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Your [TryFunction] caught the error. The records you wrote are still in the table. Welcome to one of Business Central's quietest, most destructive bugs — and one that ships to production more often than anyone admits. This session is an honest look at how AL actually manages write transactions, and how the model diverges from the SQL and try/catch habits most BC developers bring into the language. We'll work through the primitives that govern every transactional decision in your code — Commit, Codeunit.Run, [TryFunction], [CommitBehavior], and [TransactionModel] — what each one really does, when it's the right tool, and which bugs follow when they're confused. You'll leave with a clear mental model of BC's implicit transaction boundary, a decision tree for picking the right primitive, and a short checklist that makes the rollback-that-wasn't impossible to ship. Based on my contribution to BC Quality repository: https://github.com/microsoft/BCQuality/pull/11 Presentation slides and Demo application with code samples: https://github.com/Drakonian/rollback-that-wasnt 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter at https://areopa.academy 🎤 Speaker: Volodymyr Dvernytskyi 🧭 Moderator: Luc van Vugt 📹 Video editing: Mats Thell 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:17 - Introduction Volodymyr and agenda 00:05:48 - What is a transaction -- 00:06:55 - ACID, in BC terms -- 00:08:00 - Why it matters 00:09:14 - Who owns the transaction -- 00:10:42 - What does a rollback actually undo? -- 00:11:37 - Posting Preview - rollback o purpose 00:12:29 - Three ways a transaction goes wrong -- 00:13:14 - (1) The rollback that wasn't -- 00:16:02 - (2) The rollback you didn't want -- 00:17:26 - (3)The rollback that can't happen 00:18:59 - Five tools that control the transaction -- 00:19:50 - Commit() -- 00:23:24 - [CommitBehavior] -- 00:29:34 - if Codeunit.Run -- 00:36:34 - [TryFunction] -- 00:40:03 - [TransactionModal] 00:42:45 - Raising error well -- 00:44:16 - Show-it and Fix-it actions -- 00:45:21 - Collectible errors stop failing one row at a time -- 00:47:00 - The rollback that wasn't, collectible edition -- 00:48:20 - One dialog instead of three runs -- 00:49:36 - All of it, in one real procedure 00:51:30 - Real code, map and checklist -- 00:51:30 - Which tool? Walk the map -- 00:52:40 - Ship checklist -- 00:53:48 - Take it with you -- 00:54:19 - Five lines to take home 00:55:00 - Q & A
20261026 – The Rollback That Wasn’t Transaction & Error Handling
💡 Recurring Invoicing in Business Central, Without the Add-on 💡 For years, recurring revenue in Business Central meant workarounds: recurring journals, recurring sales lines that were not tied to any contract, or a third-party app. Subscription Billing is now part of standard Business Central, and it handles the full chain from the sales agreement to the automated recurring invoice. Magdalena Dygas (Senior Business Central Consultant, Columbus) walks through the module live: the role center, every setup you need, how subscriptions, subscription lines and contracts fit together, and four practical scenarios you can reproduce in a sandbox with the Contoso demo tool. In this session you'll learn: ✅ Why Subscription Billing exists and what it replaces ✅ The building blocks: packages, line templates, items, subscriptions, subscription lines and contracts ✅ How the module evolved across Microsoft releases, including the renames you will meet in older videos ✅ The setups: subscription contract setup, general posting setup, contract types, harmonized billing ✅ Billing base period vs billing rhythm, and how they split the price across invoices ✅ Scenario 1: hardware sold with a maintenance subscription, created at shipment ✅ Scenario 2: a support subscription created directly, without a sales order ✅ Recurring billing proposals: filter by template, merge lines into one invoice per customer, fix and regenerate ✅ Scenario 3: usage-based billing imported from a vendor file, invoiced on both customer and vendor side ✅ Scenario 4: a yearly vendor invoice deferred over 12 months, released at month end ✅ Reporting with built-in reports and the Subscription Billing Power BI app 🎤 Speaker: Magdalena Dygas 🧭 Moderator: Bert Verbeek 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter. Find the subscription box on our website. *Chapters:* 00:02:49 - Introduction Magdalena Dygas 00:03:33 - Agenda 00:04:07 - Why subscription billing 00:08:00 - Building blocks 00:08:51 - Timeline of Microsoft releases 00:10:38 - What changed in each release 00:11:33 - Live demo and Role Center 00:12:27 - Setup and process flow 00:25:13 - Four practical scenarios -- 00:25:13 - scenario 1 -- 00:33:30 - scenario 2 -- 00:39:06 - scenario 3 -- 00:44:02 - scenario 4 00:49:42 - Reporting, recap and benefits Note: if you would like to receive the slide deck send a mail to webinars@areopa.academy.
