Deprecated features in the platform - Clients, Server, and Database

Note

Azure Active Directory is now Microsoft Entra ID. Learn more

This article describes the features that are up for removal or that have been removed or replaced in the platform that Business Central uses across languages and base app.

Deprecated features won't be available in future versions of Business Central, and they are deprecated for different kinds of reasons. For example, a feature may no longer be relevant, or something better may have become available. If you use a feature that is listed, either the feature itself or an extension of it, you should look for or develop an alternative.

The next sections give a brief description of the deprecated features, state what happened to the feature, and explain why. The following table gives a few examples of what we mean by moved, removed, or replaced.

State Examples
Moved The capability has been moved from local functionality to W1 because it was no longer specific to one or more country versions. The capability was combined with other related functionality to eliminate redundancy.
Removed The capability will be removed in a coming release.
Replaced Something better has become available, and will be used instead.

This information will change with future releases, and might not include each deprecated feature.

Changes in 2025 release wave 1 (version 26.0)

Direct cloud migration and data upgrade from version Dynamics Business Central 2019 (v.14.x) (removal)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Direct cloud migration and data upgrade from version Business Central 2019 (v.14.x) is no longer supported. In order to upgrade (or cloud-migrate) data to v.26 or higher, follow one of these paths:
  • Pre-v.14 customers > upgrade to v.14 > upgrade to v.25 > upgrade or cloud migrate to v.26
  • V.14 to v.24 customers > upgrade to v.25 > upgrade or cloud migrate to v.26
ObsoleteState = Removed fields are regularly cleaned up with a cadence of once every five major releases (referred to as the stepping-stone release). So after v.25, the next stepping-stone release will be v.30, and so on.

Support for PowerShell 5.0 (removal)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced As part of our move to .NET Core, we've converted the following Business Central administration modules from PowerShell 5 to PowerShell 7: Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Management.dll, Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Apps.Management.dll, and Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Apps.Tools.dll. The PowerShell 7 modules are renamed with the prefix Microsoft.BusinessCentral instead of Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav and are located in the new Admin folder of the Business Central Server installation.

For those who aren't ready to use PowerShell 7, we've included a Windows PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module that consolidates the cmdlets/functions of all three modules into a single module that can run with PowerShell 5. The PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is called Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Management.dll, and it's installed side-by-side with the new PowerShell 7 modules as a part of Business Central Server installation except in the Management folder. The PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is using an approach similar to the Windows PowerShell Compatibility functionality in PowerShell 7.

We highly recommend that you use the PowerShell 7 modules instead PowerShell 5 compatibility module because they'll give you the best performance. If PowerShell 7 is installed on your device, the PowerShell 7 modules are used by default by selecting Business Central Administration Shell in the Start menu or by runnng the NavAdminTool.ps1 script.

The Windows PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is planned for removal in version 26 and won't receive any new functionality added in the new PowerShell 7 modules in the meantime.

Remove ability to expose a Microsoft page as a SOAP endpoint (removal)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed A UI page isn't an API and therefore changes to them can happen in a release without this being considered a breaking change. But for customers who expose UI pages as web services endpoints, a change in the UI can be felt as a breaking change for an integration built on this endpoint. Starting in version 26, it's no longer possible to expose a Microsoft page as a SOAP endpoint. If you need to have SOAP integrations to these pages, you need to copy the source code for the page and host the page in a per-tenant extension.

Note

Support for the SOAP protocol is being deprecated in Business Central and will be removed in the future. Start planning to move your solutions to use either OData or APIs pages/queries. The article Deprecated Features in the Platform - Clients, Server, and Database will include a section of which release this will happen in when a timeline is available for the removal.

Remove write access to app database tables from AL (removal)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed For Business Central on-premises, the main difference between running in single tenancy mode or multi tenancy mode is that in the former, it's possible to write to the app database tables from AL. Starting in version 26, this is no longer possible.

Changes in 2024 release wave 2 (version 25.0)

Direct cloud migration and data upgrade from version Dynamics Business Central 2019 (v.14.x) (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Cloud migration tool and on-premises data upgrade toolkit support one-step upgrade path from any version starting from Dynamics Business Central 2019 (v.14) to the latest version of Business Central.

This is possible because none of the schema elements (tables and fields) deprecated over 11 major updates (from v.14 to v.25) were removed from the released databases to preserve backwards compatibility and enable more seamless transition for our customers to the latest versions on-premises and online.

