Business Central Glossary
Functional Terms
Chart of Accounts (COA)
A structured list of general ledger accounts used to classify transactions for financial reporting.
Dimensions
Tags like Department or Project added to transactions for flexible analysis without inflating COA.
Chart of Accounts (COA)
A structured list of general ledger accounts used to classify transactions for financial reporting.
Dimensions
Tags like Department or Project used to add analytical categories to transactions without expanding the COA.
Posting Groups
Rules that map entities like customers or vendors to the correct general ledger accounts.
Journals
Electronic equivalents of accounting journals used to post transactions like payments, receipts, or general entries.
Master Data
Core records like Customers, Vendors, Items, and Bank Accounts that form the backbone of business processes.
Sales Orders
Documents representing a customer’s commitment to purchase items or services, initiating order fulfillment.
Purchase Orders
Documents issued to vendors indicating intent to buy goods or services, forming the basis of procurement.
Invoices
Documents recording sales or purchases with detailed information on items, quantities, pricing, and payment terms.
Credit Memos
Documents issued to reduce amounts due from customers or amounts owed to vendors, e.g., due to returns.
Debit Memos
Documents issued to increase receivables or payables, e.g., correcting underbilled amounts.
Entries
Ledger-level records (e.g., Customer Ledger Entry) tracking the financial effect of posted documents.
Documents
Business forms like Sales Orders, Invoices, or Purchase Orders used throughout business processes.
G/L Budgets
Tool for planning and comparing budgeted vs. actual amounts in financial periods.
Financial Periods
Fiscal periods used to organize, report, and close financial transactions.
Fixed Assets
Company-owned long-term assets like equipment, machinery, or vehicles tracked for accounting and depreciation.
Depreciation
Systematic reduction of an asset’s value over time due to usage or aging.
Insurance (Fixed Assets)
Tracking insurance policies covering company assets, including premiums and insured values.
Reclassification Journals
Journals used to move assets or amounts between accounts, categories, or dimensions.
VAT
Value-Added Tax applied to transactions according to jurisdictional rules.
Tax Jurisdictions
Defined geographic regions with distinct tax rules applied to sales and purchases.
Tax Groups
Sets of tax codes applied to items or services to determine applicable rates.
Payment Terms
Conditions defining when payments for invoices are due, e.g., Net 30 days.
Reminder Terms
Rules determining timing and frequency for sending reminders on overdue invoices.
Finance Charge Terms
Rules for calculating late payment charges or interest on overdue invoices.
Cash Receipts
Recording incoming payments from customers against outstanding invoices.
Payments
Recording money paid to vendors or other parties for purchases or services.
Bank Accounts
Master records representing each company bank account used in transactions.
Bank Reconciliation
Process matching bank statement transactions with those recorded in Business Central.
Check Ledger Entries
Tracking issuance and clearance of checks in the system.
Item Ledger Entries
Detailed records tracking inventory increases and decreases from purchases, sales, or adjustments.
Value Entries
Records capturing cost, valuation, and adjustments for inventory transactions.
Sales Prices
Lists defining selling prices for items or services, including customer-specific pricing.
Sales Discounts
Reductions offered on sales prices under certain conditions like order amount thresholds.
Customer Pricing
Pricing rules tailored to specific customers or groups for competitive differentiation.
Customer Discounts
Discount percentages or amounts applied to customer transactions.
Vendor Pricing
Special purchase prices negotiated with vendors, stored for procurement efficiency.
Vendor Discounts
Conditional discounts from vendors, e.g., early payment or bulk discounts.
Purchase Quotes
Requests sent to vendors asking for pricing and availability before ordering.
Purchase Invoices
Documents recording goods or services received and payable amounts owed to vendors.
Purchase Credit Memos
Documents reversing or reducing previously recorded purchases due to returns or errors.
Blanket Sales Orders
Long-term agreements for selling items/services with multiple deliveries over a period.
Blanket Purchase Orders
Long-term purchase agreements enabling multiple releases/deliveries over time.
Return Orders
Documents initiating returns of goods either from customers or to vendors.
Sales Return Orders
Orders recording items returned by customers and generating credits.
