There Is No Release Wave 2 This Year: What Dynamics 365 Teams Should Do Now
Microsoft has retired the twice-yearly release wave model. Here’s how to keep your updates under control without it.
For years, Dynamics 365 followed a familiar rhythm. Wave 2 plans usually appeared in mid-July, with general availability from 1 October. Partners and IT teams built their testing, training and governance calendars around that cycle.
This year, the rhythm broke. Many Dynamics 365 customers are still looking for a wave 2 plan that is never going to be published.
What Actually Changed
Here is what Microsoft has confirmed:
- Microsoft stopped publishing Dynamics 365 release plans in September 2026 and retired the twice-yearly release wave model.
- New Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Dataverse capabilities now appear continuously on the AI at Work Roadmap.
- Release Planner retires by 15 November 2026.
- Only roadmap items with a public preview or GA date of 1 June 2026 or later move to the new roadmap.
Microsoft’s own FAQ was blunt. Asked whether a wave 2 announcement was coming, the answer was a flat “No,” with new capabilities to be disclosed as they become committed.
Why This Matters More Than It Sounds
It may look like a change in how Microsoft publishes news. For businesses, it changes how they plan.
Release waves gave teams a fixed window. You knew roughly when features would arrive, so you could schedule sandbox testing, user training and sign-offs well in advance. Without waves, that predictability is gone.
There is a governance impact too. If your calendar still has a “Review Release Wave 2” meeting in October, it no longer has a Microsoft-supplied input.
The risk is not that updates stop. Updates now arrive in smaller pieces, at less predictable times, and with less advance notice. Teams that keep working to the old calendar will either miss changes or test them too late.
What Is Still Shipping
The product keeps moving even though the wave label is gone.
Business Central
- Business Central 2026 wave 2 (version 29) became generally available on 2 October 2026. Microsoft’s Business Central documentation still uses the “2026 release wave 2” name for this update.
- Generally available features include better purchase order matching in the Payables Agent, easier agent permission management, a dedicated task pane for agent tasks, and data queries through an MCP server.
- The Microsoft Copilot chat experience is in public preview.
- Upgrade path: deployments on version 24 or earlier must upgrade to version 25 before moving to version 29.
Sales and Customer Service
- Features from Microsoft’s last published plan keep landing through 2026.
- Two items were planned for general availability in October 2026: portfolio planning in the Sales Research Agent, and simpler Quick Campaigns for one-off bulk email.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot is now generally available inside both Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service.
The common thread is agents. Most of what is shipping involves AI agents that read data, take actions and need permissions. That makes continuous change a governance question, not only a feature question.
A Practical Playbook for Continuous Updates
You don’t need a new framework. You need a steady habit to replace the wave calendar.
Replace the wave review with a monthly roadmap review. Put a recurring 45-minute session in the calendar. Scan the AI at Work Roadmap and sort items into “act now,” “watch” and “ignore.”
Name an owner. Someone should be responsible for tracking the roadmap. If it belongs to everyone, nobody checks it.
Sort by impact, not by product. Changes touching agents, Copilot, data access or security need review first. Cosmetic changes can wait.
Keep a standing sandbox. Don’t spin one up only at wave time. A permanent test environment lets you try features as they appear.
Update your agent governance. Review who can create, approve and run agents. Check what data they can reach. Agent permissions are now part of your normal change control.
Train in small bursts. Replace the big twice-a-year training push with short, frequent updates for each team.
Save what you rely on before 15 November. If your team uses Release Planner for reference or reporting, export or document it before it retires.
A Note for Teams Still on Dynamics GP
If you’re still running Dynamics GP, this is another reason to plan your move. New GP subscription licenses can no longer be purchased since the 1 April 2026 deadline, and mainstream support ends in 2029. A continuous-update world rewards platforms that are actively developed. Moving to a modern Dynamics 365 platform puts you where the roadmap is moving. Our earlier post on the GP retirement covers the timeline in detail.
How CogentNext Can Help ?
Moving from wave-based to continuous planning is easier with a partner who works across the whole Dynamics ecosystem. CogentNext supports Dynamics 365 customers in India, Australia and the USA with:
- A roadmap review process built around your modules and your risks
- Sandbox and testing strategy for Business Central, Sales and Customer Service
- Agent and Copilot governance, from permissions to approval flows
- Upgrade planning, including paths from older Business Central versions
- Platform assessments for teams weighing a move from Dynamics GP
The Bottom Line
The release wave is gone, but the work it organised is still there. Features still ship, agents still need governing, and testing and training still need time. The difference is that you now own the calendar.
Teams that build a steady review habit will find continuous updates easier to manage than twice-yearly waves. Teams that wait for a wave 2 announcement will keep waiting.
Want help building an update strategy for your Dynamics 365 environment? Talk to CogentNext at https://cogentnext.com/contact-us/
Get in touch with us:
Email: info@cogentnext.com
USA: +1 (628) 600-5070
AUS: +61 (4) 8080-5353