The shop floor mobile app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central uses the standard production functionality of Business Central. It does not replace or rewrite the core. When you register on production orders, you work with the same released and firm planned production orders you already know from the system.
The app adds two minor extensions. The resource number is added to the item ledger entry table and to the capacity ledger entry table. This lets you match and trace registrations to the resource that made them.
These changes are non-invasive. You keep upgradeability and avoid the maintenance burden that comes with heavy modifications to the core.
The shop floor mobile app runs on standard Business Central production functionality
What you see in the shop floor mobile app is the standard production functionality of Business Central. We deliberately avoid making a lot of modifications to the core functionality. That principle matters because every modification you make to the core is something you have to maintain and account for during upgrades.
When you do registrations on production orders in the app, you see the normal list of released or firm planned production orders. There is nothing new to learn about how production orders work. The app simply presents the same data and the same processes on a mobile interface.
The two modifications: resource number on item ledger and capacity ledger entries
We did make a few modifications, but they are small and targeted. If you look at the item ledger entries for a production order you have registered, you will see that we have added the resource number to the item ledger table. We have also added the resource number to the capacity ledger entry table.
The purpose of these additions is to support the matrix and the registrations the app handles. By storing the resource number on these entries, you can connect each registration to the resource that performed it.
A non-invasive approach to Business Central core functionality
Everything in the app stays non-invasive to the Business Central core functionality. What you can do in the app is essentially the same as what you can do in standard Business Central, with a few exceptions. The main difference is that the app is flow based, which guides the worker through the registration steps on the shop floor.
Q&A
Does the shop floor mobile app change Business Central’s core production functionality?
No. The app uses the standard production functionality of Business Central. We avoid heavy modifications to the core, so you keep the standard processes and upgradeability.
What modifications does the app make to Business Central?
The app adds the resource number to the item ledger entry table and to the capacity ledger entry table. These additions let you match and trace registrations to the resource that made them.
What do I see when I register on a production order in the app?
You see the normal list of released or firm planned production orders, the same data you already work with in standard Business Central.
How is the app different from working directly in standard Business Central?
What you can do is essentially the same as in standard Business Central, with a few exceptions. The main difference is that the app is flow based, guiding you through the registration steps.