20261012 – Unlocking Subscription Billing in Dynamics 365 Business Central
I gave my first virtual talk in 2020. Stepped onto a physical stage in 2022. This April, I got an ask on a Friday morning in Odense — another speaker had pulled out, and the conference needed someone to fill a 90-minute Saturday slot. I said yes, and it went well. Six years of speaking got me to that Yes. This session is about what happened in those six years: how I started, what practice helps support this journey, what I figured out along the way, and how I think about preparing a talk now. I'll also cover how I've started using agents in my prep and review this year, which has changed how fast I can shape a new session without changing what makes it mine. If you've been telling yourself, you should speak more, come hang out. Steal whatever's useful. Speaker: Jeremy Vyska Moderator: Luc van Vugt 00:03:51 - You are the art. -- 00:04:48 - Am I skipping growth 00:07:28 - The deck is the receipt. You are the art. 00:08:50 - About Jeremy 00:10:06 - Act 1 - The Fire -- 00:10:06 - Before I ever gave a talk 00:12:15 - Act 1 - The Forge -- 00:13:42 - Three apprenticeships 00:15:24 - Act 1 - The Yes -- 00:14:47 - Days of Knowledge Nordic, Odense - April 2026 00:16:39 - Act 2- Reps -- 00:16:39 - Anchors are fixed. Accordions flex. -- 00:17:57 - Presence over polish -- 00:20:08 - The kit -- 00:23:50 - Prep situations, not scripts 00:27:29 - Act 3 - Exhibit A -- 00:27:29 - This deck is Exhibit A -- 00:30:21 - Four gates. Don't skip ahead. 00:32:51 - Act 3 - Exhibit B -- 00:34:47 - Watch the talk change shape -- 00:36:24 - The receipt and the art -- 00:38:07 - I don't need to be a PowerPoint wizard 00:40:22 - Act 4 - Mirror -- 00:42:53 - What the kit told me after Odense -- 00:44:08 - This recording goes through the kit 00:45:23 - Close - The Verdict -- 00:45:23 - A keynote room built for thousends -- 00:46:53 - One of the six built something -- 00:48:30 - A talk can make art of someone else 00:50:00 - Close - Steal Whatever's Useful -- 00:50:00 - When Monday comes 00:51:56 - The deck is the receipt. You are the art. 00:52:22 - Q & A Link to Brendon Sanders keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb3uK-_QkOo
290928 – You Are the Art : Notes from Six Years of Becoming a Speaker
Demo data is the foundation of successful pre-sales scenarios and other kind of demos in Business Central - and at the same time one of the biggest challenges. Anyone who has ever tried to set up realistic demo scenarios for a complex ERP system knows that preparation can take days. RapidStart packages used to be the only option but came with limitations. With the Contoso Coffee project, Microsoft introduced a more modern approach, but this only covers the standard product. Partners are still left with the challenge of presenting their own products convincingly. In this session, I’ll shortly share the story of demo data in Business Central – and introduce a new open-source tool that automatically generates a Contoso Coffee–style extension from existing BC data. Most of the work is automated, while the remaining can be fine-tuned together with pre-sales or consulting teams. The result: consistent, realistic demos with much less effort. With a live demo, community focus, and practical tips Speaker: Simon Fischer Moderator: Tobias Fenster 00:04:28 - Intro Simon 00:05:06 - Agenda 00:05:58 - The pain we want to discuss and the current reality 00:10:34 - The new world: Contoso demo data history, structure and code 00:16:17 - The gap for partners and the solution: Demo Data Generator 00:17:10 - Demo Data Generator -- 00:19:35 - Demo 00:28:02 - The remaining 20% that can't be generated and how that can be filled 00:39:37 - Key takeaways 00:41:11 - Resources & links 00:41:27 - Q & A
20260914 – Demo or Disaster? How to build better Business Central demos?
Do you want to talk to your Business Central in natural language? With the new Business Central MCP Server, you can chat with your data directly from Copilot Studio or any other Large Language Model, including Claude. In this session, you will learn how to: * Configure and use the Business Central MCP Server. * Create a Copilot Studio agent that can “speak” with your Business Central data. * Extend this integration to other LLMs and scenarios using some unofficial MCP server. Speaker: Roberto Corella Moderator: Gert Hector 00:03:02 - Intro Roberto 00:03:55 - Agenda 00:04:41 - How many of you know the MCPs? 00:05:35 - What's the MCP 00:08:46 - MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to LLM. 00:10:57 - Why the MCP is a game-changer 00:11:49 - MCP Server Components 00:13:32 - MCP Server Components in Copilot Studio 00:16:31 - General Architecture 00:18:44 - Why MCP Server for BC 00:19:36 - Types of MCP's 00:21:13 - MCP Architecture - Public Preview 00:21:45 - MCP Server Configuration 00:23:50 - The default MCP Configuration 00:27:15 - Dynamic tools read flow explained 00:27:43 - What about write scenarios? 00:29:48 - MCP permissions and authentication 00:31:07 - Creating an agent in Copilot Studio 00:40:19 - MCP vs other tools 00:46:16 - support for other MCP hosts 00:46:40 - Import & Export configurations 00:47:54 - MCP Proxy - experimental 00:49:33 - Using other Clients 00:51:02 - MCP for administrators 00:53:20 - From the lab 00:53:56 - Takeaway 00:54:58 - Q & A
