The Business Central update schedule for online tenants
The Business Central update schedule has two major updates a year, in April and October, plus smaller updates in between. Microsoft applies them to your online environments, but you choose the timing within limits. This guide covers the rhythm, the settings you own and how to prepare.
Last updated
How the Business Central update schedule works
Major updates carry the new features from Microsoft's release plans. Release wave 1 starts in April and release wave 2 starts in October. Check Microsoft's current release plan for the exact rollout dates. Each one gets a new major version number. Minor updates follow in the other months. They bring fixes, platform work and the odd smaller feature.
Microsoft rolls updates out region by region, not to every tenant on one day. So your environment becomes eligible a little after the announcement. Microsoft also publishes the release plan well ahead of each wave. That gives you a list of what is coming before anything changes in your system.
Talk about your update plan →
- ✓New application features
- ✓Platform and performance work
- ✓Changes to existing pages
- ✓Features to switch on
- ✓Notices of retired features
Business Central update schedule settings you control
Each environment has update settings in the admin center. The update window sets the hours when an update may run, so it happens outside your working time. For an available update, you can also pick the date, as long as it falls inside the period Microsoft allows.
You cannot skip an update for good. If you pick no date, Microsoft sets one. Next, add notification recipients so the right people get the emails about upcoming and finished updates. Otherwise only the person who signed up for the tenant sees them.
Set up your update settings →- ✓Update window per environment
- ✓Chosen update date
- ✓Notification recipients
- ✓Environment time zone
- ✓Who has admin access
Testing each Business Central update schedule wave
Before each major update, Microsoft offers a preview version. You can use it to create a sandbox and try your extensions early. Later, once the update is out, update a sandbox copy of production first. Then update the live environment.
Testing does not need to be heavy. Run the processes the business cannot live without: order to invoice, purchase to payment, a payment run and month-end reports. Add warehouse scanning and each integration. Record the steps once and reuse them every wave. If something fails, you fix it in the sandbox while production still runs the old version.
Plan your sandbox testing →- ✓Order to invoice flow
- ✓Purchase to payment flow
- ✓Custom reports and layouts
- ✓Integrations and job queues
- ✓Per-tenant extensions
Extensions and the Business Central update schedule
Customizations built as AL extensions make updates routine. A per-tenant extension must compile against the new version. Microsoft emails a warning when it finds one that will not. The developer who maintains it must fix and redeploy it before your update date. Otherwise the update may be postponed.
Publishers of AppSource apps update their own products for each release. Those updates usually install with the environment update or from the admin center. So know which apps you rely on and who supports each one. Feature Management also lists new features you can switch on early to try them.
Check your extensions early →- ✓Per-tenant extensions installed
- ✓Who maintains each one
- ✓Apps from other publishers
- ✓Features awaiting activation
- ✓Deprecation warnings received
On-premises and the Business Central update schedule
Business Central on-premises gets the same two major versions a year and regular cumulative updates. But nothing is applied for you. Your partner or IT team plans each one, including the technical upgrade of the platform and the data. As a result, many on-premises sites fall behind.
Staying current matters because each version is supported for a limited time. After that, fixes and regulatory changes stop. If updates have become a project you dread, that is often the point to look at moving online. There, Microsoft handles the platform work and your effort goes into testing.
Bring an old version current →- ✓Apply cumulative updates
- ✓Plan major version upgrades
- ✓Upgrade custom code
- ✓Test before switching over
- ✓Track the support lifecycle
Questions about the Business Central update schedule
Can we skip a Business Central update schedule wave?
No. Online environments must stay on a supported version. You can choose when the update runs within the period Microsoft offers, and that is the time to use for testing. So plan your sandbox checks early. After the period ends, the service applies the update for you, whether you are ready or not.
Will an update cause downtime?
Users are disconnected while the environment updates, which is why the update window should sit outside working hours. The length depends on database size and installed extensions. If the update fails, production stays on the old version and the service tries again later. So a failed run does not leave you without a working system.
How do we find out what is in a release?
Microsoft publishes release plans for each wave. They list features by area with the planned availability. After the update, the What's New information and Feature Management inside Business Central show what changed. They also show what you may switch on when you are ready. Read the plan a few weeks ahead, then pick the changes that matter to your team.
Do sandbox environments update at the same time as production?
Each environment is scheduled separately. That is useful, because you can update a sandbox first and test there. Then you set the production date for later. Keep at least one sandbox as a recent copy of production for this purpose. It gives you a real preview of how your data, extensions and reports behave on the new version.
Who should own updates in a small company?
One named person, usually the system owner in finance or operations, with a backup. They watch the notifications, agree the date and coordinate a short test. A support partner can also run the testing and extension checks for you during US business hours. That way the Business Central update schedule does not depend on one busy person.
Book a discovery call
Let's talk through your move to Business Central.
A focused call with a senior consultant. We learn how your business runs today, give you an honest view on whether Business Central fits, and outline scope and next steps before you commit to anything.
What happens after you send the form