You can configure Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to automatically copy master data from items and customers to your sales orders. When you enter a customer number on the sales order header, Business Central pulls in the relevant master data automatically. When you add an item to a sales order line, the item’s master data follows along.
You control exactly which master data fields are carried over in the setup. This means you only transfer the information you actually need on the order, not everything stored on the item or customer card.
The same functionality works on purchase orders, production orders, and assembly orders. You set up which default master data should apply automatically for each document type.
How master data flows to sales orders automatically
When you create a new document such as a sales order, master data is automatically added to both the header and the lines. The header gets information from the customer card, and the lines get information from the item card.
Take an example with item 1000, a city bike. The item card holds several specifications, such as it being a male bike with seven gears. In practice, an item card often contains more information than you want to push onto a sales order line. That is why the setup lets you decide which of those fields should be carried to the order.
Carrying customer information to the order header
The same principle applies to customers. Take customer number 20000, where the contact is Susan West. You can also add extended text to the contact, for example a note that says “don’t hesitate to contact me.”
If you have included these fields in the setup, that information flows automatically to the sales order header the moment you enter the customer number. The information then sits on the header and can be used when printing documents and in other processes. You can also edit the information directly on the order if you need to.
Controlling which fields are transferred
The setup is where you define the defaults. For each document type, you specify which master data fields from the customer and item should be applied automatically. This keeps the order clean and relevant, because only the fields you select get copied over.
Same setup across order types in Business Central
This is not limited to sales orders. You can configure the same automatic master data transfer on purchase orders, production orders, and assembly orders. In each case you decide which default master data should apply, so the behaviour is consistent across the documents your team works with every day.
Q&A
How does master data get added to a sales order in Business Central?
When you create a sales order and enter the customer number on the header, Business Central automatically adds the customer master data to the header. When you add an item to a line, the item master data is added automatically to that line. What gets transferred depends on your setup.
Can I control which master data fields are copied to a document?
Yes. In the setup you determine which master data fields from the customer and item should be carried over. This lets you avoid pushing every field from the item or customer card onto the order, and only bring across the information you need.
Does this functionality work on other documents besides sales orders?
Yes. The same automatic master data transfer works on purchase orders, production orders, and assembly orders. For each you can set up which default master data should apply.
Can I edit the master data after it has been added to the order?
Yes. The information transferred to the header and lines can be changed directly on the order, so you can adjust it when a specific order requires it.