Depending on where a sales process is in the process, different functions should be available on a Subgrid on a form, which in practice means that you can add enquiries for a Lead at the beginning of the process, but they cannot be changed later in the Opportunity phase.A little technical knowledge is required to understand and apply this article, so this is recommended for Dynamics 365 CE app makers who are already comfortable in the Power Platform world.Default position:

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THE GOAL:

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Tools used to solve:

• JavaScript (XRM toolbox - Web Resource Manager ajánlott) - WebResources Manager - XrmToolBox
• Ribbon Workbench - Develop 1 Ltd | Ribbon Workbench for Dynamics 365 & Dynamics CR

1. SOLUTION

We need to create a Solution, which we will load into the Ribbon Workbench. Into this Solution we need to load the entity whose SubGrid we want to modify. (It is important that when we add the existing entity to the Solution we do not import any other elements). The Solution name should always be built according to the following logic: Ribbon_VL_[entity name] e.g. Ribbon_VL_Product_Interest

2. Subgrid

The SubGrid must be named with a unique, identifiable name. Do not have the boxed auto-generated name you refer to later.

3. JavaScript

The JavaScipt below should be created as a js file (VS Code) and uploaded to the solution containing the Web resources.When creating the file, it is a good idea to give it the same name as the file name to make it easier to find later.

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forProductInterestView: function (selectedControl) {console.log("start.forProductInterestView");"use strict";debugger;var currentGridName = selectedControl._controlName;console.log("forProductInterestView-currentGridName: "+currentGridName);var excludedPayRun = "subgrid_prodinterest"; //Name of the subgridif (currentGridName == excludedPayRun) {console.log("end.forProductInterestView.true");return false;}else { console.log("end.forProductInterestView.false");return true; }}

4. Ribbon Workbench

Open the Ribbon workbench and add the solution you created in the first step. Each entity has 3 ribbons. We need the Subgrid.

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Select the button you want to uncheck by right clicking on it and press "Customise Button". A red tick will then appear and will be added to the Buttons section below. If it is already ticked, it means that it already has a command, you need to add a new command to it and you can skip this step.After that you have to add a Command, which can be done with the plus sign in the Commands section. The command should look like this.

Explain:

• Library: the webResource you added to the solution (this is where the good name comes in)
• Function name: The name you gave it in JavaScript (before Function).
• CRM Parameter: What parameter to pass this is in this case the SelectedControl. This Control handles the SubGrids on the Forms, and any listing. PrimaryContol handles the Form.

Next, we need to add an EnableRules that hides the buttons.

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Explain:

• Library: the webResource you added to the solution (this is where the good name comes in)
• Function name: The name you gave it in JavaScript (before Function).
• CRM Parameter: What parameter to pass this is in this case SelectedControl

Only one step left before Publish. For the buttons, you need to specify what Command should belong to them.

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I hope you find this article useful and that we have been able to give you some ideas.

It's that time of year again, when Microsoft has released the first major bundle for its Dynamics 365 Business Central enterprise management system.

There are two major update packs a year, in April and October. In addition, smaller updates will also arrive on a monthly basis.As part of the Wave 1 release, the company has announced a number of new features, in addition to the usual user experience improvements, this year there is a big focus on the 'Project Module' and further enhancements to the Artificial Intelligence line, with the addition of functionality to Copilot, which was introduced last year.

In this article we'll take a closer look at what we think are the most exciting features of Wave 1.

AI & Copilot

For some time now, artificial intelligence has been increasingly embedded in all areas of life, including business. Microsoft's Copilot has given Business Central its first AI features, which will be further enhanced with the latest version.

Copilot, for example, makes it easier to fill out sales order lines by entering a few simple criteria.

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The analytical views generated by Copilot also make it possible to produce increasingly faster and more accurate reports.

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It generates an analysis in seconds based on the instructions given:

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The system also has a Copilot chat feature, where you can ask the AI, for example, about mapping a process within Business Central, and get a very useful - step by step - description back:

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What's unfortunate is that the new features still don't support the Hungarian language, so for the time being, English-speaking users are preferred.

Inventory cost recovery tool

We have a completely new interface that extends the range of cost recovery methods we are already familiar with.

