The “next operation only” checkmark in Business Central gives you a filtered view of your production operations, so you only see the next operation that needs to be done on each production order. This is useful when a routing has multiple steps and you otherwise see many operations listed for the same order.
When you set the checkmark, Business Central runs a small report called “Calculate Next Operation” automatically. It also recalculates when you open the page. If you do not use the checkmark, you have to run the report manually.
The view shows the first operation that is not yet finished on each order. If a previous operation is finished, you see the operation that follows it, which is not necessarily the first step in the routing.
How the next operation only checkmark works
The checkmark sits on the operations page and controls what you see when you update your operations. When the checkmark is not set and you look at your operations, you see many entries for the same production order. If a routing has five different steps, the same order number appears multiple times. For example, order number 144 shows up several times, once for each operation in its routing.
When you set the “next operation only” checkmark, Business Central asks whether you want to calculate the next operation. This is the same calculation that the “Calculate Next Operation” report performs. After you confirm, the page only displays the next operation for each order.
Calculate Next Operation report
The “Calculate Next Operation” report does the same job as the checkmark, but it runs as a separate report. With the report, you can filter on production orders and other criteria before you run it. The checkmark triggers this same functionality automatically, both when you set it and when you open the page.
Reading the filtered operation overview
Once the filter is active and you update your operations, the page shows only the next operation per order. Some of the operations shown are not the first operation in the routing. If your operations typically start with operation number 10, any operation marked with a different number is not the first step. You can confirm this because the previous operation is already finished.
The result is a clear overview of the next things you are going to do across your production orders, without the clutter of completed or future steps.
Q&A
What does the “next operation only” checkmark do in Business Central?
It filters your operations view so you only see the next operation that needs to be done on each production order, instead of every operation in the routing.
Do I need to run a report to use this checkmark?
No. When you set the checkmark, Business Central runs the “Calculate Next Operation” report automatically. It also recalculates when you open the page. You only need to run the report manually if you do not use the checkmark.
Is the next operation always the first step in the routing?
No. The view shows the first operation that is not yet finished. If an earlier operation is already finished, the next operation shown is a later step in the routing.
Can I filter the calculation by production order?
Yes. If you run the “Calculate Next Operation” report directly, you can filter on production orders and other criteria. The checkmark performs the same calculation automatically.