What Actually Matters

✅ TL;DR

– OData pages deprecated (v30)

– SOAP removed (v29)

– Move to API Pages

– Impacts Power BI + integrations

Microsoft has released Dynamics 365 Business Central v28 — (2026 Release Wave 1), rolling out from April 2026.

Before looking at features, one clarification:

Release Model (Think Months, Not “Spring/Autumn”)

Business Central releases twice a year:

• April → v28
• October → v29

You may hear:

• “Spring release” (Northern Hemisphere)
• “Autumn release” (APAC)

👉 This is confusing globally.
👉 Think in months, not seasons.

Each wave includes:

• major version (28.0)
• incremental updates (28.1, 28.2…)

AI Improvements (Short Version)

v28 continues the push toward:

• AI-assisted workflows
• agent-based automation
• better orchestration across systems

This is not a “feature release” — it’s a platform shift toward AI + automation.

If you’re exploring this space (especially MCP-style patterns and agent orchestration), I’ve covered that separately here:

👉 https://abcdrive.blog/2026/01/29/what-mcp-unlocks-when-connected-to-business-central/

Stop Using Web Services Pages (OData/SOAP)

This is the real story in v28 — not a feature, but a deadline.

If you’re still using:

Web Services page → OData / SOAP

You need to start moving away now.

What’s Being Removed

From Microsoft’s deprecation roadmap:

• v29 (Oct 2026)
  → SOAP endpoints removed
• v30 (2027)
  → OData exposure of pages removed

👉 Official Microsoft reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/upgrade/deprecated-features-platform#changes-in-2027-release-wave-1-version-300

• SOAP removal (v29)
• OData removal (v30)

Why This Matters

Old pattern:

UI Page → Web Service → OData

Problem:

• tied to UI
• no contract stability
• breaks across upgrades

Microsoft explicitly states:

A UI page isn’t an API

Required Shift

Move to:

API Pages + API Queries

This gives:

• stable contracts
• versioning
• integration-safe endpoints

This Also Impacts Power BI / Fabric

This is not just integrations.

It directly impacts:

• Power BI
• Fabric pipelines
• reporting models

• “OData web services (not recommended)”
• recommendation to use API pages

Microsoft Guidance

👉 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/admin-powerbi-setup#odata-web-services-not-recommended

Microsoft recommends:

Use API pages instead of OData web services

Existing Reports — What To Do?

If your reports or integrations were built in-house:

✅ Action Plan
1. Audit all OData Web Services
2. Identify Power BI dependencies
3. Replace with API pages
4. Refactor reports if needed

👉 They are still valid
👉 But the data layer must change

✅ Option 1 (Best/Most likely)

Use:

• standard APIs (where possible)
• custom API pages where standard API’s can’t cover requirements

✅ Option 2 (Fastest)

Replace feed (where possible):

OData → API

Keep the model, change the source and make transformations before data renders in your report

✅ Option 3

Review:

• Power BI model
• standard APIs and determine if custom logic is still needed
• out of the box PowerBI reports

Architecture Shift

Old:

ERP → UI Page → OData → reports / integrations

New:

ERP → API Layer → reports / Fabric / integrations

Final Take

v28 is not about features.

It’s about direction.

Business Central is becoming API-first and AI-driven

Closing

If your integrations or reporting still depend on:

Web Services pages + OData

You are building on something that is being removed.