Over these releases, we've accumulated a significant number of such obsolete schema elements, which increases complexity of working with the application code. This condition blocks the reuse of the long obsolete objects and field IDs, affecting our work of moving common functionality from local versions of Business Central to W1 version.

At the same time, much has changed in the area of upgradeability since v.14 like: the move to extensions, the transition to Universal Code, introduction of AL Go for GitHub for tracking apps compatibility and more. These improvements make it simpler to follow Business Central update cadence more closely.

So in the next release (that is, 2025 release wave 1 (v.26)), we're going to clean up all schemas that have been marked as ObsoleteState = Removed since Dynamics Business Central 2019 (v.14).

As a result, data upgrade or cloud migration to v.26 or higher will have to be done via v.25 (referred to as the stepping-stone release) following one of the paths:
  • Pre-v.14 customers > upgrade to v.14 > upgrade to v.25 > upgrade or cloud migrate to v.26
  • V.14 to v.24 customers > upgrade to v.25 > upgrade or cloud migrate to v.26
ObsoleteState = Removed fields will then be regularly cleaned up with a cadence of once every five major releases. So after v.25, the next stepping-stone release will be v.30, and so on.

Changes in 2024 release wave 1 (version 24.0)

Support for PowerShell 5.0 (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced As part of our move to .NET Core, we've converted the following Business Central administration modules from PowerShell 5 to PowerShell 7: Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Management.dll, Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Apps.Management.dll, and Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Apps.Tools.dll. The PowerShell 7 modules are renamed with the prefix Microsoft.BusinessCentral instead of Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav and are located in the new Admin folder of the Business Central Server installation.

For those who aren't ready to use PowerShell 7, we've included a Windows PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module that consolidates the cmdlets/functions of all three modules into a single module that can run with PowerShell 5. The PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is called Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Management.dll, and it's installed side-by-side with the new PowerShell 7 modules as a part of Business Central Server installation except in the Management folder. The PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is using an approach similar to the Windows PowerShell Compatibility functionality in PowerShell 7.

We highly recommend that you use the PowerShell 7 modules instead PowerShell 5 compatibility module because they'll give you the best performance. If PowerShell 7 is installed on your device, the PowerShell 7 modules are used by default by selecting Business Central Administration Shell in the Start menu or by runnng the NavAdminTool.ps1 script.

The Windows PowerShell 5 compatibility layer module is planned for removal in version 26 and won't receive any new functionality added in the new PowerShell 7 modules in the meantime.

Schema version for custom APIs (changed default)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced The API capability in Business Central is used many places, for example, in the APIs that come out-of-the-box. For these APIs, $schemaversion is always set to 2.0 to get the latest features in the Business Central OData stack. For custom APIs, it's possible to get these new features by simply calling the API with $schemaversion=2.0. Starting in version 24, the default value of $schemaversion is set to 2.0, also for custom APIs.

Support for delta links with APIs (removed)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced Delta links are opaque, service-generated links that a web service client can use to retrieve subsequent changes to a result (see Using Delta Links with APIs). This feature was introduced in Business Central (online version only) to support the Microsoft Invoicing product, which hasn't been available for years. Starting in version 24, ChangeTrackingAllowed will be set to "false" for all APIs provided by Microsoft and support for delta links will be removed from the server. Since the delta links feature was first introduced, the webhooks functionality in Business Central has been added and improved, making it the preferred approach to change tracking. For more information about the use of webhooks, see Working with Webhooks in Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Server settings for database hints FORCEORDER and LOOPJOIN (removed)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed For Business Central installations on-premises, it's possible to control many server settings. Two of these control the way the Business Central server add hints to SQL statements: DisableQueryHintForceOrder and DisableQueryHintLoopJoin. Starting in version 24, these server settings will no longer be available.

Remove ability to expose a Microsoft page as a SOAP endpoint (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed A UI page isn't an API and therefore changes to them can happen in a release without this being considered a breaking change. But for customers who expose UI pages as web services endpoints, a change in the UI can be felt as a breaking change for an integration built on this endpoint. Starting in version 26, it's no longer possible to expose a Microsoft page as a SOAP endpoint. If you need to have SOAP integrations to these pages, you need to copy the source code for the page and host the page in a per-tenant extension.

Note

Support for the SOAP protocol is being deprecated in Business Central and will be removed in the future. Start planning to move your solutions to use either OData or APIs pages/queries. The article Deprecated Features in the Platform - Clients, Server, and Database will include a section of which release this will happen in when a timeline is available for the removal.

