Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Templates
How do I split one file into several orders or invoices?
Mark a header column as New Document Indicator, typically the order number: every change of value starts a new document. With JSON and XML files each record node is one document.
Should I map the document number?
Normally not: the number series assigns it when the document is created. The number written in the file, such as the order number of a webshop, goes to External Document No. on sales documents or Vendor Order No. on purchase documents, and it is usually also the New Document Indicator that separates the documents. No. can be mapped when the number series allows manual numbers.
Can the same column feed more than one field?
Yes: add one mapping line per field with the same Column Id, each with its own rules. A combined code such as 1234-ADM-EAST is split this way: on each line a substring Transformation Rule cuts its segment and a Mapping Rule translates it.
How do I build one field from several columns?
Map the field once per column and turn on Concatenate on the lines to append, with a Concatenation Separator if needed.
How do I ask the user for a value when the import starts?
Turn on Import Parameter on a mapping line without a column; the Default Value is proposed. Automatic imports use the default value; API calls pass the values in the request.
How do I fill a field that the file does not contain?
Enter a Default Value on a mapping line without a column. A field that is not in the file keeps the value Business Central assigns to it.
Values and formats
Dates or decimals are read wrong. What do I set?
Data Format and Data Formatting Culture on the mapping line, for example dd/MM/yyyy, or 0.00 with culture en-US for decimals with the point. Read Structure from File and Suggest with Copilot propose them.
The amounts are in cents, or the sign is inverted. Do I have to change the file?
No. Assign a Custom transformation rule with Multiply (multiplier 0.01) or Invert Sign to the mapping line.
The file uses the codes of another system. How do I convert them?
Assign a Mapping Rule to the mapping line: it translates each value of the file into the Business Central value. The lines of the rule accept filter expressions, such as A*; a value with no matching line is imported as it is.
Can an empty cell wipe a value?
No: an empty cell is skipped and the field keeps its value. With Skip Empty Values a zero in a numeric column is skipped as well.
Running imports
The example templates fail on a location, a dimension value or a unit of measure. Why?
Those codes are localized in every Cronus company. Replace the value in the file with a code of your company, or ask for it with an Import Parameter.
The check step reported an error. Was anything written?
No. The whole file is checked before the first record is created, and the errors list the row, the column and the field. Validate File runs the same check without importing.
What happens if the same file is imported twice?
With Prevent Duplicate File on the template, a file name already in the Import History is refused; a file that failed can be imported again.
The physical inventory import says that Phys. Inventory must be No. What is wrong?
Run Calculate Inventory on the batch first: the template updates the calculated lines with the counted quantities, it does not create them.
How do I import lot and serial numbers?
Add an Item Tracking related record to the lines of the document template and map Lot No., Serial No., Package No., Expiration Date or Warranty Date: each row creates one tracking entry on its line. When the file has one row per lot or serial number, add the line table action Group identical rows into one line, so that the rows of the same item become one line with several tracking entries. The check step reports the tracking numbers the item requires and the row does not have.
Can I import a ZIP file?
Yes: every file in the archive is imported with the selected template.
Automatic imports and integration
Can the import run without a user?
Yes, with an Automatic Template Import: a job queue imports the files dropped in a SharePoint, Azure Blob Storage or Azure File Share folder, archives them or parks them with their error, and records every run in the Import History. See Automatic imports.
Where do bank statements go?
Into the Payment Reconciliation Journal: the import creates the journal for the bank account, or adds to the open one, and can apply the payments with the action Apply the imported payments automatically. See Bank statements.
Can I start an import from another system or from Power Automate?
Yes, with the API of the app: the file is sent as Base64 content with the template code and the import parameters. See Integration.
Copilot
What does Copilot receive
The header row and the first ten data rows of the sample file (the first record nodes for JSON and XML), the field names of the target tables and your instructions; nothing else. It uses the Business Central AI resources, enabled by an administrator under Copilot & agent capabilities. See the Responsible AI FAQ.
Permissions
Which permission sets do the users need?
Data Templates users to import, Data Templates Super user to create and change templates, Data Templates read only for read-only access. A template can also be restricted to specific users with Assigned Users.