Setting Up External File Storage in Business Central - No Code Required (Part 1: Creating Azure Storage Account and Blob Container)

This blog is part of a series where we’ll explore how to use External File Accounts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to store files outside the database using standard, out-of-the-box features and without writing any code.

One of the first requirements for this setup is to have an Azure Storage Account and a Blob Container ready. In this post, we’ll walk through how to create them step by step.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have an active Azure subscription before getting started.

Step 1: Sign in to Azure Portal

Log in to the Azure Portal and search for Storage accounts using the search bar.

Step 2: Create a Storage Account

Click on + Create to begin.

Under the Basics tab, provide the following details:

• Subscription: Select your Azure subscription
• Resource Group:  Choose an existing one or create a new one
• Storage Account Name: Enter a globally unique name
• Region:  Select the region closest to your users or services
• Performance:  Choose between Standard (common) or Premium
• Redundancy: Select based on your needs:
• LRS (Locally Redundant Storage): cost-effective (we use here)
• ZRS (Zone-Redundant Storage): higher availability
• GRS / RA-GRS / GZRS: for geo-redundancy and maximum durability

You can explore additional tabs like Networking, Data protection, and Encryption if you want more control over security and access. For now, you can proceed with default settings.

Click Review + Create, verify the details, and then click Create.

Step 3: Deployment Completion

Once the deployment is complete, you’ll see a confirmation message. Click Go to Resource to open your storage account.

Step 4: Create a Container

Inside the storage account:

• In the left pane, under Data storage, click Containers
• Click + Add Container
• Enter a meaningful Name
• Click Create

Step 5: Verify Container

Your new container will appear in the list and is now ready to store.

Step 6: Generate a Shared Access Signature (SAS) for the Container

To allow Business Central to access the blob container securely, you need to generate a Shared Access Signature (SAS).

Azure provides multiple access methods such as:

• Azure Active Directory (Entra ID)
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Access Keys
• Shared Access Signatures (SAS)

In this setup, we will use a container-level SAS, which gives controlled and time-limited access to a specific container. There are other account level access available as well but this container level access option is more granular.

Generate SAS from the Container

• Open your Storage Account in the Azure Portal
• Go to Data storage then Containers
• Select your newly created container
• In the left pane, under Settings, click on Shared access tokens

Configure Access

Set the required options:

• Permissions: Select based on your needs commonly Read, Write, Delete
• Start and expiry date/time: Define how long the access should be valid
• Allowed protocols: Select HTTPS only as its recommended

Generate token and Save

Click on Generate SAS token and URL.

You will see:

• Blob SAS token
• Blob SAS URL

Store these values securely (for example, in a key vault or another secure location). These will be used later when connecting the container to Business Central.

Conclusion

You have successfully created an Azure Storage Account and a Blob Container an essential first step toward using external file storage with Business Central.

In the next part, we’ll look at how to connect this container to Business Central and start storing attachments outside the database using standard features no custom development required.