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Integration Accelerator — How to Set Up

How to Set Up

Section titled “How to Set Up”

Who is this guide for? This guide is written for people who are new to the Integration Accelerator. You do not need to be a technical expert to follow these steps. We will walk you through everything from installing the app to getting your first integration ready to run.

What Is the Integration Accelerator?

Section titled “What Is the Integration Accelerator?”

The Integration Accelerator (also called IAC) is an app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It acts as a bridge between Business Central and other systems — for example, cloud storage platforms like Azure Data Lake or Microsoft Fabric, or any other system that can receive data via an API (a standard way for software to talk to each other).

In plain language: the Integration Accelerator watches your Business Central data, and whenever something changes, it can automatically send that information to another system — without you having to write any code.

Before You Begin

Section titled “Before You Begin”

Before installing the Integration Accelerator, make sure the following is in place:

RequirementDetails
Business Central versionVersion 22 or higher (cloud or on-premises)
User permissionsYou must be a member of the D365 Extension MGT user group, or have the EXTEND. MGT. - ADMIN permission set
License ManagerThe License Manager by XtensionIT app will be installed automatically as a dependent app when you install the Integration Accelerator — no manual installation is needed

Step 1 — Install the App

Section titled “Step 1 — Install the App”

The Integration Accelerator is available on the Microsoft AppSource Marketplace and can be installed directly from within Business Central — no .app file or manual upload is needed.

💡 Note: When you install the Integration Accelerator, the License Manager by XtensionIT app is automatically installed at the same time as a dependent app. You do not need to install it separately.

How to install from the Business Central Marketplace:

Section titled “How to install from the Business Central Marketplace:”
  1. In Business Central, use the search bar (the magnifying glass icon) and search for “Microsoft AppSource Apps”.
  2. Open the Microsoft AppSource Apps page — this takes you directly to the Microsoft AppSource Marketplace from within Business Central.
  3. In the search box, type “Integration Accelerator” and find the app published by XtensionIT.
  4. Click on the app to open its details page.
  5. Click Get it now (or Free trial if applicable) and follow the on-screen prompts.
  6. Review and accept the terms, then confirm the installation.
  7. Business Central will install the Integration Accelerator and automatically install the License Manager as a dependent app.
  8. Wait for the installation to complete. You can verify the installation by searching for “Extension Management” and checking that both apps appear with a checkmark in the “Is Installed” column.

Step 2 — Assign User Permissions

Section titled “Step 2 — Assign User Permissions”

After the app is installed, you need to make sure the right people have access to it.

There are two permission sets to know about:

Permission SetWho should get it
XTEIAC ACT. ADMINUsers who will set up and configure the Integration Accelerator
XTEIAC ACT. BASICAll users who work in Business Central and whose data will be sent through the integration

How to assign a permission set:

Section titled “How to assign a permission set:”
  1. Search for “Users” in Business Central.
  2. Open the user you want to update.
  3. Go to the Permission Sets section.
  4. Add the appropriate permission set from the list above.

Step 3 — Activate the Job Queue

Section titled “Step 3 — Activate the Job Queue”

When the Integration Accelerator is installed, it automatically creates two background jobs (called Job Queue Entries). These jobs are responsible for processing and sending data. They are created in a paused state — you need to activate them.

How to activate the Job Queue Entries:

Section titled “How to activate the Job Queue Entries:”
  1. Search for “Job Queue Entries” in Business Central.
  2. Find the two entries related to the Integration Accelerator:
    • Activity Processor XTE — this job processes and sends outbound data entries.
    • Activity Kick Starter XTE — this job monitors the processor and restarts it if it stops due to an error.
  3. Open each entry and change the Status from “On Hold” to “Ready”.

💡 Tip: It is recommended to set the Activity Processor XTE job to run every 1 minute, and the Activity Kick Starter XTE to run every 5 minutes. This ensures data is sent quickly and the system recovers automatically from any errors.

Step 4 — Open the Activities Page

Section titled “Step 4 — Open the Activities Page”

The Activities page is the main place where you set up and manage all your integrations. Each integration is called an Activity.

How to find it:

Section titled “How to find it:”
  1. Use the search bar in Business Central.
  2. Search for “Activities” (or “API Activities”).
  3. Open the page.

When the app is first installed, it creates 4 template Activities to help you get started:

Activity CodeWhat it does
AZUREDATALAKESends data to Azure Data Lake or Microsoft Fabric
PUBLISHDATASends data to any external system using a standard JSON format
REQUESTDATAExposes Business Central data as a read-only API endpoint (no extra coding needed)
SAVEREQUESTReceives incoming data from an external system and saves it for processing

💡 These templates are set up as Test System entries by default. You can use them as a starting point and copy them for your live setup.