20260831 – Business Central MCP Server, standard and custom
💡 Build Your Own Business Central Agent - No Code Required 💡 Business Central ships with agents for sales orders, payables and expenses. But what about your process? Until recently, building your own meant leaving BC for Copilot Studio or Azure AI Foundry. Not anymore. Bert Verbeek (4PS) takes you from zero to a working agent: what an agent actually is, how to build one in the UI without writing a line of code, and how to take it into AL when it's ready to ship. The live demo runs end to end - an email asks whether items are in stock, the agent checks inventory, hits a shortage, asks for a vendor, creates the purchase order and drafts the reply. In this session you'll learn: ✅ What separates an agent from ordinary automation, and the three agents already in BC ✅ Prerequisites: a sandbox environment, AGENT - ADMIN and AGENT - DIAGNOSTICS permissions, and billing set up (free credits run out) ✅ Creating an agent in the UI: display name, role, permissions, instructions, model ✅ A full live demo of a custom Inventory Check agent, including human-in-the-loop review ✅ How agents really run: tasks, task messages, conversation IDs, and an orchestrator outside BC ✅ Writing instructions like you'd onboard a junior employee - the skill functional consultants already have ✅ Limiting the agent with a dedicated role center, page customization and permissions ✅ Troubleshooting: credit consumption, task steps, and seeing exactly what the agent saw ✅ Building the agent from AL: codeunits, configuration dialog, capability registration, KPI page ✅ AL agents vs Copilot Studio - when each one is the right call If you write tooltips and error messages, this session will change how you write them: the agent reads both. Custom agents are sandbox and preview only today, which makes right now the best time to prototype. 🎤 Speaker: Bert Verbeek 🧭 Moderator: Tobias Fenster 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf **Chapters:** 02:50 - Meet the speaker: Bert Verbeek, 4PS 03:49 - What an AI agent actually is 04:40 - The agents already shipping in Business Central 08:49 - Create your own agent: role, permissions, instructions, model 10:30 - Live demo: the Inventory Check agent, from email to purchase order 16:19 - Messages as triggers in agent workflows 20:47 - Inside the framework: tasks, orchestrator, asynchronous execution 23:47 - Writing instructions: prompt your agent like a junior employee 28:51 - Limiting access: role center, page customization, permissions 32:59 - Troubleshooting: consumption, task steps, what the agent actually sees 38:06 - Creating an agent from AL code 42:09 - AL agents vs Copilot Studio, and development considerations 44:44 - Q & A Note: if you would like to receive the slide deck send a mail to webinars@areopa.academy.
20260713 – From Zero to Agent Building agents in Business Central
AI is rapidly reshaping the way consultants analyse requirements, design solutions, and deliver projects. In this practical session, we focus on your day-to-day work, and how AI tools can help you work faster, improve quality, and reduce effort across the project lifecycle. You'll learn how Microsoft Copilot and associated AI capabilities can streamline requirements gathering, accelerate documentation, support solution design, and assist with testing and analysis. We'll explore real examples of how consultants can use AI to uncover insights, challenge assumptions, and deliver value more quickly. The goal of this session is to show you practical techniques you can apply immediately to enhance your productivity, improve customer outcomes, and meet the increasing expectations placed on consultants. Documents from webinar https://github.com/bc-niall/AI-4-BC-Consultants Speaker: Niall McGovern Moderator: Luc van Vugt 00:03:27 - Intro Niall 00:04:29 - What to expect today 00:05:47 - Why AI matters to your daily consulting work 00:06:44 - Where AI can help you, in general 00:07:05 - Where AI fits in the BC project lifecycle 00:07:43 - Planning & Design -- 00:08:03 - Accelerating requirements gathering ---- 00:09:13 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:10:47 - Example prompts -- 00:14:52 - Improving analysis & understanding ---- 00:15:35 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:16:28 - Example prompts 00:18:46 - Implementation -- 00:19:01 - Faster & beter solution design ---- 00:19:43 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:20:54 - Example prompts -- 00:22:09 - Improving the breadth & speed of testing ---- 00:22:48 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:23:41 - Example prompts 00:26:30 - Go-Live / Aftercare -- 00:26:44 - AI-supported documentation ---- 00:27:24 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:28:13 - Example prompts ---- 00:29:16 - Make M365 Copilot write more like you ------ 00:30:00 - M365 Copilot personalization ------ 00:31:09 - Example: Consultant documentation style card 00:31:34 - Go-Live / Aftercare -- 00:32:03 - Assisting with issue triage and RCA ---- 00:33:46 - Primary Microsoft AI Tooling ---- 00:34:21 - Example prompts 00:35:07 - Relevant AI capabilities in BC -- 00:36:24 - Example prompts 00:37:25 - What is MCP, in plain language? -- 00:39:25 - MCP overview -- 00:40:23 - When might a consultant encounter MCP? -- 00:42:02 - What consultants should ask before using MCP? 00:43:10 - Closing insights -- 00:43:13 - Some scenarios to start with -- 00:44:15 - What this means for you, now -- 00:46:02 - You decide... -- 00:48:12 - Some final advice 00:50:06 - Q & A