But what exactly do we get?‍

With the new tool, you can check and track the cost recovery for all items or only selected items.

You can now easily identify problematic articles and run automatic corrections for the rest without any problems.

It should be stressed that the new tool does not replace existing processes, but instead helps troubleshooting and improves system performance.

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‍Multi-line text export/import with Config. package

‍Fields of type BLOB, which usually contain multi-line texts, have been added to the optional fields in the config. packages thanks to the new update.

A good example is the 'Job Description' field on the Sales Invoices page, which can now be imported from Excel to Business Central. This is particularly important as the content of this field is also displayed on the invoice screen.

Hibaüzenet adatainak megosztása másik felhasználóval

Sokszor találkozhatunk hibaüzenetekkel a rendszer használata során. Az üzenetek nem mindig egyértelműek az átlag felhasználó számára, ezért a segítségkéréshez szükség lehet további információkra.

Ezen információk összegyűjtése időigényes folyamat lehet, főleg, ha fejlesztő bevonására is szükség van.

Ezt a folyamatot könnyíti meg ez az apró (de nagyon hasznos) újítás, mely lehetővé teszi, hogy az összes szükséges hibaüzenetet (a szükséges azonosítókkal) két kattintással továbbítani tudjuk a megfelelő személynek emailben vagy Teams-en.

New Excel reports

Microsoft has added 8 new Excel reports to the system this year, supporting financial, sales and purchasing processes. These reports allow reporting without the need for a developer.

Users can also use the latest reports as templates or enhance them to present their business data in the best way.

For the time being, the new reports have the suffix preview.

Project module updates

The project module has been given special attention this year.

In addition to the new fields that can be displayed on the Projects page with Personalisation, the details panel on the right-hand side of the information panel has been expanded.

The invoicing process for projects has been simplified from start to finish. With the new Query project design rows action, you can now add project design rows from multiple projects to a single sales invoice, but also invoice projects to multiple customers.

You can now add items to be assembled for ordering to projects, similar to sales orders. In this case, an assembly order is automatically created in the background, containing the required ingredients and their corresponding quantities.

A project archiving function has also been added, which works in a similar way to the archiving of sales and purchase orders.

Field Service and Business Central integration

Businesses using Field Service can rejoice. The new integration will make data communication between the two systems smoother.

Users can manage their work orders, service task progress, resource scheduling and consumption management on the Field Service side. Once a work order is completed, the integration allows for easy transfer of the necessary data to Business Central.

The integration also facilitates billing processes. Users can now generate accurate invoices based on service activities performed and consumption recorded on the Field Service side.

New role available for claims management

The role for claims management has been expanded. We get new lists, tiles and a revamped menu with an embedded action menu.

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Automation of calls

The new update includes a major enhancement to the call handling feature. It is now possible to automatically send notices to customers about overdue debts based on predefined conditions.

You can set filters for the whole process or for individual transactions and attach a PDF of the receivables to the emails.

Connect the Business Central environment to the Power Platform environment

We can integrate Business Central with a range of Power Platform and Dynamics 365 products. But with the new update, we have the ability to connect environments through Business Central's admin center.

This will allow BC to inherit the settings of the associated Power Platform environment, including the encryption keys managed by the customer. This linked environment serves as the default target for other Dynamics 365 and Power Platform products such as Sales or Power Automate.

Worksheets now also available on mobile

It is increasingly important that more areas of Business Central can be accessed from mobile as more and more users choose to work this way.

Worksheets, such as the various diary accounting pages, can now be accessed from mobile, something that was previously only available from tablets and desktops.

Developments in warehousing and stock management

Some changes to stock and inventory management have also been made based on regular user feedback:

• We can now assign a portion and package number to existing tracking lines
• We can manage warehouse item tracking queues
• Warehouse items page inherits the name of the item in the item carton

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If you're interested in further developments or just want to understand more about the article, feel free to contact the Visual Labs team and we'll be happy to help.info@visuallabs.hu

Introduction

In today's post, we want to compare Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP in the cloud (or Software as a Service, SaaS) and on-premise (hosted or on-premises) from several perspectives, providing helpful perspectives for business decision makers to consider the complexities of ERP implementation. Microsoft sells two ERP systems: one is the aforementioned Business Central; the other is Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, designed for large enterprises.