Purchase Return Orders
Orders recording returns of goods back to vendors.
Jobs
Project accounting module for tracking costs, revenues, and progress of work.
Job Planning Lines
Detailed breakdown of job activities, planned hours, and expenses.
Job Journals
Used to post costs, resource usage, or item consumption to jobs, updating job ledger entries.
Job Ledger Entries
Records of transactions affecting jobs, showing posted costs and billings.
Job WIP Methods
Methods determining how Work-in-Progress is calculated and recognized for ongoing jobs.
Resource Groups
Groups combining similar resources like labor or machinery to simplify planning and costing.
Resources
People or equipment tracked for costing, scheduling, and job assignments.
Service Management
Module managing post-sale services, repairs, contracts, and service billing.
Service Orders
Requests for service work, including repairs, maintenance, or warranty tasks.
Service Contracts
Agreements outlining terms for regular service or maintenance of customer items.
Service Items
Registered customer equipment tracked for service history, warranties, and repairs.
Service Ledger Entries
Records capturing posted service transactions, such as parts used and service charges.
Assembly Orders
Orders combining multiple items into finished goods, suitable for light assembly operations.
Assembly BOMs
Bills of Materials listing components required for assembly orders.
Manufacturing Orders
Orders used in manufacturing to produce items from raw materials through routings.
Routing
Defines sequence of production operations, required resources, and their setup/run times.
BOM (Bill of Materials)
Structured list of components required to manufacture or assemble a product.
Production BOM
Specific type of BOM used in manufacturing, defining raw materials needed for a finished good.
Standard Cost Worksheet
Tool for calculating, reviewing, and updating standard costs of items in the system.
Subcontracting
Outsourcing manufacturing steps to external vendors, tracked within production orders.
Capacity Planning
Planning tool ensuring resources have sufficient capacity to meet production schedules.
Item Tracking
Managing inventory by serial or lot numbers to track history and traceability.
Serial Numbers
Unique identifiers assigned to individual items for tracking and service purposes.
Lot Numbers
Identifiers assigned to batches of items produced or received together.
Item Attributes
Customizable properties like color, size, or brand used to classify items.
Item Variants
Different versions of the same item, such as size or color variations, tracked separately.
Stockkeeping Units (SKU)
Records of an item at a specific location or variant, enabling fine-grained inventory control.
Location Codes
Identifiers for warehouses or storage sites where items are kept.
Transfer Orders
Orders for moving items between company locations or warehouses.
Warehouse Shipments
Documents consolidating and processing items picked for delivery.
Warehouse Receipts
Documents for receiving goods into the warehouse, updating inventory levels.
Warehouse Picks
Instructions to warehouse staff for picking items from bins for shipment.
Warehouse Put-aways
Instructions for placing received goods into warehouse bins after receiving.
Warehouse Bins
Specific storage locations in a warehouse, identified with unique bin codes.
Bin Content
Current quantity of an item stored in a specific bin.
Physical Inventory
Periodic process of counting actual stock and reconciling with system records.
Physical Inventory Journals
Used to enter counted quantities during inventory counts for adjustments.
Item Reclassification
Moving items to different locations, bins, or SKUs in the system.
Reservations
Allocating inventory to specific sales or production orders to ensure availability.
Sales & Inventory Forecast
Predicts future sales and required inventory levels based on historical data and trends.
Demand Forecast
Estimate of expected customer demand over a given period for planning purposes.
Supply Planning
Determines quantities and timing of purchases or production to meet demand forecasts.
Requisition Worksheet
Tool generating suggested purchase orders based on inventory needs and planning parameters.
Planning Worksheet
Tool providing suggestions for production and procurement orders, including action messages.
Demand Overview
Summary showing demand from sales, service, and jobs contributing to supply requirements.
Capacity Ledger Entries
Records tracking usage of production capacities, including time and quantities produced.
Shop Calendars
Define working days, holidays, and hours for production resources and facilities.
Shop Floor Control
Management of daily production activities on the shop floor, tracking time, progress, and output.
Production Schedules
Timelines detailing when production orders start and finish to meet demand.
