Microsoft Introduces Changes to Make SaaS Updates More Flexible
Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS helps to ensure that customers can stay current with their ERP software version. However, software updates can be disruptive. With the latest Business Central release (Business Central 2024, Wave 2, or BC 25), Microsoft has introduced new changes that affect how updates are managed, making them more flexible for customers. Now, customers will have more control over when the updates are pushed to their environments and have more visibility into the progress of the updates.
Changes to administering Business Central updates
Here are some of the key changes for managing updates, which will be released gradually in Business Central starting with version 25:
- Five-month update period – The update period has increased to five months, ending in early March for October updates and September for April updates. Updates can be scheduled for any time within the 5-month period. This will give customers more time to test the new update in non-production environments and resolve issues before moving the software into production. This feature will help Business Central SaaS customers with a year-end busy season.
- Select environments to update – Many Business Central customers maintain multiple development, testing, and production environments. These customers can now select which environments they want to update rather than having to update all environments at the same time.
- Opt out of monthly minor updates – Once this feature is fully rolled out, customers can opt out of minor updates. When they decide to update, they can jump to the latest version rather than updating to each sequential minor version first. This will benefit customers who must operate during busy seasons or require 24-hour uptime.
- Update Dashboard—Microsoft has added new monitoring tools, such as logs and notifications, so customers can see the status of the SaaS update and troubleshoot issues with it across all of their environments.
These changes are being welcomed by both partners and clients who have been asking Microsoft for additional tools to manage the new version update process and give them more time to test and accommodate new releases before putting them into production. Administrators now have more control over how the organization receives and installs Business Central updates. The changes also help companies align the timing of upgrades to match the organization’s business schedule more closely.
Find out more
ArcherPoint offers upgrade assurance plans that help you get current and stay current with Business Central. These plans help streamline the upgrade process and take the stress out of upgrades that might adversely affect your custom code or ISV products.
Learn more about major and minor updates for Business Central SaaS environments.
Find out more about how ArcherPoint can help you manage your Business Central SaaS updates.