Business Central Monitoring with Application Insights: A Practical Guide

Introduction

For many organizations, Dynamics 365 Business Central is the heart of their operations. The system runs in the cloud and ensures that processes run smoothly and efficiently. But how can you actually know if everything is working correctly? And how can you detect errors early or prevent delays?

Microsoft offers a useful solution for this: Application Insights. In this blog, we’ll explain what this tool is, how to set it up for Business Central, and how to use it to gain and maintain control over your ERP environment.

What is Application Insights?

Application Insights is part of Azure Monitor: a cloud service from Microsoft that continuously gathers information about what’s happening in your application—such as performance, error messages, and user behavior. Simply put, it’s a smart monitoring system that checks if your software is still working properly.

Originally, this tool was used to monitor websites and apps, but it has now grown into a platform also used for ERP solutions like Business Central. And you don’t need to be an IT expert to use it.

What can you do with it?

• Track performance: See if certain pages load slowly or if reports take longer than usual.

• Detect errors: Get insight into error messages and find out why something went wrong.

• Analyze usage: Discover which Business Central features are used most and how users navigate the system.

• Look ahead: Identify trends and anticipate future issues.

In short: with Application Insights, you gain actionable insights from complex system data.

Why use Application Insights in Business Central?

Business Central (especially the SaaS version) automatically generates data about everything happening under the hood. By sending that data to Application Insights, you as a user or admin gain visibility into the system’s health.

What does that deliver, concretely?

1. Insight into performance
   You can see exactly where the system is slow. For example, if a report takes longer and longer to load, you’ll see that in your telemetry data. That way, you can take action before users experience problems.

2. Faster error resolution
   Error messages often provide little explanation. But with Application Insights, you can see what really went wrong. For example: if two users try to edit the same record at the same time, and it causes a conflict, you can see what happened in the logs—including the users involved and error details.

3. Preventing issues
   Application Insights is not just useful for analyzing after the fact, but also for proactive measures. For instance, if a process becomes slightly slower each week, that’s a warning sign you can take seriously before users start complaining.

4. Smarter optimization
   You discover which parts of the system are used heavily or barely at all. That helps you decide where training is needed or which features should be further developed.

5. Improved security and control
   You can see who logged in when, how many errors occurred, and whether suspicious patterns emerge (such as many failed login attempts). That helps safeguard your ERP system.

How to enable Application Insights in Business Central (SaaS)

Step 1: Set up Azure
In the Azure Portal, create a new Application Insights resource. This “container” captures all the data sent from Business Central. You’ll need an Azure subscription for this. Choose a name and region, and then you’ll receive a unique key (connection string).

Step 2: Connect in Business Central
In the Business Central Admin Center, select the appropriate environment (e.g., "Production") and add the Application Insights key. Then enable telemetry. Note: Business Central will restart as soon as you activate this—so do it outside working hours.

Step 3: Is it working?
Check in Azure whether data is coming in. Do you see page views, logs, or errors appearing? If so, the connection was successful and your system is now sending live data to Application Insights.

How do you use the data?

Azure Portal
In the Azure Portal, you can view dashboards and graphs that show the system’s status. For more technical users, you can ask your data questions using a query language (KQL), such as: “Which errors occurred yesterday?” or “What were the slowest reports this week?”

Power BI Usage Analytics
Microsoft has developed a ready-to-use Power BI app that lets you view data from Application Insights in a clear way. Think dashboards with error charts, user activity, system load, and improvement recommendations. Ideal for admins or managers.

Admin Center in Business Central
For a quick view of recent alerts, the Business Central Admin Center offers a built-in telemetry view. That allows you to immediately check what happened after an error message—helpful for support cases.

Best practices for smart usage

To get the most out of Application Insights, here are some tips:

• Enable telemetry right away: Collecting data from the start is crucial—without data, there’s nothing to analyze.

• Establish a baseline: Define what’s ‘normal’ in terms of performance and usage. That makes it easier to spot deviations.

• Keep monitoring: Schedule a brief weekly or monthly review of your dashboards.

• Use understandable dashboards: The Power BI app is an accessible way to involve everyone.

• Avoid getting lost in the data: Focus on key signals (like errors and slow processes) and filter out unnecessary details.

• Share your insights: Bring the data into meetings with colleagues or vendors—it greatly speeds up issue resolution.

In conclusion: Application Insights is more than just Business Central

Although this guide focuses on Business Central, it’s good to know that Application Insights is also used for other Dynamics products and for websites, apps, and APIs within Azure.

It’s a versatile tool for anyone who wants visibility into their digital environment. By using this technology smartly within Business Central, you create a safer, faster, and more stable ERP system for your entire organization.