Dynamics 365 Business Central is the backbone of many medium-sized companies. This is where all central processes come together – from finance and purchasing to warehousing and production through to projects and sales. But the big challenge remains: How can this valuable data be utilised in such a way that it not only helps in operational processes, but also serves as a basis for strategic decisions?

This is precisely where Microsoft Fabric comes in. The new data and analysis platform from Microsoft creates a bridge between Business Central, the Power Platform and modern AI applications.

Warum Microsoft Fabric für Business Central so wichtig ist

Business Central provides many analyses and reports as standard, such as financial reports, open items or project overviews. However, limits often arise as the volume of data grows:

• Data must be exported manually to Excel in order to perform more complex analyses.
• Information from different sources (CRM, IoT, external databases) can only be merged with great effort.
• Real-time analyses or AI-supported forecasts can hardly be implemented as standard.

This is exactly what Microsoft Fabric makes possible. With OneLake, the platform offers a central storage location where data from Business Central can be automatically collected and combined with other sources.

Practical scenarios for Business Central + Fabric

1. Finance and controlling
   All booking data from Business Central flows into Fabric. There it can be combined with data from banks, Excel spreadsheets or even external ERP systems. The result: real-time dashboards in Power BI that clearly display liquidity, cost centres and cash flow – without data export and manipulation.
2. Warehouse and supply chain
   Business Central manages stocks, item movements and deliveries. If this data is supplemented in Fabric with IoT or sensor data (e.g. temperature measurements during transport), a complete picture of the supply chain is created. Companies can react immediately when risks arise and at the same time use historical data for forecasts.
3. Project business
   Transparency is crucial, especially in project-orientated industries (construction, engineering, services). In Fabric, project data from Business Central Project Management can be merged with resource or CRM data. This creates reports that show project progress, profitability and team utilisation in real time.
4. Sales and customer management
   Sales data from Business Central can be linked with marketing data, e-commerce statistics or external market information. On this basis, companies can analyse which products are most profitable, how campaigns work and where there is cross-selling potential.

Connection to the Power Platform: even more added value

Fabric unfolds its full strength when combined with the Power Platform:

• Power Apps access data from Fabric and make Business Central data available for mobile and industry-specific use. Example: A field service app that not only shows current stock levels, but also sales data and forecasts.
• Power Automate starts workflows based on fabric data. If a stock level falls below the defined value, an order is automatically created in Business Central – without human intervention.
• Copilot and AI provide forecasts and text analyses. A CFO can generate reports using natural language: “Show me the sales trend over the last six months compared to production costs.”

Advantages for companies at a glance

• Centralised database: All information from Business Central and other sources is in one place.
• Real-time transparency: Decisions are no longer based on outdated exports, but on live data.
• AI support: forecasts, pattern recognition and automation help you to react more quickly.
• Seamless integration: Everything remains in the Microsoft ecosystem – including security, compliance and governance.
• Scalability: Whether small analyses or big data projects – Fabric grows with the requirements.

Conclusion

Dynamics 365 Business Central is the operational centrepiece, the Power Platform is the tool for flexible processes, and Microsoft Fabric is the data and analytics intelligence. Together, they form an ecosystem that not only makes companies more efficient, but also lays the foundation for data-driven strategies. Anyone who uses Business Central and wants to take the next step towards digitalisation and AI should definitely include Fabric in their roadmap.