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Every day we hear that more and more business IT solutions are "running in the cloud" or "going to the cloud". In our personal lives, cloud-based software solutions are also becoming more and more common. Just think of our data stored in Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox.

As business leaders, we can also choose to implement our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in the cloud. Flexera forecasts that the global cloud ERP market is estimated to grow from $64.7 billion in 2022 to around $130 billion by 2027. This represents an annualised growth rate of 15%. Covid has also given a big boost to the expansion of cloud ERP systems. Therefore, cloud ERP systems have great potential.Before we start implementing our Business Central system, we first have to decide whether we want to run the software in the cloud or store the data on our own server.

Costs

A cloud-based solution has lower initial costs, as it is usually subscription-based and does not require a large initial investment. Costs are more flexible and easier to manage, whereas a deployed version has higher upfront costs, including hardware, software, installation and maintenance. In addition, ongoing operations (infrastructure and staff) and upgrades can be costly.

Data storage location

The most fundamental difference between cloud and terrestrial systems is the physical location of the data itself. With cloud-based Business Central, your company's data is stored in one of Microsoft's data centres. The data stored in this way complies with EU data protection directives, including the GDPR. In addition, Microsoft guarantees 99.99% availability of the Business Central application. This means that the system is only down 0.01% of the time, and then only after hours at the most.

Developments

The company has to have unique solutions. These can usually be solved by extensions or custom development. Modern cloud solutions offer more and more customisation and integration options. It is also possible to develop source code directly in on-premise environments. But the end result is the same: in both cases, you have the flexibility to extend out-of-the-box functionality with the careful expertise of a systems integrator like VisualLabs.

Performance and scalability

The performance of the new system is a key consideration when choosing a solution. For the cloud, Microsoft invests significant resources to ensure maximum availability and speed for its users. So businesses do not need to pay special attention to this.For on-premise solutions, system performance is more dependent on the infrastructure installed/leased by the company. As the Business Central installed requires hardware of optimal size and power. Also, the company itself has to be responsible for performance issues, not the availability as a basic requirement for a cloud-based service guaranteed by Microsoft.

Maintenance and updates

With a cloud-based system, software updates are done automatically by Microsoft, requiring less IT activity from the company. In this way, Microsoft ensures that subscribers have a modern, up-to-date or evergreen system in every respect. The timing of these updates can be flexibly set within an update window.In the case of on-premise versions, these have to be done by the company's IT team, which requires more resources. With on-premise, there is a risk that the latest software updates are not installed, leaving users 'stuck' with an old version. The result will be outdated software over the years, which could mean another IT project in the life of the business to replace.Whether we are talking about cloud-based or on-premises versions, it is highly recommended to test and try out new updates in a dedicated test environment before deploying them in a live environment. There are a number of new features in these updates that should make the daily life of users easier. Twice a year, Microsoft releases a major update package with a range of new functionality.

Data security

The most important consideration when choosing software is that your data is secure. Microsoft provides built-in backup and disaster recovery solutions that enable faster and more reliable recovery. This way, an outage in a Microsoft data centre is not noticed by the end user. In addition, Microsoft also enables up-to-the-minute data recovery for up to a month.With an on-premise solution, the company has full control over data security and access management, which means more control but also more responsibility. They can more easily comply with regulatory and legal requirements that require data to be stored on-site, especially in industries with strict data protection regulations.

Limitations of the on-premise version

The on-premise version has several limitations compared to the cloud-based solution. An interface called AppSource is not available in the on-premise version. It contains thousands of applications that can be added to the Business Central functionality. Many of these are available for free.Power Platform applications (e.g. PowerApps, Power BI) cannot be natively integrated with on-premise Business Central. This requires the creation and maintenance of a data gateway.In addition, the list of features that Microsoft will make available in the on-premise version is growing. These include the possibility of integration with Microsoft Teams or the Shopify webshop engine. Microsoft's AI solution Copilot is also available exclusively in the cloud-based Business Central version.

Conclusion

The table below summarises the main claims of our post:

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The final decision always requires careful consideration by the organisation facing digital transformation. Visual Labs offers and implements a cloud-based Business Central for its clients, which, based on years of experience, is a well-established model that delivers the benefits detailed above in the short term. If you need help with ERP system implementation, please contact us!

