When you register start and stop time on the shop floor in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the behaviour is controlled by a time collector setup. This setup sits beneath the time collectors and determines what operators are allowed to do and how the registrations are handled.
You can reach the time collector setup through the Mobile Flow User Setup, which links to the resource setup for the person you log in as. Most fields are filled in automatically when you download the app, so it is an out-of-the-box configuration that you should not change.
The Auto Start at Open setting starts a time collector immediately when you open it. The Auto Pause setting stops the current operation automatically when you start the next one. You can control Auto Pause per category code, so for example setup time stops automatically while runtime keeps running. If you do not select Auto Pause, you can work on multiple operations at the same time.
The Rounding Precision setting rounds your posted time. If you set it to five minutes, half a minute of work is posted as five minutes. There is a separate rounding precision on the real timestamps, which removes milliseconds or seconds from the actual start and stop stamps without losing the detail of when the operator started, accurate to within about 10 seconds.
The Register Flows on the blank resource determine what happens when you make a registration, such as creating an output journal entry of the type output and posting it.
The time collector setup controls start and stop time on the shop floor
When you work with start and stop time on the shop floor, you use time collectors. Beneath each time collector there is a setup that determines what you are allowed to do and how the registration should work. To reach it, open the Mobile Flow User Setup, go to the resource setup for the person you log in as, and from there open the time collector setup.
Most of the fields in this setup are entered automatically when you download the app. It is an out-of-the-box configuration, and you should not change it. There are a few fields worth understanding, though, because they shape how time registration behaves day to day.
Auto Start at Open and Auto Pause control how operations run
The Auto Start at Open functionality means that when you start a time collector, it starts immediately.
The Auto Pause functionality stops one operation automatically when you start the next one. If you do not select it, you can work on multiple operations at the same time. You can also set Auto Pause per category code. For example, you can decide that setup time is stopped automatically, while runtime is not.
Rounding precision on posted time and on real timestamps
The rounding precision determines how your time is rounded when the registration is posted. When you finish a time registration, the posting is created based on the journal table and the posting setup. The rounding precision then rounds the result. If you set it to every five minutes, half a minute of work is still posted as five minutes. The rounding direction relates to this.
There is a separate rounding precision on the real timestamps. When you start and stop time, this setting lets you avoid milliseconds or seconds and reduce the precision of the actual stamps the system creates. The result is a rounded entry for posting, while you can still see that the user started at a specific time, accurate to within about 10 seconds.
Register flows define what happens on registration
If you look at all resources through the blank resource at the top of the setup, you define the register flows. When you make a registration, the flow in the Mobile Flow Setup determines what to do. In a typical scenario, that means creating an output journal entry of the type output and doing the posting.
These are the most important fields in the time collector setup.
Q&A
Where do you find the time collector setup in Business Central?
Open the Mobile Flow User Setup, go to the resource setup for the person you log in as, and from there open the time collector setup.
Should you change the fields in the time collector setup?
No. Most fields are entered automatically when you download the app, so it is an out-of-the-box configuration that you should not change. A few fields are worth being aware of, but the setup is meant to work as delivered.
What does Auto Pause do?
Auto Pause stops the current operation automatically when you start the next one. If you do not select it, you can work on multiple operations at the same time. You can also set it per category code, for example stopping setup time automatically while leaving runtime running.
What is the difference between the two rounding precision settings?
One rounding precision rounds the posted time. If set to five minutes, half a minute of work is posted as five minutes. The other rounding precision applies to the real timestamps, removing milliseconds or seconds so the actual start and stop stamps are less precise, while still showing when the operator started to within about 10 seconds.
What do the register flows control?
The register flows on the blank resource determine what happens when you make a registration. In a typical scenario, the flow creates an output journal entry of the type output and posts it.