For me, Directions EMEA always begins long before the first sessions start. It begins with the long-haul travel, the endless airport corridors, the confused time zones, and the inevitable jetlag that becomes a yearly companion. Since 2018, this has been my routine, exhausting, unpredictable, and yet somehow comforting in its familiarity.
But every year, without fail, the moment I walk into the conference venue and the keynote lights up the hall, everything changes. Directions EMEA 2025 was no exception.
More than 3,100 attendees representing over 60 countries came together, creating a vibrant, global mix of Business Central professionals. The energy was immediate, powerful, and contagious. You don’t just attend Directions; you immerse yourself in it.
A Keynote That Set a Bold New Direction
The Microsoft keynote on Day 1 was nothing short of transformative. Yes, it celebrated the numbers, and reaching 50,000 customers on Business Central is a milestone of enormous significance. It signals maturity. It signals trust. It signals unstoppable momentum across the entire ecosystem.
But beneath the numbers was something even more impactful: a clear message that the future of Business Central is deeply intertwined with AI.
This isn’t a slow, gentle evolution. It is rapid. It is ambitious. As Kenny from Microsoft said it is already happening.
The keynote made one thing unmistakably clear: Business Central is accelerating fast. Adoption is skyrocketing across industries and regions, and Microsoft’s direction is unapologetically bold. Partners who embrace AI, automation, and modern implementation practices will grow with this momentum. Those who hold back will simply be left behind.
It reminded me of a moment years ago, when Business Central first entered the market. Many partners pushed back, hesitant and skeptical about moving from NAV to the cloud. And yet, Microsoft stood firm with a message that has now become legendary: “The ship is sailing, with or without you. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to be onboard.”
Looking back today, that statement couldn’t have been more accurate. The partners who made the leap early are the ones thriving. The ones who resisted? They’re already part of history.
And now, once again, the ship is moving and this time it’s moving faster than ever.
My First Session – Overflowing Room, Overflowing Energy
My first session of the conference was one I’ll never forget. Stephen joined me as co-presenter, and from the moment we arrived, it was clear the interest was far beyond what we expected.
The room assignment was changed several times to accommodate demand, and even the largest available room couldn’t hold everyone. People stood along the walls. Many sat on the floor. Some squeezed into corners simply because they didn’t want to miss the session.
To every one of you who joined despite the discomfort, thank you. Your enthusiasm meant everything.
Inside the session, the atmosphere was electric. The audience was engaged, curious, and wonderfully interactive. We explored architectural patterns both inside and outside Business Central, then moved into the highlight of the session: a fully live demo where we built a Power App using Copilot prompts and connected it to Business Central in real time.
No shortcuts. No prepared illusions. Just genuine live execution and everything worked perfectly.
The applause that followed is something I’ll remember for a long time. After the session, we spent more than 30 minutes outside the room continuing conversations, answering questions, and diving deeper into ideas. This kind of engagement is what Directions is all about.
My Second Session – Messaging Patterns and a Surprising Response
The next day, we delivered our second session a deep dive into messaging patterns for integrations. It was scheduled in the very last slot of the day, just before the community party. Traditionally, this is the toughest time to keep attendees engaged.
Yet the room filled up again.
I’ve always felt slightly cautious presenting advanced messaging concepts to a broad BC audience, because it is a topic that can be abstract and technical. But the attendees surprised me in the best possible way. They analysed patterns, questioned assumptions, proposed alternatives, and embraced the complexity with confidence.
At that moment, it became clear once again why Business Central continues to succeed globally: the people who work with it are sharp, versatile, and deeply committed to understanding the bigger picture.
AI Agents and the Agent Playground – The Announcement I’ve Been Waiting For
One of the most exciting parts of Directions 2025 was finally being able to talk about something I’ve been quietly excited about for months: the Agent Playground for Business Central.
I first saw a private preview earlier this year at Microsoft’s Copenhagen office, and from that day on, I couldn’t wait until it became public. Now that it has been formally introduced, I can say this with confidence: This will reshape how we build, support, and scale Business Central solutions.
The Agent Playground allows the creation and execution of AI agents inside Business Central. These agents can observe, analyse, mimic user behaviour, and act within structured workflows. They are supported by logs, timelines, suggestions, and rich contextual data.
This is not “no-code magic.” Partners will still build pages, role centers, structures, and logic, but the work will be augmented dramatically by AI.
The official preview is coming in January 2026, and partners who adopt early will be ahead of a wave that will redefine the ecosystem. Those who resist this transformation will inevitably become part of history rather than part of the future.
Trust, Automation, and How Agents Earn Their Place
One of the most thoughtful aspects of Microsoft’s approach is its focus on trust. Agents don’t simply become autonomous overnight. They start by asking for approval. Then they take small steps. And only when they consistently produce trustworthy results do users feel comfortable allowing them to operate independently.
This gradual, human-centred adoption curve feels right, and it reflects how businesses actually evolve.
The MCP Server – Connecting Business Central to the AI Universe
Another key highlight was the MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server for Business Central, which is already available. This server enables seamless communication between BC and AI platforms such as Azure OpenAI or Copilot Studio. It transforms Business Central from a static system into an intelligent participant in wider business processes. Imagine agents that understand orders, customers, vendors, and transactions and can take meaningful action across systems.
This is the foundation that will make AI-driven workflows a reality.
Agent Coding and Vibe Coding – The New Era of AL Development
One of the topics that captured the attention of developers was the evolution of AL development with Agent Coding and Vibe Coding inside VS Code.
It’s astonishing to look back and realise how quickly things have evolved. Just few months ago, we were celebrating the fact that Copilot could generate a simple table, produce a few procedures, or even just autocomplete a line of AL code with some intelligence. Those felt like major milestones at the time, small glimpses into what AI might someday become for Business Central developers.
Fast-forward to today, and the landscape looks completely different. We now have agents capable of generating full mini modules, scaffolding end-to-end features, interpreting requirements, refactoring code, and even suggesting architectural patterns. What used to take hours, or days can now be bootstrapped in minutes with the right prompts and a clear design direction.
The leap we’ve seen in last few months is not incremental. It’s exponential.
The next six months are going to be both interesting and incredibly exciting. Instead of spending most of their time writing code, developers will shift their focus toward architecture, solution design, performance, and building smarter, more scalable applications.
Microsoft’s New Quality Module – A Major Functional Boost
Microsoft also announced the acquisition of a complete Quality Management module from a partner, a major step forward for the product. This solution covers end-to-end quality processes, filling a long-standing functional gap in many Business Central implementations. It will be fully integrated into the product next year, and the best part is that it’s already available on GitHub for partners to explore.
Microsoft is actively encouraging the community to review it early and share feedback. I appreciate this level of transparency and collaboration from the product team. It clearly shows their commitment to delivering a polished, production-ready app.
This will open the door for more advanced implementations in manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and other industries where structured quality workflows are essential.
What’s next?
Next week, I’m flying to Sydney for the ANZ Business Central Day event and I couldn’t be more excited. The conference is already sold out, with a strong lineup of sessions delivered by MVPs, Microsoft speakers, and incredible community contributors. It’s shaping up to be an inspiring day packed with learning, connection, and energy.
As both part of the organizing team and a speaker, I’m genuinely looking forward to experiencing it all come to life. It’s a rare opportunity to connect with partners from across Australia, New Zealand, and even beyond, and I can’t wait to be there in person to share, learn, and celebrate the growth of our community together.
Regards,
Tharanga Chandrasekara