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Business Central Objects

Hi friends,


Business Central Objects


I. Introduction


A. Explanation of what Business Central is

B. Overview of objects in Business Central


II. Types of Objects in Business Central


A. Tables

B. Pages

C. Reports

D. Codeunits

E. Queries

 

III. Creating and Modifying Objects


A. How to create a new object in Business Central

B. How to modify an existing object

C. Best practices for creating and modifying objects

 

IV. Using Objects in Business Central


A. How to navigate to and use objects in the user interface

B. How to access objects programmatically using code

C. Examples of common use cases for objects in Business Central

 

V. Conclusion


A. Summary of key points

B. Additional resources for learning more about objects in Business Central.

 

 I. Introduction


A. Explanation of what Business Central is


Business Central is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that is part of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 suite of tools. It is designed for small to medium-sized businesses and provides a wide range of functionality, including financial management, supply chain management, and project management.

 

B. Overview of objects in Business Central


Objects in Business Central are the building blocks of the system, and they are used to define the data and functionality of the application. Examples of objects include tables, which store data, pages, which provide a user interface for working with data, and codeunits, which contain business logic. Objects can be created, modified, and used in various ways to customize and extend the functionality of Business Central to meet the specific needs of a business.

 

In this blog post, we will dive deeper into the different types of objects that are available in Business Central, the process of creating and modifying objects, and how to use objects in the system to accomplish various tasks.

 

II. Types of Objects in Business Central


A. Tables


Tables are the objects that store data in Business Central. They are used to define the structure of the data, such as the fields and data types. For example, the "Customer" table would store information about customers, including their names, address, and contact information. A snippet of a table definition in AL code could look like this:

 

Example


table 50100 "Customer"

{

    fields

    {

        field(1; "No."; Code[20]) { }

        field(2; "Name"; Name) { }

        field(3; "Address"; Text[250]) { }

        field(4; "Phone No."; PhoneNo) { }

    }

    keys

    {

        key(PK; "No.") { }

    }

    data

    {

        // sample data

        record("CUST1"; "John Doe"; "123 Main St."; "555-555-5555")

        record("CUST2"; "Jane Smith"; "456 Park Ave."; "555-555-5556")

    }

}

B. Pages


Pages are the objects that provide the user interface for working with data in Business Central. They allow users to view, edit, and create records in tables. For example, a page for the "Customer" table would allow users to view a list of customers, as well as create, edit, and delete individual customer records. A snippet of a page definition in AL code could look like this:

 

Example


page 50100 "Customer"

{

    layout

    {

        area(content)

        {

            repeater(view="List")

            {

                field("No.") { }

                field("Name") { }

                field("Address") { }

                field("Phone No.") { }

            }

        }

    }

}

C. Reports


Reports are the objects that are used to display data in a specific format. They are used to create printable documents, such as invoices or purchase orders, or to display data in a specific format, such as a chart or graph. For example, a report for the "Customer" table would display a list of customers and their contact information in a printable format. A snippet of a report definition in AL code could look like this:


 Example


report 50100 "Customer List"

{

    layout

    {

        repeat("Customer")

        {

            field("No.") { }

            field("Name") { }

            field("Address") { }

            field("Phone No.") { }

        }

    }

}

D. Codeunits


Codeunits are the objects that contain business logic in Business Central. They are used to define the functionality of the system, such as creating a new customer, calculating the total cost of an order, or processing a payment. For example, a codeunit for handling customer-related tasks could contain logic for creating a new customer, updating customer information, and deleting customers. A snippet of a codeunit definition in AL code could look like this:

 

Example


codeunit 50100 "CustomerHandler"

{

    procedure CreateCustomer(Name: Text; Address: Text; PhoneNo: PhoneNo)

    begin

        // code to create a new customer

    end;

 

    procedure UpdateCustomer

 

III. Creating and Modifying Objects


A. How to create a new object in Business Central


To create a new object in Business Central, you can use the development environment, which is called the "AL Development Environment" and it's an extension of Visual Studio Code. You can use this environment to create new tables, pages, reports, and codeunits by defining the object's structure and functionality using the AL programming language. Once you have created the object, you can then publish it to the Business Central cloud or on-premises server to make it available to users.


For example, to create a new table called "Product", you would define the fields, keys, and sample data in AL code, and then publish it to the Business Central server.

 

B. How to modify an existing object


To modify an existing object in Business Central, you can open the object in the AL Development Environment, make the desired changes, and then publish the updated object to the Business Central server. It's also important to note that when you modify an object, you should make sure to test the changes thoroughly to ensure that they do not break any existing functionality or cause any other issues.

 

C. Best practices for creating and modifying objects


When creating and modifying objects in Business Central, it's important to follow best practices to ensure that the objects are efficient, maintainable, and easy to understand. Among the top recommendations to bear in mind are:


  • Using clear and descriptive names for objects
  • Following a consistent naming convention
  • Documenting objects using comments
  • Using the appropriate data types for fields
  • Creating indexes for frequently searched fields
  • Using triggers and events for complex logic
  • Testing the objects before publishing them.

 

For example, when creating a new table for "Product", you would want to make sure that you use clear and descriptive field names, such as "Product Name" and "Price", and that you use appropriate data types, such as "Decimal" for the price. It's also important to create indexes for frequently searched fields, such as the product name, to improve performance.

 

IV. Using Objects in Business Central


A. How to navigate to and use objects in the user interface


In Business Central, objects are used to provide the functionality of the system. Users can navigate to objects through the user interface, such as the navigation menu or the search function, and use them to perform tasks, such as viewing, editing, and creating records. For example, to view a list of customers, a user would navigate to the "Customers" page in the navigation menu, which would display a list of customer records in a table format. The user could then use this page to view and edit individual customer records, as well as create new customer records.

 

B. How to access objects programmatically using code


In addition to using objects through the user interface, they can also be accessed programmatically using code. This allows for more complex functionality and automation of tasks. For example, a codeunit could be used to automatically create a new customer record when a user enters a new sale.


To access an object programmatically, you would use the AL programming language and the Business Central API to read or write data to the object and perform other actions.

 

C. Examples of common use cases for objects in Business Central


  • Creating and managing customer records
  • Recording and managing financial transactions
  • Managing inventory and supply chain
  • Creating and managing sales orders and invoices
  • Creating and managing projects and tasks
  • Creating and managing production orders.

 

For example, when creating a sales order, a user could navigate to the "Sales Order" page, and use it to create a new sales order by specifying the customer, products, and quantities. Once the sales order is created, it can then be managed and processed using related objects such as inventory, invoicing, and financial management.

 

V. Conclusion


A. Summary of key points


In this blog post, we've covered the basics of objects in Business Central, including the different types of objects that are available, such as tables, pages, reports, and codeunits, and how they are used to define the data and functionality of the system. We've also discussed the process of creating and modifying objects, and how to use objects in the system to accomplish various tasks.

 
B. Additional resources for learning more about objects in Business Central.


To learn more about objects in Business Central and how to use them, you can refer to Microsoft's official documentation, which provides detailed information on the AL programming language, the Business Central API, and other topics related to objects. There are also a number of online tutorials, webinars, and forums that can help you learn more about objects and how to use them effectively in Business Central. Additionally, you can also seek out professional services or consulting for help with creating and modifying objects in Business Central and implementing them in your organization.


To sum up, objects are the building blocks of Business Central, and understanding how to use and customize them is critical in order to take full advantage of the system's capabilities. The blog post provides a high-level overview and introduction to the topic and additional resources are available to help you delve deeper into the subject.

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