Is DevOps a Must for Your Business Central Project?

The use of DevOps in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) development has grown significantly in recent years. With tools such as AL-Go for GitHub and pipelines in Azure DevOps, partners and ISVs can automate builds, enforce coding standards, validate against upcoming BC versions, and streamline AppSource submissions.

But is DevOps always necessary? For large ISV solutions or multi-developer projects, the benefits are clear. For smaller, single-developer projects, the return on investment may be less obvious. Let’s explore where DevOps adds value and where it may become an unnecessary overhead.

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The Value of DevOps in Business Central

In the Business Central ecosystem, DevOps primarily provides:

• Continuous Integration (CI): Automated builds, code analysis (CodeCop, AppSourceCop), and test execution.
• Continuous Deployment (CD): Automated promotion of apps across environments.
• Compliance and Standards: Technical validation for AppSource and code quality enforcement.
• Future-Proofing: Validation against Next Major BC versions to identify breaking changes early.
• Collaboration: Pull requests, branching strategies, and reviews to avoid conflicts in team development.

For ISVs and large partner projects, these capabilities translate into reduced risk, consistent quality, and faster release cycles .

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The Overhead Challenge

While the benefits are clear, the cost of setup and maintenance cannot be ignored:

• Infrastructure requirements: Business Central pipelines depend on Windows containers, which consume significant disk and memory resources. For small projects, this can be disproportionate .
• Learning curve and upkeep: Understanding container updates, pipeline failures, and upcoming changes (e.g., Microsoft phasing out BcContainerHelper in AL-Go by 2027) requires ongoing investment .
• Time to deliver: For small, single-developer projects, DevOps processes may delay delivery, making the solution appear less agile to the customer.
• Cost factors: Although licensing costs are modest (Azure DevOps Basic is free for up to 5 users; GitHub Actions offers free tiers), the real cost is time – time that could otherwise be spent delivering value .

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When DevOps is Essential

DevOps is highly recommended in the following cases:

1. ISV and AppSource Apps – Automated validation, packaging, and submission workflows are almost mandatory.
2. Multi-developer projects – Version control, PR reviews, and automated testing prevent code conflicts.
3. Long-lived or regulated solutions – Ensures traceability, audit compliance, and smooth upgrades.
4. Projects supporting multiple customers/tenants – Pipelines guarantee consistency across environments.

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When DevOps May Be Overkill

Conversely, DevOps can create unnecessary complexity when:

1. The project is a single customization for a single tenant.
2. Only one developer is responsible for the solution.
3. The expected lifespan is short (proof-of-concepts or temporary enhancements).
4. The customer prioritizes speed and cost over formal processes.

In these cases, the overhead of maintaining a full CI/CD pipeline can outweigh the benefits.

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A Pragmatic Middle Ground: “Right-Sized DevOps”

Smaller projects can still adopt lightweight practices without the burden of full-scale automation. A minimal but disciplined setup may include:

1. Git with pull requests (even if self-reviewed).
2. Local static analysis (CodeCop).
3. A single CI workflow for build validation.
4. Manual deployments, but using artifacts from CI for consistency.
5. Semantic versioning and documented release notes.

This approach ensures traceability and quality without slowing down delivery.

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Conclusion

DevOps in Business Central development is not an all-or-nothing choice. For ISVs and multi-developer projects, full DevOps pipelines are indispensable. For smaller, single-developer implementations, a scaled-down approach – focusing on source control, basic validation, and disciplined releases – offers the right balance of agility and reliability.

The key is to align DevOps practices with the scale, complexity, and longevity of the project. Overengineering can erode competitiveness, while under-engineering can jeopardize maintainability. The most effective strategy is to adopt “right-sized DevOps” tailored to each project’s needs.

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Sources & References

1. Microsoft – AL-Go for GitHub overview
2. Microsoft – AppSource technical validation checklist
3. Microsoft Docs – Business Central on Docker/containers
4. Microsoft Announcement – Deprecation of BcContainerHelper in AL-Go (support until 2027)
5. Microsoft – Azure DevOps pricing
6. GitHub – Actions billing & quotas