Business Central AP automation with AI agents
We build AI agents that handle accounts payable in Dynamics 365 Business Central: reading supplier invoices, creating purchase invoices through the standard API, matching them to purchase orders, routing approvals and leaving the invoice unposted until a person approves. Everything runs against the v2.0 REST API, first in a sandbox environment.
For finance teams on Business Central whose purchase invoices come in as PDFs and are keyed into purchase invoice cards by hand.
What we automate in Dynamics 365 Business Central
The accounts payable cycle from the invoice in the inbox to the payment batch, with your team approving what matters.
- 1
Purchase invoice creation
Invoices are read and created as purchase invoices with lines, using a deep insert so the header and lines arrive together. Dimensions and VAT or tax groups are set from your rules.
- 2
Order matching
Invoices for ordered goods are compared with the purchase order and what was received. The agent shows what differs and who can resolve it.
- 3
Vendor checks
The vendor is matched by number, name and tax ID. A change in bank details or a vendor with no history stops for a person.
- 4
Approval, then post
The purchase invoice stays unposted until a named approver agrees. After approval, we trigger the post action, or leave it for your team to post, whichever you prefer.
- 5
Reconciliation
Vendor ledger entries and bank lines are compared, and unmatched items come back with a suggested match.
- 6
Period-end checks
Unposted invoices, uninvoiced receipts and aging are summarized before the period closes.
How one Dynamics 365 Business Central run works
Each step is fixed logic, a model doing the reading, a call to the system, or a person on your team. You decide which steps wait for approval.
Capture · intake agent
Reads the invoice from the AP mailbox
Vendor check · rules engine
Matches the vendor and bank details
Create · business central integration
Creates the purchase invoice with its lines
Match · matching agent
Compares with the order and receipt
Approve · your team
Approver agrees the final amount
Post · business central integration
Runs the post action once approved
Business Central purchase invoice, one run
Illustrative- CaptureReads the invoice from the AP mailboxIntake agent
- Vendor checkMatches the vendor and bank detailsRules engine
- CreateCreates the purchase invoice with its linesBusiness Central integration
- MatchCompares with the order and receiptMatching agent
- ApproveApprover agrees the final amountHuman in the loop
- PostRuns the post action once approvedBusiness Central integration
How the Dynamics 365 Business Central integration works
We build on the interfaces the vendor documents, and we link the documentation so you can check it.
Business Central's draft-then-post model suits agent work. A purchase invoice is a document that exists before it is posted, so the agent can create it, a person can approve it, and posting is a separate, explicit step.
If your setup depends on extension fields, we check whether the standard API exposes them. When it doesn't, we recommend a small custom API page in AL, built and tested in the sandbox, and we flag the extra work in the scope.
API v2.0 (standard REST)
Microsoft's standard REST API for connecting third-party solutions. Any language that can call REST can work with it. APIs for Business Central online are on by default, while on-premise needs them enabled.
purchaseInvoices and purchaseInvoiceLines
Support GET, POST, PATCH and DELETE, with deep insert so lines can be created with the header. A bound post action posts the invoice, and read-only order fields link it back to its order.
purchaseOrders
Read for matching. A bound action, receiveAndInvoice, exists to receive and invoice an order. We call it only when your process wants it.
API Overview page and custom APIs
Business Central lists the APIs available in your environment. Microsoft says the standard APIs can't be extended with extra fields, so a field you need means a custom API written in AL.
Vendor documentation we build against
- API v2.0 for Dynamics 365 Business Central (Microsoft Learn)
- purchaseInvoice resource type (Microsoft Learn)
- purchaseOrder resource type (Microsoft Learn)
Links open the vendor's own site. Interfaces change, so we confirm current behavior in a sandbox before we build.
What we read and write in Dynamics 365 Business Central
Reading is the default. Each write has a named gate, so you can see who has to agree before anything changes.
Vendor
Read and matched. Created only on request.
Gate: Approver for any new vendor
Purchase invoice and lines
Created with coded lines. Not posted.
Gate: Approval before the post action
Purchase order
Read and compared with the invoice.
Gate: Read only
Posting
The post action runs on the approved invoice.
Gate: Named approver, or your team posts
Vendor ledger entries
Read for reconciliation and aging.
Gate: Read only
Dimensions and general ledger accounts
Read to code lines correctly.
Gate: Read only
Controls and testing
People stay in charge of money and records. The system keeps the evidence.
Unposted by default
Documents stay unposted until your rules or a person say otherwise. Posting is a separate action that we log by itself.
Sandbox environment first
We build in a sandbox environment, replay your real invoice samples, and compare the purchase invoices with what your team keyed before production access.
Least-privilege access
The integration signs in with its own identity and a permission set limited to purchase documents and the master data it reads. It can't change setup or approve its own work.
End-to-end log
Each run records the invoice image, the extraction, the rules, the approver and the Business Central document number.
Where we stop, and what to expect
- Fields added by extensions may not be in the standard API. A custom API in AL is the fix, and it adds scope.
- On-premise installations need the APIs enabled and network access arranged before we start.
- We don't auto-post by default. Some teams choose to auto-post small invoices from approved vendors, and we configure that only when asked.
Questions about Dynamics 365 Business Central automation
Can AI create purchase invoices in Business Central?
Yes. The agent reads the invoice and creates a purchase invoice with its lines through the standard v2.0 API. It stays unposted until an approver agrees, and then the post action runs. Nothing reaches the ledger before that.
Does it use the standard API or custom APIs?
Standard first. Microsoft says standard APIs can't be extended with extra fields, so if you depend on an extension field we scope a small custom API in AL and build it in the sandbox.
Does it work with Business Central on premise?
Yes, with some extra setup. Microsoft documents that APIs are enabled by default online but must be enabled on premise, and we need a secure network path. We confirm both in discovery.
Do we need to buy another AP product?
Not for the workflow we describe here. We build the capture, matching, approval and exception handling around Business Central. If you already own an AP tool, we can integrate with it instead.
How do approvals work?
The agent routes each invoice to the approver your rules name by amount, vendor or dimension, collects the answer and records it. Only after that does the post action run, or your team posts it themselves.
Other ERP, accounting and spend integrations
All integrationsNetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Concur, SAP Ariba, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Workday, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Coupa, Infor, Acumatica, Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, HubSpot and Salesforce are trademarks of their respective owners. Scenox Studios is an independent company. Product names appear here only to describe the systems we integrate with, and no affiliation, partnership or endorsement is implied.
Tell us how purchase invoices reach Business Central today.
A 30-minute call with an engineer. You will leave knowing what a system could do for that workflow and what it would take to build.
What happens next
- 1
Strategy call
We learn how the workflow runs today and what a good outcome would be.
- 2
Workflow audit
We map the process and measure where a system would save the most time.
- 3
Proposal
A written scope, timeline and fixed price for your first system. No obligation to build.