20260629 – AI Enabled Delivery for Consultants
You’ve survived the journey, but are you there yet? You sell Business Central, you program with AL-GO, you’ve even published an app—but does your team feel like a modern BC partner? Or are you still thinking like a NAV shop? This session explores what it really means to evolve from a NAV consultancy to a successful Business Central partner. It’s not about code or licensing. It’s about shifting mindsets across the individual, the team, and the sales process. We’ll compare where we came from—pragmatic, project-based, hands-on—to where we need to go in the world of SaaS, vertical offerings, and standardized delivery. Building on my earlier presentations at NAV TechDays and Days Of Knowledge Nordic, this session looks at the mindset of a NAV legacy and questions how to move to the Brave New World without getting left behind. Speaker: David Singleton Moderator: Henrik Helgesen 00:02:48 - Intro 00:03:27 - My journey 00:10:11 - Disclaimer 00:14:12 - NAV vs BC partner 00:18:36 - Are we there yet? 00:20:52 - Revenue model 00:23:02 - What do you sell? 00:24:14 - Magic sauce 00:25:17 - Delivery time frame 00:26:36 - Development model 00:27:37 - Management 00:30:16 - Technical debt 00:31:14 - Service 00:34:16 - Hidden costs 00:36:11 - Time value 00:36:27 - I'll give up my timesheets when you pry ... 00:37:14 - Did we miss the exit 00:38:00 - The good dinosaur 00:38:28 - Can we have both 00:44:05 - Q & A
20260615 – Are We There Yet? The Journey from NAV to Business Central
This session shares a verification first workflow for refactoring legacy AL safely with AI agents, even when you start with little or no automated coverage: 1) Behaviour mapping: capture current behaviour as an explicit plan (inputs, key paths, invariants, side effects) before changing code. 2) Safe change loop: add short lived Debug Logs to confirm your tests exercise the intended paths, turn observations into characterization tests, then refactor under strict TDD. You'll learn where debug logging provides the highest signal, how to make your logs available for your agent, and how to run agents inside guardrails (plan → tests + proof → refactor) so humans stay in control of intent. You'll leave with a practical playbook checklist, a reusable Debug Logging pattern for AL, and prompt/review templates you can apply to your next risky module. Examples are generic/sanitized. Speaker: Flemming Bakkensen Moderator: Luc van Vugt 00:03:53 - Intro Flemming 00:05:42 - The Problem -- 00:05:42 - Most BC work is brownfield -- 00:07:16 - A fast agent with no brakes 00:08:14 - The Thesis - Every AI-written test must answer two questions 00:09:55 - Old crafts, new stakes 00:14:49 - The loop - Map - Characterize - Prove - Refactor 00:16:47 - Map behaviour before you change code 00:19:18 - Question 1 (Characterize) - Did the test run the code? -- 00:20:12 - Debug logging - the AL pattern -- 00:22:40 - One interface captures every log -- 00:25:45 - See exactly which branch fired -- 00:27:31 - Lock current behaviour into test 00:29:08 - Question 2 (Prove) - Would it catch a break? -- 00:29:09 - Running a path doesn't prove the test asserts -- 00:30:00 - Break the code on purpose 00:33:18 - Refactor under TDD 00:37:22 - Keep humans in control of intent - Enforcement beats good intentions 00:39:32 - The payoff - Proof, not hope 00:41:47 - The playbook you leave with 00:44:04 - Q & A
20260601 – From No Tests to Safe Refactors Debug Logging + AI Agents for Legacy AL
You've learned hard things before. C/AL with messy documentation. Business logic that made no sense until it did. How to debug someone else's chaos. AI is just the next one. Same learning pattern, different tool. But most people are stuck - dabbling without a system or waiting for it to "make sense" before they start. This session is for BC consultants who are curious but haven't found their groove yet. I'll share what slowed me down, what actually worked, and why the learning curve isn't where you think it is. No hype. No prompts-and-tricks session. Just a practical look at how to approach AI the way you already know how to learn. Speaker: Nabil Ba-Moh Moderator: Tine Starič 00:04:37 - How the story started 00:10:25 - What you'll walk away with 00:11:30 - Point 1: The privacy wall 00:17:17 - Point 2: The moment it clicked 00:26:32 - Point 3: Doer vs. Director 00:31:53 - Demo 00:38:03 - The Email Hallucination 00:40:21 - Marathon Over Chats 00:42:29 - Q & A 00:46:45 - Wrap up 00:48:06 - Your Next Step - This Week
20260518 – Learning AI the Way I Learned NAV
