Developers are continually looking for ways to write cleaner, more efficient code. Two powerful tools that have emerged to meet this need are the ternary operator and extendable interfaces. This blog explores how these features can enhance your AL code, making it more readable and maintainable. Ternary Operator in Business Central The ternary operator, introduced in the 2024 release wave 2 of Business Central, is a concise way to perform conditional assignments. It offers a streamlined alternative to traditional if-else statements, promoting code clarity and reducing verbosity. Syntax and Example The ternary operator in AL has the following syntax: condition ? exprIfTrue : exprIfFalse Here’s an example that demonstrates its usage: pageextension 50300 CustomerListExtension extends “Customer List” {layout {     addlast(Content) {         field(“Customer Status”; IsCustomerActive) {             ApplicationArea = All;         }     }} var     IsCustomerActive: Text; trigger OnAfterGetCurrRecord();begin     IsCustomerActive := Rec.Blocked = Rec.Blocked::” ” ? ‘Active’ : ‘Inactive’;end;} In this example, the ternary operator is used to determine whether a customer is active or inactive based on their Blocked status. The result is a concise and more readable conditional assignment. Extendable Interfaces in Business Central Extendable interfaces provide a modular and flexible way to define reusable logic across different components in Business Central. They allow developers to create scalable systems that can easily adapt to changing business requirements. Defining and Implementing Extendable Interfaces Base Interface: interface INotificationProvider {procedure SendNotification(Message: Text): Text;} Extended Interface: interface INotificationProviderExt extends INotificationProvider {procedure SendEmailNotification(Message: Text): Text;procedure SendSMSNotification(Message: Text): Text;} Implementing the Interfaces in Codeunits: Email Notification Provider:codeunit 50301 EmailNotificationProvider implements INotificationProvider {procedure SendNotification(Message: Text): Text;begin     exit(‘Email sent with message: ‘ + Message);end;} SMS Notification Provider:codeunit 50302 SMSNotificationProvider implements INotificationProvider {procedure SendNotification(Message: Text): Text;begin     exit(‘SMS sent with message: ‘ + Message);end;} Advanced Notification Provider:codeunit 50303 AdvancedNotificationProvider implements INotificationProviderExt {procedure SendNotification(Message: Text): Text;begin     exit(‘Notification sent with message: ‘ + Message);end; procedure SendEmailNotification(Message: Text): Text;begin     exit(‘Email sent with message: ‘ + Message);end; procedure SendSMSNotification(Message: Text): Text;begin     exit(‘SMS sent with message: ‘ + Message);end;} Real-World Application Let’s implement these interfaces in a page extension to add actions for sending notifications to customers. pageextension 50300 CustomerListExt extends “Customer List” {actions {     addafter(ApplyTemplate) {         action(SendEmail) {             ApplicationArea = All;             Image = Email;             Caption = ‘Send Email’;             Promoted = true;             PromotedCategory = Process;             trigger OnAction()             begin                 iNotificationProvider := EmailNotificationProvider;                 Message(iNotificationProvider.SendNotification(‘Email message to customer’));             end;         } action(SendSMS) {             Image = Phone;             Caption = ‘Send SMS’;             ApplicationArea = All;             Promoted = true;             PromotedCategory = Process;             trigger OnAction()             begin                 iNotificationProvider := SMSNotificationProvider;                 Message(iNotificationProvider.SendNotification(‘SMS message to customer’));             end;         } action(SendAdvancedNotification) {             Image = Notification;             Caption = ‘Send Advanced Notification’;             ApplicationArea = All;             Promoted = true;             PromotedCategory = Process;             trigger OnAction()             begin                    iNotificationProviderExt := AdvancedNotificationProvider;                    Message(iNotificationProviderExt.SendEmailNotification(‘Advanced Email message to customer’));                    Message(iNotificationProviderExt.SendSMSNotification(‘Advanced SMS message to customer’));             end;         }     }} var     iNotificationProvider: Interface INotificationProvider;     iNotificationProviderExt: Interface INotificationProviderExt;     EmailNotificationProvider: Codeunit EmailNotificationProvider;     SMSNotificationProvider: Codeunit SMSNotificationProvider;     AdvancedNotificationProvider: Codeunit AdvancedNotificationProvider;} This example demonstrates how to use extendable interfaces to create a flexible and maintainable notification provider system in Business Central, allowing for different types of notifications to be added seamlessly. Conclusion The ternary operator and extendable interfaces in Business Central are powerful tools that can significantly enhance your AL code. By using the ternary operator, you can streamline conditional logic and improve code readability. Extendable interfaces, on the other hand, allow for modular, scalable solutions that can adapt to changing business needs. Embrace these features to build more efficient, maintainable, and future-proof solutions in Business Central.

