Business Central Integration
Business Central is the ERP behind a lot of mid-size haulage, forwarding and 3PL companies, in the UK above all. We connect it to the TMS on one side and the CRM on the other.
Logistics companies we work with
Quick answer
How do you integrate Business Central with a TMS or CRM?
You integrate Dynamics 365 Business Central through its API v2.0, an OData v4 REST interface secured with OAuth 2.0 through Microsoft Entra ID. An integration service reads shipments from the TMS and creates customers, sales orders and sales invoices in Business Central. API pages also support webhooks, so we can push changes back to the CRM without polling.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Integration surface
- API v2.0 (OData v4, webhooks); OData web services from pages
- Auth
- OAuth 2.0 through Microsoft Entra ID
- Objects
- Customers, sales orders, sales invoices, items, payments
- CRMs
- HubSpot, Salesforce
How we approach it
What we check first in a Business Central project
Extensions. Most Business Central tenants in logistics run an extension or two for transport, and those add fields the standard API does not expose. We list them on day one, because they decide whether we stay on API v2.0 or publish a custom API page.
Then the CRM question. If you run Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft's Dataverse connector does much of the CRM work and we only add the shipment side. If you run HubSpot or Salesforce, we build that link too.
We also plan for one limit early: Business Central does not support deep patching, so nested records go in separate calls. It affects how we batch invoices with many lines.
API v2.0, custom API pages or OData: how Business Central exposes data
Microsoft keeps a versioned API for integrations and older OData services published from pages.
-
API v2.0
The versioned REST API under /api/v2.0/, always enabled, with standard entities for customers, items, sales orders and invoices.
-
Custom API pages
When an extension adds transport fields, we publish an API page for them. API pages are OData v4, versioned and webhook-enabled.
-
Webhooks
Business Central notifies a subscriber when a record changes, so invoices and payments reach the CRM within minutes instead of on a nightly job.
-
Dataverse connector
Microsoft's built-in sync with Dynamics 365 Sales. If that is your CRM, we use it and add only what it does not cover.
Data mapping
Which TMS records become Business Central sales documents?
Business Central keeps the books; the TMS supplies what moved and what it cost.
-
Customer
From: TMS customer
To: Business Central customer
When: Customer created or approved
-
Shipment or job
From: TMS shipment with charges
To: Sales order with service lines
When: Shipment booked
-
Invoice
From: Delivered shipment
To: Posted sales invoice
When: Shipment closed
-
Subcontractor cost
From: Carrier or haulier cost
To: Purchase invoice
When: Cost approved
-
Payment
From: Customer payment in Business Central
To: CRM account balance
When: Webhook on payment
Can Business Central sync with Salesforce or HubSpot?
-
Business Central and Salesforce
Connector exists, F5 builds the restAppSource apps sync customers, opportunities and orders with Salesforce. We set one up, or build on API v2.0 when shipments and invoices have to follow.
-
Business Central and HubSpot
F5 builds it on the APIWe build on API v2.0 and webhooks: companies with balance and credit, invoices as records related to the company.
What sales and marketing get
What are the benefits of integrating Business Central with your TMS and CRM?
-
Invoices posted from the shipment
Sales invoices come from the closed shipment with its charges, not from a manual re-entry.
-
Near real-time balances
Webhooks push payments to the CRM, so reps see who paid today.
-
Subcontractor costs on the same job
Haulier and carrier costs post against the shipment, so margin per job is visible.
-
One customer list
The TMS, Business Central and the CRM share one customer key, which ends duplicate accounts.
What our team builds
What can F5 build on Business Central?
Anything with an API, an EDI feed, a database or a file export can be connected. If the connector you found stops short, our engineers build the rest, from the first data map to the system in production.
-
Two-way sync
Business Central records flow into HubSpot or Salesforce, and the changes sales makes go back where your process needs them. Real time where it matters, scheduled where volume is high.
-
Custom objects and fields
Invoices, payments, credit limits and margin per shipment as real CRM records, linked to the account, not notes in a text field.
-
Middleware you can trust
A layer between the systems with retries, logs and alerts, so a failed record is fixed in minutes instead of found at month end.
-
Revenue attribution
The campaign that produced each lead travels to the quote, the shipment and the invoice. Marketing reports revenue, not form fills.
-
Dashboards and alerts
Account health, volume drops, open quotes and overdue invoices as CRM reports and Slack or email alerts for the people who act on them.
-
Portals, quote tools and apps
Customer portals, instant quote tools and internal apps on top of Business Central. See custom logistics software development.
Why logistics teams hire F5 for Business Central
- Logistics first. We know how a shipment becomes an invoice and where margin leaks, so the data map starts from your operation, not from a generic ERP template.
- One team for engineering and growth. The people who build the integration also run campaigns on that data, so every field we sync has a sales or marketing use.
- Any system, any stack. APIs, SOAP and XML, EDI, databases, SFTP files and legacy on-premise systems. If the data exists, we can move it.
- Production standards. Monitoring, alerting, documentation and a handover your IT team can read. We support the build after launch.
- Scope before code. You get a data map and a build plan first, so you know what moves, in which direction and on which trigger before anything is built.
Running Business Central with a CRM nobody trusts?
Tell us which records your team needs. We reply with a data map and a build plan.
How Business Central integration projects run
- Step 1
Map the data
We list the Business Central records your sales and marketing teams need, agree the field mapping and decide which system owns each field.
- Step 2
Connect and test
We build the connection on the Business Central interface your account licenses, with retries, logging and a test run on real records before go-live.
- Step 3
Turn data into pipeline
Dashboards, workflows and alerts in the CRM, so reps see shipments next to deals and marketing sees which campaigns produced revenue.
- Step 4
Monitor and extend
Error alerts, schema changes and new objects as you grow, with one team accountable for the integration and the marketing that uses it.
Part of our logistics software integration service. For quote tools, portals and apps on top of Business Central, see custom logistics software development. Built for trucking.
FAQ
Business Central integration FAQ
Does Business Central have an API?
+
Does Business Central have an API?
+Yes. Business Central has a versioned REST API, API v2.0, built on OData v4 with OAuth 2.0 through Microsoft Entra ID. Developers can add custom API pages, which also support webhooks.
Can Business Central integrate with Dynamics 365 Sales?
+
Can Business Central integrate with Dynamics 365 Sales?
+Yes. Microsoft's Dataverse connector syncs customers, contacts, items and sales documents between Business Central and Dynamics 365 Sales, set up through Assisted Setup.
Can Business Central integrate with Salesforce?
+
Can Business Central integrate with Salesforce?
+Yes, through apps on Microsoft AppSource or a custom build on API v2.0. We pick the custom route when shipments from the TMS and invoices per shipment have to reach Salesforce.
What are the benefits of ERP integration for a logistics company?
+
What are the benefits of ERP integration for a logistics company?
+Billing goes out when the shipment closes, margin is visible per job, customer credit shows up in the CRM and nobody rekeys charges. For a haulier or forwarder, faster invoicing alone shortens the time to cash.
Get in touch
Talk to us about your Business Central integration
Tell us what you sell and who buys it. We will tell you, honestly, whether this is the right channel for you and what it would take.
- 1 We reply within one business day, from a person, not a sequence.
- 2 A 30-minute call on what you sell, to whom, and how you close today.
- 3 If we can build demand for it, we say what it would take. If not, we say that too.
Prefer to talk now? Pick a 30-minute slot or write to hi@f5-out.io.