Multi-user posting document at the same time

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Posted on by Keinier Caboverde

Hi everyone,

I'm having some trouble with my Business Central implementations over SaaS. When two or more customers post sales documents at the same time or post sales documents and General Journal transactions, Business Central raises an error saying that another user is using GL tables. Please try later. I think the problem is a configuration.

The system is not working correctly when two or more users are posting at the same time.

Do you have the same problem? Is this normal in BC?

Thanks

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Saif Ali Sabri 2,351 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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This is a known concurrency issue in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) SaaS, especially when multiple users are trying to post documents that affect the General Ledger (G/L) at the same time.
✅ Issue Summary:
When two or more users attempt to post Sales Documents, General Journals, or other G/L-impacting transactions simultaneously, you may see errors like:
"Another user has locked the G/L Entry table. Please try again."
This is not a configuration error on your side but rather a limitation of how Business Central handles table locking—specifically on core ledger tables such as:

G/L Entry

G/L Register

Value Entry

These tables are locked during posting to ensure data integrity. However, in SaaS, the SQL Server-level locking and retry mechanisms can sometimes be too restrictive for high-concurrency scenarios.

🔍 Why This Happens:

BC uses single-threaded posting logic for critical accounting areas to ensure accuracy.

It performs serial inserts and validations during posting to maintain compliance and consistency.

High write contention (multiple users posting at the same time) causes the system to block one or more sessions until the lock is released.

✅ Solution & Mitigations:
1. Enable Background Posting (Recommended)

Sales Documents and Warehouse Shipments/Receipts support background posting via Job Queues.

This helps offload posting jobs into a queue, reducing direct contention.

Setup:

Go to Sales & Receivables Setup > enable "Enable Background Posting"

Assign a job queue for background tasks.

2. Optimize Job Queues for Journals

Use Job Queues for recurring General Journal postings, which reduces manual overlap.

Configure retry attempts and intervals to help automatically reprocess if a lock error occurs.

3. Stagger Posting Times

If certain users or processes post in bulk, try to stagger their schedule to reduce simultaneous execution.

4. Use Batches for Journals

Split large General Journals into smaller batch sizes to reduce locking duration.

5. Evaluate Customizations or Extensions

If you have custom posting extensions, ensure they are not locking too many records unnecessarily or introducing long transactions.

6. Use BC Performance Analyzer Tools

Monitor performance using Performance Profiler or Telemetry (Application Insights) to pinpoint if slow posting is causing extended locks.

❓Is this normal?

Yes, to an extent — this is expected behavior under high concurrency for financial integrity.

But no, it shouldn't be happening frequently with light or moderate usage. With proper use of background posting and job queues, this issue is typically mitigated.

✅ Recommended Next Steps:

Enable background posting for sales documents.

Use job queues for posting journals.

Split large journals into smaller batches.

Monitor locks using the Performance Profiler.

Educate users to avoid simultaneous bulk postings if possible.

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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 25,367 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi, good day
Do you have any development work around this process?
What error does it show?
You shouldn't have any concurrency issues with just a few transactions.

Service scalability for Business Central online - Business Central | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards
Gerardo

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Ramesh Kumar 7,529 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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If two or more users post at the same time, the system enforces serial locking to preserve data integrity. Monitor with Telemetry : Enable Application Insights to trace:

1. Posting duration

Locking and deadlocks

Extension impact

Use Page Inspection (Ctrl+Alt+F1) to check active sessions

Thanks

Ramesh

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Keinier Caboverde 29 on at

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Thank you so much,

The Background posing using Job Queue was enabled. I am analyzing the behavior after setting changes.

Regards,

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Khushbu Rajvi. 20,614 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Adding more details: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/ui-batch-posting

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YUN ZHU 95,739 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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As far as I know, Microsoft may improve this in the future.
Currently, the Item-related posting process has been improved.

More details: What's new: Concurrent inventory posting

https://youtu.be/64_cQzp8BP4?si=9iGHWywTf3liaZER

Thanks.

ZHU

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