Tag: security

Protecting Sensitive Data Made Easier: Introducing ‘Concealed’ Text Field Type in Business Central Wave 2 2025

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.

Solving Barcode Printing Issues in RDLC Reports – Business Central On-Premise (v25)

When working with barcode printing in RDLC reports on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premise, I recently ran into an issue that had me stumped for hours — and as it turns out, it all came down to a subtle but critical font installation step.

If you’re using Business Central and your barcodes refuse to show up in your reports (even after installing the right fonts), read on — this might just be your solution.

🚫 The Problem: Barcode Fonts Not Showing in RDLC

Here’s what I tried — the standard advice you’ll find across most forums:

  • ✅ Installed the barcode font (Code 128, Code 39, Free 3 of 9, etc.) on the service tier machine
  • ✅ Installed the same font on the user/client machine
  • ✅ Restarted the Business Central Server/NST
  • ✅ Restarted the entire machine
  • ✅ Checked that RDLC reports were using the correct font name

Still — no barcodes were rendered.

🕵️ The Hidden Detail: “Install for All Users”

After much trial and error, I stumbled across the real fix:

When installing a font on the Business Central service tier (server), you must choose “Install for all users” — not just a regular install.

Here’s why:

  • Business Central’s NST runs under a system account, not your logged-in user.
  • Fonts installed only for the current user aren’t visible to the NST process.
  • Unless the font is registered system-wide, RDLC won’t be able to use it.

Install the Barcode Font on the Server

  • Right-click the font file (e.g., Code128.ttf)
  • Choose ➡️ Install for all users

Install the Font on Client Machine (Optional but recommended)

  • This ensures previews and printed reports render properly when opened locally.

Restart the Server

  • Not just the NST service — a full restart helps Windows fully register system fonts.

It’s always the little things! A simple checkbox — “Install for all users” — was all it took to fix what seemed like a mysterious RDLC issue.

If you’re working with barcode fonts in RDLC reports on Business Central and nothing seems to work, double-check your font installation method — this could save you hours of frustration.

Hope this will help!!!