Overview

This document is a quick reference how to work with Customers in Business Central. Customer cards provide information about your buyer. Customer card is the centre of all tasks in the sale process.

How to find

Navigate to Customers using the search box and choose related link

Click on the +New button

For creating new customer is important to choose Customer Nos. in Sales & Receivables Setup.

If there is some configuration template set up, a list of templates come into view. Choose one of them. After these steps, empty customer page appears.

Customer Fast Tabs

Customer card is divided into five Fast Tabs. Now, we will go through all of them.

General

Name

The name of the Customer is defined here.

Balance(LCY)

You can see here total opened balance with this customer. This number is the sum of all opened remaining amounts in Customer Ledger Entries. Amount is in local currency.

Balance Due(LCY)

You can see here total overdue amount. This number is the sum of all overdue opened remaining amounts in Customer Ledger Entries. Amount is in local currency.

Credit Limit (LCY)

Specifies the maximum amount you allow the customer to exceed the payment balance before warnings are issued.

Balance (LCY) as Vendor

Specifies the vendor's balance which is connected with certain customer

Privacy Blocked

When you receive such a request from a customer, you can mark his record as blocked due to privacy. Business Central will then discontinue the processing of that data subject’s personal data. When a record is marked as blocked, you cannot create new transactions that use that record.

Document Sending Profile

You can choose Document sending profile, but first of all, profiles have to be set up.

Total Sales

Specifies your total sales turnover with the customer in the current fiscal year. It is calculated from amounts excluding VAT on all completed and open invoices and credit memos

Registration No.

Specifies the registration number of customer

Tax Registration No.

Specifies the secondary VAT registration number for the customer.

Responsibility Center

Specifies the code of the responsibility center, such as a distribution hub, that is associated with the involved user, company, customer, or vendor.

Address & Contact

This Fast Tab is used to enter contact information about customer and his primary contact.

Address

Specify the customer’s name.

Address 2

Specify additional line for customer’s address.

Post Code

If you can find the required postal code in the Post Codes list, choose one. If not, you will have to create new one, see picture below.

Please, fill in all fields with asterisk. Country/Region Code will be filled in automatically if field Country/Region Code on customer card is filled before that.

City

This field specifies a valid city. It’s filled automatically after choosing Postal Code from the Postal Codes list.

Country/Region Code

Choose valid Region Code. It’s filled automatically after choosing Postal Code from the Postal Codes list.

HINT: Try to fill in Country/Region code first of all address details. After that only Postal codes for required Country/Region code will be visible.

Show on Map

This inscription is an active link to online maps. You can see address you entered in online maps. For using this functionality, Online Map Setup have to be filled in proper way.

Primary Contact Code

You can choose primary contact from contact list. Primary contact could be an employee of the customer’s company, who is key person for you.

HINT: Be informed that primary contact will automatically appear on all documents you will create. Of course you can change it later.

First of all, you should create some contacts for the customer. You can reach Contact List in two ways, see picture below.

Phone No.

Field is filled automatically when you choose Primary Contact Code. Of course, you can fill it manually, too.

Email

Field is filled automatically when you choose Primary Contact Code. Of course, you can fill it manually, too.

Fax No.

Field is filled automatically when you choose Primary Contact Code. Of course, you can fill it manually, too.

Home page

Field is filled automatically when you choose Primary Contact Code. Of course, you can fill it manually, too.

Language Code

Specifies code of language which is used for all documents. Of course, documents have to be translated into this language. If they are not, your standard system language will be used for all reports.

Invoicing

Bill-to Customer

Specifies a different customer who will be invoiced for products that you sell to the customer in the Name field on the customer card

GLN

Global Location Number. Identifies the Customer in connection with electronic document exchange. For example, when sending documents in the PEPPOL file format, the value in this field is used to populate the EndPointID element in the Customer group. The number is based on the GS1 standard, which is compliant with ISO 6523

VAT Registration No.