Routing Versions
Alternate routings defining different sequences or methods for producing the same item.
Production Versions
Different combinations of BOMs and routings for the same item, supporting multiple production scenarios.
Cost Adjustments
Manual or automatic updates to recalculate inventory costs based on new information or corrections.
Adjust Cost – Item Entries
Batch process recalculating costs of item ledger entries after cost changes or postings.
Standard Cost Updates
Tool for updating standard costs in bulk, reflecting new expected material or labor costs.
Cost Shares
Breakdown showing how material, labor, overhead, and subcontracting contribute to item costs.
Intercompany Transactions
Transactions processed between different legal entities in the same corporate group.
Consolidation
Combining financial data from multiple companies into a single set of consolidated reports.
Multi-currency Transactions
Managing transactions in currencies different from the local currency of the company.
Exchange Rate Adjustments
Periodic process of updating balances based on current exchange rates.
Bank Export/Import (SEPA)
File-based electronic exchange of payment data between Business Central and banks using SEPA standards.
Electronic Payments
Payments processed digitally to vendors using bank integration features.
Direct Debit Collections
Collecting payments automatically from customer bank accounts using direct debit agreements.
Cash Flow Forecasts
Predictions of expected future cash inflows and outflows for liquidity planning.
Budget by Dimension
Creating budgets for G/L accounts with breakdowns by dimensions such as department or project.
Analysis Views
Data cubes enabling analysis of transactions by dimensions and time periods.
Analysis by Dimensions
Flexible reports analyzing transactions with dimension filters to gain insights into business performance.
Account Schedules
Design custom financial reports such as income statements, balance sheets, or KPI reports.
Account Categories
Grouping G/L accounts into meaningful categories for financial reports and analysis.
Financial Reports (Account Schedules)
Reports generated using account schedules, showing financial performance like P&L or Balance Sheet.
KPI Reports
Reports highlighting key performance indicators critical for tracking business health.
Approval Workflows
Automated processes requiring approvals for transactions or documents before posting.
Notification Schedules
Configurations determining timing and frequency of automatic email or system notifications.
Document Attachments
Feature allowing files such as PDFs or images to be attached to transactions or master records.
Document Sending Profiles
Rules defining how documents like invoices are sent to customers (email, print, etc.).
Email Scenarios
Predefined templates and settings for sending standardized emails related to transactions.
Payment Reconciliation Journals
Tool to match imported bank payments with outstanding customer or vendor entries.
Contact Management
Tracking individuals and organizations beyond customers or vendors for CRM purposes.
Segments (CRM)
Groups of contacts created for targeted campaigns or analysis.
Campaigns
Marketing activities planned and executed using contact segments and interaction tracking.
Opportunities
Tracking potential sales deals, including status, estimated revenue, and expected closing dates.
Interaction Log Entries
Detailed records of phone calls, emails, or meetings with contacts.
Salespeople/Purchasers
Employees assigned to manage sales or purchasing transactions.
Responsibility Centers
Organizational units assigned responsibility for transactions and performance in specific regions or departments.
Customer Templates
Predefined setups for quickly creating new customer records with consistent data.
Vendor Templates
Predefined setups for creating new vendor records efficiently.
Item Templates
Templates to streamline new item creation with preset values.
Recurring Journals
Journals used for repeated entries such as rent, utilities, or salaries.
Accrual Schedules
Spreading revenue or expenses across multiple periods for accurate financial reporting.
Deferral Templates
Templates automating the deferral of revenues or expenses in journals and documents.
Sales Order Archiving
Saving historical versions of sales orders for tracking changes over time.
Purchase Order Archiving
Maintaining history of purchase orders to track modifications and approvals.
Document Approval Entries
Records documenting approvals given for transactions or documents.
Document Approval Limits
Maximum amounts each user or role is allowed to approve without escalation.
Item Substitutions
Alternative items offered when the requested item is unavailable or discontinued.
Service Item Components
Parts or assemblies belonging to a registered service item, tracked for repairs and replacements.
Technical Terms
AL Language
The programming language used to customize Business Central by defining tables, pages, codeunits, and more.
