Dynamics 365 Business Central Tableau Connector
SyncTools syncs D365 Business Central to your own database on an automated schedule. No OData throttling. No AL extensions. Connect Tableau, Power BI, or any BI tool that speaks SQL.
- No OData throttling — Tableau reads from SQL
- Flat $50/month — unlimited rows, no overages
- Works with Business Central cloud (SaaS)
No credit card required. Setup in under 15 minutes.
Trusted by Accounting and Finance Teams.
Tableau can connect to Dynamics 365 Business Central via OData endpoints — but OData throttles on large datasets and times out on large transaction histories.
Custom Tableau reports require AL extension development. SyncTools moves your D365 data into a database you own first — Tableau then connects via SQL with no throttling and no developer in the loop.
Why the Direct D365 OData Approach Fails at Scale for Tableau
Tableau supports OData connections, which means it can technically query Dynamics 365 Business Central's OData endpoints directly. For small Business Central tenants with limited transaction history, this works. For mid-market businesses with years of GL entries, thousands of invoices, and substantial vendor and customer records, the OData approach hits limits that break reporting at scale.
OData throttles on large datasets. D365 Business Central enforces API rate limits on OData requests. When Tableau refreshes dashboards that query large record sets — full GL history, all invoice lines, complete vendor activity — these queries hit D365 governance limits and fail or return partial data. Teams running multiple Tableau workbooks or refreshing on tight schedules are particularly affected.
Custom reports require AL extension development. If standard Tableau OData queries don't cover your reporting needs, the path within the Microsoft ecosystem is to write AL code or RDLC report layouts inside Business Central. Every new report structure, every data model change, and every filter modification requires a development cycle. Finance teams cannot iterate on Tableau dashboards independently when data access depends on engineering resources.
Gateway complexity for scheduled refresh. Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud need additional configuration to reach D365 OData endpoints for scheduled refresh. Teams on cloud-first infrastructure face unnecessary operational overhead that defeats the purpose of a cloud BI platform.
SyncTools eliminates all of these problems. It syncs D365 Business Central data into a database you own on an automated schedule — GL entries, invoices, customers, vendors, items, and more. Tableau then reads from your database via its native SQL connector: no OData calls at refresh time, no throttling, no AL development required, no gateway for cloud-hosted databases.
How to Connect Dynamics 365 Business Central to Tableau
Four steps from D365 OAuth to Tableau scheduled refresh — no OData throttling, no AL development, no gateway for cloud databases.
Connect D365 to SyncTools
Authorize SyncTools via OAuth — no AL extensions or developer credentials required. Select record types: GL Entries, Sales Invoices, Purchase Invoices, Customers, Vendors, Items, Dimensions, and more. Multi-company tenants are supported.
Choose your database
Select PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL, or the SyncTools-hosted database. For Tableau Cloud scheduled refresh without a bridge, choose Azure SQL or another cloud-hosted option. SyncTools manages the schema automatically.
Connect Tableau to the database
In Tableau Desktop, use Connect → To a Server → select your database type. Enter credentials. Select the D365 tables — GL entries, invoice headers, invoice lines, customers, vendors, dimensions. Build your data model.
Publish and schedule refresh
Publish to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud. Configure the SQL data source credentials. For cloud-hosted databases, scheduled refresh runs without a gateway. Set your preferred refresh interval.
What Dynamics 365 BC Data Syncs to Your Database
SyncTools syncs the D365 Business Central financial data your Tableau dashboards need — structured into query-ready tables with header and line-item detail.
General Ledger
- GL Entries
- Chart of Accounts
- Journal Lines
- Dimensions & Dimension Values
Accounts Receivable
- Sales Invoices (header + line items)
- Sales Orders
- Customers
- Customer Ledger Entries
Accounts Payable
- Purchase Invoices (header + line items)
- Purchase Orders
- Vendors
- Vendor Ledger Entries
Inventory
- Items
- Item Ledger Entries
- Item Variants
- Units of Measure
Fixed Assets
- Fixed Assets
- Fixed Asset Ledger Entries
- Depreciation Books
Sales & Multi-Company
- Sales Quotes
- Return Orders
- Bank Accounts
- Currency Exchange Rates
Line-item detail included. SyncTools syncs both invoice headers and their line items — giving Tableau row-level reporting on quantity, unit price, G/L account, and dimension values across every D365 Business Central transaction.
Sync Dynamics 365 Business Central to the Database You Already Use
Microsoft's native Power BI connector queries live D365 OData endpoints at refresh time — large databases timeout and high-frequency refreshes hit API throttling. SyncTools pre-syncs to SQL once; Power BI reads SQL directly with no API calls at refresh.
Key differentiator: The built-in D365 Power BI connector works for small datasets but throttles on large transaction histories. SyncTools syncs once, then Power BI reads from SQL — no API calls at refresh.
PostgreSQL
Most popular open-source DB
Fully supported. Ideal for teams running Postgres in AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, or on-premises. SyncTools creates and manages the schema — D365 BC GL entries, Invoices, and Vendors land in structured tables.