Maintaining timely communication with customers about outstanding payments is crucial. Business Central makes this easier with its automated reminder feature, helping businesses streamline their collection process while maintaining positive client relationships. This sets the stage for discussing the “how-to” steps for sending reminders in Business Central. Reminders can be used to remind clients of past-due amounts and to solicit payment. You can assign reminder terms to customers and set them up to manage accounts receivable. You have control over how the reminder process operates with reminder terms. You can specify a set of reminder levels for each reminder term. Rules governing when to send reminders, what fees to charge, and whether to compute interest are all included in reminder levels. A grace period setting is another feature of reminder levels that makes sure you don’t remind customers about bills they have already paid. Pre-requisites – Business Central onCloud – Reminder terms You have to choose how and when to remind clients who have past-due payments. You may also wish to deduct interest or fees from their accounts. Any number of reminder terms can be configured. Lets see how we can set automate reminders for ovedue customers Configuration: – Select the reminder term or terms for which you want to use this automation in the Reminder Terms Filter field.– Select the frequency of automation runs in the Cadence field.– Next, select whether the automation generates, issues, or sends reminders by selecting New on the Actions FastTab.– Select OK.– Complete the fields on the setup page as needed, depending on the action the automation is performing.– Go to Settings for reminder actions to find out more about the settings.– The Move up and Move down actions allow you to change the sequence in which the automation’s actions execute after you’ve configured them. Set cadence to manual and click on start button it will create reminders for customers witb overdue amount Now setup automation to issue reminders similar to above Click on action and choose Issue reminder action When issuing a reminder, entries are created in the customer ledger with details like the posting and tax dates. You can use the “Issue Reminders Setup” page to decide if these dates should be replaced by the dates from the reminder itself. For instance, if a reminder was created yesterday but issued today, the due date will adjust by one day. Once you click on start button it will move all draft reminders to issue reminder. From here by using above actions, you can sent reminders to customer manually also or mark it as sent if you already sent mail by yourself. Let’s create third entry to send reminders to customers Now before running this last job que, you need to set email body for customers Search Reminder terms and choose default value in our case we have added Domestic as a reminder term This is the template you will see when you click on “Customer Communication.” It can be changed to suit your needs. Once you schedule all three-job automatic it will start sending emails to customers Conclusion: In conclusion, automating reminders in Business Central streamlines the payment collection process, helping businesses maintain cash flow and reduce overdue receivables. By leveraging customizable reminder settings, companies can create tailored communication that encourages timely payments while maintaining positive customer relationships. The system’s flexibility and automation capabilities allow for efficient financial management, minimizing manual intervention and improving overall productivity. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

For growing businesses, managing sales efficiently is crucial as processes and reporting become more complex. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2024 Wave 2 (BC25) introduces an exciting new feature that helps you create sales lines quickly by using data from a CSV (comma-separated values) file. This feature, powered by Copilot, simplifies the sales order process and saves valuable time. Are You Struggling to Manage Your Sales Lines? Are you finding it challenging to keep up with sales line entries? If you’re looking to automate this process, this article is for you. According to recent studies, businesses that streamline their sales processes can reduce order creation time by up to 80%. Additionally, companies using automated solutions see a 25% increase in productivity and improved accuracy in their sales data. Why CSV Integration Matters As businesses expand, the volume and complexity of sales orders increase. Having an efficient method to manage sales lines is essential for maintaining operational flow and customer satisfaction. The new CSV integration feature in Business Central 2024 Wave 2 allows you to: – Save Time: Upload your sales data all at once, eliminating the need for tedious manual entry. – Reduce Errors: Ensure your sales line data is accurate and consistent, minimizing mistakes that can occur with manual entry. – Manage Data Easily: Use a simple spreadsheet format to organize your sales line details before uploading them. How to Use the CSV Integration Feature Step-by-Step Guide 1. Prepare Your CSV File: Start by creating a CSV file containing all the sales line details you need, such as item numbers, quantities, and prices. 2. Log into Business Central: Open your Business Central account and navigate to the sales order section. 3. Upload the CSV File: – Click on the Copilot symbol and select “Suggest Sales Line.” – Choose “Attach” and upload your CSV file. Note: Only CSV files can be selected. PS: Only CSV (comma-separated values) can be selected. 4. Review the Suggestions: After uploading, review the suggested sales lines. You can make any adjustments if necessary. – For actions like matching or viewing, choose the appropriate options and click “Generate” for Copilot to suggest sales lines based on your data. Column Action: Matching: View: 5. Finalize Your Order: Once you’re satisfied with the sales lines, click “Insert.” Your sales lines will now be successfully added to the sales order. Conclusion The new CSV integration feature in Business Central 2024 Wave 2 makes managing sales orders easier than ever. With Copilot’s assistance, you can save time, reduce errors, and streamline your sales process. We encourage you to explore this feature and see how it can transform your sales operations. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to CloudFronts for practical solutions that can help you implement this powerful tool effectively.

