Few UK businesses run Business Central on its own. The ERP sits between a web shop, a bank, a payroll bureau, a warehouse system and a reporting tool, and the quality of those links decides whether the finance team trusts the numbers. Choosing the right Business Central connector, and deciding who looks after it, matters as much as choosing the modules themselves. This page explains the options, from the API to Marketplace apps, and how to scope a flow before anyone writes code.
If you are still at the stage of listing needs, start with the overview of Business Central modules and come back once you know which systems must exchange data.
The three ways to integrate Business Central
Every integration falls into one of three families. Knowing which you are buying avoids surprises in cost and support.
| Approach | What it is | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard connector | A feature or app that moves a defined set of data | A common system, such as Shopify or a bank | Fixed behaviour; limited tailoring |
| Marketplace app | An extension installed from Microsoft Marketplace, sold by a third party | A recurring need, such as EDI or a carrier | Vendor roadmap, licensing and update compatibility |
| Custom flow on the API | Code or an integration platform calling the API | An unusual system or a specific business rule | Ongoing maintenance, which someone must own |
A sensible order is to try the standard route first, then a Marketplace app, and to build custom only when the process is genuinely specific to you. Custom work is not wrong, but it is the only family where you inherit the whole lifecycle.
The Business Central API in plain terms
Business Central exposes a REST API, currently at version 2.0, so that the ERP can be linked to third-party solutions. In the online service the APIs are enabled by default, which means a developer can start reading customers, items or sales orders without a special set-up. Microsoft recommends using the API or OData rather than SOAP, which is expected to be deprecated, so any new project should avoid SOAP web services.
Two practical points come up in almost every project.
Standard API fields are fixed
Adding fields to a standard API is not possible. If you need an extra field exposed, the AL code has to be copied and a custom API created. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it means a custom API is part of your solution, with its own testing every time Business Central is updated. Your integrator should list it with the other customisations.
Call limits apply per user
OData V4 limits are applied per user: concurrent requests, connections, and a sliding window of 6,000 requests over 5 minutes. Past that point the service answers with HTTP 429. For a small flow this never appears. For a nightly catalogue push, a stock feed or a migration of historic documents it certainly can, so design for it:
- send data in batches rather than record by record;
- cache reference data such as units, currencies and posting groups instead of reading it again on each call;
- give each flow its own integration user, so one noisy process does not starve the others;
- handle 429 responses by waiting and retrying, never by looping immediately.
Marketplace apps and the Connectivity and Banking pages
Online, Business Central is extended through apps installed from Microsoft Marketplace. Since the 2022 release wave 2, the Connectivity Apps and Banking Apps pages have proposed applications that connect to external services, such as importing bank transactions. This is the first place to look before commissioning anything, because an existing app is usually cheaper and quicker than a build.
When you assess an app, ask the vendor a short list of questions:
- Is it built for the current Business Central version, and how fast does the vendor follow new releases?
- Is it priced per user, per company, per transaction or as a flat fee, and is that in pounds sterling?
- Who provides support, in which hours and in which time zone?
- What happens to your data and your configuration if you stop using it?
Your integrator can run this check for you; the page on choosing a partner explains what to expect from that role.
E-commerce: shops and marketplaces
For online sellers the most documented route is the Shopify connector. It synchronises products, stock, customers, orders, shipments, transactions and payouts between Shopify and Business Central. It supports several shops and imports orders from online shops, Shopify POS and B2B.
The detail is what makes it usable day to day:
- items synchronise in both directions, including images, variants, barcodes, tags and metafields;
- attributes, marketing text and translations can be exported to the shop;
- exported prices are based on the customer price groups and discounts you select;
- products, stock, orders and shipments can be synchronised in the background through the job queue, with detailed logging for troubleshooting.
That last point is the one to test during acceptance. A connector that runs unattended needs someone watching its log, and that person should be named. For other channels, such as Amazon, eBay or a marketplace for a trade sector, the answer is usually a third-party app or an integration platform rather than a native feature, so ask for a live demonstration on your own product structure. For the broader picture of selling online, see ERP for e-commerce and the Business Central page on inventory and purchasing, since stock accuracy is what a shop integration exposes first.
Banks and payments
In the United Kingdom, bank connectivity is a daily concern for the finance team. Business Central offers a bank reconciliation function, and banking apps can import transactions so that statement lines are matched against ledger entries instead of being typed in. Coverage depends on the bank and on the app, so list the accounts you actually use, including any with a challenger bank or a foreign currency account, and have each one confirmed.
For payments, think about both directions:
- Money in: card processors, payment links and direct debit services should post to the right customer account or bank clearing account, with fees separated.
- Money out: supplier payment files for Bacs or Faster Payments need a format your bank accepts and an approval step that matches your internal controls.
Do not forget what happens at the edges: refunds, chargebacks and part payments are where simple connectors become awkward. The accounting and finance page covers the ledger side of these questions.
Tax, payroll and the UK obligations
Microsoft provides the Business Central localisation for the United Kingdom directly, which is the base for VAT and the core finance set-up. Integration questions then arise around the services your accountant already uses.
- VAT and Making Tax Digital: the issue is how VAT data reaches HMRC in a compliant way, whether through functionality in the ERP, an app or bridging software. Our guide to Making Tax Digital and your ERP explains the questions to ask.
- Payroll and RTI: many companies keep payroll in a specialist package or with a bureau and post journals into Business Central. The payroll and RTI guide and the Business Central page on payroll and HR show where the boundary usually falls.
- E-invoicing: exchange of structured invoices with customers or public bodies is a growing topic; start with the e-invoicing guide.