Legacy views on list pages (removal)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced Legacy views are list views that were created by developers in previous releases by placing them on the Role Center page object. In April 2019 release wave, we introduced a new, modern way of creating views. Starting in version 24, views must be created using the modern way. Legacy views will no longer be supported and won't display on list pages. Learn more at Migrating from Legacy Views to Modern Views.

Changes in 2023 release wave 2 (version 23.0)

Server settings for database hints FORCEORDER and LOOPJOIN (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed For Business Central installations on-premises, it's possible to control many server settings. Two of these control the way the Business Central server add hints to SQL statements: DisableQueryHintForceOrder and DisableQueryHintLoopJoin. Starting in version 24, these server settings will no longer be available.

Schema version for custom APIs (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced The API capability in Business Central is used many places, for example, in the APIs that come out-of-the-box. For these APIs, $schemaversion is always set to 2.0 to get the latest features in the Business Central OData stack. For custom APIs, it's possible to get these new features by simply calling the API with $schemaversion=2.0. Starting in version 24, the default value of $schemaversion is set to 2.0, also for custom APIs.

Support for delta links with APIs (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced Delta links are opaque, service-generated links that a web service client can use to retrieve subsequent changes to a result (see Using Delta Links with APIs). This feature was introduced in Business Central (online version only) to support the Microsoft Invoicing product, which hasn't been available for years. In version 23, the ChangeTrackingAllowed property on API pages/queries will be marked as deprecated. Starting in version 24, ChangeTrackingAllowed will be set to "false" for all APIs provided by Microsoft and support for delta links will be removed from the server. Since the delta links feature was first introduced, the webhooks functionality in Business Central has been added and improved, making it the preferred approach to change tracking. For more information about the use of webhooks, see Working with Webhooks in Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Remove write access to app database tables from AL (warning)

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed For Business Central on-premises, the main difference between running in single tenancy mode or multi tenancy mode is that in the former, it's possible to write to the app database tables from AL. Starting in version 24, this is no longer possible.

Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) flow in OAuth 2.0 for Business Central online (removal)

The following feature will be Removed in Business Central 2023 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed ROPC flow in OAuth 2.0 allows apps to sign in users by directly handling their password. This behavior goes against the principles of modern authentication and isn't recommended. Starting in 2023 release wave 2 (v23.0), ROPC will no longer be supported. Instead, when connecting to Business Central online, use an alternative and more secure authentication flows supported by the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL), such as authorization code flow.

Changes in 2023 release wave 1 (version 22.0)

Integration records

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced Apps that integrate with Business Central should be based on System Fields instead of integration records. Using system fields improves overall performance, reduces the size of table data, and improves the ability to audit changes. If you haven't already refactored your app and want to learn more, go to Refactor Integration Management.

WS-Federation with Microsoft Entra authentication

The following feature will be Replaced with Business Central 2023 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced For Microsoft Entra authentication, Business Central supports the OpenID Connect protocol instead of WS-Federation. Support for OpenID Connect was introduced as the default configuration in version 20.0. Until version 22.0, you could choose to opt out of using OpenID Connect and still configure WS-Federation. As a consequence of removing WS-Federation support, we've also removed the Business Central Server setting ClientServicesFederationMetadataLocation and replaced it with the setting ADOpenIdMetadataLocation. For more information about setting up Microsoft Entra authentication with OpenID Connect, go to Configure Microsoft Entra authentication with OpenID Connect.

.NET add-ins not using .NET Standard (removal)

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2023 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced .NET Framework has been superseded by .NET Standard. .NET add-ins compiled with .NET Framework won't work in Business Central 2023 release wave 1. For more information, see Migrating from .NET Framework to .NET Standard.

Business Central telemetry: using an instrumentation key (removal)

On 31 March 2025, technical support for instrumentation key–based global ingestion in the Application Insights feature of Azure Monitor will end. After that date, your Azure Applications Insights resources will continue to receive data, but we'll no longer provide updates or customer support for instrumentation key–based global ingestion.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Support for using an instrumentation key to set up telemetry for Business Central environments or apps will be removed in the 2023 release wave 1 (version 22.0). Use the Azure Applications Insights connection string instead.

License files in the .flf format for Business Central on-premises (removal)

The following feature will be Removed in Business Central 2023 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Importing license files in the .flf format will be unsupported in Business Central 2023 release wave 1. The format remains supported in older versions. Transition to using the newer .bclicense format instead.

