Finance analytics in Business Central - the past, the present, and the future (2025 release wave 1)

In this post, I will discuss your options for built-in BI, analytics, and reporting in the Finance module of Dynamics 365 Business Central. Browse it to learn more about your options in different versions of Business Central.

But the real and devious intent behind the article is to involve users and functional consultants in what improvements we should do in this space for the 2025 release waves. Scroll down to get to that part. I mean it. Seriously. Without feedback from you guys, the best I can do is to guess on what matters and then improve that. And I don't work with finance in Business Central as a customer, I'm just working with requirements for the product.

If you work with Business Central version 2022 release wave 2 (or earlier)...

then you have different options

• The Financial Reporting feature (aka Account Schedules)
• standard finance reports
• built-in analytical pages

that all have been in Business Central for ages.

As a recent thing, we documented all of these and added an overview article so that you know what is available.

For more information, see

https://aka.ms/bcFinanceAnalytics

Specifically for Financial Reporting, we recently did a major update to the documentation to make it even easier for you to setup your financial statement reporting the way you want it.

For more information, see Primary capabilities of financial reporting

If you read some of the documentation for finance analytics and have input for improvements, then reach out to me. You are the expert; I am the novice. Let's work together to make the world a little bit better (in context of finance analytics and reporting).

If you work with Business Central version 2023 release wave 1/2 or 2024 release wave 1...

then you have more options. Namely that you can take any list page into Analysis Mode and group/pivot your project data as you see fit. Directly in the client. And you can save any such analysis tab, get a copy in Excel, or share the analysis definition with a friend.

For finance, we even described example scenarios in the documentation (this is a screenshot, you cannot click on the links. Well, you can click. But nothing will happen. Except maybe frustration. I will stop this train of thought now.)

Check out this article to learn more: Ad-hoc analysis of finance data

If you have good scenarios to share that would fit this article, do reach out. Then we can add them together (and you can get your name added to the article. Wouldn't that be cool?

In 2024 release wave 1, you also got 8 new Excel reports for finance. Find an overview in the Report Explorer by searching for "Excel"

The reports are currently in preview, but that will likely change soon...

If you work with Business Central version 2024 release wave 2...

then you are in for a treat (if you use the online version of Business Central). We just (in version 25.1 - the first minor update to this release) released a Power BI app for Finance with 14 reports. The reports allow you to

• Explore a snapshot of the organization's financial health and performance. This page displays key performance indicators that give stakeholders a clear view of revenue, profitability, and financial stability.
• Analyze and compare income statement accounts on a monthly basis. Use the Income Statement by Month report to gain a comparative view of net changes over time.
• Analyze and compare balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis with the Balance Sheet by Month report. Get a comparative view of balance at date over time.
• Compare G/L budgets to actuals on a month-to-month basis and quickly identify variances.
• Analyze your company's liquidity position and track current ratio, quick ratio, and cash ratio over time.
• Analyze your company's gross and net profits over time. Get detailed insights into net margins, gross profit margins, and the underlying revenue with the cost and expense figures that drive them.
• Analyze liability account balances as of a specific date. The report also shows key performance metrics influenced by liabilities, such as the debt ratio and debt-to-equity ratio.
• Analyze the EBITDA and EBIT profitability metrics. These figures reveal trends, while also showing operating revenue and operating expenses to provide context for both measures.
• Analyze how many days it takes to collect accounts receivable. Find trends in the average collection period over time. Details such as the number of days, accounts receivable, and accounts receivable (average) provide context and enhance the analysis.
• Categorize customer balances into aging buckets and see a breakdown by payment terms. Age by document date, due date, or posting date, and customize the aging bucket size by specifying the number of days.
• Categorize vendor balances into aging buckets and review a breakdown by payment terms. Age by document date, due date, or posting date, and customize the aging bucket size by specifying the number of days.
• Analyze general ledger entries in detail, and slice G/L entries by all eight shortcut dimensions.
• Analyze entries posted to the Vendor Ledger and Detailed Vendor Sub Ledger.
• Analyze entries posted to the Customer Ledger and Detailed Customer Sub Ledger.

For more information, see Finance Power BI app

Note that the Finance Power BI app requires additional configuration, so make sure that your administrator Reads The Friendly Manual: Set up the Finance Power BI app

But wait, there's more...

The Financial Reporting feature also got some love in 2024 release wave 2:

1. A lift of the UI
2. Ability to import/export column definitions
3. New row (5), column (12), and report (5) definition templates

If you use consolidation, you got a new Excel report.

And if you use Fixed Assets, you also got some goodies

1. a new ad-hoc analysis query for Fixed Asset Ledger Entries
2. three new Excel reports

What about 2025 release wave 1???

OK relax you good people of all genders and identities. I'm not spilling the coffee on the grand plan here, this is why we have release plans...

Having said that, here are my thoughts on what might happen within finance analytics (hint hint):

• All existing finance reports will get a teaching tip to improve the in-client help (and this will also link to the documentation article for the report).
• The Report Explorer for finance reports will include all reports (I need to check if that is already the case).
• The new Excel reports might get out of preview and be Generally Available (GA)
• The new Power BI reports might be improved (what would you like to get in this space?)
• Financial Reporting will very likely get new features.
• New documentation on how to use What-if analysis in Excel on Business Central data
• New documentation on how to use Excel as client on the semantic model underneath the Power BI app for Finance

If you want to influence the scope (as a Microsoft partner for Business Central), then go to the Yammer site and join the discussion here:

Feedback for the Financial Reporting feature: https://www.yammer.com/dynamicsnavdev/threads/2998930102517760

Feedback for the Power BI app for Finance

https://www.yammer.com/dynamicsnavdev/threads/3085940512309248

If you want to influence the scope (as a Business Central customer), then connect with me here on LinkedIn and write me (or comment on this post).

Signup to the newsletter (and/or spread the word)

That's it for now. Thanks for reading along. Do comment on things that resonated with you when reading the article.

Want to read earlier posts in about reporting and analytics in Business Central. Maybe this series will interest you:

• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 1 (2020 release wave 1+2)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 2 (2021 release wave 1+2)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 3 (2022 release wave 1+2)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 4 (2023 release wave 1+2)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 5 (2024 release wave 1)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 5? (what happened to "getting access to all my data"?)
• Analytics, BI, and reporting in Business Central from 2020 until now - part 6 (analytics features in 2024 release wave 2)
• Built-in BI and Reporting tools in Business Central
• Project analytics in Business Central - the past, the present, and the future (2025 release wave 1)
• Ho ho ho. How to track out-of-the-box KPIs in Business Central Power BI reports
• Manufacturing/production analytics in Business Central - the past, the present, and the future (2025 release wave 1)

If you liked the newsletter and think that others might benefit from it as well, please send them the signup link here:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/newsletters/6981923051273658368