In this webinar Finn Pedersen will talk about how to - write Environment Interfaces, what they are, and why all projects need them. - reach 100% code coverage by tests - make tests run in milliseconds - test code that would otherwise be impossible to test in automated tests - run tests in your build pipeline. No code will ever be put in production without having passed all tests If you have not yet written an Interface, this session will get you started. All developers should learn this to deliver quality BC extensions and apps. The talk is based on the development of an App for AppSource and has led to a series of articles on Finn's blog. https://www.finnpedersenfrance.com/programming/2025/06/26/environment-interface-part-1.html https://www.finnpedersenfrance.com/programming/2025/06/26/environment-interface-part-2.html https://www.finnpedersenfrance.com/programming/2025/06/26/environment-interface-part-3.html https://www.finnpedersenfrance.com/programming/2025/06/26/temporary-tables-in-tests.html Code examples on GitHub https://github.com/finnpedersenfrance/BC-Environment-Interfaces 🎤Speaker: Finn Pedersen 🧭Moderator: Gert Hector 📹Video Editor: Mats Thell 📧 Contact? Want updates? Check out our webpage https://areopa.academy 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:01 - About Finn 00:04:47 - Vjeko 00:06:07 - Why 00:07:13 - Agenda 00:07:36 - Scenario 00:08:16 - Key Requirements 00:09:35 - Demo App and Demo Tests and Coverage 00:14:14 - Environments 00:16:05 - Environment Interfaces vs Context Interfaces -- 00:16:33 - Context Interface -- 00:18:29 - Environment Interface 00:19:48 - Test 100% of our code -- 00:19:53 - Covering all path 00:21:13 - Logic in the App -- 00:21:16 - Application State -- 00:21:55 - System Environment -- 00:22:14 - Environment Interface -- 00:22:35 - Environment Implementation -- 00:24:45 - Make impossible states impossible -- 00:25:27 - Production or Test -- 00:25:46 - Logic in the App 00:26:09 - Logic in the Test App -- 00:26:18 - London Style Terminology -- 00:27:08 - App Environment -- 00:27:17 - Stub Production Environment -- 00:28:39 - Testing this logic -- 00:30:16 - Production or Test 00:31:03 - Code on GitHub 00:31:52 - Test without calling the API -- 00:32:07 - API Request Interface -- 00:33:07 - API Request Implementation -- 00:34:30 - Test Implementation 00:38:39 - Super Fast -- 00:38:47 - Key requirements -- 00:38:56 - Scenario -- 00:40:35 - EncodeEmail -- 00:41:48 - Test in Production -- 00:43:31 - Code Hierarchy 00:45:23 - Q & A
20260504 – Super fast tests covering 100% of your code
💡 What is GitOps? Stop Managing Azure Infrastructure by Hand 💡 Are you still clicking through the Azure Portal to create and manage your resources? Even Infrastructure as Code has gaps — manual drift, push-only updates, and limited traceability. GitOps takes it further: your Git repository becomes the single source of truth, and tools like ArgoCD automatically ensure reality matches your definitions. In this hands-on session, you'll learn: ✅ Why ClickOps is risky, and IaC still has blind spots ✅ Core GitOps principles: declarative, pull-based, self-healing ✅ The tech stack: Kubernetes + Crossplane + ArgoCD ✅ Live demo: create resources, modify metadata, revert changes, detect drift — all from Git ✅ Real-world example: managing 6 AKS clusters across teams with pull requests ✅ When to use GitOps and how to get started Whether you're running one AKS cluster or six, this session shows you how to treat infrastructure like software — with PRs, history, and automatic reconciliation. 🎤 Speakers: Tobias Fenster & Markus Lippert 🧭 Moderator: Tine Starič 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 02:48 - About Markus and Tobias 04:40 - ClickOps vs. Infrastructure as Code 10:26 - What is GitOps 18:13 - Deep dive and live demo 27:23 - Real-world GitOps Example 31:47 - Best practices and lessons learned 35:42 - Q & A Note: If you would like to receive the slide deck, send an email to webinars@areopa.academy.
20260420 – What is GitOps and why should you care
Programming isn't memorizing syntax and making English = Code - it's understanding computational thinking to achieve desired outcomes. Well, leveraging AI Toolings as part of your daily life requires a shift to Agentic thinking that's almost as big of a leap. Let's talk about what it takes to go from a savvy senior developer to a manager of a million idiot savants. Speaker: Jeremy Vyska Moderator: Luc van Vugt 00:05:11 - Introduction 00:05:51 - About me 00:07:00 - Act 1 — Why this is hard for YOU -- 00:07:54 - The C/AL brain vs the agentic brain -- 00:10:36 - AI is an amplifier, not a replacement -- 00:12:20 - You've done this before -- 00:13:59 - Every line of code is a liability -- 00:17:46 - Testing is your trust layer 00:20:58 - Act 2 — The five mindset shifts -- 00:21:39 - I write every line → I describe the outcome -- 00:23:21 - Deterministic → Probabilistic -- 00:24:38 - Syntax mastery → Intent mastery -- 00:28:53 - Debug by reading → Debug by reviewing -- 00:30:39 - Verified correctness → Calibrated confidence 00:34:55 - Act 3 — Managing a million idiot savants -- 00:35:17 - The mental model -- 00:39:53 - Context is everything -- 00:43:18 - The cautionary tales -- 00:44:12 - The Master Loop 00:45:00 - Act 4 — The trust ladder -- 00:45:09 - Why adoption fails -- 00:47:48 - The five rungs -- 00:52:06 - The reframes -- 00:53:15 - Pick one rung — compound skill -- 00:53:53 - The takeaway 00:54:19 - Resources 00:55:22 - Q & A Links: * Link to Development Study: https://youtu.be/b9EbCb5A408?si=gkKblUHvjNMusS4C * "We are the art": https://youtu.be/mb3uK-_QkOo?si=Ct0RsYh-tvosSzqC
20260326 – From AI Novice to Agentic Thinking For the CAL Brained