Tables
Data structures storing records such as Customers, Items, or custom entities defined by developers.
AL Language
The programming language used to customize Business Central by defining objects like tables, pages, and codeunits.
Tables
Data structures storing records such as customers, items, or custom entities defined by developers.
Table Extensions
Mechanism to add new fields or keys to existing tables without modifying base application code.
Pages
User interface elements where users interact with data, including list, card, document, and worksheet pages.
Page Extensions
Allow adding fields, actions, or modifying layouts of existing pages without changing standard objects.
Reports
Define layouts for outputting data in printable or exportable formats, including invoices and statements.
Report Extensions
Extend existing reports by adding new data fields or modifying layout sections.
Codeunits
AL objects containing reusable procedures or business logic executed in processes or events.
Queries
AL objects used to retrieve and aggregate data efficiently, useful in reports and integrations.
XMLports
Objects defining structures for importing or exporting data in XML or text formats.
Enum
AL objects defining a list of predefined options for fields, such as order statuses.
Enum Extensions
Extend existing enums by adding additional values without changing the original enum object.
Interfaces
AL constructs defining contracts of methods that can be implemented by multiple objects.
Permissions
Rules controlling which objects users can access or modify in the application.
Permission Sets
Collections of permissions that can be assigned to users or user groups for efficient security management.
Permissions.xml
XML file defining the permissions required by an AL extension, automatically generated during build.
Events
Hooks triggered during processes that developers can subscribe to for custom logic.
Event Subscribers
Code listening to events and executing when the subscribed event occurs.
Publishers
Objects that expose events, allowing other codeunits or extensions to subscribe to them.
Triggers
Built-in AL methods executing when actions like inserting, modifying, or deleting records happen.
Procedures
Reusable functions declared in AL to perform tasks or calculations.
Functions
Another term for procedures; blocks of reusable AL code performing specific logic.
Record Variables
Variables representing tables, allowing developers to work with database records.
Temporary Tables
Record variables declared with Temporary=true, storing data in memory without affecting the database.
SingleInstance Codeunits
Codeunits that maintain state across multiple calls during the same session.
Install Codeunits
Codeunits designed to execute code during the installation or reinstallation of an app.
Upgrade Codeunits
Codeunits executed during app upgrades to handle data transformations or migrations.
Test Codeunits
Codeunits containing automated AL test methods to validate functionality of extensions.
Profiles
Definitions of user roles specifying which Role Center and UI experience users see.
Role Centers
Dashboard-like pages providing tailored overviews and tasks for specific user roles.
FactBoxes
Side panels in pages showing related data like balances or statistics.
Action Groups
Organizational structures grouping related actions in pages for better usability.
Page Actions
Buttons or menu items on pages triggering business logic or navigation.
Page Parts
Embedded pages displayed within other pages, such as line items in orders.
Card Pages
Pages designed to view or edit single records like customers or vendors.
List Pages
Pages displaying multiple records in tabular format, supporting filtering and sorting.
Document Pages
Pages used for documents like sales orders, combining headers and lines.
Worksheet Pages
Pages supporting batch processing of entries, e.g., journals and planning worksheets.
Confirmation Dialogs
Pop-ups asking users to confirm an action before proceeding.
Message Dialogs
Pop-ups displaying information or warnings to users.
Notifications
Non-blocking messages alerting users of events or status updates.
Tooltips
Small descriptive texts appearing when users hover over fields, providing explanations.
Field Groups
Define alternate ways of displaying fields, such as drop-down suggestions in lookups.
Field Classifications
Metadata classifying fields as sensitive or personal data for GDPR compliance and security.
Data Per Company
Determines whether table data is company-specific or shared across all companies in the environment.
Global Variables
Variables declared at object level in AL, accessible by all procedures within that object.
Local Variables
Variables declared inside procedures or functions, limited in scope to that procedure.
DotNet Interop
Feature allowing Business Central On-Premises to use .NET assemblies in AL code (not supported in SaaS).
Control Add-ins
Custom HTML/JavaScript components embedded into Business Central pages to extend the user interface.