Your accountant should be part of this discussion. A flow that posts payroll journals to the wrong accounts costs far more to unpick at year end than to specify properly at the start.
Office tools, reporting and automation
Business Central is built to work with the Microsoft tools people already use. Excel is the everyday route for editing and analysing ledger data, Outlook and Teams support sales and approval conversations, and Power BI is the normal choice for management reporting. An environment can be linked to a Power Platform environment of the same type, production or sandbox. That link is exclusive and is the default target for integrations with Power Platform and other Dynamics 365 products, so decide early which Power Platform environment will serve which Business Central environment.
Power Automate suits light approval and notification flows that a trained power user can maintain. It is less suited to high-volume, transactional integration, where a dedicated app or an API-based service gives better control, monitoring and error handling. Keep this distinction clear when you hear that a requirement can be met with "just a flow".
EDI, carriers, signature and sector tools
Trade customers, retailers and logistics providers often require EDI messages for orders, advance shipping notices and invoices. Business Central does not remove that need; it is typically met with a specialist app or a managed EDI service that maps messages to ERP documents. The same applies to carrier label and tracking tools, document signature services and sector-specific systems such as a warehouse scanner, a point of sale or a production floor terminal.
For each of these, ask whether the vendor has a Marketplace app, whether that app covers your variant of the process, and who tests it after each Business Central release. Sector-specific needs are covered further in the pages on Business Central by industry and manufacturing.
How to scope an integration flow
A flow that is described properly is half built. Before any quotation, write one page per flow covering these points:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What triggers the exchange? | An event, a schedule or a manual action changes the design |
| Which system is the master for each data item? | Prevents two systems overwriting each other |
| Which direction does each field travel? | Many problems come from fields that should be one-way |
| What volume and peak are expected? | Drives batching and the API limits above |
| What happens on failure? | Defines retries, alerts and manual correction |
| Who reads the error log, and how often? | Turns a technical log into a business process |
| What is the test case that proves it works? | Gives a clear acceptance criterion |
Then rank the flows. Those that stop invoicing or shipping if they fail come first; reporting extracts can wait for a later phase. The implementation guide shows where integration work fits in a project plan, and the general ERP implementation guide explains the common causes of slippage.
Who maintains the integration?
This is the question that is skipped most often and regretted most often. An integration has no natural owner: it belongs to finance, IT and the vendor at the same time. Settle three things in writing.
- Code and configuration: who fixes defects and adapts the flow when Business Central, or the other system, changes.
- Business rules and master data: who decides mappings, price lists, tax codes and product attributes. This is nearly always your team.
- Monitoring: who is alerted, and who clears failed messages before they distort stock or the ledger.
Include integrations in the support and maintenance agreement, not as an afterthought. If an existing set of flows already misbehaves, an audit or project rescue is a faster route than rebuilding blindly.
Cost and licensing of integrations
Integrations touch the budget in several places: the app licences, the integrator's time to configure and test, the cost of a custom API where one is needed, and the support that follows. Microsoft's published user licences are one part of the picture, and the final price depends on currency, country and regional variant, so confirm UK pricing in pounds sterling with your integrator. For the licence side, see Business Central pricing.
Questions to bring to your integrator
Use this short list in your first meeting:
- Which of my flows are covered by a standard connector, and which need a Marketplace app or custom build?
- For every app, who is the vendor, how is it priced and how is it supported?
- Are there custom APIs, and how will they be tested at each update?
- How will you handle the call limits for my largest flow?
- Who monitors failures in the first weeks after go-live, and who afterwards?
- How does each flow behave when the other system is unavailable?
If you want to compare answers from several firms, how our matching works explains how ERP Integrator connects you with integrators suited to your project in your region, at no charge to you. The integrator, not ERP Integrator, carries out the project and agrees the support terms with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Business Central connector and the Business Central API?
A connector is a ready-made piece of integration, usually an app installed from Microsoft Marketplace, that moves a defined set of data between Business Central and another service. The API is the programming interface that a developer or an integration platform calls when no suitable connector exists. In practice, a connector is often built on the API, so the choice is really between buying a prepared flow and commissioning one.
Can I add fields to a standard Business Central API?
Not directly. Microsoft states that adding fields to a standard API is not possible: the AL code has to be copied and a custom API created. That is a small development task, but it must be tested and maintained through each Business Central update, so your integrator should record it as a deliberate customisation.
Does Business Central integrate with Shopify?
Yes, Microsoft provides a Shopify connector. It synchronises products, stock, customers, orders, shipments, transactions and payouts, supports several shops, and imports orders from online shops, Shopify POS and B2B. Background synchronisation can be scheduled through the job queue, with detailed logging to help troubleshoot failures.
Why does my integration return an HTTP 429 error?
Business Central applies per-user limits to OData V4 calls: concurrent requests, connections and a sliding window of 6,000 requests over 5 minutes. Beyond that, the service answers with HTTP 429. The usual remedies are batching, spacing calls out, caching reference data and dedicating an integration user to each flow rather than sharing one.
Who maintains an integration after go-live?
Agree this before the project starts. Typically the integrator or app vendor looks after the code and the fixes, while your team owns the business rules, the master data and the monitoring of failed messages. Put the split in a support agreement, alongside who handles Business Central updates and who answers when a third-party service changes its own interface.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn — Business Central API v2.0
- Microsoft Learn — Operational limits for Business Central online
- Microsoft Learn — Shopify connector overview
- Microsoft Learn — Extending Business Central with apps
- Microsoft Learn — Business Central environments and Power Platform
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