| Functional area | Essentials | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Financial Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Copilot & Autonomous Agents | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sales & Opportunity Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Purchasing & Supply Chain | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory & Warehouse | ✓ | ✓ |
| Project Management & Timesheets | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM & Contact Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Human Resources (basic) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reporting, Power BI & Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assembly Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manufacturing (Production Orders, BOMs, Capacity Planning) | — | ✓ |
| Service Order Management | — | ✓ |
| Service Contracts & Pricing | — | ✓ |
Cloud Guide
Business Central Online
Why cloud. How licensing works. What Microsoft runs for you. Everything you need to know about Business Central as a service.
Why cloud?
Ignite with cloud technology
Business Central Online runs on Microsoft Azure — fully managed by Microsoft. No servers, no upgrades, no patches. Just your business.
General Considerations
- Automatic updates and upgrades — no maintenance windows, no project costs
- Scalable and flexible according to your business evolution
- Continuous delivery of new features, bug fixes, and regulatory updates
- More features available than on-premises (Copilot, agents, AI)
- Native integration with Teams, Excel, Outlook, Word, and Dynamics 365 Sales
- Power Platform components partially included in the license
- Free read-only access for Microsoft 365 users via Teams
- No downtime when moving from on-premises to SaaS
- No transactional cost to migrate your data
- Storage: 80 GB base + 1–3 GB per licensed user
Security and Compliance
- Each tenant database has multiple live copies (> 3) across Azure availability zones
- Runs on Microsoft’s dedicated servers with a financially backed 99.9% uptime SLA
- Microsoft anticipates and patches vulnerabilities before public disclosure
- Automatic backups retained for 28 days with point-in-time restore
- Geo-redundant backups — data survives a full Azure region outage
- Deleted environments recoverable within 14 days
- Multiple database exports per month for your own backups
- Quality assurance for all apps via Microsoft AppSource certification
- EU Data Boundary — data stored and processed within EU/EFTA
- Customer Lockbox, customer-managed encryption keys, Privileged Identity Management
Source: Microsoft Learn — Service Overview for Business Central Online
Infrastructure
What Microsoft runs for you
99.9%
Uptime SLA
Financially backed
28d
Backup Retention
Point-in-time restore
80 GB+
Base Storage
+ 1–3 GB per user
2x
Major Updates
Spring + Fall waves
1+3
Environments
Production + sandboxes
21
Azure Regions
170+ countries
What about uptime credits?
If Microsoft fails to meet the 99.9% SLA, you receive service credits: 25% for < 99.9%, 50% for < 99%, and 100% for < 95% monthly uptime. In practice, Business Central has consistently exceeded its SLA commitment.
Coming from Dynamics NAV or BC on-premises?
Over 25 features are cloud-only — including AI Copilot, Power Automate, Teams integration, and sandbox environments. We maintain a full comparison of what’s unavailable or requires extra effort on-premises on our migration page.
See the full cloud vs on-prem comparison →How it works
Purchased through CSP partners
Business Central Online licenses can only be purchased through Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners. SK Consulting is a CSP partner — we handle licensing, provisioning, and billing for you.
Subscription-based
Monthly or annual per-user subscriptions. No upfront license purchase. Add or remove users as your business evolves. Cancel at the end of any term.
Named-user model
Each license is assigned to a specific person. One license per user, regardless of how many devices they use. Licenses cannot be shared between people.
Entitlement-based permissions
Permissions are governed by entitlements tied to your license type. Even SUPER permissions cannot override what your license tier allows.
License types
Five paid licenses + free admin access
Five license types for different roles — plus free access for internal administrators, your CSP partner via GDAP, and Microsoft 365 users with read-only rights.
FULL USER
Essentials
The core license for most users. Covers all financial management, sales, purchasing, inventory, supply chain, warehouse management, and project management.
Includes:
Financial Management & Budgets
Sales & Opportunity Management
Purchasing & Supply Chain
Inventory & Warehouse
Project Management & Timesheets
CRM & Contact Management
AI Copilot & Autonomous Agents
Reporting & Power BI
Financial Management & Budgets
Sales & Opportunity Management
Purchasing & Supply Chain
Inventory & Warehouse
Project Management & Timesheets
CRM & Contact Management
AI Copilot & Autonomous Agents
Reporting & Power BI
FULL USER
Premium
Everything in Essentials plus manufacturing and service order management. Required if you produce goods or manage field service operations.
Everything in Essentials, plus:
Production Orders & BOMs
Capacity Planning & Scheduling
Assembly Management
Demand Forecasting
Service Order Management
Service Contracts & Pricing
Planning & Dispatching
Production Orders & BOMs
Capacity Planning & Scheduling
Assembly Management
Demand Forecasting
Service Order Management
Service Contracts & Pricing
Planning & Dispatching
ADDITIONAL USER
Team Member
For users who need read access across the system plus limited write access. Ideal for employees who approve, enter timesheets, or create simple sales/purchase documents.
Can do:
Read all data in the system
Enter and submit timesheets
Create sales quotes and orders
Create purchase orders
Approve workflows
Use role centers and dashboards
Read all data in the system
Enter and submit timesheets
Create sales quotes and orders
Create purchase orders
Approve workflows
Use role centers and dashboards
DEVICE LICENSE
Device
Licensed per device rather than per user. Multiple users can share one licensed device. Designed for point-of-sale, shop floor, and warehouse terminals.
