For years, July brought a Dynamics 365 release wave 2 plan and October brought the features in it. In 2026 that pattern has ended. Microsoft has retired the twice-yearly release wave model and now publishes upcoming Dynamics 365 capabilities continuously on a single roadmap. This article explains what replaced release wave 2, what's new across Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service and Field Service, and how UK businesses should keep track of change from here.
Updated November 2026: Microsoft did not publish a 2026 release wave 2 plan for Dynamics 365. This article covers customer engagement capabilities Microsoft has confirmed through 2026, checked against Microsoft's announcements, release plans and Message Center posts. Where a feature was only planned, or is in preview, we say so.
Is there a Dynamics 365 2026 release wave 2?
Not in the form you'll be used to. On 25 August 2026 Microsoft announced that Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Dataverse roadmap content would join the AI at Work roadmap, and that it was retiring the release wave 1 and release wave 2 model in favour of continuous publishing. Asked whether there would be a 2026 release wave 2 plan, Microsoft's answer was no: new capabilities are disclosed on the AI at Work roadmap as they become committed.
The change affects how Microsoft communicates, not how it ships. Microsoft says products with established release schedules will continue to follow them, Message Center remains the source for changes that affect your tenant, and Microsoft Learn remains the home for product documentation.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | New release plans are no longer published on Microsoft Learn. New Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Dataverse capabilities appear on the AI at Work roadmap instead. |
| September to November 2026 | Existing roadmap items with a public preview or general availability date of 1 June 2026 or later move across to the AI at Work roadmap. Earlier items stay in the existing release plans for reference. |
| By 15 November 2026 | The transition completes and the Release Planner retires. |
What changes for you in practice?
Each item on the AI at Work roadmap shows its progress through three stages: In Development, Rolling Out and Launched. You can filter the roadmap to the products you use, export complete or filtered views to CSV and subscribe to updates by RSS. Microsoft has also released a Release Communications MCP Server, which pulls roadmap information into your own AI tools and workflows.
The loss is the fixed planning moment. Release waves gave businesses two natural points a year to review what was coming. Microsoft suggests replacing them with a standing monthly or quarterly review, built on a saved filter and an RSS subscription. One practical point: personalised saved views in the Release Planner won't be available after it retires, and they aren't offered on the AI at Work roadmap, so export anything you rely on before 15 November 2026.
What's new in Dynamics 365 Sales?
The biggest change this year sits partly outside Dynamics 365 itself. In July 2026 Microsoft made Sales Agent generally available in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Sellers can ask it in plain language for account summaries, opportunity details and past meeting records, and it can draft emails, capture notes after conversations and update CRM records. It's designed to work in the tools staff already use, including Outlook, Teams, Copilot and Dynamics 365. Microsoft also announced general availability of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales, so the same agent works across Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365.
Within Dynamics 365 Sales, features released to general availability in 2026 include:
- Sales operations insights in the Sales Research Agent (April 2026)
- Connecting Fabric lakehouse data to AI-powered sales research (April 2026)
- Insights and risks from the Opportunity Research Agent (April 2026), followed by a redesigned Opportunity Research experience (July 2026)
- Chatting about Sales Opportunity Agent insights from inside Sales Agent (July 2026)
- Copying opportunities for repeat deals (August 2026)
Creating records in Dynamics 365 Sales through Sales Agent entered public preview in April 2026, with general availability planned for September 2026. Microsoft's final Sales plan also listed three further items as planned: AI-powered meeting intelligence to enrich opportunity records, portfolio planning in the Sales Research Agent, and simpler Quick Campaigns for one-off bulk email, the last two due in October 2026. The plan is now archived and notes that timelines can change, so check the AI at Work roadmap for their current status before planning around them.
Source: What's new and planned for Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft Learn
What's new in Dynamics 365 Customer Service?
Service Agent reached general availability alongside Sales Agent in July 2026. It can generate case summaries, suggest next actions, draft customer emails and update records as work progresses, again across Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. Microsoft announced general availability of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service at the same time.
Inside the Customer Service application, Microsoft has spent 2026 deepening the four agents that reached general availability in October 2025:
- Case Management Agent: helps create and update cases
- Customer Intent Agent: identifies what customers need
- Quality Evaluation Agent: assesses the quality of service interactions
- Customer Knowledge Management Agent: helps keep knowledge content current
Microsoft says each agent gains expanded features, richer telemetry and tighter Copilot integration, enabling both semi-autonomous and fully autonomous workflows. In practice, that means choosing how far each agent acts on its own and how much it hands back to a person.
Source: Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2026 release wave 1, Microsoft Learn
Dynamics 365 and Copilot Cowork
Microsoft made Copilot Cowork generally available in June 2026. Cowork is where people delegate multi-step work, and Microsoft describes its Dynamics 365 experience as grounded in your records, governed by your permissions and gated by human approval before anything is written back to Dynamics 365.
Dynamics 365 Sales skills for Copilot Cowork reached general availability on 15 June 2026. They help sellers gather customer, opportunity and pipeline context in one place, spot risks and items that need attention, prioritise work, suggest next-best actions and review pipeline health. For Customer Service, Microsoft's roadmap lists service tools, skills and plugins for Cowork, with general availability targeted for September 2026, so check the AI at Work roadmap for current status.
