Configurable Business Documents in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations - PART 2 - End-to-end business document configuration

CONFIGURABLE BUSINESS DOCUMENTS IN DYNAMICS 365 FINANCE AND OPERATIONS - PART 2 - END-TO-END BUSINESS DOCUMENT CONFIGURATION

This article series explains and demonstrates configurable business document use in real life scenarios. The purpose is to provide a unique implementation resource. Whole series will be in 5 parts as follows:

PART 1: Solution components

PART 2: End-to-end business document configuration

PART 3: Making a direct format change

PART 4: Adding a new field

PART 5: Business documents security

Let's get started with PART 2.

Introduction

In this part of the series, we will concentrate on implementing Configurable Business Document (CBD) for out-of-box sales order packing slip (without any modification). This solution will be replaced with SSRS report (modified or out-of-box). Direct format changes or mapping modifications will be explained on the PART 3 and PART 4 of this article series.

Lifecycle of a configurable business document is as below. First 3 tiles will be covered in this post.

Identification of the required document: Verify whether you really need a configurable business document (CBD) solution. Depending on the business function of the document, you may opt for a CBD or choose an SSRS solution. Is the design subject to potential minor changes over time? If so, a CBD may be a better fit for you. Is the design too complex? If so, an SSRS solution might be more suitable.

Another challenge is to identify the correct solution components. Suppose you want the sales order's packing slip to be a configurable business document (CBD). You'll need a data model, a model mapping, and a format. All must be of the same version as shown below; otherwise, the system will not allow you to import them. 

How to identify what model to use? Find your desired document here in order to identify the required data model. In our example, we will configure sales order packing slips as CBD.

Search for the document name, "Sales order packing slip". Search will show you multiple results including different formats and localized configs. Find what you want. In our case, we will use "Sales order packing slip (Excel) (1). Check for the desired document's data model. In our case, it will be "Waybill model".

So far so good. Next step is to find actual documents in Microsoft's repository. This was explained in Part 1 of this article series.

I downloaded all ER configuration files and found required solution components as below.

Import document components: Next step is to import these files in the Electronic Reporting configurations form in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

First, Data model.

Data model is now ready.

Note that imported data model's version is 27.

Second, model mapping.

Model mapping's version must be 27 as well. But I will intentionally import a different version of the model mapping file for demonstration purpose.

Note that version mismatch results in a reference error as shown below/above:

Unresolved references left

Reference of the object 'Waybill model mapping' to the object 'Base' (Waybill model {063B211F-7EA1-43CC-8FE5-2E39807A90D1},33) cannot be established

Let's import the correct version that is 27.

Model mapping is now ready.

Third, the format. 

Start using the out-of-box report: As of the moment, all ER components are in the system for using Sales order packing slip CBD (Configurable business document).

Next step is to tell Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations to use this new technology. This is always done through print management. 

Sales order packing slip report is under AR module >> Setup >> Forms >> Form setup.

Click on Print management.

Form opens as below.

The purpose is to change report format from SSRS to ER.

Almost done, there is one last thing, setting up electronic reporting destination. This is where you define report file type.

Electronic reporting destination form is as follows:

The screen is empty because there is no setup for this document. Let's create a new line.

Now let's create a new file destination. This is where we can configure a destination for each Electronic reporting (ER) format configuration and its output component (a folder or a file).

NOTE: "Document type = Any" means that system will use this setting regardless of Copy/Original/Print management selection while printing the report. Be careful while using this parameter.

OK. The next step is to assign our report a destination.

Note that the report can be sent via email, archived, automatically downloaded as a file, displayed on screen, or sent to a printer. We have selected the screen display option here.

The last step is to use this configuration in print management destination.

OK. We are now ready to use the solution. Let's give it a try.

Sales and marketing >> Sales orders >> Order shipping >> Packing slip

Select any of the values here.

The result is as expected, a PDF document for sales order packing slip on screen.

Note that this is out-of-box solution without any modification.

What if we want to make some changes to this report?

Stay tuned, Part 3 will explain making direct format changes.