Changes in 2022 release wave 2 (version 21.0)

Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API

The Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API makes it easy for developers to add identity capabilities to their applications, including integrating to Business Central.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Replaced To help developers take advantage of all the identity features available in Microsoft Entra ID, we’re now recommending that all developers use the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) and the Microsoft Graph API in their application development. Moving forward, all new identity capabilities will only be available in MSAL and Microsoft Graph. We’re also providing guidance on end of support timelines for Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API, so that you can plan to update any applications that are still using either one of them. Starting June 30th, 2022, Microsoft will end support for ADAL and Azure AD graph and will no longer provide technical support or security updates. Apps using Azure AD graph after this time will no longer receive responses from the Azure AD graph endpoint. Apps using ADAL on existing OS versions will continue to work after this time but won't get any technical support or security updates. For more information, see Update your applications to use Microsoft Authentication Library and Microsoft Graph API

Business Central Server Administration tool (removal)

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2022 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed The Business Central Server Administration tool for configuring the Business Central Server in on-premises installations will be removed in the 2022 release wave 2 (version 21.0). Please use the Windows PowerShell cmdlets that we make available in the Business Central Administration Shell instead.

Behavior of promoted action groups

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2022 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed When the Modern Action Bar on the Feature Management page is set to Enabled, promoted actions, which are defined inside a group whose visibility is set to false will no longer be visible on the promoted side of the action bar. A dedicated code analysis rule in the UICop analyzer (AW0013) helps detect this pattern in your apps. For more information, see UICop Warning AW0013. For more information about the actionref syntax, see Promoted Actions.

Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) flow in OAuth 2.0 for Business Central online (warning)

The following feature will eventually be Removed in Business Central 2023 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed ROPC flow in OAuth 2.0 allows apps to sign in users by directly handling their password. This behavior goes against the principles of modern authentication and isn't recommended. Starting in 2023 release wave 2 (v23.0), ROPC will no longer be supported. Instead, when connecting to Business Central online, use an alternative and more secure authentication flows supported by the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL), such as authorization code flow.

Changes in 2022 release wave 1 (version 20.0)

License files in the .flf format for Business Central on-premises (warning)

The following feature will be Removed in Business Central 2023 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Importing license files in the .flf format will be unsupported in Business Central 2023 release wave 1. It will remain supported in older versions. Transition to using the newer .bclicense format instead.

Web Service Access Keys (Basic Auth) for Business Central Online

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2022 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed (online only) The capability to access web services in Business Central using Web Service Access Key (Basic Auth) is deprecated for SaaS. Any integrations/solutions that connect to Business Central online using Web Service Access Key (Basic Auth) will stop working after October 1, 2022. OAuth2 will be the only authentication option for SaaS. OAuth samples are published in the BCTech repo. For more information, see Using OAuth to Authorize Business Central Web Services (OData and SOAP). For on-premises, Web Service Access Key (Basic Auth) will remain an option for the time being. This change has no impact on how Business Central connects to external services.

Permissions defined as data

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2022 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed With releases of Business Central prior to 2021 release wave 1 (v.18.0), System and Extension permissions and entitlements were defined as data in the application database. This has changed with Business Central v.18.0. With Business Central 2022 release wave 1, the support for defining permissions and entitlements as data in the application database will be removed. For more information, see Entitlements and Permissions Overview.

Deprecate legacy V1 endpoints for Power Automate, Power Apps and Logic Apps in favor of newer technology

The legacy V1 endpoints served by our Power Automate, Power Apps and Logic Apps connector are being replaced later in Business Central online in 2022 and as a consequence we encourage everyone to switch to the most up-to-date V3 endpoints.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Replaced Introduced back in 2018 and replaced with new endpoints several releases ago the legacy V1 endpoints served by our Power Automate, Power Apps and Logic Apps connector are being finally discontinued. Since more than a year ago, actions based on these endpoints aren't exposed in the Power Automate or Power Apps UI in any form. Partners are also educated and encouraged to use actions based on current V3 endpoints, so in 2022 we are completely removing access to V1 endpoints in our connector. Any partners and customers who had in the past created a flow or app based on these older endpoints and haven't moved to the new ones needs to update their Power Automate flows or Power Apps now and switch to V3 actions.

