RND-Process - IoT Telemetry Integration for Business Central

Organization: Cetas Information Technology Pvt Ltd
Project Version: 1.0.0.0
Status: Research and Development (RND)

📋 Project Overview

This project is a comprehensive Business Central extension that integrates IoT (Internet of Things) telemetry data with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It enables real-time monitoring, collection, and management of IoT sensor data (specifically DHT11 temperature and humidity sensors) and presents this data through interactive dashboards and reporting pages within Business Central.

🎯 Project Purpose

The primary purpose of this RND project is to:

Bridge IoT Devices with Business Central: Connect physical IoT devices (Raspberry Pi with DHT11 sensors) to Business Central using Azure IoT Hub.
Real-time Data Collection: Capture sensor telemetry data (temperature, humidity, timestamps) and store it securely.
Business Intelligence: Provide interactive dashboards and reports for analyzing IoT telemetry patterns.
Scalable Architecture: Design a cloud-native solution using Azure services (IoT Hub, Functions, Azure Cosmos DB).
Demonstrate Modern Integration Patterns: Showcase best practices for IoT-to-ERP integration.

🏗️ Architecture & Concept

System Components

┌─────────────────┐
│  IoT Devices    │
│ (Raspberry Pi   │
│  + DHT11)       │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ├─ MQTT/HTTPS
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│   Azure IoT Hub             │
│ (Central message broker)    │
└────────┬────────────────────┘
         │
         ├─ Event stream
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Azure Functions            │
│ (Data processing & routing) │
└────────┬────────────────────┘
         │
         ├─ Process & transform
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Azure Cosmos DB            │
│ (NoSQL data storage)        │
└────────┬────────────────────┘
         │
         ├─ Query API
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ Business Central            │
│ (Pages, Tables, Reports)    │
└─────────────────────────────┘

📊 Data Flow Concept

1. Data Collection Phase

Source: DHT11 sensors on Raspberry Pi devices
Action: Reads temperature and humidity values every 5-10 seconds
Transport: Python script (az_iot_dht11.py) sends data to Azure IoT Hub via MQTT
Output: JSON payload with sensor readings and timestamps

2. Cloud Processing Phase

Trigger: Azure IoT Hub receives telemetry message
Processing: Azure Function (AzureFuntion.csx) processes incoming data
Tasks:
- Validates sensor data
- Transforms data format
- Enriches with metadata (device ID, location)
- Applies business rules
Output: Structured data ready for storage

3. Data Storage Phase

Database: Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL, globally distributed)
Partition Strategy: Hierarchical partition keys for optimal performance

Storage Structure:

{
  "id": "unique-document-id",
  "deviceId": "device-001",
  "temperature": 25.5,
  "humidity": 60.2,
  "timestamp": "2025-12-05T10:30:45Z",
  "location": "Office-Room-1",
  "organizationId": "cetas-001"
}

4. Business Central Integration Phase

API Layer: REST API endpoint to query Cosmos DB
Business Central Tables:
- TelemetryIoT (Main table storing core telemetry data)
Data Retrieval: Scheduled job or on-demand query to fetch latest telemetry

5. Presentation & Analysis Phase

Pages:
- TelemetryIoTCard.Page.al: Detailed view of individual telemetry records
- TelemetryIoTAPI.Page.al: API configuration and management
- TelemetryCuePage.Page.al: Cube/analytical view for data analysis
- TelemetryListPart.Page.al: List view showing multiple records
Features:
- Real-time dashboard display
- Historical trend analysis
- Alert configuration (temperature/humidity thresholds)
- Export capabilities

🔑 Key Components Explained

Python Source (`Python src/`)

az_iot_dht11.py: Main IoT device script
- Reads DHT11 sensor data
- Connects to Azure IoT Hub
- Sends telemetry at regular intervals
- Handles connection retry logic
az-dht11.service: System service definition
- Ensures script runs as a background service on Raspberry Pi
- Auto-restart on failure
- System integration
AzureFuntion.csx: Azure Function code
- Processes incoming IoT Hub messages
- Routes data to Cosmos DB
- Implements business logic

Business Central Components (`src/`)

Tables (`src/table/`)

TelemetryIoT.Table.al: Stores telemetry data
- Fields: Device ID, Temperature, Humidity, Timestamp, Status
- Primary Key: Unique identifier for each reading
- Used for reporting and analytics

Pages (`src/page/`)

TelemetryIoTCard.Page.al: Single record detail view
TelemetryListPart.Page.al: List of records (used as subpage)
TelemetryCuePage.Page.al: Analytical data cube
TelemetryIoTAPI.Page.al: API configuration interface

Code Units (`src/codeunit/`)

Business logic and utility functions
Data validation and transformation
Integration with external services