JavaScript Control Add-ins
Web-based control add-ins written in JavaScript for enhanced UI experiences in pages.
Media
Field type storing binary data like images or documents associated with a record.
MediaSet
Field type allowing storage of multiple media files on a single record.
API Pages
Page type exposing data entities through REST APIs for integrations with external applications.
API Queries
Queries exposed as REST API endpoints providing aggregated or filtered data.
OData Web Services
Expose data as OData feeds enabling consumption by external systems like Power BI or Excel.
SOAP Web Services
Expose pages and codeunits as SOAP-based web services for legacy integrations.
REST APIs
Modern web services enabling CRUD operations on Business Central data via HTTP.
OAuth 2.0 Authentication
Secure standard for granting external applications access to Business Central APIs.
Azure Active Directory (AAD)
Cloud-based identity provider managing user authentication for Business Central online.
AL Packages
Compiled .app files containing AL code and metadata for deployment as extensions.
AppSource Apps
Extensions published to Microsoft AppSource marketplace, installable by customers worldwide.
Extensions v2
Second generation of Business Central extensions based on AL language, enabling safer upgrades and modular apps.
App Manifest (app.json)
JSON file defining extension properties like ID, name, publisher, dependencies, and permissions.
Dependencies in app.json
Specify other apps your extension depends on to function correctly, ensuring correct loading order.
Permissions in app.json
Declare required permissions for extension objects, restricting or granting user access.
Translation Files (.xlf)
XML-based localization files containing multilingual captions for AL objects.
Translation Captions
Text displayed in different languages for fields, actions, and messages in AL objects.
Multilanguage Labels
AL properties allowing defining translations for labels used in UI elements.
Table Keys
Indexes defining how records are uniquely identified and retrieved efficiently.
Primary Keys
Mandatory keys uniquely identifying each record in a table.
Secondary Keys
Additional indexes to improve search speed on non-primary fields.
Indexes
Database structures enabling faster searches, filtering, and sorting of table records.
SIFT Indexes
Sum Index Fields enabling fast aggregation of numeric fields in large datasets.
Composite Keys
Primary keys combining multiple fields to uniquely identify records.
FlowFields
Calculated fields aggregating related data on-the-fly, e.g., Balance on Customer Card.
FlowFilters
Runtime filters applied to FlowFields, enabling dynamic calculations based on context.
Recursion
Programming concept where a function calls itself, used carefully in AL due to performance considerations.
Filter Expressions
AL expressions applying filters to record variables for precise data selection.
FilterGroups
Mechanism defining the priority of different filters on a record variable.
SETRANGE Function
AL function setting filters on a field with a single value or range for precise filtering.
SETFILTER Function
AL function applying advanced filter strings to a field on a record variable.
GET Function
Loads a record based on primary key values, throwing an error if the record doesn’t exist.
FIND Function
Navigates through records in a table matching a filter, e.g., FIND(‘-‘) to get the first record.
NEXT Function
Moves the record pointer to the next or previous record in the filtered dataset.
CALCFIELDS Function
Calculates FlowFields for a record, making their current value available in AL code.
CALCSUMS Function
Calculates totals for numeric FlowFields over a set of records matching a filter.
MODIFY Function
Saves changes made to a record to the database.
INSERT Function
Adds a new record to the database table with specified field values.
DELETE Function
Removes a record from the database based on current filter or key.
MODIFYALL Function
Updates the same field on all records matching current filters in a single operation.
FieldRef
AL data type referencing fields dynamically, enabling generic operations on fields without knowing their names at design time.
RecordRef
AL data type referencing tables dynamically, enabling operations on unknown tables at runtime.
Blob Fields
Binary Large Object fields used to store large binary data like documents or images in tables.
GUIDs
Globally Unique Identifiers assigned to records or used for correlation in integrations.
Base64 Encoding
Encoding method converting binary data to text for storage or transmission in JSON or XML.
JSON Functions
AL functions for parsing, creating, and manipulating JSON objects and arrays.
HTTP Client
AL object allowing HTTP requests to external APIs or web services for integrations.
