Microsoft Dynamics 365 - 2026 release wave 1

This release once again has a strong focus on applying Copilot to support sales representatives, account managers, and sales managers in their daily work. 

The following features are highlighted in more detail: 

• Sales Research Agent
• Sales Research Agent Portfolio Planning
• Sales Close Agent
• Sales Hub dialer 

For Dynamics 365 Contact Center, improvements are primarily being made for quality, security, and efficiency. The focus is on smarter quality management, proactive SMS engagement, secure call transfers, efficient and split call recordings, improved authentication, a more modern chat experience, and faster consult and transfer flows.

We highlight the following topics: 

• Use the SMS channel to proactively engage with customers
• Identify your customers with improved authentication 

In the first wave of 2026, the focus is on strengthening the capabilities of autonomous agents. We are seeing new Copilot features in particular, that speed up the resolution of customer issues and increase customer satisfaction. 

We will highlight the following topics: 

• Display customer sentiment indicators for a case 
• Validate knowledge and process compliance with evaluations 

Microsoft is launching new features in Dynamics 365 Field Service that increase productivity for planners and frontline workers. In this release, you’ll discover how planning work orders becomes even easier and how executing work orders becomes less error-prone. 

New features have been added to take the integration with Project Operations to the next level, by introducing various connections between projects, project tasks, and work orders. 

We review the following features: 

• Boost productivity through stability and reduced error sensitivity 
• More flexible work planning for planners 
• Improved integration between projects and work order management 

This release continues the ongoing trend of applying Copilot AI agents within financial processes. With the introduction of MCP server technology within Copilot, we are seeing a wide range of new use cases emerge for repetitive, analytical, and timeconsuming tasks. Examples include applications within accounting activities, as well as agents that help accelerate period closings and provide faster insights into business performance.

We would be happy to discuss how these capabilities could also be applied within your organization.

In addition to broad investments in AI, Microsoft is further expanding capabilities in financial reporting and supporting the financial planning process (FP&A).

Within the core finance processes, many improvements are being made, particularly to the major features that have been introduced in recent years. These include invoice capture, einvoicing, tax calculation, subscription billing, and finance AI agents. A major new announcement in this release is the new journal framework.

With Release Wave 1 of 2026, Microsoft takes a clear step toward a smarter, more autonomous supply chain. Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is further strengthened with AI driven automation, real time warehouse optimization, and more flexible work processes that better align with day-to-day operations. 

The focus is on reducing manual work, increasing processing speed, and improving decision making—both in procurement and warehouse operations. Through Copilot driven communication, dynamic inventory placement, and intelligent work classification, organizations gain better control over lead times, costs, and performance, without adding extra complexity. 

The following topics are highlighted: 

• Automation of procure to pay through AI driven supplier communication 
• Smarter warehouse layout and faster picking 
• Flexible and maintainable work logic using Power FX 

This release is especially relevant for organizations with higher volumes, variable demand, and an operational focus on efficiency and scalability. 

An exceptionally strong first release wave for Project Operations in 2026. Out of 50 (!) new improvements, we selected the 10 most valuable features with the greatest impact on Sales, Project Management, Resource Management, Logistics / Manufacturing, and Finance.

Project Operations evolves rapidly across all areas, and it shows: this wave marks a dynamic year ahead, delivering visible value across the entire project lifecycle.

This top 10 highlights where the greatest gains can be achieved, while many more improvements are already in the pipeline that we are looking forward to.

With Release Wave 1 of 2026, Microsoft continues to invest in strengthening Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations as an intelligent, scalable, and future ready ERP platform. The new cross app capabilities do not focus on isolated features, but on the foundation: how data is managed, how performance is safeguarded, and how users and AI assistance collaborate more effectively. 

The following points stand out with regard to increased productivity using Copilot: 

• Improved data tooling in the Dynamics 365 ERP MCP server 
• Enabling agents to work with file attachments via the Dynamics 365 ERP MCP server 

Building on the vision of “One Dynamics, One Platform” through the following key topics: 

• Building custom scenarios using the Archive Framework 
• Parallel processing for archiving jobs supporting long term data retention

In 2026, buyers remain anonymous longer than ever before. Research shows that over 80% of buyers complete most of their orientation independently, even before having a single interaction with Sales. In 81% of cases, the buyer will initiate the first contact. 

This means you get only one chance to be visible, relevant, and trustworthy at exactly the right moment. These three new Customer Insights features help you do just that: 

• Better activation
• More trustworthy
• Accurate timing 

This is essential in a world where customers remain in control of their orientation process and journey for longer.

The focus of Microsoft’s recent developments is primarily on the use of AI to support business processes. At the same time, new tools continue to be introduced to support makers as well. 

The following new features stood out to us: 

• Improved search functionality in grids and lookups
• Generative Pages are coming to Europe

With the first release wave of this year, Microsoft continues to invest in the further development of Power Pages, with a strong focus on improving governance, usability, and security. Administrators gain more ways to gain insight into the usage of Power Pages. 

In addition, the power of AI is being leveraged to help developers build portals faster and more securely. With the introduction of multiple security agents and the continued enhancement of AI assisted development tools, portal quality is improved while placing greater emphasis on building secure portals—at the same time reducing the required time investment. 

Features that stood out to us most: 

• Build Power Pages sites even faster using AI 
• Server-side logic in Power Pages 
• The renewed Power Pages Client API 

There is interesting news around Power Automate licensing in Release Wave 1 of 2026, as more flexibility is now available with your Power Automate Process licenses.

This feature immediately caught our attention: 

• Share your license capacity more intelligently with Flow Groups! 

Microsoft continues to invest heavily in strengthening the management capabilities within the Power Platform. 

In this release, the following stood out to us: 

• Agentic Monitoring & Alerting to support administrators
• Improved Git integration for deployment
• Enhanced control over data security
• Visibility of data labelling 

Not all of these are entirely new features, but together they contribute to increasingly strong collaboration between existing components within the platform.

This release wave includes the following highlights, which we are pleased to explain in more detail: 

• Recovery of deleted records, providing greater control and peace of mind. 
• Centralized MCP management for improved visibility, efficiency, and innovation. 
• Real-time telemetry for more reliable data management in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. 

Microsoft Copilot for Sales is an AI assistant that helps sales professionals sell faster, smarter, and more effectively. Fully integrated into Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365, Copilot provides real-time customer insights, summaries of emails and meetings, and intelligent follow-up suggestions. 

The result: less administration, better conversations, and more focus on closing deals. 

CRM independent 

Copilot for Sales can be connected to both Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (Sales) and Salesforce, ensuring that sales professionals always have access to up-to-date CRM information—regardless of the platform being used. 

Distinction from Copilot within Dynamics 365 Sales: 

• Copilot for Sales supports the day-to-day commercial activities of individual sellers within Microsoft 365.
• Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales is deeply embedded in the CRM and focuses on sales processes, pipeline visibility, and management support.