🔄 Complete End-to-End Flow

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 1: DEVICE LAYER                                         │
│ IoT Device (Raspberry Pi + DHT11) measures environment data  │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 2: AZURE IOT HUB INGESTION                              │
│ Device sends data via MQTT protocol to Azure IoT Hub         │
│ Hub acts as central message broker                           │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 3: SERVERLESS PROCESSING                                │
│ Azure Function triggers on new message                        │
│ Validates, transforms, and enriches data                     │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 4: DATA PERSISTENCE                                     │
│ Processed data stored in Azure Cosmos DB                     │
│ NoSQL database optimized for scale and global reach          │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 5: BUSINESS CENTRAL RETRIEVAL                           │
│ Scheduled job or API call fetches data from Cosmos DB        │
│ Data synced to TelemetryIoT table                            │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 6: PRESENTATION & ANALYTICS                             │
│ Users view dashboards in Business Central                    │
│ Analyze trends, set alerts, generate reports                 │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

💡 Key Concepts

Why Azure IoT Hub?

Central management point for all IoT devices
Security: Device-to-cloud authentication and authorization
Scalability: Handles millions of messages per day
Message routing to different backends (Azure Functions, Cosmos DB, etc.)

Why Azure Functions?

Serverless architecture: Pay only for processing time
Event-driven: Automatically triggered by IoT Hub messages
Cost-effective for batch processing
Easy integration with other Azure services

Why Azure Cosmos DB?

Global distribution: Low-latency access worldwide
Elastic scalability: Handles variable workloads
Multi-model support: JSON documents, graphs, key-value
Built-in analytics with change feeds
Excellent for IoT data retention and historical analysis

Why Business Central?

Single source of truth for business operations
Integrated dashboards and reporting
User-friendly interface for non-technical users
Extensibility through add-ins and APIs
Compliance and audit trails

📦 Project Structure

RND-Project/
├── app.json                      # Extension metadata and configuration
├── README.md                     # Documentation
├── IOTWebService.xml             # Web service definition
├── LICENSE                       # License information
│
├── Python src/                   # IoT device code
│   ├── az_iot_dht11.py          # DHT11 sensor reading & IoT Hub communication
│   ├── az-dht11.service         # Systemd service file for Linux
│   └── AzureFuntion.csx         # Azure Function for data processing
│
├── src/                          # Business Central extension code
│   ├── table/
│   │   └── TelemetryIoT.Table.al # Main telemetry data table
│   ├── page/
│   │   ├── TelemetryIoTCard.Page.al     # Single record view
│   │   ├── TelemetryIoTAPI.Page.al      # API management
│   │   ├── TelemetryCuePage.Page.al     # Analytical view
│   │   └── TelemetryListPart.Page.al    # List subpage
│   └── codeunit/                # Business logic and utilities
│
├── Translations/
│   └── RND-Project.g.xlf        # Multi-language support file
│
└── Resources/                    # Static assets
    ├── Applogo/                 # Application branding
    ├── Data/                    # Sample/reference data
    └── Images/                  # UI images and icons

🚀 Deployment & Usage

Prerequisites

Azure Subscription (IoT Hub, Functions, Cosmos DB)
Raspberry Pi with DHT11 sensor
Business Central environment
AL language extension for VS Code

Development Workflow

Device Development: Modify Python scripts on Raspberry Pi
Cloud Processing: Update Azure Function logic in AzureFuntion.csx
Business Central: Develop tables and pages in AL language
Testing: Validate end-to-end data flow
Deployment: Package extension and deploy to Business Central

🔐 Security Considerations

Device Authentication: IoT Hub enforces device-level authentication
Data Encryption: TLS/SSL for data in transit
Access Control: RBAC in Business Central for data access
Secrets Management: Azure Key Vault for storing connection strings
Audit Logging: Track all data access and modifications

📈 Performance & Scalability

Message Throughput: Azure IoT Hub: Millions of messages/day
Data Storage: Cosmos DB with auto-scaling based on demand
Query Performance: Optimized partition keys for fast lookups
Business Central: Indexed tables for responsive UI

🛠️ Future Enhancements

Machine learning for anomaly detection
Predictive maintenance alerts
Mobile app for field monitoring
Multi-site dashboard aggregation
Advanced analytics with Power BI integration
Automated remediation actions

📞 Support & Contact

Organization: Open Source
Project Lead: Mir Kasim Ali Naqvi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mir-kasim-ali-naqvi-04971a236

📄 License

See LICENSE file for details.

Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 18 Commits
Python src		Python src
Resources		Resources
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARM-NB-Assets.pptx		ARM-NB-Assets.pptx
IOTWebService.xml		IOTWebService.xml
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
app.json		app.json

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kn13programmer/IOT-Integration

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