Configurable Business Documents in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations - PART 1 - Solution components

CONFIGURABLE BUSINESS DOCUMENTS IN DYNAMICS 365 FINANCE AND OPERATIONS - PART 1 - SOLUTION COMPONENTS

This article series explains and demonstrates configurable business document use in real life scenarios. The purpose is to provide a unique implementation resource. Whole series will be in 5 parts as follows:

PART 1: Solution components

PART 2: End-to-end business document configuration

PART 3: Making a direct format change

PART 4: Adding a new field

PART 5: Business documents security

Let's get started with PART 1.

Introduction

Configurable business documents allow you to generate or modify reports/business documents without any development work. Using Microsoft Office-based templates, Microsoft offers predefined documents—familiar tools for customizing business documents to your company's specific needs. This approach not only facilitates customization but also paves the way for creating a marketplace. This marketplace features standard and regulatory business documents tailored for specific industries or regions not covered by Finance and Operations apps. Microsoft's ER template library includes about 5,000 templates. Some are available in either Word or Excel formats, or both. Not all templates in the library are for the business documents solution; however, the entire business documents solution relies on the electronic reporting functionality.

Configurable Business Document Components

Documents are generated via 4 layers: Source, data model, model mapping, and format.

Source: D365 Finance and Operations or Dataverse.

Data Model: A data model is a set of business entities and a hierarchically structured definition of relations between those entities. A single data model component can contain several hierarchies of domain-specific business entities. It can also contain model mappings that support a report-specific data flow at runtime.

The hierarchies are differentiated by a single record that is selected as a root for model mapping. For example, the data model of the payment domain area might support the following mappings:

• Company > Vendor > Payment transactions of the AP domain
• Company > Customer > Payment transactions of the AR domain

Model Mapping: Model mapping links application data sources to individual elements of a data model that specify, at runtime, the data flow and rules for entering business data in a data model component.

Format: The document itself. A format component is the scheme of the reporting output that is generated at runtime.

Component versions: The version that was originally created is marked as a Draft version. This version can be edited and is available for test runs. The Draft version can be converted to a Completed version. This version can be used in local reporting processes. The Completed version can be converted to a Shared version. This version is published in Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) and can be used in global reporting processes. The Shared version can be converted to a Discontinued version. This version can be deleted.

Illustration of the electronic report layers is as below:

Below image shows ER (Electronic Reporting) layers of Invoice Model in D365 FO.

Electronic reporting workspace >> Reporting configurations

When the provider is Microsoft, you CANNOT make any changes, but you can derive another document to work on.  In order to derive (generate) a document, you MUST create a custom configuration provider in Electronic Reporting workspace and activate it.

We will get into the details of that in PART 3 of this article series.

List of Business Documents

Configurable business documents are built on top of the ER framework and enable business users to edit business document templates by using a Dynamics 365 service or appropriate Office desktop application.

Configurable business documents is an important part of Microsoft's Globalization Studio.

Available configurable business document list is as below:

How to Download and Import Configurations

Go to https://lcs.dynamics.com/V2/SharedAssetLibrary 

Click on an individual report to download it. You can alternatively click on DOWNLOAD ALL to download the entire library that has 5K reports.

Downloaded schemas will be uploaded to the Reporting configurations in Dynamics 365 Finance. This will be covered in detail in Part 2 of this article series.

How to Tell System to Use Configurable Business Document instead of SSRS

You should assign an ER destination in the module's print management parameters. For example, we want the customer's payment advice to utilize the new Business Document design via print management.  

Go to the print management screen of the module.

Change original document design from SSRS to new configurable business document.

Save and close the page.

The next step is to test the configuration.

Go to a customer payment journal and print a payment advice. Don't forget to use print management.

.

The configurable business document template is automatically generated by the system.

This wraps up the first installment of our five-part series on Configurable Business Documents in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, where we've delved into the essential solution components. 

Microsoft's Office-based templates make it straightforward to customize business documents to fit your company's unique needs. These templates are built on Dynamics 365's electronic reporting framework. 

Stay tuned for more insights in the upcoming parts of the series.