Quality isn’t just a standard—it’s a promise. For pharmaceutical industries where quality can make or break success, we are offering a quality control module in business central which is in compliance with GMP. Imagine what you could achieve with a streamlined, GMP-compliant solution that integrates seamlessly into your existing workflows. With our new quality control module in Business Central, not only can your business meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, but you can also elevate product consistency, enhance traceability, and make real-time quality insights accessible. Let’s explore how this tool is built to not only meet requirements but drive your business forward This blog series dives into the step-by-step process of implementing and optimizing our GMP-compliant quality control module in Business Central. Let’s begin, Customer order is received – In a manufacturing company, company will receive an order from customer. Based on the order and availability of product the user will prepare a Proforma invoice. Proforma Invoice – User will create a proforma invoice with all the details of the order and send that invoice for approval internally. – Once that invoice is approved, the user will convert that proforma invoice into sales order. Sales order – Once a sales order is created after approval, user will then plan the production. – To plan the schedule, we have customised a page, “Planning Schedule” – The planning schedule has to be prepared from the sales order page. Later the page is accessible with global search as well. – User will select the item no. on the page and click on “Planning” button on the action bar. – System will automatically create lines/batches for the sales order quantity. These batches are created based on the production Bom details in the master. – When the user is ready to create production orders for the first batch, user will click on the “carry out action” checkbox and the from the action bar click on “Create production order button” – System will automatically create firm planed production order for the entire batch. – Now that the firm plan production orders are ready, user can run the Planning (shortage) worksheet Planning Worksheet – User will run the planning worksheet to figure out the shortages for the production of Finished goods. – To get the shortages, user will click on “Calculate regenerative plans” button on the action bar. A filter page will pop up, enter the date range for the shortages and click on “ok” – When the lines are generated, user can directly select the lines on the worksheet and create a Purchase indent (It is an internal document used by companies to authorize the requisition of Materials.) – User can club multiple lines in one purchase indent. Thank you for reading this blog. We’ve started the series with sales order and covered in the MRP process, and we hope you found the information valuable. In our next blog, we will start the Procurement Quality Check process, exploring its significance and the steps involved in ensuring that all procured materials meet our stringent quality standards. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Interacting with systems in natural language benefits organizations by making technology more accessible and user-friendly for all employees, regardless of technical skill. It allows users to complete tasks quickly by eliminating complex commands, improving productivity and reducing the potential for errors. This streamlined access to information leads to faster decision-making, ultimately helping organizations operate more efficiently. Are your people finding it difficult to navigate Business Central and access important information quickly? If so, consider incorporating Copilot Chat to ease their suffering! Research indicates that call center operators using AI assistance became 14% more productive, with gains exceeding 30% for less experienced workers. This improvement is attributed to AI capturing and conveying organizational knowledge that helps in problem-solving. Specific tasks can see remarkable speed increases; for instance, software engineers using tools like Codex can code up to twice as fast. Similarly, writing tasks can be completed 10-20% faster with the aid of large language models. In the retail sector, AI-driven chatbots have been shown to increase customer satisfaction by 30%, demonstrating their effectiveness in enhancing customer interactions​. Currently, around 35% of businesses leverage AI technology, which is expected to grow significantly as organizations recognize its strategic importance. I am confident that this article will highlight the advantages of incorporating Copilot into your daily activities. References Configuration In Business Central, – Search for “Copilot and Capabilities.” – Select the “Chat” and click on the “Activate” button. – Click on the “Copilot button” near the top right. – You’ll be presented with this screen. – You can ask it queries like – “Show me all the Customers” from India. – “How many open Sales Quotes do I have?” – You can also ask context specific questions like –  – You can also ask questions for guidance on how to achieve certain things in the system. In my humble opinion, it is far from perfect but it is absolutely a step in the right direction.In the coming days, the functionality is surely going to blossom and navigation to different screens may become something that only power users need to think about. Conclusion In conclusion, I believe utilizing Copilot can surely boost the Users productivity and reduce reliance on other partners or other experiences users in resolving minor queries.It also reduces the effort taken to move from one piece of information to another. One thing that I would love to see incorporated into this is data summarization and inclusion of all the fields available on the entity to the Copilot’s database. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to CloudFronts for practical solutions that can help you develop a more effective service request management system.  Taking action now will lead to better customer satisfaction and smoother operations for your business.

