This is what happens in the video
When you work with item cross references on purchase orders in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can enter a vendor’s own item number on a purchase line and have Business Central automatically fill in your internal item number and description. This saves you from looking up the matching item manually every time.
To use cross references on purchase lines, you first need to make the Cross-Reference No. column visible on the purchase order lines. Right-click a column header, choose Columns, and enable the Item Cross Reference No. field from the table.
Cross references work in both directions. You can type your own item number and see the vendor’s item number, or you can type the vendor’s item number and let Business Central fill in your item and description automatically.
When a cross reference includes a specific description for that vendor, Business Central replaces the standard item description with the cross reference description on the purchase line.
Extended text set up on the item card can be added automatically to purchase documents, or you can insert it manually using Line, Functions, Insert Ext. Texts.
Make the cross reference column visible on purchase order lines
To work with cross references on a purchase order, the Cross-Reference No. column must be shown on the lines. By default it may not be visible, so you need to add it.
Right-click on the header of one of the columns and choose Columns. Find the Item Cross Reference No. field in the table, make sure it is set to visible, and press OK. The column now appears on your purchase order lines.
How item cross references work when you add a line
When you add an item to a purchase order, type in your own item number. The description shown in the lookup field is the name your item has in your item list.
If the item has been set up with item cross references for this vendor, the standard description is replaced with the description defined in the cross reference on the item. This means the purchase line shows the wording that matches the agreement with that specific vendor.
If you scroll out and look at the Cross-Reference No. field you just added, you can now see the vendor’s item number on the line.
Enter the vendor’s item number to fill in your own
Cross references work both ways. You can also type the vendor’s item number directly into the Cross-Reference No. field, and Business Central fills in the information from your item card. Your item number is added automatically, and so is the description.
This is useful when you work from a vendor’s quote or catalogue and only know their item number, not your own.
Extended text on purchase lines
When you add an item to a purchase order, you may notice that an extra text line is added below the item line. This is extended text that has been set up on the item card.
On the item card, you can set extended text to be inserted automatically on purchase documents. If that setting is not enabled, you can still add the text manually. Mark the line, choose Manage, then go to More options, Functions, and Insert Ext. Texts.
Q&A
How do I show the cross reference column on purchase order lines in Business Central?
Right-click on a column header on the purchase order lines, choose Columns, find the Item Cross Reference No. field in the table, set it to visible, and press OK.
Can I enter a vendor’s item number instead of my own on a purchase line?
Yes. Type the vendor’s item number into the Cross-Reference No. field, and Business Central fills in your own item number and description from the item card automatically.
Why does the item description change when I use a cross reference?
When the item has a cross reference set up for that vendor, Business Central replaces the standard item description with the description defined in the cross reference on the item.
How do I add extended text manually to a purchase line?
Mark the line, choose Manage, then go to More options, Functions, and select Insert Ext. Texts. You only need to do this if the extended text is not set up to insert automatically on purchase documents.