Standard API List : Microsoft D365 Business Central

If you are working with Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) in the cloud (SaaS), you will often hear the term Standard API. But what does it mean? Let me simplify that for you.

What are Standard APIs in Business Central?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (SaaS) comes with ready to use REST APIs called Standard APIs.

• These APIs let you connect Business Central with other apps (CRM, e-commerce, mobile apps, custom portals).
• You don’t need to create everything from scratch; Microsoft already provides APIs for common tables like Customers, Vendors, Items, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, etc.
• You can read, create, update, and delete data directly from Business Central through these APIs.

Think of them as pre built bridges that make it easier to send and receive data.

Tip: Business Central API Integration Extension – Step‑by‑Step Manual

List of Standard APIs (with Table Usage)

Following are the most commonly used standard APIs in Business Central SaaS:

This is my custom page where shows consolidated list of Business Central APIs available in D365 BC. You will get the same if you created new Page with Source Table as Table ID 2000000138 “Page Metadata”. Also make sure to filter the record with Page Type=”API”

Functional Explanation (For Non-Technical Users)

From a business perspective following are the key points

• Standard APIs help integrate Business Central with third party software like Shopify, Salesforce, or Power BI.
• Example: An e-commerce website can automatically create a Sales Order in Business Central when a customer places an order.
• This reduces manual data entry, avoids mistakes, and saves time.

Common use cases are as follows:

• Sync customers and vendors
• Send invoices to other systems
• Update inventory items automatically
• Share financial data with reporting tools

So, even if you’re not a developer, APIs mean automation + integration = smooth business operations.

Technical Explanation (For Developers / IT)

Now let us go deeper for those who actually set up and use APIs.

Step 1: Get the API URL

Every Business Central SaaS tenant has a base API endpoint:

Base URL:

https://api.businesscentral.dynamics.com/v2.0/{tenant}/api/v2.0/

Tip: Replace {tenantID} with your tenant ID, and {environment} with Sandbox or Production.

Authentication: Uses OAuth 2.0 (Azure AD app registration).
Format: JSON (REST protocol).
Methods: GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE.

Step 2: Authentication Setup

Earlier: Basic Auth with user/password or web service key.
Now: Microsoft forces OAuth 2.0 (Azure AD app registration).

How to do OAuth 2.0 (Azure AD app registration) ?

Following are the steps to do the Azure AD App registration in quick.

1. Go to Azure Portal -> Register an App.
2. Copy Client ID & Tenant ID
3. Give API permissions for Business Central
4. Use OAuth token in your API requests.

Note: Hope you may follow these steps if facing challenge mention in comment. I will share detailed practical steps to do this.

Step 3: Testing with Postman

Following are the steps to do this activity

• Install Postman (free tool).
• Use your API URL.

Example:

GET https://api.businesscentral.dynamics.com/v2.0/{tenantID}/{environment}/api/v2.0/companies

• Add Authorization (Bearer Token)
• Click Send -> You should see JSON results.

This confirms your connection works.

Step 4: Standard API Endpoints

Some useful API objects are as follows

• /customers – list, create, update, delete customers
• /vendors – manage suppliers
• /items – product data
• /salesOrders – create sales orders
• /purchaseInvoices – vendor invoices

Example Request – Create Customer (POST):

POST https://api.businesscentral.dynamics.com/v2.0/{tenantID}/{environment}/api/v2.0/companies({companyId})/customers

{
   "displayName": "ABC Traders",
   "phoneNumber": "1234567890",
   "email": "abc@traders.com",
   "address": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "London",
      "country": "GB"
   }
}

Response will return a new Customer ID.

Step 5: Using Query Parameters

BC API supports OData query options like following

• $filter=city eq ‘London’ -> Only customers in London
• $top=5 -> Get first 5 records
• $orderby=lastModifiedDateTime desc -> Sort by latest updates
• $expand=salesOrderLines -> Show order with line details

Super useful for pulling exactly what you need without extra load.

Step 6: Performance and Limits

Following are the performance limit details for this

Always build error handling (429 Too Many Requests).

Example Fetch Customers

GET https://api.businesscentral.dynamics.com/v2.0/{tenant}/api/v2.0/companies({companyId})/customers

Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

Example : Create a Sales Order

POST /companies({companyId})/salesOrders
{
  "customerNumber": "10000",
  "orderDate": "2025-09-25",
  "salesOrderLines": [
    {
      "itemId": "1896-S",
      "quantity": 2
    }
  ]
}

End to End Example (Integration Scenario)

Scenario: Shopify order -> Business Central Sales Order

Following are the scenario details

1. Customer places order in Shopify.
2. Shopify calls Business Central Sales Orders API -> creates a Sales Order.
3. Items are validated via Items API.
4. Customer details checked via Customers API.
5. Finance team reviews -> posts Invoice via Invoices API.
6. Reports pulled in Power BI via General Ledger API.

Result: A smooth, fully automated sales cycle.

Benefits of Using Standard APIs

Following are the top benefits of using Standard API.

• No coding from scratch -> Microsoft maintains them.
• Faster integration with other systems.
• Secure and reliable (OAuth + Microsoft Cloud).
• Extensible -> You can add custom APIs if standard ones don’t cover your needs.

Following summary of my explanations over here for your quick information

• Functional users -> Think automation, less manual work, smooth data flow.
• Technical users -> Think endpoints, JSON, OAuth, and REST calls.
• Both win when Standard APIs are used smartly.

FAQ : Standard API for Business Central SaaS

Following are the most asked questions related this topic on our social medias for your reference