot.

E-Commerce Integration Gets Deeper

If you're using Shopify to manage your online sales, Wave 1 brings substantial improvements to the connector. The updated Shopify integration, arriving in April, handles product variants far more elegantly. You'll now sync images between Business Central and Shopify seamlessly, assign custom collections based on item attributes, and work with checkout currency when creating sales documents from orders.

For businesses managing multiple product variations or operating in international markets, these enhancements address real operational pain points. No more manual reconciliation between your ERP and e-commerce platform.

Explore the e-commerce improvements here: Use the latest update for the Shopify connector and Sync images of product variants between Business Central and Shopify.

Electronic Documents and Compliance: Staying Ahead of Regulation

We can't talk about Wave 1 without mentioning electronic documents. As countries tighten e-invoicing requirements, Business Central is keeping pace. France is getting electronic invoicing support (July 2026), whilst Spain is introducing embedded Verifactu mode (September 2026). For UK businesses, a new Payment Practices feature launches in June to help you comply with obligations around payment timelines.

These compliance features matter because the cost of non-compliance is steep, and manual workarounds are error-prone. With Wave 1, your system will handle these requirements automatically.

For more on e-document capabilities: Use payments with the E-Document framework and Use Payment Practices in the UK localization.

Development Gets Faster: Coding Agents and Tools

For those managing custom development and extensions, Wave 1 introduces the Troubleshooting MCP Server for AL (April 2026), which enhances developer productivity. There's also BC-Bench, a new evaluation framework for AL coding agents, helping you assess whether AI-assisted development is working for your team.

These features reflect a broader theme: Microsoft is empowering citizen developers and consultants to do more without expensive, lengthy custom projects.

How Creative Supports You Through This Evolution

Here's the truth: new features are exciting, but they're only valuable if they're properly implemented and aligned with your business goals. That's where we come in.

For two decades, we've helped over 1,000 companies transform their processes using Dynamics 365 Business Central. As these new capabilities roll out, we're here to help you determine which features matter for your organisation, how to implement them effectively, and how to adopt them across your teams.

Whether it's configuring custom AI agents, setting up e-document workflows, or ensuring your team is confident using new Copilot features, Creative provides comprehensive support. Our implementation teams understand not just the technology, but the change management required to make it stick. Our consultants can help you design solutions tailored to your industry. And our ongoing support means you're never left wondering how to make the most of new functionality as it becomes available.

We don't just hand you software and walk away. We've built our reputation on long-term partnerships where your success is our success.

Getting Started

Wave 1 features will roll out between April and September 2026. Rather than waiting until they arrive, now is the perfect time to assess what's relevant for your business. Are you tracking sustainability metrics? Are you using Shopify? Do you have developers building custom extensions? These are the conversations worth having now.

If you'd like to discuss Wave 1 features and what they mean for your organisation, we'd love to chat. Whether you're planning an implementation, upgrading an existing system, or simply exploring how these new capabilities could drive efficiency and growth, we're here to help.

The future of Business Central is looking smart, streamlined, and centred on helping SMBs grow without the traditional friction. We're excited to help you get there.

Reference Links

For the complete list of Wave 1 2026 features, visit: New and planned features for Dynamics 365 Business Central, 2026 release wave 1

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About Creative Computing

For over 20 years, Creative has been an accredited Microsoft Solutions Partner for Dynamics 365, helping over 1,000 companies revolutionise their financial and operational processes. With more than 500 software implementations under our belt, we understand what it takes to turn technology into genuine business transformation. Whether it's implementation, training, support, or consultancy, Creative is committed to ensuring you get the most from your investment in Business Central.

Contact us today to discuss how Wave 1 features could benefit your organisation.

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