Deprecating nativeInvoicing APIs

The following feature has been deprecated with Business Central 2022 release wave 1 and Removed with Business Central 2023 release wave 2.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Removed The nativeInvoicing API is deprecated with Business Central 2022 release wave 1 and Removed with Business Central 2023 release wave 2. Use the Business Central standard APIs instead. For more information, see API(V2.0) for Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Changes in 2021 release wave 2 (version 19.0)

Business Central app for Windows

The Business Central app that's available from the Microsoft Store is no longer supported with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced The legacy app for Windows was based on Universal Windows Platform (UWP). In its place, we offer an app that's based on Progressive Web Application (PWA) technology, which is a more modern technology that provides a better user experience going forward. The legacy app will still be available on the Windows Store for users running Business Central 2021 release wave 1 or earlier.

Removal of the Business Central Server Administration tool (warning)

The following feature will be Removed in a later release.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed The Business Central Server Administration tool for configuring the Business Central Server in on-premises installations will be removed in a later release. Transition to using the provided PowerShell cmdlets in the Business Central Administration Shell instead.

SOAP endpoints (warning)

The capability of exposing SOAP endpoints will be removed in a later release.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced SOAP has been superseded by OData V4. It's recommended that integrations are migrated to OData V4 as soon as possible.

StartSession calls in upgrade/install context will fail

The following feature has been Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed A new session created with AL StartSession has no link to the session that created it. This implementation can cause problems, for example, in cases where the creating session is an upgrade codeunit. If an error occurs later in the process, which requires a rollback, the server can't roll back any transactions done in the session created by the AL StartSession. This condition can leave data in the system in a bad state. Starting with Business Central 2021 release wave 2, any StartSession call in upgrade/install context will fail immediately.

Standard APIs, Beta version

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Beta version of the standard APIs will be removed by 2021 release wave 2. At this point, Beta APIs won't be available in new releases of Business Central. There are many improvements to v1.0 and v2.0 of the standard APIs. Improvements include more APIs, better performance and improved OData capabilities. It's recommended that integrations move to v2.0 of the standard APIs.

Automation APIs, Beta version

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed Beta version of the Automation APIs will be removed by 2021 release wave 2. At this point, Automation Beta APIs won't be available in new releases of Business Central. It's recommended that integrations move to v2.0 of the Automation APIs.

Client secret authentication in integrations between Microsoft-hosted Business Central online and Microsoft Dataverse

The following feature will be Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed The ability to connect Business Central with Dataverse using the client secret Service-to-Service authentication will be removed for online tenants hosted by Microsoft in March 2022. To further strengthen security, we introduced the ability to use certificate-based authentication in Business Central 2021 release wave 1 (version 18 and later). Existing users can easily switch to certificate-based authentication. For more information, see Upgrade Connections from Business Central Online to Use Certificate-Based Authentication. On-premises customers, and online tenants that are hosted by ISVs, can continue using client secret authentication for their connections to Dataverse.

Legacy Outlook add-in for synchronizing data

The legacy Outlook add-in for synchronizing data, such as to-dos, contacts, and tasks, between Business Central and Outlook will be Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 2.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed This add-in used Business Central web services based on outdated technology.

Note

The deprecation of the Outlook add-in for synchronizing data feature does not affect the Business Central add-in for Outlook feature, which is described at Using Business Central as your Business Inbox in Outlook.

Changes in 2021 release wave 1 (version 18.0)

.NET add-ins not using .NET Standard (warning)

In Business Central 2021 release wave 1, a warning shows if you include .NET add-ins that are compiled with .NET Framework and not with .NET Standard. The capability of using .NET add-ins compiled with .NET Framework will be removed in a later release.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced .NET Framework has been superseded by .NET Standard. .NET add-ins compiled with .NET Framework are deprecated as of Business Central 2021 release wave 1, but the feature won't be removed in this release. It's recommended that .NET add-ins are migrated to .NET Standard as soon as possible. For more information, see Migrating from .NET Framework to .NET Standard.

Expose UI pages as SOAP endpoints (warning)

In Business Central 2021 release wave 1, a warning shows if you expose UI pages as SOAP endpoints. The capability of exposing UI pages as SOAP endpoints will be removed in a later release.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Replaced SOAP has been superseded by OData V4. SOAP endpoints are deprecated as of Business Central 2021 release wave 1, but the feature won't be removed in this release. It's recommended that integrations are migrated to OData V4 as soon as possible.

OData V3

The following feature is Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed OData V3 has been superseded by OData v4. OData V3 is deprecated, and is removed as of Business Central 2021 release wave 1. It's recommended that integrations are migrated to OData v4 as soon as possible.

The Help Server component

The following component is Removed with Business Central 2021 release wave 1.