Introduction Data retention policies dictate which data should be stored or archived, where it should be stored, and for how long. When the retention period for a data set expires, the data can either be deleted or moved to secondary or tertiary storage as historical data. This approach helps maintain cleaner primary storage and ensures the organization remains compliant with data management regulations. In this blog, we’ll be covering –  Pre-requisites Business Central environment References Data Retention Policy Clean up Data with Retention Policy – Microsoft Learn Details In Business Central, we can define Retention Policies based on two main parameters – The table which is to be monitored and the retention policy. Retention Policy Retention periods specify how long data is kept in tables under a retention policy. These periods determine how often data is deleted. Retention periods can be as long or as short as needed. Applying a retention policy –  Retention policies can be applied automatically or manually. For automatic application, enable the policy, which creates a job queue entry to apply it according to the defined retention period. By default, the job queue entry applies policies daily at 0200, but this timing can be adjusted (refer below screenshot), preferably to non-business hours. All retention policies use the same job queue entry. For manual application, use the “Apply Manually” action on the Retention Policies page and turn on the “Manual” toggle to prevent the job queue entry from applying the policy automatically. We can also exclude or include certain records based on filters. Deselect the “Apply to all records” this will show a new tab where we can define the record filters. Every such group can have it’s own retention period. By default, only a few selected tables are shown in the table selection on the Retention Policy page. If we want to include our custom table in this list, we’ll have to do a small customization. **You cannot add tables that belong to seperate modules, for example “Purchase Header” cannot be added in this list by you. Unless you work at Microsoft in which case you already knew this. ** So here I’ve created a small sample table. And I’ve created an Codeunit with Install subtype where I’m adding my custom table to the allowed tables list. After deploying I can now see my custom table in the list. Developers also have the option to set Mandatory or Default filters on the custom tables. Mandatory filters cannot be removed and Default filters can be removed. To create a mandatory/default filter –  Setting the “Mandatory” parameter to true, makes it Mandatory otherwise it’s a default filter. When I add the table ID on the “Retention Policy” I get the following entry created automatically. If I try to remove the filters, I get the error –  Conclusion Thus, we saw how we can leverage Retention Policies in Business Central to reduce capacity wastage without heavy customizations.

Introduction Open Data Protocol (oData) is a web protocol for querying and updating data. It simplifies the data exchange between clients and servers, allowing for easy integration with RESTful APIs. One important feature of oData is the use of ETags (Entity Tags), which are part of the HTTP protocol and help manage the state of resources. ETags serve as a version identifier for a resource. When a client retrieves a resource, the server sends an ETag in the response. The client can then use this ETag in subsequent requests to ensure that it is working with the most current version of that resource. What is oData.ETag? In Postman, oData.ETag refers specifically to the ETag values used in oData responses. These tags help maintain data integrity during updates. When a client attempts to update a resource, it can include the ETag in the request headers. If the ETag matches the current version on the server, the update proceeds. If not, the server rejects the request, preventing unintended data overwrites. Using oData.ETag in Postman Fetching an ETag: When you send a GET request to an oData endpoint, look for the ETag header in the response. For example:GET https://api.example.com/odata/productsThe response might look like this:HTTP/1.1 200 OKETag: “W/\”123456789\”” Updating a Resource with ETag: When you need to update the resource, include the ETag in the If-Match header of your PUT or PATCH request:PATCH https://api.example.com/odata/products(1)If-Match: “W/\”123456789\””Content-Type: application/json {    “name”: “Updated Product Name”} If the ETag matches, the update occurs; otherwise, you’ll receive a 412 Precondition Failed response. Related Features in Postman Conditional Requests: Beyond oData, ETags are useful in REST APIs for conditional requests. You can use If-None-Match to check if a resource has changed before downloading it again, saving bandwidth and time. CORS Preflight Requests: When working with cross-origin requests, browsers may perform preflight checks using OPTIONS requests. Understanding ETags can help in managing these requests effectively, ensuring your API can handle them smoothly. Caching Strategies: Implementing caching with ETags can enhance performance. Postman can simulate caching behavior, allowing you to test how your API behaves when dealing with cached responses. Error Handling: Testing how your API handles errors, such as a mismatched ETag, is crucial for robustness. Postman’s test scripts can validate error responses and ensure that your API behaves as expected. Conclusion Understanding oData.ETag in Postman is essential for developers working with RESTful APIs, especially in scenarios where data integrity is critical. By leveraging ETags, you can ensure safe and efficient data updates, manage caching, and improve your overall API interactions.