Step 5 — Configure an Activity

Section titled “Step 5 — Configure an Activity”

Each Activity has its own settings. Here is how to configure the most common type: sending data to Azure Data Lake.

Open the Activity Card:

Section titled “Open the Activity Card:”
  1. On the Activities page, click on the AZUREDATALAKE activity (or create a new one).
  2. The Activity Card opens. This is where all the settings live.

General Settings (applies to all activity types):

Section titled “General Settings (applies to all activity types):”
FieldWhat to fill in
CodeA short, unique name for this activity (e.g. AZUREDATALAKE)
DescriptionA plain-language description of what this activity does
ActiveTurn this on when you are ready to start sending data
Activity TypeChoose what kind of activity this is (see the table in Step 4)
Test SystemTurn this on if this setup is for a test environment
Clean Entries Older ThanSet a time period (e.g. 30D for 30 days) to automatically delete old log entries

Settings for “Publish Data” (sending data out):

Section titled “Settings for “Publish Data” (sending data out):”
FieldWhat to fill in
Publish Data TypeChoose Azure Data Lake or Default (Json)
Maximum Error RetriesHow many times to retry if sending fails (e.g. 5)
Job Queue Delay (Minutes)How many minutes to wait before sending (e.g. 2) — this ensures data is fully saved before it is sent
Enable Record MonitorTurn on to detect changes in real time
Monitor IntervalHow often (in minutes) to check for changes

Azure Data Lake Connection Settings:

Section titled “Azure Data Lake Connection Settings:”
FieldWhat to fill in
Account NameYour Azure Storage Account name (3–24 lowercase letters and numbers)
Client IDThe Application (Client) ID from your Azure App Registration
Client SecretThe secret key from your Azure App Registration
Tenant IDYour Azure Tenant ID
ContainerThe name of the container in Azure where data will be stored
Container Directory(Optional) A folder path inside the container, e.g. data/businesscentral
Create ContainerTurn on to let the system create the container automatically if it does not exist
Storage TypeChoose Azure Data Lake or Microsoft Fabric
Max. Payload Size (MB)Maximum size of each data upload (default: 4 MB)
CDM Data FormatLeave as Parquet (recommended)

🔐 Security note: The Client ID, Client Secret, and Tenant ID are stored securely and are never shown in plain text after they are saved.

Step 6 — Set Up Tables and Fields

Section titled “Step 6 — Set Up Tables and Fields”

After configuring the Activity, you need to tell it which data to watch and send. This is done by adding Tables and Fields.

Add a Table:

Section titled “Add a Table:”
  1. On the Activity Card, click the Tables button in the action bar.
  2. The Activity Tables page opens.
  3. Click New Main Table to add a table.
  4. In the Table No. field, select the Business Central table you want to monitor (e.g. the Customer table, the Item table, etc.).
  5. Set the following options:
FieldWhat it means
ActiveTurn on to start monitoring this table
Publish InsertSend data when a new record is created
Publish ModifySend data when a record is changed
Publish DeleteSend data when a record is deleted
ScheduleChoose Real Time (send immediately) or Interval (send on a schedule)
Schedule IntervalIf using Interval, set how often in minutes
Monitor Fields for PublishingChoose All Fields or Specified Fields (only trigger on specific field changes)

Add Fields:

Section titled “Add Fields:”
  1. On the Activity Tables page, select a table and click Fields.
  2. Click the Field No. lookup to select which fields to include.
  3. You can select multiple fields at once.
  4. For each field, you can set:
    • Active — include this field in the export
    • Field TAG Name — the name used for this field in the exported data (defaults to the field name)
    • Include Empty TAG — whether to include the field even when it has no value

Step 7 — Synchronize Structure to Azure (Azure Data Lake only)

Section titled “Step 7 — Synchronize Structure to Azure (Azure Data Lake only)”

If you are using the Azure Data Lake activity type, you need to run a one-time synchronization to set up the structure in Azure before data starts flowing.

How to do it:

Section titled “How to do it:”
  1. On the Activity Card, click Synchronize Structure to Azure in the action bar.
  2. The system will:
    • Create the container in Azure (if Create Container is turned on)
    • Set up the folder structure for each table

⚠️ Note: This step sets up the structure only — it does not send any data yet. Data will start flowing once the Activity is set to Active and the Job Queue is running.

Step 8 — Activate the Activity

Section titled “Step 8 — Activate the Activity”

Once everything is configured:

  1. Open the Activity Card.
  2. Set Active to Yes (turn on the toggle).
  3. The system will validate your license and begin monitoring the selected tables.

✅ You are now set up! Data will start flowing to your external system according to the schedule you configured.