IT terms in plain English – a guide for beginners

When you get your first job in IT, you may be surprised by the number of English words and abbreviations your colleagues use in everyday conversation. In your first meeting, you may not understand half of the topic, try to listen wisely, and then quietly ask a sympathetic colleague what the abbreviation means…

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Of course, in a few months you’ll get the hang of it and you’ll understand and even start to use these terms yourself. But then your partner may tell you that he or she is annoyed by the mixed English-Hungarian language when you talk about your work; or your child may ask you what a package is.

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Or maybe you’re a client who’s ordered a new system implementation from an IT consultancy, and there are these consultants who use incomprehensible acronyms when talking about the project. For you, too, we’ve put together the following article, in which we’ve tried to collect the most common unfamiliar terms we use.
These words either don’t have a translation in Hungarian or sound strange in a mirror translation, so nobody uses them in Hungarian (kick off meeting = firing meeting ?!?).

So here is the collection without the need for completeness:
kick-off – “When is the kick-off?” In English, the kick-off. A meeting at the beginning of a deployment project where users and deployment consultants meet to lay the groundwork for working together and discuss the planned timeline for the project.

cutover – A transition or switch from an old system to a new system. During a cutover, the new system is brought up to speed and the old system is usually shut down permanently.

workshop – An opportunity for VL consultants to assess the client’s business processes and demonstrate what the system can do by default. Not training, more conversational.

SDD – Solution design document. A detailed technical and functional description of how the business processes and user needs that have arisen will be implemented in the new system.

UAT – user acceptance test. We (VisualLabs) will do the necessary development, set up the new system, prepare the process descriptions, then ask the client to test the processes before going live and give feedback on whether the system is suitable for them, whether it covers the business processes of the company including the rare cases. This is UAT.

go-live. The date from which users start using the system with ‘live’ data. For ERP systems, usually January 1 or the first day of the quarter.
timeline – project schedule

package – data package that is loaded into the new system, e.g. customer list

implementation – implementation of a new IT system

delivery – ‘delivery’ of a system implementation project

support – Once users start working with the new system, we support them if they have questions or encounter error messages. We will resolve any issues that arise (see below).

hypercare – The hypercare period is the few weeks after the implementation of the new system. The purpose of this period is to ensure a smooth integration of the new solution into daily operations. During this period, we provide priority support to our customers to ensure that systems run smoothly and users receive rapid assistance.

issue – “Did you see a new issue come in?” Error ticket, user issue.

backlog – A backlog is a list of all tasks, features, bug fixes, or development needs that need to be completed during a project. There is a project backlog and a personal backlog where you can prioritize your own tasks.

workaround – “Is there a workaround?” A workaround to achieve the same result in the system, possibly with more clicks.

D365 – Short for Microsoft Dynamics 365. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management (ERP and CRM) system that provides integrated solutions for managing finance, sales, marketing, customer service and operations. The main applications of D365 are Sales, Customer Service, Business Central, Finance and Operations.

ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning system, an integrated enterprise resource planning system. A program that manages accounting, warehouse management, invoicing, cash management in one place. The way it works is that when a truck arrives at the warehouse and the warehouse clerk picks up the goods, the finance department on the floor can see the numbers.

F&O – Dynamics 365 Finance, formerly known as Axapta or Finance&Operations, is Microsoft’s enterprise management system for large companies.

BC – Dynamics 365 Business Central, also known as Navision, Microsoft’s business management system for small and medium-sized businesses.

SLA – “What SLA have we agreed?” Service Level Agreement. A contractual term in which the service provider (VisualLabs) and the customer define the expected performance levels of the service provided, such as how long it takes us to resolve an issue and how long it takes the customer to deliver data feeds to us.

localisation – Microsoft ERP systems are US programs. Localization is an add-on that includes the Hungarian translation of the program and add-ons to the program to ensure compliance with Hungarian tax and accounting rules (e.g. NAV Online Invoice link, VAT return export).

