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How to integrate OneDrive with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Effective document management is essential in today’s digital-first environment. Efficiently storing, retrieving, and sharing documents is critical for smooth business operations. One powerful solution is integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with OneDrive for Business, enabling Business Central Cloud ERP OneDrive document management for seamless file handling, improved productivity, and secure storage.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through step-by-step instructions on how to integrate Business Central with OneDrive and highlight its benefits. As a trusted Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP implementation partner in Chennai, Bangalore, Dubai, and New York, we help businesses leverage integrations like this to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.

Why Integrate Business Central with OneDrive?

Integrating Business Central with OneDrive for Business offers several advantages:

  • Centralized Document Storage: Store invoices, contracts, and other business documents in a single location accessible from anywhere.
  • Improved Collaboration: Teams can collaborate in real-time, even when working remotely.
  • Enhanced Security: OneDrive ensures enterprise-grade security, access control, and compliance.
  • Streamlined Processes: Automate document uploads and reduce manual handling of files.
  • Seamless Office 365 Integration: Directly link ERP transactions with Office 365 applications like Word, Excel, and Power Automate.

This integration is particularly valuable for businesses handling large volumes of transactional documents, project files, or customer records.

Setting Up OneDrive Integration in Dynamics 365 Business Central

1. Preparing Your Environment

To start, you’ll need a dedicated table in Business Central to store OneDrive credentials and folder information. Key fields typically include:

  • Client ID
  • Client Secret
  • Directory ID
  • Drive ID (OneDrive)
  • Folder Name

At Cetas, we create a OneDrive Setup table to securely manage this information, ensuring smooth integration.

2. Selecting Files for Upload

Since File Management in Business Central Cloud has limitations, the File.UploadIntoStream function is used to select files. You will also need to determine the file length in bytes using TempBlob.Length. This value is crucial for correctly uploading files to OneDrive.

3. Retrieving the Bearer Token

Before uploading any files, you must authenticate with OneDrive using a Bearer Token.

  • Use the POST method with Content-type: x-www-form-urlencoded.
  • Parse the HTTP response into a JSON object.
  • Extract the access token for subsequent file uploads.

This token ensures secure and authorized communication between Business Central and OneDrive.

4. Creating an Upload URL

Once authenticated, the next step is to generate an Upload URL for the target folder in OneDrive.

  • You can pass the folder name directly—OneDrive will create the folder if it doesn’t exist.
  • Use a similar HTTP POST request as with the Bearer Token to retrieve the upload URL.

At this stage, your system is ready to send files to OneDrive.

5. Uploading Files to OneDrive

Now comes the actual file upload:

  • Pass the file length in the Content-Length header.
  • For simplicity, upload files in one stretch (full-length) using Content-Range.
  • Use Content-Type: octet-stream to support all file types, from PDFs and Excel sheets to images and videos.
  • Stream the file directly without converting to Base64—this approach is efficient and effective for files up to 40 MB.

For larger files, the process requires splitting uploads into multiple parts—a topic for advanced integration.

Best Practices for Business Central and OneDrive Integration

  1. Secure Credentials: Always store OneDrive credentials securely and limit access.
  2. File Naming Conventions: Use consistent naming to simplify retrieval and reduce duplication.
  3. Monitor Uploads: Track file upload status and errors to prevent data loss.
  4. Leverage OneDrive Features: Use the OneDrive Setup assisted setup guide to configure and manage file handling options. Take advantage of features like Open in OneDrive and Edit in Excel to store, share, and collaborate on files efficiently.
  5. Automate with Power Automate: For repetitive tasks, consider Power Automate to automate uploads directly from Business Central.
  6. Test With Multiple File Types: Ensure your integration supports PDFs, images, spreadsheets, presentations, and multimedia files.
  7. Enhance with AL Code (Optional): Developers can extend integration by building custom AL solutions for more sophisticated file management tailored to your business workflows.

Real-World Applications of Business Central and OneDrive Integration

For finance teams, integrating Dynamics 365 Business Central with OneDrive allows automatic uploading of invoices, receipts, and financial statements directly to OneDrive. This ensures secure storage, easy retrieval, and reduced manual effort, helping teams focus on higher-value financial tasks.

In project management, centralized OneDrive folders linked to Business Central projects make it simple to store, organize, and access all project documentation. Teams can collaborate efficiently, ensuring everyone works from the most up-to-date files.

For sales and marketing, contracts, proposals, and client presentations can be attached directly to customer records in Business Central, while OneDrive provides a convenient way to share and manage these documents with colleagues and clients.

In operations, maintaining equipment manuals, safety protocols, and compliance documents becomes seamless with integrated Business Central and OneDrive workflows. Teams can quickly locate the files they need, reducing downtime and ensuring compliance standards are met.

Why Choose Cetas for Business Central and OneDrive Integration?

While a technically skilled user can set up Dynamics 365 Business Central and OneDrive integration on their own, it requires deep knowledge of AL coding, APIs, and secure credential management.

Partnering with Cetas ensures a smoother, faster, and more reliable implementation. We handle configuration, customization, and testing, while providing ongoing support to keep your integration secure, compliant, and optimized for your business workflows. This allows your team to focus on core operations rather than troubleshooting technical complexities.

Ready to streamline your document management? Contact us today to get started.

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