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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central uses several different date fields on a sales order, and each one controls something specific. The document date drives how the due date on the invoice is calculated. The posting date controls which financial period the document lands in. The order date, requested delivery date, and promised delivery date all track different points in the sales process.
When you set dates on the document header, Business Central automatically copies them to the document lines. You can override the dates on individual lines without affecting the header. If you change a date on the header, the system asks whether you want to update the lines as well.
Note that the requested delivery date and promised delivery date fields depend on your license. With some licenses you may not be able to make these fields visible.
Document date and how it affects the due date
The document date is the date of the related document. For a posted sales invoice, this is the document date on the invoice itself. Business Central uses the document date to calculate the due date on the sales invoice, so it directly affects when payment is expected.
Posting date and financial period
The posting date defines the financial posting of the document. This is where you control which period the document hits in your accounts. If you want the posting to fall in the previous month, you change the posting date to that month, and the financial posting follows.
Order date, requested delivery date, and promised delivery date
The order date is the date the sales order was created.
The requested delivery date is the date the customer has asked for the order to be delivered.
The promised delivery date is where you state when you have committed to delivering the order to the customer.
Dates related to shipping are found in the shipping section of the order.
How dates flow from the header to the lines
Dates you define on the document are automatically transferred to the document lines. You can change them on the lines if you need to.
To edit a date on a line, mark the field and choose another date from the calendar. Changing a shipment date on a line does not change the shipment date on the header.
It works differently the other way around. If you change the shipment date on the header, Business Central asks whether you want to update the lines. If you confirm, all the lines are updated with the new shipment date.
Showing requested and promised delivery date on the sales line
You can add the requested delivery date and promised delivery date to the sales line. You do this with personalization, which you find in the menu on the page.
Be aware that these date fields depend on the license you have. Depending on your license, you may not be able to make these fields visible on the line.
Q&A
What does the document date control on a sales invoice in Business Central?
The document date is the date of the related document, such as a posted sales invoice. Business Central uses it to calculate the due date on the sales invoice.
What is the posting date used for?
The posting date defines the financial posting of the document. You change it to control which financial period the document is posted in. For example, you can set it to the previous month if you want the posting to fall there.
What is the difference between requested and promised delivery date?
The requested delivery date is the date the customer has asked for delivery. The promised delivery date is the date you have committed to delivering the order to the customer.
What happens to the lines when I change a date on the header?
If you change the shipment date on the header, Business Central asks whether you want to update the lines. If you confirm, all the lines are updated with the new date. Changing a date on a line does not affect the header.
How do I show the requested and promised delivery date on the sales line?
You add them using personalization, found in the menu on the page. These fields depend on your license, so you may not be able to make them visible.