How to Set up Master Data on Documents for Headers, Footers and Lines

Master Data on Document is a feature in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that lets you control how master data flows automatically onto your sales and purchase documents. You set up which information moves from customers to sales document headers, from vendors to purchase document headers, and from items to sales and purchase lines.

You configure the setup in the Master Data on Document Setup, which you find through the search menu. Here you assign templates per document type, such as sales quote, sales order, and sales invoice. Several document types can share the same template.

Each template has three parts. The header places information before the document lines. The line attaches information to each item line. The footer places information after the document lines.

You decide for each piece of information whether to transfer it to production order lines, purchase order lines, and warehouse shipments. You also decide what happens when you post: transfer to invoice, shipment or receipt, only invoice, only handling documents, or no transfer at all. The “Do not print on open and posted document” option keeps information on the posted document without printing it.

What Master Data on Document does

The purpose is to control the flow of master data onto your documents. You can pull master data from customers to all open sales document headers, from vendors to all purchase document headers, and from items to sales lines and purchase lines.

If you want master data to flow from serial numbers or lot numbers to purchase and sales lines, you set up a separate Master Data Item Tracking template for that.

This is a fairly complex setup, so it helps to take it in small pieces and test it as you go.

Setting up Master Data on Document Setup

You open the setup by searching for Master Data on Document Setup in the menu. You can add as many lines as you need, and each line applies to a different master data on document template.

Each line has a type, where you select sales, purchase, or production, and a document type, where you select the specific document. In a typical scenario your sales quote, sales order, and sales invoice all follow the same master data document template. You can also create different templates for different types of master data.

When you select a document such as the sales order, you can open its document template. On the master data on document template you define the master data header, the master data line, and the master data footer.

For a sales order, the master data header is called a sales header. This is information flowing from a customer that you want to add to the sales document headers. The header tag means the information comes before the lines on the document, while the footer comes after the lines. The sales lines apply to the master data line.

Configuring the line template

You can open the line template directly or from the search menu. For an item master data template, the template applies to items, because it controls item master data flowing from items to the sales line. There are several check marks you can set.

At the top level you decide whether to apply a long description. If you check this, a line displays the long description from the item card or the long report description. There are separate videos covering how merged descriptions work in more detail.

The “Setup line exists” check mark indicates whether you have lines underneath the line template. You can also decide whether the top line, with the report description and long description, should be transferred to production order lines, purchase order lines, and warehouse shipments.

There is an action that controls what happens when you post the document. You can transfer to invoice and shipment, or receipt on the purchase side, only to the invoice, only to the handling documents, or set no transfer at all. This action applies only to the top level, meaning the merged description or long description.

The “Do not print on open and posted document” check mark determines whether you hide this information. If you select it, the information still carries to the posted document but does not print.

Working with the master data on document content

Beneath each sales line you select the information codes you want transferred as separate lines beneath the item line on the document. You can also set the order, so the lines do not have to appear in alphanumeric order.

For each of these lines you choose whether to apply the normal master data text, which is the standard text shown in the master data information. You can also add extended text. If you have added extended text on your master data, you check the box here. For example, on the header side you might transfer the contact information for the sales people to the footer of the sales line.

For each information code you again select whether to transfer to production order lines, purchase order lines, and warehouse shipments, the action on posting, and whether to print on open and posted documents. The setup is the same as at the top level, but applied per information code rather than to the long or report description.

Using header and footer templates

Header and footer templates work the same way. If you open a header template, you typically see no long description. Looking at the master data on document content, you might add complaints and send files to the header template, where one of them uses only extended text.

In a footer template for sales lines, again there is no long description, so that line is just a placeholder and not used for anything. You can add contact people or trading conditions, choosing to apply only the extended text on the document rather than the master data information value itself.

Getting started

The best way to learn this is to test it. Add the check marks to see what each one does. Create a new sales order or purchase order and watch how the data flows to the open and posted document. That gives you a practical feel for how to navigate the setup.

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