M365 & Power Platform Integrations
Business Central doesn't exist in isolation. It integrates deeply with Excel, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Word, and the Power Platform. Learn what each integration does and when the exam tests it.
Business Central in the Microsoft ecosystem
Business Central is like a team player in a sports squad.
On its own, it’s great at finance and operations. But when it connects with Excel (data analysis), Outlook (email), Teams (collaboration), OneDrive (file storage), and Power Platform (automation and reporting) — the whole squad performs better than any individual.
Sam doesn’t need to export data to a spreadsheet, email it, then re-enter changes. He edits data in Excel directly connected to BC, shares reports in Teams, and automates approvals with Power Automate — all without leaving the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft 365 integrations
Excel integration
The most frequently used integration. Two key features:
| Feature | What It Does | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Edit in Excel | Open a BC list page in Excel, edit data, publish changes back | Two-way |
| Export to Excel | Download data as a static Excel file | One-way (read only) |
Edit in Excel keeps a live connection to Business Central. Changes in Excel are pushed back to BC when you click Publish. This is powerful for bulk edits — updating 200 item prices in Excel is faster than opening 200 item cards.
Exam tip: Edit in Excel vs Export to Excel
The exam tests this distinction:
- Edit in Excel = live connection, two-way, changes flow back to BC
- Export to Excel = static snapshot, one-way, no connection back to BC
When the question asks about “updating data using Excel,” the answer is Edit in Excel. When it asks about “creating a report or analysis,” Export to Excel is sufficient.
OneDrive integration
Business Central can store and retrieve files using OneDrive for Business:
- Attach files to records — drag and drop files onto customer cards, vendor cards, items
- Open in OneDrive — BC-generated reports can be saved to OneDrive automatically
- Share links — share BC documents via OneDrive links instead of email attachments
For Business Central online, the base connection is already configured. Use the OneDrive Setup assisted setup in the Business Central client to turn OneDrive features on or off.
Outlook integration
The Business Central add-in for Outlook lets users:
- View BC customer/vendor details from an email (e.g., open an email from a vendor and see their balance, recent invoices)
- Create and send sales quotes or invoices directly from Outlook
- Send email attachments to Incoming Documents or link emails to BC records
Raj receives an email from a vendor about a price change. Without leaving Outlook, he opens the BC add-in, sees the vendor’s current purchase prices, and creates a purchase order — all from the email window.
Teams integration
Business Central cards and tabs in Microsoft Teams:
- Paste a BC link in Teams chat → it unfurls as a rich card showing record details
- Add a BC tab to a Teams channel → team members see a live BC page within Teams
- Share records → send a customer card or sales order as a Teams message
This lets Olivia share a customer’s overdue invoices in the Finance team channel without everyone needing to log into BC.
Word integration
Word layouts for reports (covered in Core Setup Essentials) are the primary Word integration. You can also:
- Generate documents from Word templates linked to BC data
- Use mail merge with BC contacts for letters and marketing materials
Power Platform integrations
Power BI
Business Central has a built-in Power BI connector and pre-built reports:
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Embedded Power BI | Show Power BI reports directly inside BC Role Centres and pages |
| BC connector for Power BI | Connect Power BI Desktop to BC data via API |
| Pre-built reports | Out-of-box dashboards for finance, sales, purchasing |
Olivia doesn’t need a separate BI tool for basic reporting — Power BI visuals appear right in her Accountant Role Centre.
Power Automate
Power Automate flows extend BC workflows beyond what native workflows can do:
| Use Case | What Power Automate Adds |
|---|---|
| Multi-system approvals | Route approvals through BC + SharePoint + Teams |
| External notifications | Send SMS, post to Slack, update CRM when BC events occur |
| Data sync | Sync BC customers with external systems on a schedule |
| Document processing | Auto-process incoming invoices via AI Builder |
BC fires events that Power Automate can listen to (new customer created, invoice posted, payment received). Flows can also trigger BC actions (create a sales order, update a vendor).
Power Apps
Custom apps built in Power Apps can connect to Business Central data:
- Mobile apps for warehouse workers (scan barcodes, update inventory)
- Customer-facing portals (check order status, view invoices)
- Approval apps with custom UI
Exam context: Power Platform depth
The MB-800 exam tests Power Platform integrations at the use case level, not the configuration level. You need to know:
- When to recommend Power BI (reporting and analytics)
- When to recommend Power Automate (cross-system automation, complex workflows)
- When to recommend Power Apps (custom mobile or web interfaces)
You do NOT need to know how to build Power BI reports, create Power Automate flows, or develop Power Apps. That’s PL-300, PL-400 territory.
Dynamics 365 integrations
Business Central can integrate with other Dynamics 365 apps:
| D365 App | Integration Purpose | Key Data Exchanged |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamics 365 Sales | CRM-to-ERP sync | Customers, contacts, sales orders, invoices, product availability |
| Dynamics 365 Field Service | Service-to-ERP sync | Work orders, inventory consumption, invoicing |
These integrations use Dataverse as the synchronisation layer. The exam may ask about use cases (when to recommend the integration) but not the technical sync configuration.
Copilot in Business Central
Business Central includes AI-powered Copilot features:
- Marketing text generation — AI-generated product descriptions
- Bank reconciliation assistance — Copilot suggests matches between bank statement lines and ledger entries
- Chat with Copilot — natural language queries about BC data (“Show me overdue invoices”)
- Sales line suggestions — Copilot suggests items based on the customer’s purchase history
These are relatively new features. The exam may reference them in the context of the audience profile (“configure role centres including adapting insights, cues, action tiles, reports, charts, and utilise copilots inside Business Central”).
Knowledge check
Olivia needs to update prices for 300 items in Business Central. Each item needs a different price. What's the most efficient approach?
Sam wants the finance team at Nordic Manufacturing to see Power BI dashboards showing cash flow and revenue trends directly inside Business Central. Where should these dashboards appear?
Congratulations! You’ve completed Domain 1: Set Up Business Central. You now know how to create companies, migrate data, secure users, configure essentials, set up dimensions, build approval workflows, and leverage Microsoft integrations.
Next up: Domain 2 begins with the financial engine — General Ledger Setup.