Data privacy and security have become paramount concerns for businesses across all industries. With increasing regulatory requirements and growing awareness of data protection, organizations need robust yet user-friendly solutions to safeguard sensitive information. Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Business Central Wave 2 2025 introduces a game-changing feature that addresses this challenge: the new ‘Concealed’ text field type with the innovative Mask Type property.

The Challenge: Balancing Security and Usability

Traditionally, we faced a dilemma when handling sensitive data fields. The existing ExtendedDataType = Masked property offered security by displaying field values as dots, but this approach had limitations:

• Always hidden: Once masked, the data remained permanently concealed, even from authorized users
• Poor user experience: Users couldn’t verify entered data, leading to potential input errors
• Limited flexibility: No option to reveal data when legitimate access was needed

These limitations created friction between security requirements and practical usability, forcing developers to choose between protecting sensitive data and maintaining a smooth user experience.

Business Central Wave 2 2025 introduces the new MaskType enum property, revolutionizing how we handle sensitive data display. This property offers two distinct values:

MaskType Values Explained

None (Default)

• Standard behavior where field values are fully visible in the UI
• No masking or concealment applied
• Suitable for non-sensitive data fields

Concealed

• Field values are hidden by default, appearing as masked dots
• Users can reveal the actual value through an explicit action
• An interactive “eye” button appears next to the field for toggling visibility
• Perfect balance between security and accessibility

Implementing the concealed field type is straightforward. Here’s how to configure it in your AL code:

field(50100; "Sensitive Data"; Text[100])
{
    Caption = 'Sensitive Information';
    MaskType = Concealed;
}

When rendered in the UI, this field will display:

• Masked dots by default (●●●●●●●●)
• An eye icon button for revealing/concealing the value
• Smooth toggle animation between hidden and visible states

Supported Field Types

The MaskType = Concealed property works with:

• Text fields: For sensitive textual information
• Code fields: For confidential codes and identifiers
• Decimal fields: For sensitive numeric values with decimals
• Integer fields: For confidential whole numbers

Supported Page Types

The concealed functionality is available on:

• Document pages: Sales orders, purchase orders, etc.
• Card pages: Customer cards, vendor cards, item cards
• Not supported: List page repeaters and grid controls

The introduction of the ‘Concealed’ text field type with the MaskType property in Business Central Wave 2 2025 represents a significant advancement in data protection capabilities. This feature successfully bridges the gap between security requirements and user experience, providing organizations with a flexible, user-friendly approach to protecting sensitive information.

Stay tuned for more.