PROD environment – ‘Live’ environment in the program where real data is booked. Its opposite is the TEST or Training environment, which is used for educational purposes. Here you can try out new functions, test settings and check the results of certain bookings without risk.
If our customer has a new business need that they want to implement in the IT system, we classify that task as config or dev.

config – Requirement that can be implemented by configuration (by changing the system settings).

dev – development = Development is needed to implement the need, so the developer modifies the existing program by adding new fields, new buttons, new functions.

integration – a link between two different programs that allows data to be transferred so that, for example, partners do not have to be entered twice, into two different systems. For example, suppose a company has a CRM system in which it creates a customer and generates a quote for him. After accepting the quotation, the customer is automatically created in the accounting software, and from the quotation in CRM, a sales order is created in the accounting software, and then a sales invoice. The integration data transfer can be automatic (e.g. daily MNB exchange rates are automatically loaded into the accounting software) or manually triggered (CRM users can have the accounting software generate an invoice at the push of a button).

API – API (Application Programming Interface) is the link itself that transfers data between the two systems in the integration. To use a restaurant analogy, the waiter is the API in the relationship between the customer and the chef, communicating between the two parties.
repo – code repository. A repository of code for developments.

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We hope that this article has helped you to navigate more easily in the IT world and to communicate more confidently in professional conversations.‍Can you add anything to the above? Leave a comment on our LinkedIn page:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/visuallabs-kft/about/!

Want to get an insight into the daily life of a close-knit and enthusiastic team? Read our blog post about the Visual Labs ERP team! Find out how we spend our colourful and varied days, what we have in common at work and outside of work, and how we support each other in every situation. Keep scrolling to discover why our team is so special.

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The Visual Labs ERP team is a very cohesive, fun team. We implement, develop and support enterprise management systems. Fortunately, our work is extremely varied, no two days are the same. We talk to customers, answer questions, bug reports, develop solutions for new needs, develop and test. We assess our new customers' business processes online or in person, and train users in English or Hungarian.

Who are we?

Our team members come from all over the Danube region. We include recent graduates and people with 15 years of professional experience. Our clients prefer to call us programmers or developers, but the cold, IT-savvy, economist-functional consultant inside is what we call them.

Everyone in the team has their own specialisation and super skills. Someone can build a cool chatGPT of their own, others are experts in creating new ERP environments, but we also know which of our partners to ask when it comes to VAT or when the configuration needs a final thorough check.

We're proud to have three of our team in the parent camp.On office days we get together to be in at the same time. Then we sit in a pile near the team's own houseplant. It's hard to decide if it's the 'ERP palm' or the team growing faster.

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There's always a good atmosphere in the office and we laugh a lot together, whether it's at meetings, a cigarette break or swapping wallpapers. Several of the team are also hobby baristas who are always happy to make you a nice (or not so nice) cappuccino.

Regular meetings

We start the week with a WSM (weekly standup meeting), where after a quick debrief we present to the company the progress of our projects and the tasks and milestones for the week ahead. We also have a quarter-hour DSM (daily standup meeting) every morning, where we can ask each other for quick professional help, list our daily priorities, or volunteer for a task that has just fallen in that we don't have time for. Fortunately, we have a very good team spirit and proactively support each other to ensure a balanced distribution of tasks.

We end Friday afternoon with a one-hour sprint round meeting to discuss the week's events and lessons learned, review the progress of our projects, identify next steps and prepare for the WSM on Monday morning.

Once a month, we have the opportunity to attend a coaching session where we can talk through the issues that are bothering us and our current stuck points, whether they are work-related or personal.

The monthly team retro meeting is a completely offline session where we 'process' together what happened in the past month, looking at what went well and what went wrong. It's a great opportunity to give each other feedback and draw lessons on how we're doing in order to make the next time even smoother for working together and delivering projects.

In our bi-weekly knowledge sharing sessions, we try to share this kind of knowledge with other team members. Our most recent knowledge sharing sessions have included topics such as using ChatGPT and building your own GPT, new Microsoft ERP releases, but also working together on the ERP business aspects of the organisational level changes.

We also have weekly so-called customer status meetings with several of our customers. But sometimes, on a case-by-case basis, it is easier to discuss an announcement with a screen-share - we are available for that as well. During these calls, we can discuss support issues that have arisen in the past, new needs that have arisen and our proposed solutions to these. We have the same team of experts to guide our customers from the sales phase through implementation to operation. This ensures that, even during the operational phase, the customer's request for a solution is handled by an ERP expert who is fully familiar with both the customer and the solution delivered.

