- Feature
- Discover objects in connected Business Central environments
- Availability
- Generally available (October 2026)
- Industry focus
- Multi-company groups and holding companies
Groups with several operating companies tend to collect Business Central extensions. A consolidation app here, an intercompany tool there, a vertical app in one subsidiary and a dozen in-house customizations across the group. Developers, and now AI coding agents, need to know what's already installed before they build on it. Business Central 29.0 makes that much easier.
The industry challenge
A typical mid-market group might run, in one Business Central tenant:
- Several AppSource apps (banking, document capture, consolidation)
- A vertical app for one division, such as construction or distribution
- Group-wide in-house extensions for reporting and intercompany processes
- Company-specific extensions added during acquisitions
When a developer starts a new extension, they need to reference objects from these apps: a table from the consolidation app or a codeunit from the intercompany tool. To do that, the project needs the right dependency in its manifest and the right symbols downloaded.
If the developer, or an AI agent, doesn't know which app owns an object, they search the workspace and find nothing, because the symbols aren't there yet. AI agents are especially prone to this. They may generate code that refers to an object without adding the dependency it needs, and the build fails.
What Microsoft delivered in Business Central 29.0
According to Microsoft, developers and coding agents can now search the objects installed in a connected Business Central environment. The results include metadata about the owning app, which is what you need to add the dependency and download the correct symbols.
Microsoft highlights two outcomes:
- Developers and agents can find objects that exist in the target environment even before their symbols are in the workspace
- Fewer searches fail, and agents can add the correct app dependency before generating code that uses an object
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact for a multi-company group |
|---|---|
| Development speed | Less time working out which app owns which object |
| AI code quality | Agents add the right dependency before writing code |
| Build reliability | Fewer failed builds caused by missing dependencies |
| Reuse | Easier to build on existing group extensions instead of duplicating them |
| Onboarding | New developers and partners find their way around faster |
Reuse is the hidden benefit. Groups often duplicate functionality because developers don't know it already exists in another app. Making installed objects discoverable encourages building on what's there.
A worked scenario
Consider a holding company with five subsidiaries in manufacturing, distribution and services (an illustrative example). It runs a consolidation app, an intercompany extension built in-house and a distribution vertical app in one subsidiary.
The group finance director asks for a new management report that combines intercompany balances with distribution margins. A developer uses an AI coding agent to scaffold the report extension.
Before 29.0, the agent searched the workspace, found neither the intercompany tables nor the distribution app's margin fields, and generated code that wouldn't compile. With Business Central 29.0, the agent searches the connected environment, finds both objects with their owning apps and adds the two dependencies. It downloads the symbols and generates code that builds the first time.
Adoption considerations
- Connect to the right environment. Discovery reflects what's installed in the connected environment, so use one that matches production.
- Keep an app inventory. Discovery helps developers, but group IT still needs an up-to-date list of installed apps and owners.
- Check licensing and dependencies. Depending on a third-party app ties your extension to it. Confirm that's acceptable.
- Encourage reuse. Make it standard practice to search for existing objects before building new ones.
- Review agent-added dependencies. Make sure every dependency an AI agent adds is intended.
The bottom line
Multi-company groups gain the most from Business Central when subsidiaries share capabilities instead of duplicating them. Object discovery in Business Central 29.0 helps developers and AI agents see what's already installed and build on it correctly. The result is faster development, fewer failed builds and a more coherent group system.
If your group runs many Business Central extensions, it's worth reviewing your app portfolio and development approach with an experienced adviser.
Source: Microsoft roadmap 573339