There's a lot of guidance out there on writing high-performance AL code and for good reason. Optimizing for speed should always be the first priority. But sometimes, no matter how well the code is written, an operation simply takes time. Large data volumes, complex processes, or external dependencies can make certain tasks inherently slow. This is where perception of performance becomes just as important as actual performance. This session focuses on how to maintain a responsive and user-friendly experience, even when heavy work is happening in the background. Techniques will be covered that allow long-running operations to be handled without blocking the user interface, helping users stay productive and engaged. Key concepts and practical approaches for offloading processing and improving perceived performance will be explained, providing a foundation for building smoother, more responsive Business Central solutions. 🎤Speakers: Henrik Helgesen and Stefan Maron 🧭Moderator: Bert Verbeek 📹Video Editor: Mats Thell 📧 Want updates? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 00:02:28 - Introduction Henrik and Stefan 00:05:45 - Objective 00:07:36 - Agenda 00:09:03 - The Problem 00:10:23 - The Magic of Perception 00:10:55 - Real-World Example 00:19:05 - Background Processing Toolkit -- 00:22:49 - Page Background Tasks -- 00:24:25 - Demo - Page Background Task -- 00:27:11 - Start Session -- 00:28:06 - Demo - Start Session -- 00:30:22 - Task Scheduler -- 00:31:42 - Demo - Task Scheduler -- 00:36:19 - Job Queue -- 00:42:49 - Demo - Job Queue 00:45:04 - Background Sessions Enable Auto-Scaling 00:47:55 - Conclusion : Make It Feel Fast 00:50:28 - Q & A -- Are there limits how many startsessions can be triggered at once? -- How many task schedulers can you run? And if yes do you know how many there are running? Find the code examples here: - https://github.com/StefanMaron/BackgroundSessionDemo Might you want to have a read of this webinar: https://stefanmaron.com/posts/bc-background-processing-make-it-feel-fast/.
20260223 – If You Can’t Make It Fast, Make It Feel Fast
🚀 Keep Your AL Projects Manageable with Clear Architecture As AL projects grow, complexity grows with them. The solution? A clean, simple architectural approach that saves your team time and avoids confusion. 🧩 Why C4 Instead of Traditional Diagrams? Traditional visuals like * UML * ERDs * BPMN …often become cluttered and hard to maintain. The C4 model offers a lightweight, easy‑to‑understand way to map your solution—from code dependencies to interconnected Dynamics 365 services. 🤖 Architecture Meets AI With AI coding agents becoming standard tools: * Clear architecture → better prompts * Better prompts → less rework * Less rework → fewer “start again” moments Good architecture upfront makes pipelines smoother and development more enjoyable. 🎯 What You’ll Gain * A simple method to describe AL/BC solutions * A shared language for devs and decision‑makers * Practical tips for tools and workflows * A way to keep solutions scalable and maintainable 👤 Speakers Speaker: Christian Lenz Moderator: Gert Hector 📬 Want updates? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 00:03:00 - Introduction 00:03:43 - Introduction Christian 00:05:48 - My Challenge 00:08:16 - Chaos vs. Clarity 00:09:15 - Traditional diagrams -- 00:10:10 - UML diagrams -- 00:10:35 - ER Diagrams -- 00:11:20 - BPMN 00:12:22 - Introducing the C4 model 00:13:48 - What is the C4 model? - Defined set of abstractions and diagram 00:16:15 - Why C4 works for AL 00:17:22 - What is the C4 model? - Set of diagrams -- 00:17:22 - System Context View -- 00:20:37 - Container Diagram -- 00:21:09 - Component Diagram -- 00:22:49 - Code Diagram -- 00:23:58 - Example set of maps 00:26:44 - What helped me to solve it - modeling the solution (System Context/Container) 00:31:32 - The Solution (Component/Code) 00:34:29 - AI & Architecture -- 00:34:42 - AI Coding agents need clarity 00:36:55 - Prompting is coding 00:37:04 - Tool recommendations -- 00:37:06 - draw.io -- 00:37:47 - Structurizr 00:39:22 - VSC and Copilot -- 00:41:43 - Structurizr playground 00:44:19 - Q & A
20260209 – Chaos to Clarity – Visualizing AL architecture for scalable Business Central solutions
💡 Master Excel Report Layouts in Business Central: From Basics to Real-Time Reporting 💡 Tired of waiting on developers for custom reports? Excel Report Layouts let you transform raw Business Central data into polished, actionable reports—without writing code. In this hands-on session, you'll learn: ✅ Why Excel Layouts are a game-changer for BC reporting ✅ The complete 4-step process: data contract → design → import → test ✅ Real-world examples of Excel Reports in production ✅ How to build refreshable reports with Power Query and BC's API ✅ Create reports that automatically update with live data Whether you're a functional consultant, business analyst, or power user, you'll walk away ready to build your own custom reports immediately. 🎤 Speaker: Tonya Bricco-Meske 🧭 Moderator: Bert Verbeek 📧 Want to see the next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 03:10 - Introduction Tonya 05:15 - Report introduction 06:21 - Agenda 06:38 - The Goals of Excel Layouts 08:49 - Why use Excel Layouts 11:38 - What gives people feelings of power 12:51 - Excel Reports in the wild 17:46 - Step 1 - Get Excel workbook with the "data contract" 24:33 - Step 2 - Layout data as you wish using Excel features 28:15 - Step 3 - Import layout file into Business Central 31:20 - Step 4 - Test the layout 32:41 - Refreshable Excel Reports 38:56 - Q & A 45:21 - Recap Note: if you would like to receive the slide deck send a mail to webinars@areopa.academy.
