Integrating with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central usually comes with a few challenges, like customizations, complex APIs, and complicated object types. On-premises deployments add another layer for you to worry about: networking and security concerns.

Luckily, eOne has the tools you need to tackle those issues. The eOne iPaaS, built for Business Central’s SaaS version, also supports on-premises Business Central integrations, so you get the same iPaaS functionality no matter where Business Central lives.

If you’d rather watch a video explaining this, see below:

The Challenges of Business Central Integration

Most of the challenges you run into with Business Central integrations aren’t unique to on-premises deployments. Being on-premises changes the networking and security considerations, but it doesn’t affect the integration itself. Microsoft has added webhooks, broader API support, and easy third-party installation in order to make it easier for on-premises customers to face these challenges head-on.

Customizations: No matter which Business Central environment you’re working with, you’re going to run into customization. Some Business Central installs can have over 30 extensions, depending on custom tables and fields, and AppSource extensions. That means every Business Central environment looks a little different, and you need an easy way to manage yours.

Complex APIs: Business Central gives you a lot of API options, but it’s up to you to figure out which one works best for your integration project. Microsoft usually points users toward standard APIs (v2.0) but also supports OData v4 and lets you build fully custom APIs. eOne’s connectivity streamlines this, giving you the capability to use all of them while guiding you to the best API for your needs.

Object Types: Beyond APIs, there are different object types to work with: pages, queries, and webhooks. Pages pull data out and push data in, queries allow you to access and run optimized SQL queries against Business Central, and webhooks power real-time integrations. You need to know which object type to use to best support your integration.

Simplify Development Requirements

When on-premises Business Central integrations come up, it’s standard to simply hand the project over to a developer. The developer reviews the API, builds an estimate, and it goes through the usual process with the dev team. eOne has a way to shorten that timeline.

Development Only

If you’re going to do custom development for an integration, it gets complicated quickly. Your developer has to handle data coming in at different times of the day, work around nightly refreshes or backups, and somehow get around the limitations of AL. AL is an operating language, not an integration language, so it doesn’t handle certain tasks as well as Azure Logic Apps, SmartConnect, or Power Automate. When your developer runs into this issue, it usually means they have to take some of that functionality and kick it out to another process to get the job done.

Development and the eOne iPaaS

With eOne’s iPaaS, instead of building the full integration, the developer can see the spec and determine exactly what they need to build to expose what’s missing from the standard Business Central APIs. The eOne iPaaS handles the integration itself, so development stays focused on business logic, instead of worrying about staging and logging tables, subscribers, codeunits, or job queues.

The eOne iPaaS also reduces consultancy time by 25% compared to custom development. That number compounds over time, too, since custom code maintenance quickly outpaces a subscription platform like SmartConnect.

Both SmartConnect and Popdock offer a fully on-premises deployment. For Business Central, we can install a local application behind your firewall that’s able to interact with Business Central and other local on-premises tools. If you open your network, it can also make outbound calls to wherever that data needs to go. From a compliance standpoint, this is way easier to manage than running everything through a Logic app in the cloud.

The eOne iPaaS

The eOne iPaaS is built around two main capabilities: moving data and sharing data. The eOne iPaaS includes tools like SmartConnect, Popdock, and PopdockAI to handle both tasks.

Move the Data with SmartConnect

SmartConnect moves data from one point to another without writing code. It runs on real-time webhook triggers, change tracking, or manual/scheduled bulk runs. It then passes data through a transformation step, cleaning, translating, and scripting to deliver the correct data in the right format to the correct destination.

If something goes wrong, SmartConnect notifies your team so it can be fixed quickly. You focus on what needs to move, while SmartConnect handles all the complexities, like authentication, errors, validation, scaling, and scheduling.

Share the Data with Popdock

Popdock’s virtual integration allows you to embed real-time data into your Business Central environment or other system without moving or duplicating it. Microsoft allows for a similar functionality by taking its standard APIs and embedding them as virtual tables in the Dataverse. However, that solution doesn’t handle customization or on-premises systems well.

Popdock gives you table-level access to anything in Business Central on-premises. Combine that with any other data you need and create powerful reports that you can embed directly into the system your team works in. Get true out-of-the-box reporting with Popdock for your on-premises Business Central integrations.

Ask Questions of Your Data with PopdockAI

PopdockAI’s MCP Server Composer safely delivers your on-premises data to Claude, ChatGPT, or any other LLM environment you work in without exposing more of the system than it should. This enables your team to ask questions of your Business Central data the same way they’d query any modern cloud system.

Instead of building a report or pulling a developer into a data request, you can ask a plain-language question and get an answer pulled directly from your on-premises environment. Give your AI tools structured, secure access to your Business Central data with PopdockAI.

Simplify On-Premises Business Central Integrations

Whether you’re moving data between systems or surfacing it in real time, eOne’s iPaaS takes the custom development burden off Business Central on-premise integrations. Contact sales@eonesolutions.com for more information on how Popdock and SmartConnect can help simplify your on-premise integrations.