DEMO

Dynamics 365 Business Central
How to Use Power BI Inventory Reports for Better Insights

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01:12 – Inventory Overview
02:01 – Inventory by Location
02:40 – Inventory by Lot/Serial
03:49 – Bin Content
04:05 – Inventory Valuation Overview

TL;DR

Microsoft’s mid-2025 update for Dynamics 365 Business Central introduces enhanced Power BI inventory reports, split into quantity and valuation views. These reports feature KPIs, improved graphs, drill-down capabilities, and easier sharing via PowerBI.com, Teams, and PowerPoint. They’re free from Microsoft (Power BI license required) and designed for faster, more actionable inventory insights without needing to work directly in the ERP system.

Introduction to New Power BI Inventory Reports

Microsoft recently released new Power BI reports for Dynamics 365 Business Central in mid-2025. These updates include enhanced features and a variety of new reports. In this walkthrough, we’ll focus on the inventory reports.

Microsoft divided the inventory reports into two main categories:

  • Inventory A – Tracks inventory by quantities.

  • Inventory Valuation – Provides valuation-focused insights.


Why View Reports in PowerBI.com

I prefer to view the reports on the PowerBI.com website because it offers:

  • Easier navigation compared to Business Central.

  • Access to additional Power BI features.

  • Convenient sharing and collaboration options.

On the homepage, I navigate to the Apps section. In my workspace, I have all my Business Central reports downloaded. These specific reports were released in version 22 of Business Central.


Inventory A Reports

Inventory Overview

The Inventory Overview report now includes:

  • The same core functionality (drill-down, filters).

  • New KPIs on most dashboards.

  • More graphs for visual insights.

The filter panel lets me select exactly what I want to review, and I can share these reports directly in Microsoft Teams or PowerPoint, making dissemination of information much easier.

PowerBI.com also ensures I stay updated as new reports are released.


Inventory by Location

This report has been updated to give an overall view of inventory across the business.

Key features include:

  • Ability to select a specific location for more detail.

  • Hover-over item details, including sales order quantities and other transactional data.

  • Faster analysis compared to reviewing the same data in Business Central.


Lot Numbers and Serial Numbers Reports

These are two of my favorite inventory reports because they provide unique ways to view and track items.

Lot Numbers Report

  • Select a specific lot to see detailed quantity information.

  • Download the data for further analysis.

  • Right-click to locate the lot within the business, by location, purchase order, production order, or sales order.

Serial Numbers Report

  • View all serialized items in the system.

  • Click a serial number to update all charts and graphs with its details.

  • See whether the item is in inventory, incoming on a purchase order, allocated to a sales order, or in production.


Bin Functionality Report

For businesses using bin functionality in Business Central, this report is especially valuable:

  • Displays all bins and the items within them.

  • Includes the same drill-down capabilities for detailed analysis.


Inventory Valuation Reports

Inventory Valuation Overview

This enhanced report offers:

  • KPIs at the top for a snapshot view of the business.

  • Filters to narrow down data.

  • Export options for Excel and PowerPoint.

  • Easy sharing in Microsoft Teams.

It’s particularly helpful for identifying high-investment inventory items that require closer attention.


Valuation by Location

This report provides:

  • Breakdown of inventory values by location.

  • Drill-down capabilities for item-level details.

  • Data sourced directly from Business Central, made easily accessible without entering the ERP system.


Summary

In this session, we reviewed the enhanced Power BI inventory reports that Microsoft released for Business Central, divided into quantity and valuation categories.

These reports are:

  • Ready to use out-of-the-box.

  • Free from Microsoft (requires a Power BI license).

TMC can help with your Power BI licensing needs and ensure smooth implementation in your organization.

If you’re ready to deploy Copilot in Microsoft 365, download our free guide from the link in the video description.

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