With every new release, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central continues to offer performance improvements and smarter ways to optimize your data experience. One such feature introduced to help developers and users alike is the “Calculate only visible FlowFields” feature key.
Let’s dive into what this feature does, why it matters, and how you can take advantage of it.
The New Feature Key: “Calculate Only Visible FlowFields”
To address this, Microsoft introduced a feature key
that allows Business Central to skip calculation of FlowFields that are not
visible on the page.
Feature Key Name:
“CalculateOnlyVisibleFlowFields”
Available From:
Business Central 2025 Release Wave 1 (BC26) and Later.
What Does It Do?
When this feature is enabled:
1. Only FlowFields visible in the UI (e.g., list or card pages) are calculated.
2. Hidden or unused FlowFields are skipped, saving on unnecessary queries and improving page load time.
3. This leads to faster rendering of list pages and better performance for end users.
How to Enable It:
This is a feature management setting. Here’s how you can enable it:
1. Go to Feature Management (search: Feature Management).
2. Look for the feature: “Calculate only visible FlowFields”.
3. Set the Enable Status to All Users or Specific Users as needed.
4. Restart the client session (optional but recommended for full effect).
Note: Feature keys are often gradually rolled out, so make sure your environment is updated and your user license supports it.
Developer Impact
If you’re a developer working with AL code, this setting can significantly reduce unnecessary FlowField calculations, especially for complex pages. It allows for smarter data handling and opens opportunities to further optimize performance.
You don’t need to change any AL code to take advantage of this—once the feature is active, the platform automatically skips calculating FlowFields that aren’t shown.
However, it’s still good practice to:
Avoid adding too many FlowFields on list pages if they’re not used.
Consider using ShowColumn property for dynamic visibility control.
Quick Test:
Final Thoughts
The “Calculate only visible FlowFields” feature may seem small, but it’s a powerful performance booster—especially in large Business Central environments with heavy data loads.
It’s a perfect example of how Microsoft is focusing on smart performance enhancements without sacrificing usability or requiring developers to rework their code.
If you’re managing performance bottlenecks or designing user-focused pages, this feature is definitely worth exploring.
👉 Have you tried this feature yet? Share your experiences in the comments or drop your questions—I’d love to help you get the best out of Business Central!
Stay tuned for more updates..!!