Update 29.0 brings the most reporting changes Business Central has had in a while. Here is what is new for finance teams and report builders, and where Power BI still does the job better.
Business Central 2026 release wave 2, which starts with update 29.0 from October 2026, brings a substantial set of reporting changes: financial reports that run together into a single PDF and log every change, report themes and shared header and footer layouts for document reports, an updated Word add-in, bookmarks for list views and analysis tabs, and a generally available MCP server for running data queries. It makes Business Central's own reporting noticeably better. It does not change the case for Power BI when you need reporting across companies, systems or years.
Financial reporting
Three changes matter most to finance teams. Run multiple financial reports and get a single PDF output means the monthly set, such as the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow, can be produced as one document rather than assembled by hand. Financial report changes are now always logged, so there is a record of who changed a row or column definition and when, which auditors and finance managers have asked for. Trace G/L account usage in finance reports shows which financial reports use a given general ledger account, which makes it far safer to restructure the chart of accounts.
Document reports and layouts
Invoices, statements and other document reports get a set of design improvements, all listed as generally available. Brand document reports with report themes and Reuse header/footer layouts across document reports let you define branding once and apply it across documents. The updated Word add-in lets designers see the available report fields while they work in Word, design themes and header and footer layouts, and use conditional visibility. Control the lifecycle of all report layouts and Reduce complexity of report datasets make layouts easier to manage as they accumulate.
Analysis and data access
Bookmark list views and analysis tabs lets users save a filtered list or an analysis mode view and return to it, which removes a lot of repeated setup for people who live in analysis mode. Monitor usage of Open in Excel with telemetry gives administrators visibility of how much reporting still happens by exporting to Excel, which is a useful measure of where proper reporting is missing.
Run data queries with MCP Server is listed as generally available. It gives AI assistants and agents that support the Model Context Protocol a governed way to query Business Central data. The Microsoft Copilot chat experience in Business Central is in public preview in this wave.
What still needs Power BI
Business Central's reporting is built around one company's data inside one application. Power BI remains the better tool when you need:
- Consolidated reporting across several companies, with intercompany eliminations and currency translation in one model.
- Data from other systems, such as CRM, payroll, project or ecommerce platforms, alongside the ledger.
- Long history and trend analysis, especially after a migration from NAV or GP where older years sit elsewhere.
- One set of definitions that every department's report uses, rather than separate analysis views that drift apart.
The new release makes the boundary clearer rather than removing it: use Business Central for operational and statutory output inside the system, and a governed Power BI model for management reporting across the business. Our Business Central analytics page sets out the routes, and our free audit will tell you where your current reporting sits.
What to do now
Read Microsoft's release plan for update 29.0, test financial report packages and themes in a sandbox before the update reaches production, and use the new Open in Excel telemetry to find the reports people still rebuild by hand. Those are the first candidates for Power BI.
Related reading
Business Central to Power BI: the complete guide to reporting beyond the built-in tools
The Business Central reports a finance team needs
How do you build a consolidated P&L across multiple Business Central companies?
From day seven to day two: automating the monthly reporting pack
Isobel Bowers
Analytics Consultant
Part of the Hopton Analytics team, delivering governed analytics programmes for UK mid-market organisations.