This field specifies VAT registration number for invoicing. By clicking on three dots you can check the validity of VAT registration number in VIES system.

HINT: For using VIES functionality VAT registration number validation have to be allowed in EU VAT Reg. No. Validation Service Setup.

HINT: You can set VAT formats to avoid bad formatting of the VAT numbers. This setting is included in Countries/Regions list, see below. Letters are prefix and number of hashes = required number of digits in VAT number

Invoice Disc. Code

The same code as in No. field in General FastTab is automatically copied here.

Prices Including VAT

If this checkbox is used, all sales documents will have prices with VAT included.

Gen. Bus. Posting Group

It specifies the trade type to link transactions made for this customer with the appropriate G/L account according to the General Posting Setup.

Examples: EU | Domestic | Export

HINT: If field Def. VAT Bus. Posting Group in Gen. Business Posting Groups list is filled, next field VAT Bus. Posting Group will be filled automatically. Auto Insert Default checkbox have to be checked

VAT Bus. Posting Group

Specifies the VAT specification of the involved customer to link transactions made for this record with the appropriate G/L account according to the VAT posting setup. Examples: EU (Customers from European Union except for Maltese one) | Domestic (Maltese Customers) | Export (Any other countries)

Customer posting group

Specifies the customer’s market type to link business transactions made for customer with the appropriate account in the general ledger. Examples: EU | Domestic | Foreign

Currency Code

Specifies currency which is used for all sales documents. Of course, you can change it later. Currency code have to be chosen from list of Currencies.

Payments

Prepayment

Specifies a prepayment percentage that applies to all order lines for this customer. The number should be written in following format: 50 - > means 50 % prepayment.

Application Method

You can choose how to apply payments to entries for this customer. There are two options:

Manual – ledger entry to apply can be chosen manually.
Apply to oldest – each payment will be applied to the oldest opened ledger entry.

Payment Terms Code

Payment term code have to be chosen from the list of Payment Terms. This code determines, which formula will be used to calculate the due date of selling documents. Possibility of payment discount is included here, too.

HINT: Due date of document is calculated from the Document Date, not Posting Date.

Payment Method Code

Specifies how the customer usually submits payment, such as bank transfer or check.

Remainder Terms Code

Specifies how reminders about late payments are handled for this customer.

Cash Flow Payment Terms Code

Specifies a payment term that will be used for calculating cash flow. A payment terms code represents a formula that calculates the due date, payment discount date, and payment discount amount. Cash flow payment terms are used if you have selected the Consider CF Payment Terms check box and the Consider Discount check box in the Cash Flow Forecast Card window.

Last Statement No.

Specifies the number of the last statement that was printed for this customer.

Block Payment Tolerance

You can set up a payment tolerance to close an invoice when the payment does not fully cover the amount on the invoice in Business Central. Checking this box will ensure that payment tolerance is not applied to this customer.

Shipping

Ship-to Code

Specifies the code for another shipment address than the customer's own address, which is entered by default.

Location Code

Specifies from which location sales to this customer will be processed by default.

Combine Shipments

Specifies if several orders delivered to the customer can appear on the same sales invoice.

Reserve

Specifies whether items will never, automatically (Always), or optionally be reserved for this customer.

Code

Specifies which shipment method to use when you ship to your customer.

Examples: EXW | FCA | FAS | FOB

Base calendar

Base Calendar Code

You can assign a base calendar to customers. Delivery and receipt dates on future, sales order are calculated according to the calendar’s specified working days.

Any base calendar defined for the customer affects how the dates are calculated and rounded to working days. Specifies a date formula for the time that it takes to replenish the item. It is used to calculate the Planned Shipment Date field, if calculating forward, and Order Date field, if calculating backwards. Accordingly, these two date fields on sales order lines are calculated as follows under different conditions.

Customized Calendar

Whether No is visible here, only Base Calendar is used for this Customer. When Yes is visible here, the base calendar differs from the customer’s one. You can click to the Customized Calendar drilldown for add customized modification to the base calendar for that particular customer.