Business Central 2026 wave 1: New capabilities for manufacturing, reporting, and compliance

Microsoft has released Business Central 2026 Wave 1 with over 80 new features. The update builds on automation, improved data capabilities, and new tools—particularly in the areas of manufacturing, quality, and regulatory reporting.

Here, we provide an overview of some of the most important changes and what they mean in practice.

Who is this update particularly relevant for?

This update is particularly relevant for manufacturing and trading companies that handle inventory, purchasing, quality assurance, and compliance. If you currently rely on many manual processes—for example, in Excel—there are excellent opportunities to migrate more of those processes to Business Central.

Selected news stories that add value to everyday life

Quality Management
One of the most notable new features is a new app for quality management. With Quality Management, you can work more systematically on quality control of goods and materials directly in Business Central. This provides better documentation and makes it easier to integrate quality into both purchasing and production.
Improvements to approval processes
Improvements have also been made to the approval processes. It is now possible to approve both purchase order drafts and item lists, which allows for better control earlier in the process and reduces the risk of errors.
Drop shipping
A classic challenge— drop shipping —has become significantly simpler. Purchase orders can now be created directly from sales orders, which streamlines the workflow, especially for companies that ship directly to customers.
Increased transparency
There has been increased transparency in the field of AI . Users can now see whether an entry was created by an AI agent or an employee. This provides greater control and the ability to validate AI-generated content before it is put into practice.
Tax Handling
In addition, there are expanded features for handling taxes, including plastic taxes and excise taxes. This makes it easier to comply with applicable regulations without having to perform manual calculations.
Reporting has also been improved
Several inventory reports have been updated with new layouts and features, and there have been improvements in both financial reporting and integration with Power BI. This provides better insight into, for example, inventory turnover, sales velocity, and customer data.

Focus Area: EPR and sustainability

As early as fall 2025—with Business Central 2025 Wave 2—Microsoft added functionality that supports companies’ efforts in sustainability and regulatory reporting. Perhaps you’ve already started using this functionality.

Starting August 1, 2026, the rules on extended producer responsibility (EPR) will apply to many Danish companies. This means that responsibility for packaging will shift from the municipality to the company, which will be required to register and report quantities to the authorities going forward.

Business Central 2025 Wave 2 introduced additional functionality for data capture and reporting, allowing tasks to be handled directly within the system. For many companies, this will mark a shift from manual Excel spreadsheets to a more integrated process.

At the same time, we’re seeing the beginnings of support for CBAM and other sustainability initiatives. It’s about integrating the necessary data into daily workflows—for example, in procurement and inventory management—so that reporting becomes a natural part of operations.

It is worth noting that this is only the first step. More requirements and features in this area are expected in future releases.

Not everything is relevant to everyone

With so many new features, it’s even more important to set the right priorities. Not everything is relevant to everyone, but several of the new features point in the same direction: less manual work, a better data foundation, and an increased focus on compliance.

For many companies, it would make sense to take a closer look at:

how quality management can be integrated into existing processes
whether reporting and data analysis can be brought closer to Business Central
how to best handle upcoming requirements such as EPR
where automation and AI can create value without compromising control

What can you do?

If you want to take full advantage of the new features, you’ll need to understand what’s relevant for your specific solution.

We can keep you up to date. With a Premium Proactive Upgrade Agreement, you’ll receive an overview of new features, functions, and apps with every major release. We’ll assess which new features add value and how they can best be implemented in your setup.

Read more about Proactive Upgrades here:

Learn more about Proactive Upgrades

Write or call us

Would you like to know what Business Central 2026 Wave 1 means for your business specifically—or talk to us about Proactive Upgrading? Then contact us by phone, email, or through the contact form. You’re also welcome to reach out to the consultant you usually work with.

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