20260126 – Excel Report Layouts: From Basics to Refreshable, Real-Time Reporting
Features are just better if they're built in a quality way, wouldn't you agree? But quality takes time. Quality takes preparation. If you want quality, you need a plan on how to ensure it. And that's where the Test Plan comes in—a plan of attack to provide a quality outcome. We've heard about Test Plans' great benefits for a while, but we don't always make one. Why? It takes time! What if we told you, it doesn't have to take time? What if AI would stop generating emails and helped us make better software? That's exactly what we tried, and it worked wonders! Extract a test plan out of requirements, restructure already created plans, find missing details, and watch the test plan appear in front of your eyes... You really don't have to make a Test Plan (from scratch) anymore… In this session we will talk about the journey they went, so join us to get yourself at the same surface. Speakers: Tine Starič & Luc van Vugt Moderator: Henrik Helgesen 00:02:41 - Introduction Tine & Luc 00:05:04 - Agenda 00:07:26 - What is a Test Plan 00:09:37 - Why a Test Plan 00:12:44 - Test Plan Example 00:18:36 - What is the challenge with a Test Plan 00:21:41 - How can AI help 00:22:22 - System prompt 00:24:50 - This Journey 00:25:47 - Demo 00:38:41 - Refining AI's Test Plan output 00:40:53 - Demo 00:48:15 - The Power of system Prompts 00:48:56 - Wrap-up 00:52:05 - Q & A
20251208 – You don't have to make Test Plans anymore…
💡 43 Battle-Tested Tips to Transform Your Business Central Development 💡 Are you a Business Central developer looking to refresh your knowledge and work smarter? Fasten your seatbelts! Milan Milinčević and Luc van Vugt pack 43 powerful tips into this rapid-fire session. From essential VS Code extensions to performance optimizations that make your queries 23x faster, this session covers: ✅ VS Code productivity: extensions, shortcuts & agentic development ✅ Performance boosters: SetLoadFields, TextBuilder, query objects, lazy evaluation ✅ Clean code patterns: interfaces, early exit strategy, proper variable scoping ✅ Testing & debugging: snapshot debugging, telemetry, test permissions ✅ Real-world design patterns from alguidelines.dev Whether you're new to BC development or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you write better code, debug faster, and build solutions that scale. 🎤 Speakers: Milan Milinčević & Luc van Vugt 🧭 Moderator: Tobias Fenster 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 📑 Want the slide deck? Email webinars@areopa.academy 05:36 - Tip 1 – VS Code AL extensions 08:27 - Tip 2 – Shortcuts in VS Code 09:25 - Tip 3 – Use MSDyn365BC.Code.History 10:51 - Tip 4 – Agentic development 12:08 - Tip 5 – Use micro-commits 13:02 - Tip 6 – Limit event subscriptions 13:38 - Tip 7 – Managed CI/CD solution 15:04 - Tip 8 – Implicit commit 16:07 - Tip 9 – Implement tooltips on table level 17:08 - Tip 10 – Move to Word layouts 18:40 - Tip 11 – Organize folders by category, not object type 19:19 - Tip 12 – Data Administration page for cleanup and analysis 21:00 - Tip 13 – Page Inspection / Ctrl+Alt+F1 22:02 - Tip 14 – Snapshot debugging 23:03 - Tip 15 – Telemetry 24:11 - Tip 16 – Database performance pages 25:28 - Tip 17 – SetAutoCalcFields 26:41 - Tip 18 – Page background tasks 27:39 - Tip 19 – TextBuilder 28:21 - Tip 20 – IsEmpty + DeleteAll 29:15 - Tip 21 – SetLoadFields 31:10 - Tip 22 – Use query object instead of nested loops 32:10 - Tip 23 – "Lazy evaluation" 33:18 - Tip 24 – Use DataTransfer for efficient upgrades 34:28 - Tip 25 – Use alguidelines.dev BC design patterns 35:42 - Tip 26 – Proper use of global variables 37:13 - Tip 27 – Interfaces 38:42 - Tip 28 – SetRange vs. SetFilter 40:46 - Tip 29 – Preprocessor directives 41:40 - Tip 30 – Use IntelliSense 42:22 - Tip 31 – Clear vs. Reset vs. Init – know the difference 43:12 - Tip 32 – Early exit strategy 44:22 - Tip 33 – Pass by reference vs. value 45:21 - Tip 34 – Be consistent with object and file naming 46:06 - Tip 35 – Write tests while developing 46:41 - Tip 36 – Create Test Plan 47:26 - Tip 37 – Breakdown your code in smaller methods 48:06 - Tip 38 – SecretText 48:49 - Tip 39 – Access Modifiers 49:54 - Tip 40 – internalsVisibleTo 50:52 - Tip 41 – Test with permissions 51:24 - Tip 42 – Actionable error messages 51:52 - Tip 43 – Collecting errors 52:51 - Q & A
20251124 – 43 dev tips in 45 minutes
