Connecting Revit to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: A Practical Guide

Your design team works in Revit. Your finance and operations teams work in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. These two systems hold critical project information, but they do not talk to each other. Every time data needs to move between them, someone opens both applications and starts copying manually.

This is not just inefficient. It is a source of errors that cost real money. A wrong quantity copied from a Revit schedule to a purchase order in Business Central can result in material shortages or expensive overorders. A missed specification can delay production for days.

The good news is that connecting these systems is entirely possible. This guide walks through the practical considerations for integrating Revit BIM data with Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Understanding What Each System Does Best

Before diving into integration approaches, it helps to understand the fundamental differences between these systems and what data each handles.

Revit: The Design Source of Truth

Revit excels at geometric modeling and design coordination. It knows where every wall, door, and beam is located, how they connect, and what specifications the designer assigned. Revit is where quantities originate, where material choices get made, and where design changes happen.

However, Revit knows nothing about pricing, supplier relationships, inventory levels, or financial workflows. It cannot tell you if a material is in stock, what it costs, or when it will arrive.

Business Central: The Operations Hub

Dynamics 365 Business Central handles the business side: purchasing, inventory, project accounting, and financial reporting. It tracks costs, manages supplier relationships, and handles the logistics of getting materials from vendors to job sites.

Business Central does not understand geometry or spatial relationships. It works with line items, quantities, and costs, not 3D models.

What Data Typically Needs to Move

The integration between Revit and Business Central usually involves moving specific types of information in specific directions.

From Revit to Business Central

• Bill of materials: What items are needed, in what quantities?
• Material specifications: What are the exact requirements for each item?
• Project quantities: How many of each element type does the design require?
• Change orders: What quantities changed between design revisions?
• Milestones: Which elements belong to which project phase?

From Business Central to Revit

• Cost data: What does each item actually cost?
• Availability information: Which materials are in stock or on order?
• Supplier details: Which vendor supplies which item?
• Lead times: How long will procurement take?
• Substitution options: What alternatives exist for specified items?

Integration Approaches

There are several ways to connect Revit and Business Central, ranging from simple to sophisticated.

Manual Export and Import

The simplest approach is exporting Revit schedules to Excel, then importing that data into Business Central. This works for small projects with infrequent updates, but it has obvious limitations: it is time-consuming, error-prone, and does not scale.

Automated File Exchange

A step up is automating the export-import process. Revit exports data to a standardized format on a schedule. Business Central monitors a folder and imports new files automatically. This removes some manual steps but still relies on file-based exchange with inherent delays.

API-Based Integration

The most robust approach uses APIs to connect the systems directly. Changes in Revit can trigger updates in Business Central in near real-time. This requires more upfront development but provides the most reliable data synchronization.

Business Central offers robust REST APIs that support all major operations. Revit data can be extracted via the Revit API or through cloud-based services like Autodesk Platform Services.

Mapping Revit Data to Business Central Entities

One of the trickiest aspects of this integration is mapping BIM data to ERP data structures. They think about the world differently.

Items and SKUs

Business Central works with items that have SKUs, descriptions, and unit costs. Revit works with families that have types and parameters. You need clear rules for converting between these representations.

For example, a Revit door family might have parameters for width, height, material, and fire rating. Business Central needs this translated into a purchasable item code. This mapping can be straightforward (one door type equals one SKU) or complex (multiple parameter combinations map to different SKUs).

Quantities and Units

Revit might measure lumber in linear meters while Business Central orders it in pieces of standard lengths. Steel might be modeled as continuous members in Revit but purchased by weight in Business Central. These conversions need to be handled consistently.

Project Structure

Revit organizes by views, worksets, and phases. Business Central organizes by projects, jobs, and cost centers. Aligning these structures so that costs can be properly allocated requires careful planning.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Design Changes

Designs change constantly. How do you handle updates without creating duplicate orders or losing track of what has already been procured?

Solution: Implement change detection that compares new exports to previous versions. Only send changes to Business Central, with clear indicators of what was added, modified, or removed.

Challenge: Non-Modeled Items

Not everything that needs to be purchased is modeled in Revit. Consumables, fasteners, and ancillary materials might not appear in the BIM model.

Solution: Create assembly definitions that link modeled items to their associated non-modeled components. When you export a wall system, automatically include the fasteners, sealants, and finishes that go with it.

Challenge: Multiple Revit Models

Large projects might have separate architectural, structural, and MEP models. How do you consolidate data for unified procurement?

Solution: Implement a data aggregation layer that combines exports from multiple models, handles overlaps, and produces a single consolidated output for Business Central.

Getting Started

If you are considering a Revit to Business Central integration, start with these steps:

1. Document your current workflow: Map exactly how data moves today and where problems occur.
2. Define data requirements: What information needs to flow in each direction? At what frequency?
3. Establish data standards: Agree on naming conventions, parameter usage, and mapping rules.
4. Start small: Pilot with a single project or element type before scaling.
5. Plan for maintenance: Integration is not a one-time project. Design for ongoing updates and changes.

The Payoff

Organizations that successfully connect their BIM and ERP systems report significant benefits: faster procurement cycles, fewer ordering errors, better cost tracking, and improved project visibility. The initial investment in integration pays back through reduced manual effort and avoided mistakes.

The technical challenges are real but solvable. The bigger challenge is often organizational: getting design and operations teams to align on data standards and workflows.

Looking to connect your Revit models with Dynamics 365 Business Central? Explore our integration solutions or contact us to discuss your specific needs.