HttpRequestMessage
AL object representing HTTP request details like headers, method, and body.
HttpResponseMessage
AL object representing HTTP responses including status codes and returned content.
Web Service URL
Endpoint URL used for accessing Business Central SOAP or OData services.
SOAP Action
Specific operation called on a SOAP web service, defined by an action URL or namespace.
XML DOM
Document Object Model representing XML documents in AL for reading and writing structured XML.
JSON Data Types
AL types representing JSON objects, arrays, values, and tokens for parsing or building JSON structures.
DotNet Streams
.NET objects used in On-Prem AL for reading/writing files or data streams (deprecated in SaaS).
AL File Structure
Organization of AL projects into folders and .al files, affecting maintainability and clarity.
AL Snippets
Code templates available in VS Code for quickly generating AL code constructs.
Visual Studio Code AL Extension
VS Code plugin providing syntax highlighting, compilation, deployment, and debugging tools for AL.
launch.json
Configuration file in AL projects defining how VS Code launches Business Central for debugging or publishing.
App Symbols
Metadata describing objects in Business Central apps, required for compiling AL code referencing those objects.
Symbol References
Links in AL projects to symbols of base or dependent apps, enabling referencing their objects.
Snapshot Debugging
Debugging technique capturing execution data from a live environment to replay issues offline.
Event Recorder
Tool capturing raised events during user actions to identify events for subscribing in customizations.
Telemetry
Collection of runtime metrics and logs from Business Central, often sent to Azure Application Insights.
Diagnostic Logs
Logs capturing errors, warnings, and runtime events for troubleshooting purposes.
System Application
Microsoft app providing essential platform-level features for Business Central, referenced by other apps.
Base Application
Core Business Central app providing standard business functionality like finance, sales, and purchasing.
System Tables
Tables used internally by Business Central to store data like companies, users, and permissions.
Upgrade Tags
Markers tracking whether upgrade steps have been executed in Upgrade Codeunits.
Table Synch Issues
Problems arising during table schema synchronization, e.g., conflicting field types or missing keys.
Data Migration Wizard
Tool simplifying the import of master and transactional data from legacy systems into Business Central.
RapidStart Packages
Configuration packages designed to import/export setup data quickly during implementations.
Configuration Packages
Groups of table data prepared for mass import, export, or migration of configuration and master records.
Power Automate Connectors
Prebuilt connections integrating Business Central with other systems using Microsoft Power Automate.
Embedded Power BI
Embedding Power BI reports or dashboards directly inside Business Central pages for advanced analytics.
Power Apps Integration
Connecting Business Central data with custom apps built using Microsoft Power Apps.
Data Entities
Data structures exposed by API Pages or Queries representing business objects for integrations.
API Rate Limits
Limits controlling the maximum number of API requests per minute/hour to ensure fair use and stability.
HTTP Error Codes
Status codes like 200, 400, or 500 returned by APIs indicating success or specific errors.
JSON Parsing Errors
Errors occurring when invalid JSON structures are read or written in AL code.
AL Try-Catch Constructs
AL error handling pattern using try blocks to catch and handle exceptions at runtime.
AL Assertions (Tests)
Statements validating conditions in test codeunits, ensuring expected outcomes in unit tests.
App Signing
Digitally signing an AL package before deployment to verify authenticity and integrity.
ISV License Files
License files generated by Independent Software Vendors controlling access to paid extensions.
Docker Containers for BC
Isolated environments for running Business Central locally for development or testing.
BC OnPrem Configuration Files
Files like navsettings.json configuring server settings for On-Premises deployments.
BC Admin Shell (PowerShell Cmdlets)
PowerShell module for automating administrative tasks in Business Central On-Premises or cloud environments.
AL Symbols Download
Process in Visual Studio Code for downloading symbols of dependent apps or base application for compiling code.
AL Package Publishing
Deploying compiled AL extensions to Business Central environments via publish commands or pipelines.
AL CodeCop Rules
Static analysis rules enforcing coding best practices and standards in AL projects.
AL Analyzer Diagnostics
Reports produced by analyzers in VS Code identifying issues, warnings, or suggestions in AL code.
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