💡 Master Azure AI Foundry for Business Central Backend Extensions 💡 Business Central provides built-in AI-driven capabilities for automating business processes—but what happens when you need deeper customization? Real-world scenarios often demand custom logic, advanced AI capabilities, industry-specific compliance rules, and data flows that go beyond native features. In this technical deep-dive, Katerina Chernevskaya and Artem Chernevskiy demonstrate how to extend Business Central AI Agents using Azure AI Foundry. You'll see live implementations of Prompt Flow with RAG, API endpoint provisioning, and custom evaluation frameworks. Azure AI Foundry gives you the tools to not only generate intelligent responses but also monitor performance, evaluate accuracy, align with business requirements, and manage costs efficiently. ✅ When and why to extend beyond built-in Business Central AI capabilities ✅ How to build your own Prompt Flow in Azure AI Foundry and deploy it to an endpoint for API integration ✅ The importance of AI monitoring, evaluation, and cost management ✅ Practical architectural patterns for backend extensions you can implement immediately After watching, you'll be equipped to design and deploy custom AI agent architectures that meet complex enterprise requirements while maintaining security, compliance, and scalability. 🎤 Speakers: Katerina Chernevskaya & Artem Chernevskiy 🧭 Moderator: David Singleton 📧 Want to see next presentation live? Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 2:28 - Meet the Speakers: Artem & Katerina 4:25 - Audience Poll: Have You Used AI Agents? 5:34 - Session Agenda: What You'll Learn Today 8:01 - Understanding Copilot vs AI Agents 8:30 - Why Built-in Capabilities Aren't Always Enough 11:01 - Challenges of Building AI Agents from Scratch 12:10 - Four Key Considerations for Agent Development 14:03 - Navigating the Microsoft Framework Landscape 16:18 - Where to Start: Cost-Effective Architecture 16:51 - Azure AI Foundry Agents: Live Demo Begins 25:40 - Testing Your Agent with Real Sales Data 34:38 - Transition: Kate Takes Over for Advanced Demo 35:08 - Prompt Flow with RAG: Architecture Deep-Dive 48:27 - API Endpoint Deployment and Configuration 51:03 - Evaluating Prompt Flow Performance 53:10 - Final Demo: Real-World Implementation 54:16 - Custom User-Evaluation Tool with Power Apps 56:26 - Summary, Resources & Microsoft Adoption Catalog
20251110 – Extending the backend of Business Central AI Agents with Azure AI Foundry
Got a customer dealing with slow Business Central performance? In this session, I'll walk you through how to spot the issues, figure out what's causing them, and fix them fast. Whether you're a developer, consultant, or a power user, you'll pick up practical tips and tools to troubleshoot common performance headaches and keep things running smoothly. 🎤 Speaker: waldo 🧭 Moderator: Tine Starič 📹 Editing: Mats Thell 📧 Want to see next presentation live? subscribe on our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gHOJWf 00:02:43 - Today's Topic 00:04:19 - Introduction waldo 00:05:02 - What do you do when there's an issue? 00:06:46 - Gather information -- 00:07:19 - Pinpoint the symptom -- 00:07:52 - Repro steps -- 00:08:49 - The Users Environment -- 00:09:09 - Help & Support -- 00:10:14 - Where there recent changes? -- 00:10:49 - Check Admin Center -- 00:11:19 - Quantify the Impact -- 00:12:38 - Ask for System Data 00:13:48 - Learn (and teach) to decently report -- 00:15:42 - Page Inspector -- 00:17:05 - Page Scripting -- 00:17:24 - Database Locks -- 00:19:05 - Sessions -- 00:19:52 - In-Client Performance Profiler -- 00:24:22 - Considerations (Sampling vs. Instrumentation) -- 00:27:48 - Debugging 00:30:03 - Telemetry -- 00:31:33 - Types of metrics -- 00:32:58 - Demo Azure Data Explorer 00:38:00 - PPP - Performance Prevention Program -- 00:39:52 - BC is a transactional system NOT a reporting system. -- 00:41:19 - Keep your process short -- 00:41:26 - Avoid "Inline" transactions -- 00:42:13 - Keep API's simple -- 00:43:44 - "If it's in the product..." -- 00:44:09 - How you set up the application has a big impact on how it's going to preform -- 00:44:48 - Don't do these things -- 00:46:30 - Job Queues 00:47:03 - Perception is reality -- 00:47:09 - Background Processes -- 00:49:05 - Tips for Users... 00:55:21 - Q & A
20251013 – My customer has performance problems – what do I do
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