MySQL / MariaDB
Common in existing infrastructure
Supported natively. If your stack already runs MySQL — common in ecommerce and hosting environments — SyncTools writes D365 Business Central records directly into it. No OData queries at refresh time.
SQL Server
Enterprise environments, Power BI's native source
Sync D365 Business Central to SQL Server and connect Power BI using its built-in SQL Server connector. No OData gateway. No throttling at refresh. The natural choice for Microsoft-stack organisations already running SQL Server.
Azure SQL
Cloud-first Microsoft stack
For organisations on Azure alongside D365. Sync Business Central to Azure SQL and connect Power BI Service using the managed SQL connector — no on-premises gateway required for cloud refresh. Eliminates OData throttling entirely.
SyncTools-Hosted Database
No infrastructure to manage. SyncTools provisions a dedicated database for your organisation and keeps it running. Ideal for teams that want zero DevOps overhead. Power BI connects via the hosted database's SQL endpoint — no gateway, no OData connector required.
If your database isn't listed, contact us — we're expanding support.
Why Database Sync Beats the Native D365 OData Connector for Tableau
The database-first architecture is how enterprise BI teams run Tableau at scale — and the reason their dashboards stay fast and reliable when OData-dependent connections throttle or time out.
Reliability
No D365 OData throttling. No API timeouts on large datasets. Your data is in your database — Tableau reads it on schedule even if D365 enforces a quota mid-refresh.
Performance
Tableau queries a local or cloud database via native SQL, not live D365 OData endpoints. No API rate limits. Reports open in seconds regardless of how many GL entries or invoices your Business Central tenant contains.
Flexibility
Once D365 data is in a database, any BI tool works — Tableau, Power BI, Metabase, Looker, or custom SQL. Finance teams build and iterate on reports without AL developers. Zero platform lock-in.
One-way sync guarantee: SyncTools reads data from Dynamics 365 Business Central and writes to your database. It never writes back to D365 — your accounting records are never at risk.
SyncTools also supports QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, MYOB, NetSuite, and Zoho Books. See the QuickBooks Tableau Connector, Xero Tableau Connector, Sage Tableau Connector, MYOB Tableau Connector, NetSuite Tableau Connector, and Zoho Books Tableau Connector pages. If you also use Power BI, see the Dynamics 365 Power BI Connector page or the step-by-step Dynamics 365 Power BI Connector setup guide.
Flat $50/Month. Unlimited Rows.
No per-seat pricing. No row-volume overages. Your price doesn't change whether you have 1,000 invoices or 1,000,000.
SyncTools — Per Company
- All D365 BC entities — GL entries, Invoices, Customers, Vendors, Items
- All supported databases — PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL
- SyncTools-hosted database option included
- Automated sync — hourly, daily, or custom schedule
- Unlimited rows — no overage fees
- No OData throttling, no AL extension development
The built-in D365 Power BI connector works for small datasets but throttles on large transaction histories. SyncTools syncs once, then Power BI reads from SQL — no API calls at refresh, flat $50/month.
Trusted by Teams Worldwide
Thousands of accounting firms and finance teams rely on SyncTools to streamline reconciliation and save hours every month.
Customers who are Trusting Us
Haider Ali
Business Owner
"Excellent app. Very easy to work with. Very knowledgeable, understanding, and open to any requests."
Tom Brookes
Finance Director
"Best in class. If you use Linnworks and Xero, SyncTools is a phenomenal tool, far superior to any alternative we've tried."
Deborah Whitfield
Customer
"I recently installed SyncTools and it is easy to use. The team worked quickly, kept me informed, and now everything runs smoothly."
Heather Cook
Customer
"Best Xero connector on the market. Excellent customer support and continuous development from an app that does exactly what it says."
Harvey Uppal
Customer
"AWESOME: Excellent tool and has saved us so much time. Credit to the support team for being so helpful in setup and post-setup."
Geoff Ainsworth
Customer
"Excellent tool: Does what it says and connects seamlessly & if you have any issues the support is amazing!"
Nirav Khiroya
Customer
"Fantastic support: The team has always been diligent and proactive about fixing any bugs that arise. Would highly recommend them."
Robert Morris
Customer
"Have been using the Linnworks Xero connector for a couple of years now. It is very reliable and the developers are keen to improve it."
Connie Sturman
Customer
"I just looked in the connector and it looks like they were able to get the purchase orders synced... thank the team for us. Thank you for your help."
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I connect Dynamics 365 Business Central to Tableau?
Why does Tableau's direct OData connection to D365 struggle at scale?
What Business Central data does SyncTools sync?
Does SyncTools support Business Central on-premises and cloud?
Does SyncTools support multiple Business Central companies?
How is SyncTools different from writing AL extensions?
Can I use SyncTools with Power BI instead of Tableau?
How much does SyncTools cost?
Does SyncTools write data back to D365?
Ready to Connect Dynamics 365 Business Central to Tableau Without the Limits?
SyncTools syncs D365 Business Central to your own database on an automated schedule. Connect Tableau, Power BI, or any BI tool via SQL. Flat $50/month, unlimited rows.
Setup in under 15 minutes. No credit card required for trial.