Understanding Analysis Mode in Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Business Central keeps getting smarter with each release wave, but few additions have generated as much day-to-day buzz as Analysis Mode. It puts quick, PivotTable-style exploration directly on list pages so users can answer routine questions without leaving the Business Central environment or building a report from scratch. Over the last several releases, Microsoft has steadily rounded it out with saved tabs, export to Excel, link sharing, date hierarchies, Copilot assist, and even the ability to include fields from related tables, so it’s no longer just a neat trick; it’s a real part of how teams investigate live data.

Of course, “built-in analysis” raises a practical question: where does this fit alongside governed models, formatted financials, and tools built for scale? In other words, when does Analysis Mode give you a fast, credible answer, and when should you turn to something like Cosmos or Power BI?

In this article, we’ll cover what Analysis Mode is, where it adds value, a few probable use cases, and how it compares to governed reporting tools like Cosmos.  

Let’s pivot on over to the good stuff, shall we?  

^Yep, that’s a bit of a spoiler.

What is Business Central Analysis Mode?

Not to be confused with Analysis Views or Financial Reports (formerly Account Schedules), the main tools for creating user-defined financials and queries by global dimensions, the analysis mode feature is, in the simplest explanation, a rudimentary, low-fidelity PivotTable experience directly inside Business Central.  

In its defense, this feature is a little more helpful in application than that description denotes.  

Analysis mode delivers view on Business Central list pages. When you click on ‘Analyze’ from your page, analysis mode begins, and you’ll see a PivotTable-like grid box pop up on the right-hand side with a default grouping.  

For example, let’s say we are on our Customers page, and we click ‘Analyze,’ you can see below that ‘Pivot mode’ appears to configure your field, row, column, and value options. In our Cronus database test experience, analyze mode did default to grouping by Responsibility Center and we weren’t entirely sure why, but unselecting that field in the pivot was easy enough. From here, you can export the current tab to Excel (right-click in the grid or use the tab menu) and share a tab by link so colleagues open a personal copy (BC permissions still apply).

Historically you were limited to fields on the current page; but as of v26.2 you can add fields from related tables and even group by them (admins can control this with the Add fields from related tables in analysis mode feature key).

Occasionally, analysis mode doesn’t appear on pages where you think it might. One example of where you’ll see it is absent is Chart of Accounts. However, since you get it on most of the usual suspect pages, including GL Entries, you can often get to the information a different way.  Admins can also disable Analysis Mode per page if needed.

As of mid-2025, recent updates also included date hierarchies (Year/Quarter/Month) for faster time analysis, Copilot “analysis assist” to generate starter views, and a large-dataset mode for lists exceeding ~100,000 rows (with a few formatting constraints).

If we were to enter analyze mode from our GL Entries page, you can see that we can start to group rows by GL Account, Customer Group Code, and columns by posting month. Even though we can’t pull the GL Account Name, because that field isn’t accessible from here, it does make for a handy little query.

You can save any of the analysis mode templates created for yourself to access again later.

Voila! You have now used the new analysis mode feature.

Analysis Mode Uses and Limitations

At its core, analysis mode allows Business Central power users to get quick answers to some questions without needing to export data to Excel, leave the application, or create a bespoke report for simple queries. It’s undeniably a slick upgrade for the Business Central in-client experience. What it isn’t? Just about everything else.  

Analysis mode in BC is not operational reporting, financial reporting, analytics, data management, or even collaboration. Here’s a hit list summary of its main uses and limitations: 

Business Central Analysis Mode Feature Uses: 

• Quick PivotTable-like query on most pages in Business Central. 
• Group data by available fields to see subtotals and values. 
• Summarize information from a page by desired hierarchical structure.  
• Duplicate and create multiple tabs to represent alternate views on the data tailored for different tasks. 
• Save created analysis for individual reuse/access. 
• Improve your ability to get certain Business Central data details without leaving the application.  
• Export results to Excel.
• Sharing analysis via link (recipient opens their own copy).
• Add fields from related tables for richer grouping and filters.
• Use date hierarchies (year/quarter/month) for quick period analysis.
• Generate starter tabs with Copilot “analysis assist.”

• Small note: if you have a third-party application that actually adds data to a particular Business Central page, it will be available in analysis mode as well. 

Business Central Analysis Mode Limitations: 

• Standard mode is optimized for ~100k rows; a “large-dataset” capability helps beyond that, but with some formatting/behavior constraints.
• You can add fields from related tables, but as of version 26.2+ you still can’t pull arbitrary/unrelated tables or complex calculated/media fields.
• No charting or graphing.  
• Pivot mode list fields in randomized, non-alphabetical order, making some data difficult to find.  
• Basic sharing is supported, but not conducive for collaboration or a match for governed reporting/BI environments.
• Does not perform comprehensive financial or operational reporting. 
• Performance over the web browser can be slower with larger data sets since all the transactions will be loaded into your browser in order to work with them.
• Company scope remains single-company per tab.

