How User and AI Agent Avatars Improve Record Ownership in Business Central BC 28

Hi All,

Business Central BC 28 introduces creator and modifier avatars on list pages, making record ownership and AI-generated activity easier to identify and manage.

Introduction

One of the smaller but highly practical usability improvements in Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 (BC 28) is the introduction of user and agent avatars directly on list pages.

While the feature may appear cosmetic initially, it addresses a real operational challenge: understanding ownership and responsibility across shared data.

In many Business Central environments, multiple users, departments, integrations, and automated processes work on the same records. Identifying who created or modified a record often required opening the card page, checking system fields, or relying on change logs.

BC 28 simplifies this experience significantly.

What Are User and Agent Avatars in Business Central?

Business Central now displays visual avatars representing:

  • The user who created a record
  • The user or agent who last modified a record

These avatars appear directly on supported list pages.

Hovering over the avatar displays:

  • Full display name
  • Modification timestamp (when available)

The feature supports:

  • Named Business Central users
  • System users
  • AI agents

This aligns with Microsoft’s evolving identity model inside Business Central.

Why Is This Feature Important?

Faster Ownership Identification

Users no longer need to open records to identify responsibility.

This is especially useful for:

  • Sales orders
  • Purchase documents
  • Item records
  • Configuration entries
  • Service records

Better Collaboration Across Teams

Operational teams frequently work with shared data.

Avatars help users:

  • Identify who to contact
  • Understand recent activity
  • Reduce duplicate work
  • Improve accountability

Improved Visibility for AI-Generated Records

Organizations increasingly use automation and AI inside Business Central.

BC 28 helps distinguish:

  • Human-created records
  • AI-generated records
  • System-generated changes

This improves transparency and trust in automated processes.

How to Enable User and Agent Avatars

Step 1 — Open a Supported List Page

Navigate to a Business Central list page that supports the new enhancement.

Step 2 — Enable the Avatar Switch

Use the new switch available on the list page interface.

Step 3 — Review Creator and Modifier Avatars

The list will display:

  • Created By avatar
  • Modified By avatar

Step 4 — Hover for Additional Information

Hovering reveals:

  • Full username
  • Agent identity
  • Timestamp details

Business Value of This Feature

From a consultant and administrator perspective, this feature helps reduce operational friction.

Benefits include:

  • Faster issue resolution
  • Better ownership visibility
  • Reduced dependency on manual investigation
  • Easier collaboration
  • Better understanding of AI participation

This is particularly useful in larger Business Central environments where multiple departments share responsibility for operational data.

FAQ

Does BC 28 support AI agent avatars?

Yes. AI agents can appear as creators or modifiers of records.

Is this feature available in SaaS?

Yes. It is part of Business Central 2025 Release Wave 1.

Does this change permissions?

No. Existing permissions and privacy models remain unchanged.

Can users see timestamps?

Yes. Hovering over avatars can display timestamps when available.

Conclusion

The new user and agent avatar capability in Business Central BC 28 is a practical usability improvement with meaningful operational value.

By surfacing ownership information directly in list pages, Microsoft improves collaboration, accountability, and visibility—especially in environments using automation and AI-generated records.

For organizations adopting AI-assisted processes, this feature also provides an important layer of transparency.

Regards,
Saurav Dhyani