When to Customize Business Central (and When to Stop Yourself)

If you’ve worked with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you’ve probably been in the “customize or not?” loop more than once. It’s a classic crossroads: you want the system to match how your business works, but every change has a cost.

Here’s something many people miss though: the first and most important job of any consultant or user isn’t to customize — it’s to fully understand what the base application can already do. Business Central comes with a huge amount of functionality out of the box. If you don’t know it inside and out, you might be asking for (and paying for) things that are already there.

So how do you decide when to customize? Let’s talk like colleagues over coffee. I’ll keep it practical, honest, and grounded in how Microsoft designs Business Central today — so you don’t waste time building things that create long-term headaches.

Quick reality check: you can’t touch the core in Business Central Online

Here’s the key fact: if you’re on Business Central Online (SaaS), you cannot modify the base application objects. Customization in the cloud must be done through extensions (apps) — that’s the only supported model.

So if you were thinking, “We’ll just tweak the base codeunit or edit a table directly,” that’s not possible in SaaS. Microsoft has locked the core down to keep the service stable and upgradable. Extensions are the way.

What about on-premises?

If you’re running Business Central on-premises, there is a documented way to publish a code-customized Base Application on your own servers. But — and this is important — Microsoft strongly recommends against it.

Why? Because overlayering the base app makes upgrades painful. Every time Microsoft ships a new release, your changes need to be merged back in. That’s extra cost, extra testing, and more chances for things to break.

In practice, whether you’re online or on-prem, the best path forward is the same: build extensions in AL that subscribe to events, extend objects, and sit next to the core, not inside it.

Why Microsoft pushes extensions (and why you should too)

Extensions aren’t just a technical quirk. They’re how Microsoft ensures Business Central stays a living, constantly updated product. With extensions:

• Microsoft can push monthly updates without overwriting your work.
• You can add or remove functionality modularly, like Lego bricks.
• Apps can be validated and distributed through AppSource, giving you options without reinventing the wheel.
• You avoid “forking” the product, which is what base customizations effectively do.

Yes, it takes some discipline to work this way, but it pays off in upgrades, stability, and lower long-term costs.

Start with the base — always

Here’s the mindset shift: customization should never be your first move.

Your first responsibility, whether you’re a consultant or a business user, is to learn what the base application already offers. Dimensions, workflows, Power BI integration, personalization, approvals, reporting layouts — Business Central has depth.

I’ve seen clients spend thousands building a “custom” solution, only to later discover the same feature was already included. Painful, right?

So before you even draft a requirements document, take time to explore, test, and challenge assumptions. Ask: “Could this be solved with standard functionality if we used it differently?”

When customization makes sense

Once you’ve exhausted the base, then customization (via extensions) becomes the right tool. Good reasons include:

1. Competitive advantage
   If the process sets you apart in your industry, it might deserve its own extension.
2. Local regulations
   Especially in Africa, where tax rules and statutory reporting differ country by country, extensions or partner apps often fill the gap.
3. Integrations
   Need BC to reconcile with mobile money APIs, banks, or industry systems? That’s prime extension territory.
4. Heavy manual tasks
   If staff are burning hours on repetitive work every week, automation is worth it.
5. Scaling up
   When volumes grow beyond what the standard flows handle efficiently, customization can optimize performance.

When not to customize

Equally important: knowing when not to.

• If configuration works. Dimensions, workflows, saved views, or Power Automate flows may already solve the problem.
• If the requirement is short-term. Don’t code for a six-month process.
• If an AppSource solution exists. Someone else may have already built and maintains it.
• If you can’t maintain it. Every extension needs testing during updates.
• If it’s just “we’ve always done it this way.” Sometimes process change is smarter than code.

And always remember — if you haven’t fully explored the base app, you might not even know you’re customizing unnecessarily.

A quick decision checklist

Next time someone asks for a customization, ask:

1. Can this be solved by configuration in the base?
2. Do we fully understand the standard features that touch this area?
3. Will we still need it in 2–3 years?
4. Is the business value greater than the build + maintenance cost?
5. Does an existing extension already do this?
6. Who owns maintenance and testing when updates roll out?

If you hesitate on 1 or 2, stop. Learn the base first.

Real-world examples

• The “custom” report that wasn’t
  A finance team wanted a custom report showing sales by product and region. Turns out, dimensions + standard reporting already covered it. No code, no cost.
• Mobile money integration
  A retailer in East Africa needed reconciliation with M-Pesa. No base feature or AppSource extension existed. Here, a lightweight extension was the perfect fit, saving hours each day.

Notice the pattern? First example: solved by base. Second: customization with a clear ROI.

Best practices if you do customize

• Keep it modular: Build extensions, never touch the base.
• Document everything: Future you will be grateful.
• Test during every update: Microsoft updates monthly; you must validate too.
• Think small: Build the minimum viable customization.
• Review regularly: Retire what no longer serves you.

Final thoughts

Business Central is deep. Your first and most important job — whether you’re a consultant, developer, or business user — is to understand that depth before reaching for code.

If you respect the base app, use configuration creatively, and reserve customization for what truly matters, you’ll end up with a system that’s flexible, upgradeable, and aligned with your business for years to come.

So before you approve that next extension, pause and ask: “Do we really know what the base can do for us?”

Want help reviewing whether a requirement really needs customization — or if the base already has your answer?
Drop us a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. — let’s make sure you’re getting the most out of Business Central before you invest in building something new.