Step 9 — Test Your Setup with Beeceptor (Optional but Recommended)

Section titled “Step 9 — Test Your Setup with Beeceptor (Optional but Recommended)”

Before connecting the Integration Accelerator to your real external system, it is a great idea to test that data is actually being sent. A free online tool called Beeceptor makes this very easy — it acts as a pretend API endpoint that catches and displays everything you send to it.

🌐 Beeceptor website: https://beeceptor.com

What is Beeceptor?

Section titled “What is Beeceptor?”

Beeceptor is a free online service that creates a temporary API endpoint for you. When the Integration Accelerator sends data to that endpoint, Beeceptor captures it and shows you exactly what was sent — the data, the format, and any headers. You do not need to install anything.

How to test with Beeceptor — step by step:

Section titled “How to test with Beeceptor — step by step:”

Part 1: Create a Beeceptor endpoint

Section titled “Part 1: Create a Beeceptor endpoint”

  1. Go to https://beeceptor.com in your web browser.

  2. In the text box on the homepage, type a name for your endpoint — for example: my-bc-test

  3. Click Create Endpoint.

  4. Beeceptor will generate a unique URL for you, something like:

    https://my-bc-test.free.beeceptor.com

  5. Copy this URL — you will need it in the next part.

💡 Tip: Keep the Beeceptor browser tab open. Incoming requests will appear here in real time.

Part 2: Set up a “Publish Data” Activity in Business Central

Section titled “Part 2: Set up a “Publish Data” Activity in Business Central”
  1. In Business Central, open the Activities page (search for “Activities”).
  2. Open the PUBLISHDATA template activity — or create a new one with Activity Type = Publish Data.
  3. On the Activity Card, make sure:
    • Publish Data Type is set to Default (Json)
  4. In the Default (Json) section, fill in:
    • API Endpoint URL — paste the Beeceptor URL you copied (e.g. https://my-bc-test.free.beeceptor.com)
    • Auth. Bearer Token — type any value here, for example test-token (Beeceptor will accept anything)
    • Auth. Bearer Token Exp. Date — set any future date
  5. Click Tables in the action bar and add a simple table to monitor — for example, the Customer table (Table No. 18).
  6. Add a few fields (e.g. Name, Address, City).
  7. Set the table to Active.
  8. Back on the Activity Card, set Active to Yes.

Part 3: Trigger a data send

Section titled “Part 3: Trigger a data send”

Now you need to make a change in Business Central so the Integration Accelerator detects it and sends data to Beeceptor.

  1. Open any Customer record in Business Central.
  2. Make a small change — for example, add a space to the end of the name and then remove it, or change a field value and change it back.
  3. Save the record.
  4. Wait a moment for the Job Queue to process the change (usually within 1–2 minutes).

Part 4: Check Beeceptor

Section titled “Part 4: Check Beeceptor”
  1. Switch back to your Beeceptor browser tab.
  2. You should see a new request appear in the list — this is the data that Business Central sent.
  3. Click on the request to expand it and see:
    • The JSON payload — the actual data that was sent
    • The headers — including the Bearer Token you set
    • The timestamp of when it was received

If you can see the data here, your Integration Accelerator is working correctly and sending data as expected! 🎉

Part 5: Check the Outbound Entries in Business Central

Section titled “Part 5: Check the Outbound Entries in Business Central”
  1. Go back to Business Central and open the Activity Card for your test activity.
  2. Click Outbound Entries.
  3. You should see an entry with Status = Processed — this confirms the data was sent successfully.

What if nothing appears in Beeceptor?

Section titled “What if nothing appears in Beeceptor?”
ProblemWhat to check
No request in BeeceptorCheck that the Job Queue Entry (Activity Processor XTE) is in Ready status
Outbound Entry shows FailedCheck the API Endpoint URL — make sure it matches exactly what Beeceptor gave you
No Outbound Entry at allMake sure the table is set to Active and the Activity is set to Active
Beeceptor URL has expiredFree Beeceptor endpoints expire after a period of inactivity — create a new one

✅ Once your test is successful, you can replace the Beeceptor URL with your real API endpoint URL and go live!

Quick Setup Checklist

Section titled “Quick Setup Checklist”

Use this checklist to make sure you have completed all the steps:

  • Integration Accelerator app installed from the Business Central Marketplace (License Manager installed automatically)
  • User permissions assigned (ADMIN and BASIC)
  • Job Queue Entries activated (Activity Processor + Activity Kick Starter)
  • Activity created and configured
  • Tables and Fields added
  • Structure synchronized to Azure (if using Azure Data Lake)
  • Activity set to Active
  • Test with Beeceptor completed successfully (optional)

Need Help?

Section titled “Need Help?”