Analysis Mode VS. Cosmos

In Microsoft’s documentation about the new analysis mode feature, they are very transparent that this doesn’t replace ‘Excel, Power BI, or other [third-party] data analysis applications.’ 

Because the new Business Central analyze feature isn’t even built to deliver or perform the same functions as Cosmos’ lightning-fast reporting and analytics solution, this is a bit like comparing bats to bugs. However, the constant prevalence of Microsoft releasing new reporting, query, and analytics features every year always increases chatter and raises the question from both solution delivery partners and users alike, ‘how is this different than X or Y?’ Fair. 

Analyze mode is really meant to be a new and expanded way to interact with data on list pages in BC. Group, filter, and summarize the fields available from that page, much like you would a PivotTable in Excel, to get some quick answers to questions related to the information accessible from that view. Save your pivoted query if you like, and, if needed, export the tab to Excel or share it by link for recipients to open their own copy. There is no native charting, and it isn’t a governed reporting model.

Cosmos on the other hand is a complete, fast, and robust reporting and analytics solution. As the only true cloud reporting platform built specifically for Business Central, Cosmos can deliver the ability for users to create any operational report, financial statement, or dashboard quickly and easily they need, in the format they desire directly in Excel or Power BI.  

Through a completely centralized cloud platform (i.e. serverless), Cosmos provides all the upside of a traditional data warehouse, including speed, optimized data model, limitless combinations, ease of data access, and seamless integration with third-party BC applications, but without the expensive price tag or high overhead.

See the chart below for a side-by-side view of how this comparison looks. This is by no means an exhaustive list of capabilities for Cosmos, but it paints the picture you might be looking for if you want to quickly compare the new feature for Business Central.  

Leveraging the Next Generation in Business Central Reporting

There is some industry chatter that the original development and release of the analysis mode feature was motivated by the desire to help Business Central compete even stronger in the broader market by checking a box for more application embedded user-centered analytics features.  

The small irony to that is Microsoft already has a leg up in two areas of the competitive cloud business applications market: one of the most trusted, appealing, and widely adapted visual BI platforms with Power BI, and the most expansive best-of-breed, third-party integrations for reporting, with solutions like Cosmos.  

Also read: Why Your Business Central Reporting Tool Needs Power BI Integration 

Of course, if you haven’t used the integrated Microsoft stack before, you don’t know what you don’t know. And hey – the quick ad hoc data pivoting that analysis mode gives you can come in handy.  

But if decades of history are any indicator, the big evolutions and advancements for Business Central reporting and analytics aren’t going to come from anything Microsoft builds directly inside their ERP applications. The next generation of reporting will come from innovative, dedicated add-ons that are purpose-built for Business Central cloud and integrate with Power BI so everyday users can leverage its robust visualization capabilities without SQL, DAX, or specialized technical expertise.  

In fact, that’s exactly why we built Cosmos! As the adoption of Business Central cloud exponentially grows each year, a glaring market gap arose for delivery partners – customers still had to rely on on-premise reporting tools that were either built for other ERP solutions or built for Business Central’s legacy predecessor, Microsoft Dynamics NAV. What’s more challenging, these products could no longer deliver the performance, speed, flexibility, data platform, or customer usability that businesses require to lean on Business Central for more efficiency and growth.  

Cosmos, on the other hand, allows for lightning-fast reporting, from all your Business Central data and applications, in a centralized user-centric platform, in the Excel or Power BI environment you know and want.  

Ready to learn more? We’ll show you how you can implement Cosmos in less than 30 minutes with 30 customizable Business Central reports running that same day.

Brian Petersen

Chief Operating Officer

About the Author Latest Posts

Brian Petersen brings over 15 years of leadership experience in the Microsoft Channel, where he has built a reputation for driving product innovation and delivering exceptional client results. As co-founder of Cosmos Data Technologies, Brian leverages his extensive background in product development and professional services to help organizations unlock the power of their data.

Throughout his career, Brian has held key executive positions, including Vice President of Product and Services at Jet Reports (now insightsoftware) and Vice President at Rand Group, where he led high-performing teams specializing in reporting, analytics, and data management solutions. His entrepreneurial spirit shines through his successful product launches, including pioneering Jet Analytics in 2007.

Colleagues and clients alike recognize Brian for his diverse business acumen and unwavering commitment to going above and beyond. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Computer Science, and History from Linfield University, reflecting his multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.

When he’s not revolutionizing data solutions, Brian enjoys camping, playing guitar, and spending quality time with his wife and children.

• 2025 in Review: The Impact of Cloud-Native Reporting Built for Business Central January 13, 2026
• Understanding Analysis Mode in Microsoft Dynamics Business Central September 16, 2025
• 2024 in Review: The Power of Smarter Reporting with Cosmos  January 22, 2025
• How to Connect Power BI to Business Central for Easier and Faster Analytics November 21, 2024
• Cosmos Adds Support for Multi-Source Data Connectivity, Unlocking New Analytics Potential for Business Central Cloud Customers August 29, 2024

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