"Is everyone in this team a basketball player?"

It can be an odd sight when I and two of my 190cm tall "bodyguards" arrive at a new client's premises for a demo or consultation. We're not basketball players, but our average height is over 180 cm 😀 Several team members have a professional sporting background: we have handball players, footballers, canoeists, bowlers and marathon runners, but nowadays we mostly go to the gym. We try to make sport part of our week, alongside work. And on our team-building evenings, we test our skills in pub sports or poker, although unfortunately Dani is unbeatable at all of them.

Party planning committee

In addition to team events, we are also happy to take part in company events, even as organisers. Two members of the ERP team founded the Party Planning Committee, which for example organised a carnival party with a doughnut competition and a fun quiz. The winning chef in the cooking competition we organised was also from the ERP team (but there was no bunting). The rest of the team played beach volleyball while cooking.

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Summary

As we have seen, Visual Labs' ERP business is not only made up of experts who are at home in the world of ERP systems, but also a close-knit community where work is combined with shared experiences and personal development. We are proud that everyone contributes to the diversity and strength of our team, whether it's a deep knowledge of different disciplines, a background in sports or even the art of coffee making.

Your time here will not only give you an insight into the ins and outs of ERP systems, but will also be part of a supportive environment where team building and social experiences are paramount alongside professional growth. The Visual Labs ERP team is growing dynamically, as is our office's famous ERP palm tree - and both symbolize the continued development and growth of our community.

Thank you for joining us for this brief glimpse. We hope you found it inspiring to read about our team, and maybe one day you'll be a part of the Visual Labs community too!

Have you ever wondered how you can efficiently manage a business that operates in multiple currencies? Dynamics 365 offers a seamless solution for handling such scenarios.

Changing the default currency in D365 to your local currency can streamline financial transactions and reporting.

Dynamics 365 and Dataverse offer robust support for multiple currencies, allowing for flexibility in international business operations. When setting up an environment, you choose a base currency, such as the EUR. However, if your users operate in different currencies, they can adjust their default currency settings.

To update the default Currency, the user needs to follow these steps:

‍Step 1: Open your Dynamics application‍

Open any model-driven app, such as Sales Hub. Click on the gear icon and open Personalization Settings:

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Step 2: Update the Currency Under the ’General’ tab, choose the desired local Currency and save the changes.

After saving, whenever the user opens an entity form which contains a Currency type field, their selected Currency will be visible.  

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However, this only modifies the local currency, as the base currency is selected at the time of the environment setup and thus cannot be modified later. It is good to know that system administrators can set the default currency of users as a bulk operation.  

• How the Currency field stores data

In Dataverse, data is structured with two distinct columns for currency values: one column for the local currency and another column for the base currency. These two columns are automatically created upon adding a Currency type field to a record. For instance, the ‘Estimated revenue’ field on the Opportunity has two underlying fields in the Dataverse: ‘Estimated Revenue’, which captures the value in the user’s local currency, while the column for ‘Estimated Revenue (Base)’ stores the field’s value in the base or organization currency. How does Dynamics calculate the conversion between the local and the base currency? To account for the different values of currencies, Dynamics uses the underlying Currency table, where each currency available has its own record. You can reach the Currency table by opening the Advanced Settings:

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And navigating to the Business Management section and selecting Currencies.  

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However, if frequently modifying the exchange rates is part of your organization's day-to-day work, you can also modify your application so that the Currency table can be reached directly from the menu.  

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Moreover, you can set up an integration with an exchange rate provider. This integration ensures that all financial data reflects the most current rates, reducing the risk of errors and improving the accuracy of your financial reports. This is particularly beneficial for businesses that deal with multiple currencies and need real-time data to make informed decisions.

Summary

The currency type field in Dynamics 365 is a powerful tool for businesses operating in multiple currencies. By setting a local currency as the default and understanding how currency data is stored and converted, users can better manage their financial transactions. Additionally, integrating with an exchange rate provider can further enhance the accuracy and efficiency of your financial operations.