Introduction Integrating Stripe’s payment gateway with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can streamline the payment process for businesses, enabling seamless transactions, real-time invoicing, and efficient payment tracking. By doing this, businesses can automate the process of accepting online payments and manage financial data in a single platform. This blog will guide you through the steps involved in integrating Stripe with Business Central, as well as the benefits and essential considerations. Why Integrate Stripe with Business Central? Steps to Integrate Stripe with Business Central 1. Set up a Stripe Account To get started, you’ll first need a Stripe account if you don’t already have one: – Sign up for a Stripe account on Stripe’s website. – Complete the necessary account verification steps and configure your business information. 2. Create an extension for the business central Business Central allows the integration of third-party payment gateways through extensions. We will customize our business central to capture Payments, Refunds, and Disputes by using a Payment journal. 3. Configure setup in Business Central With the help of customization, we will create a stripe setup in Business Central where we can define balance accounts and other important values. 4. Link Stripe with Business Central via Azure app Will create azure app to capture all transaction with help of Stripe webhooks. When building Stripe integrations, you might want your applications to receive events as they occur in your Stripe accounts, so that your backend systems can execute actions accordingly. To enable webhook events, you need to register webhook endpoints. After you register them, Stripe can push real-time event data to your application’s webhook endpoint when events happen in your Stripe account. Stripe uses HTTPS to send webhook events to your app as a JSON payload that includes an Event object. Receiving webhook events is particularly useful for listening to asynchronous events such as when a customer’s bank confirms a payment, a customer disputes a charge, a recurring payment succeeds, or when collecting subscription payments. Benefits of Integration Conclusion Integrating Stripe with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central simplifies the payment collection process, streamlines accounting tasks, and improves overall business efficiency. By following the steps above, businesses can easily set up this integration and begin accepting payments through Stripe directly within Business Central. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction In today’s busy work environment, having a smooth approval process is important for keeping things running efficiently. Dynamics 365 Business Central makes it easy to set up workflows that help manage approvals effectively. One great feature is the option to allow approval from “one of” several chosen approvers. This was one of our clients’ requirements to avoid delays and allows different team members to take part in the approval process. By letting any of the designated approvers approve requests, your organization can work faster and better together. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a simple approval workflow in Dynamics 365 Business Central that requires just one approver from a group, making your approval process quicker and more efficient. Scenario: The purchase order has two approvers but if any one of them approves the approval workflow will be fulfilled. Hence, if one approver approves, all open approval entries will be closed. 1. Workflow user group As shown below the workflow user group, sequence no. 1 has been assigned to both the users. 2. Open the workflow for which this user group needs to be assigned. 3. Add the Workflow User Group to the Workflow – Open the response “add record restriction” – Add the workflow user group as the approver type and select the workflow user group created earlier. 4. Modify the events and conditions – Remove the “on condition to always” – Remove the third step 5. Additional response To close open approval entries after receiving a single approval, you must edit the second step and add the response, “Approve the approval request for the record.” – Click on the response of 2nd line ” remove record restriction” – Add response, ” “Approve the approval request for the record.” Conclusion In conclusion, setting up an approval workflow with flexible approvers in Dynamics 365 Business Central can significantly enhance the organization’s efficiency and responsiveness. By allowing any designated approver to handle requests, one can streamline the approval process and reduce potential delays. This approach not only fosters collaboration among team members but also ensures that important decisions are made quickly. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction In today’s fast-paced business environment, ensuring timely and accurate communication with your customers is critical. One of the most frequent interactions businesses have with customers is providing them with account statements. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central simplifies this process, allowing users to send Customer Statements directly via email, streamlining communication and helping businesses maintain positive relationships with their clients. Steps to achieve the goal: 1. Log into Business Central Start by logging into your Business Central account. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access customer information and send reports. 2. Access the Customer List Once logged in: 3. Select the Document Layout before you send an email to customers. 4. Setup Email Account (Optional if already configured) 4. Open the Statement Report Within the Customer Card: 5. Set Up the Statement Parameters Before generating the customer statement: 6. Send the Statement via Email Once the statement is ready: 8. Review and Send Once you’ve reviewed everything: Conclusion Sending customer statements via email in Business Central is a straightforward process that enhances customer communication while saving time. With just a few clicks, you can generate, customize, and send statements to your clients, ensuring that they stay informed about their account status. This efficient process helps you maintain accurate financial records, avoid payment delays, and ultimately, improve your cash flow. By leveraging Business Central’s customer statement feature, you can optimize your accounting workflows and focus more on growing your business. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com