Removed or Replaced? Why?
Removed In 2021 release wave 1, the Help Server component is removed from the product media for deployment on-premises. If a customer is on a version between Dynamics NAV 2016 and Business Central 2020 release wave 2 on-premises, and they rely on Help Server to provide access to Help, then nothing changes. When they upgrade to Business Central 2021 release wave 1, they must host their custom Help on another type of website. We recommend that new solutions do not rely on the Help Server component due to the deprecation.

What does this mean?

We have simplified the story for how to deploy Help for a customer-specific solution of Business Central, and for deploying Help for an AppSource app. No matter what your solution is, deploy your solution-specific or customized Help to any website that you prefer. Out of the box, Business Central uses the learn.microsoft.com site for the Learn more-links and contextual Help. Each customer and each partner can override this with their own Help. It's now the same for Business Central online and on-premises, so any investment on-premises carries forward if you migrate to Business Central online.

Changes in 2020 release wave 1 (version 16.0)

The following sections describe the features that were deprecated in 2020 release wave 1.

Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API

The Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API makes it easy for developers to add identity capabilities to their applications, including integrating to Business Central.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Replaced To help developers take advantage of all the identity features available in Microsoft Entra ID, we’re now recommending that all developers to use the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) and the Microsoft Graph API in their application development. Moving forward, all new identity capabilities will only be available in MSAL and Microsoft Graph. We’re also providing guidance on end of support timelines for Microsoft Entra Authentication Library (ADAL) and Azure AD graph API, so you can plan to update any applications that are still using either one of them. Starting, June 30th, 2020, Microsoft will no longer add any new features to ADAL and Azure AD graph. We'll continue to provide technical support and security updates but will no longer provide feature updates. For more information, see Update your applications to use Microsoft Authentication Library and Microsoft Graph API

Changes in 2019 release wave 2 (version 15.0)

The following sections describe the features that were deprecated in 2019 release wave 2.

The Windows Client

You can use Business Central in the Windows client that is installed on your computer.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Removed Business Central continues to evolve the modern client experiences where users work with Business Central in the browser, Windows 10 desktop app, or mobile apps on Android and iOS. The legacy Dynamics NAV Windows client is no longer available for deployment. Instead, users can switch to the modern experience in the browser, the Android/iOS mobile apps, or the Windows 10 desktop app (available through the respective stores).

User Personalizations and Profile Configurations

You can personalize pages and configure profiles by adding or removing fields, and Business Central will save your changes.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Replaced The shift to AL caused the legacy personalization and profile configuration features to become outdated, so we have introduced new tooling. In this release, existing personalizations and configurations are discarded, and you must use the new tools to recreate them. Your new changes will be kept in future releases.

Excel COM add-In

You can export data to an Excel workbook.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Removed The Excel COM add-in was installed along with the Windows client. Now that the Windows Client is no longer available, neither is the add-in. To export data to Excel, use the Edit in Excel action.

Printing programmatically

You can print documents such as invoices automatically, without prompting the user or without the user choosing to do so.

Moved, Removed, or Replaced? Why?
Removed This feature was tied to the Windows Client, which is no longer available.

Breaking changes

When we move, remove, or replace an object, breaking changes can result in other apps or extensions that use the object. To help our partners identify and resolve breaking changes, we have created a Breaking Changes document that lists known issues and suggestions for what to do about them.

Features that are available only in the online version

Some features are available only under specific circumstances, or not at all intended for use in on-premises versions of Business Central. For a list and descriptions of those features, see Features not implemented in on-premises deployments.

See also

Deprecated Features in the Base App
Deprecated Features in the Austrian Version
Deprecated Features in the Belgian Version
Deprecated Features in the Canadian Version
Deprecated Features in the Czech Version
Deprecated Features in the Dutch Version
Deprecated Features in the Finnish Version
Deprecated Features in the German Version
Deprecated Features in the Icelandic Version
Deprecated Features in the Italian Version
Deprecated Features in the Mexican Version
Deprecated Features in the Norwegian Version
Deprecated Features in the Russian Version
Deprecated Features in the Swedish Version
Deprecated Features in the Swiss Version
Deprecated Features in the UK Version
Deprecated Features in the United States Version
Deprecated Fields, and Fields Marked as Obsolete in Local Functionality
Deprecated Tables
ALAppExtensions repository (legacy)
BCApps repository (substutute for ALAppExtensions)
Microsoft Timeline for Deprecating Code in Business Central