The cost model matters here. Cowork is billed by usage through Copilot Credits rather than included in the per-user Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. That has been the case since Cowork became generally available, and usage-based billing continued when Microsoft introduced the new Copilot on 25 September 2026. Before switching on Cowork for Dynamics 365 users, set spending limits and access policies in the Microsoft 365 admin centre and decide who can use it. We explain the new billing in The new Microsoft Copilot: what Home, Code and Autopilot mean for UK SMEs.
What's new in Dynamics 365 Field Service?
Microsoft announced general availability of Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Field Service web app from 29 May 2026. Back-office users, dispatchers and service managers can query work orders, bookings, service history and assets in plain language. Questions such as "are there unscheduled high-priority work orders?" return answers grounded in your Dataverse data. It's web-only, administrators switch it on through existing Power Apps configuration, and it follows standard Microsoft 365 Copilot governance.
The Scheduling Operations Agent is where most of the development is happening, but it's worth being clear about status. Optimising schedules for several resources entered public preview on 30 June 2026: up to five resources directly from the schedule board, or up to 30 through an optimisation plan, with custom goals and weighted objectives. Automatically scheduling and running recurring optimisations entered public preview on 30 September 2026. Both are previews, so they belong in a test environment rather than live dispatch for now.
What this means for UK SMEs
Microsoft is moving sales and service work into agents that operate across Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, rather than keeping them inside the CRM screens. That brings three practical considerations.
First, agents are only as good as the data behind them. Duplicate accounts, stale opportunities and thin case histories will show up quickly in what Sales Agent or Service Agent tells your team. Second, licensing now spans two estates, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Dynamics 365, with some capabilities billed by usage, so costs need modelling across both. Third, the distinction between planned, preview and generally available matters more than ever when features appear on a rolling roadmap rather than in a single plan.
How to keep track of Dynamics 365 changes now
With no release wave plan to read, we recommend:
- Setting up a filtered view of the AI at Work roadmap for the Dynamics 365 apps you use, and subscribing to it by RSS
- Agreeing a monthly or quarterly review with the people who own your CRM processes
- Exporting any saved views from the Release Planner before it retires on 15 November 2026
- Keeping an eye on Message Center for changes that will reach your environment
- Testing preview features in a sandbox before planning around them
- Reviewing CRM data quality before piloting Sales Agent, Service Agent or Cowork
Talk to Advantage About Dynamics 365
Advantage is a Microsoft Solutions Partner supporting SMEs across the UK with Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement, Power Platform and Microsoft 365. We help businesses decide which new capabilities are worth adopting, prepare their data and processes, and keep licensing costs under control. If you'd like to understand what this year's changes mean for your Dynamics 365 setup, we're happy to talk it through.
Call us on 020 3004 4600, email hello@advantage.co.uk, or request a conversation with our team.
Related Resources
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement
Business Central 2026 release wave 2 (BC29): what's new for UK businesses
The new Microsoft Copilot: what Home, Code and Autopilot mean for UK SMEs
AI Readiness Assessment
Microsoft 365 & Copilot
Frequently asked questions about Dynamics 365 2026 release wave 2
Common questions about what replaced the 2026 release wave 2 plan, what's new in Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service and Field Service, and how UK businesses should plan.
Is there a Dynamics 365 2026 release wave 2 plan?
No. Microsoft retired the twice-yearly release wave model and confirmed there would be no 2026 release wave 2 plan. From September 2026, new Dynamics 365 capabilities are disclosed on the AI at Work roadmap as they become committed.
What is the AI at Work roadmap?
The AI at Work roadmap is Microsoft's public roadmap, which now includes Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Dataverse. Each item shows whether it is In Development, Rolling Out or Launched, and you can filter it, export it to CSV and subscribe by RSS.
When does the Dynamics 365 Release Planner retire?
Microsoft plans to retire the Release Planner by 15 November 2026. Personalised saved views won't be available after that and aren't offered on the AI at Work roadmap, so export anything you need before then.
Are Sales Agent and Service Agent generally available?
Yes. Sales Agent and Service Agent became generally available in Microsoft 365 Copilot in July 2026. They work in Outlook, Teams, Copilot and Dynamics 365, and Microsoft also announced general availability of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service.
What do Copilot Cowork and Dynamics 365 do together?
Copilot Cowork lets people delegate multi-step work. Dynamics 365 Sales skills for Cowork became generally available on 15 June 2026, helping sellers gather pipeline context, spot risks and prioritise work. Customer Service tools and skills for Cowork were targeted for general availability in September 2026. Changes are only written back to Dynamics 365 after human approval.
Is Copilot Cowork included in the Microsoft 365 Copilot licence?
No. Cowork usage is billed separately through Copilot Credits rather than included in the per-user licence. Set spending limits and access policies in the Microsoft 365 admin centre before enabling it.
Is AI scheduling in Dynamics 365 Field Service ready for live use?
The newest Scheduling Operations Agent capabilities are in public preview. Optimising multiple resources entered preview on 30 June 2026, and automated recurring optimisations on 30 September 2026. Preview features should be tested outside production.
How should we plan for Dynamics 365 updates without release waves?
Set up a filtered AI at Work roadmap view with an RSS feed, hold a monthly or quarterly review, watch Message Center for changes to your environment, and test preview features in a sandbox before planning around them.