Use cases:
Point-of-sale terminals
Warehouse scanners
Shop floor stations
Shared reception kiosks
Point-of-sale terminals
Warehouse scanners
Shop floor stations
Shared reception kiosks
FREE — 3 PER TENANT
External Accountant
Three free licenses per tenant for your external accounting firm or auditor. Full access to financial data — cannot be assigned to internal employees.
Details:
3 licenses per tenant, no extra cost
Full access to financial data
For professional accountants & auditors only
Cannot be used by internal staff
3 licenses per tenant, no extra cost
Full access to financial data
For professional accountants & auditors only
Cannot be used by internal staff
No license required
Free access included with every tenant
FREE
Internal Administrator
Microsoft 365 Global Administrators and Dynamics 365 Administrators get automatic free access to Business Central — read-only across all data plus user management and permission assignment. No paid BC license needed.
FREE VIA GDAP
Partner Admin (GDAP)
Your CSP partner (like SK Consulting) gets free delegated admin access via GDAP — Granular Delegated Admin Privileges. This allows us to manage your environments, troubleshoot issues, and provide first-line support without consuming any of your paid licenses.
FREE READ-ONLY
Microsoft 365 Users
Any user with a Microsoft 365 license can access Business Central data in read-only mode through Microsoft Teams. No additional BC license required — they can view records, check statuses, and look up data shared by colleagues.
Comparison
Essentials vs Premium at a glance
All full users in a tenant must be on the same tier. You cannot mix Essentials and Premium full-user licenses. Choose based on whether you need manufacturing or service management.
Microsoft 365 integration
Read-only access via Microsoft Teams
Employees with a Microsoft 365 license can view Business Central data shared in Microsoft Teams — without needing a separate Business Central license. This extends visibility across your organization.
What M365 users can do
View Business Central records shared in Teams chats and channels. See card details, summaries, and field-level data. Participate in discussions around shared BC records.
What they cannot do
Create, edit, or delete records. Access Business Central directly (web client, mobile app). Run reports or workflows. This is read-only access through Teams only.
Requirements
Your tenant must have at least one Essentials or Premium license. M365 access must be enabled by the admin. Supported M365 plans: E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium.
Dual use rights
Cloud licenses include on-premises access
One of the key advantages of Business Central Online subscriptions: Dual Use Rights grant you the right to also run Business Central On-Premises at no extra license cost. Useful during migration or for dev/test environments.
Cloud subscription gives you
| BC Essentials Online | → | BC Essentials On-Prem |
| BC Premium Online | → | BC Premium On-Prem |
| BC Team Members Online | → | BC Team Members On-Prem |
| BC Device Online | → | BC Device On-Prem |
Important limitations
- • Dual Use Rights last only while the cloud subscription is active
- • Access is to the most current on-prem version
- • Server licenses for Windows Server, SQL Server, etc. must be obtained separately
- • On-prem CALs do not grant reciprocal cloud access
Try before you buy
Trials and sandbox environments
30-day free trial
Sign up at dynamics.microsoft.com for a self-service trial. Comes with 10,000 user licenses for non-production evaluation. Can be converted to a paid production environment.
Premium trial via CSP
As a CSP partner, we can provision a Business Central Premium trial for you. This lets you evaluate manufacturing and service management features before committing to Premium.
Sandbox environments
Every production environment includes access to sandbox environments for testing extensions, configurations, and updates. Entitlements are enforced in sandboxes since version 17.0.
FAQ
Common licensing questions
What is the uptime SLA for Business Central Online?
Microsoft provides a financially backed 99.9% monthly uptime SLA. If they miss it, you receive service credits: 25% for < 99.9%, 50% for < 99%, and 100% for < 95% uptime. In practice, the service consistently exceeds this target.
How long are backups retained?
Azure SQL automatic backups are retained for 28 days with point-in-time restore. Deleted environments can be recovered within 14 days. Geo-redundant backups survive a full Azure region outage.
How much storage is included?
Every tenant gets 80 GB of base storage shared across all environments, plus 1–3 GB per licensed Essentials or Premium user. You can purchase additional storage in 1 GB or 100 GB increments. Maximum database size per environment is 3 TB.
How many environments do I get?
Every subscription includes 1 production environment and 3 sandboxes. Each additional purchased production environment adds another 3 sandboxes and increases shared storage by 4 GB.
Can I mix Essentials and Premium full users?
No. All full users in a Business Central tenant must be on the same tier. If any user needs manufacturing or service management, all full users must be on Premium. You can mix full users with Team Member and Device licenses.
How is the External Accountant license different from Team Member?
The External Accountant license has full access to financial data and is free (3 per tenant), but it is exclusively for external professional accountants or auditors. It cannot be assigned to internal employees.
What happens when I convert from a trial?
The first licensed user (not an admin) who signs in after the license is applied ends the trial period. Make sure to assign a Business Central license to a user before they sign in, or the trial countdown continues.
Can Team Members write to any table?
Team Members have read access to all data plus write access to a defined set of included tables (sales quotes/orders, purchase orders, timesheets, contacts, etc.). They cannot write to the General Ledger or security tables.
Do I need separate licenses for sandbox environments?
No. Your production licenses cover access to sandbox environments. Since version 17.0, entitlements are enforced in sandboxes the same way as production.
What is the difference between CSP and direct Microsoft purchase?
Business Central Online can only be purchased through CSP partners. You cannot buy it directly from Microsoft. Your CSP partner (like SK Consulting) handles licensing, billing, provisioning, and first-line support.
Ready to move to the cloud?
As a CSP partner, we advise on the optimal license mix, handle provisioning, manage your subscription, and support your cloud journey. No guesswork.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Licensing in Business Central · Service Overview · Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide
