In today's business environment, managing vendors effectively is crucial for procurement success. In this post, we will explore how to order specific products exclusively from approved vendors in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (D365 SCM). This method not only ensures compliance with company policies but also enhances the quality and reliability of the products purchased. Let's dive into the details.

Why Use Approved Vendors?

Ordering from specific approved vendors is a practice adopted by many organizations for several important reasons:

• Better Pricing: Approved vendors often provide competitive pricing due to long-standing relationships.
• Quality Assurance: These vendors have consistently delivered high-quality products, ensuring that your company maintains its standards.
• Reliable Delivery: Timely delivery is essential, especially in manufacturing. Approved vendors are usually more reliable in this regard.
• After-Sales Service: Good return policies and warranty services are often associated with approved vendors.
• Payment Terms: Favorable payment terms can significantly improve cash flow.
• Compliance with Standards: Approved vendors often adhere to industry standards, which is critical for maintaining quality and safety.

Key Documents in D365 SCM

In Dynamics 365 SCM, several documents are essential for checking approved vendors:

• Purchase Agreements: These outline the terms of purchase between your company and the vendor.
• Purchase Orders: Each line item in a purchase order must be checked against the approved vendor list.
• Planned Orders: Generated from Master Planning, these also check against approved vendors.
• Purchase Requisitions: These requests for new products must adhere to the approved vendor policies.
• Request for Quotes (RFQs): Vendors are invited to quote on required products, and approved vendors are prioritized.
• Consignment Replenishment Orders: These orders also require vendor approval.
• Production Orders: These must also check against the approved vendor list.

Understanding Item Model Groups

Item model groups are critical in D365 SCM as they define how inventory is valued and managed. Within these groups, you can set up the default vendor check method, which applies to all new products created under that group. The three methods available for the approved vendor check are:

• No Check: All vendors are allowed to supply products.
• Warning Only: Non-approved vendors can supply products but will trigger a warning.
• Not Allowed: Only approved vendors can supply products, and non-approved vendors will be blocked.

Setting Up Approved Vendor Check Methods

To set the approved vendor check method, navigate to the release product detail page in D365 SCM. Here, you can select the method that best fits your company’s policy. The settings you choose will apply to all relevant purchase documents including purchase orders and production orders.

Setting Up Approved Vendors

On the release product detail page, you can easily add or remove vendors along with their effective dates:

• Click the Setup button under the approved vendor group.
• Add new vendor records or remove existing ones as needed.
• Set effective dates to define when a vendor is allowed to supply products.

Viewing Approved Products for Specific Vendors

To view which products are approved for specific vendors, you can access the approved vendor list in the procurement and sourcing module. This allows you to check which products a vendor is allowed to supply and helps ensure compliance with your procurement policies.

Bulk Uploading Vendor and Product Combinations

When setting up your approved vendors, it might be necessary to upload the vendor and product combinations in bulk. The Excel add-in is an effective tool for this:

• Use the Excel add-in to download the approved vendor list by item.
• Make necessary adjustments and add new records as needed.
• Upload the updated file back into D365 SCM once all changes are made.

Demo Walkthrough of D365 SCM

Let’s walk through a practical demo to see how these settings are applied in Dynamics 365 SCM. In this demo, we will:

• Access the item model group settings and confirm the approved vendor check method.
• Create a new product and observe the default settings applied from the item model group.
• Set up an approved vendor for that product and test the purchase order creation process.

Creating a New Product

When creating a new product, select the appropriate item model group. The approved vendor check method will automatically apply, ensuring compliance with your procurement policies.

Testing Purchase Orders

After setting up the approved vendor, create a purchase order to test the settings:

• Select a vendor and attempt to add an item to the order.
• Observe the system’s response based on the approved vendor settings.

Final Thoughts

Implementing an approved vendor system in Dynamics 365 SCM is vital for maintaining quality, reliability, and compliance in your procurement processes. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your organization purchases products only from trusted sources, thereby reducing risks and enhancing efficiency.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. Thank you for taking the time to explore this essential aspect of supply chain management!

Creating new products in any system can feel overwhelming, especially when faced with numerous fields to fill out. Fortunately, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O) offers a powerful feature: product templates. These templates allow users to prefill essential values, making the product creation process smoother and more efficient. In this blog, we'll delve into how to effectively utilize product templates in D365, ensuring that your product information is accurate and complete right from the start.

Why Use Product Templates?

When you're tasked with creating products, the last thing you want is to repeatedly enter the same information for each new item. This not only wastes time but also increases the risk of errors. By using product templates, you can define and save a set of characteristics that can be easily applied to new products. This ensures consistency and accuracy across your inventory.

Navigating to Product Templates in D365

To start using product templates, you'll first need to access the relevant module in D365. Here's how:

1. Navigate to the Product Information Management module.
2. Go to the Released Products page. This page lists all products that have been released under your legal entity.

In this view, you can see both released and unreleased products. Released products are only visible under their respective legal entities, while unreleased products are available for common access.

Creating a Product Template

Let’s walk through the steps to create a product template. You’ll want to identify a product that shares characteristics with the new product you're creating. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select a similar product from the list of released products.
2. In the Product Action Pane, find the New group.
3. Select Product to create a new product.
4. To create a template, look for the Apply Template option under the Maintain group.

Once you click on Create Personal Template, you can give your template a name, for example, “PK-Services” for service-related products.

Applying a Product Template

Once you've created a template, applying it to a new product is straightforward:

1. Go to the All Products and Product Master form.
2. Create a new product, specifying the product type and subtype.
3. Once you fill in the basic information, you'll need to release the product.
4. After releasing, navigate back to the Released Products form and filter to find your product.
5. Select the product and choose the Apply Template option to fill in the remaining fields.

This step ensures that essential information, like the storage dimension group and tracking dimensions, is automatically populated based on your template.

Examples of Using Product Templates

Let's consider a couple of scenarios to illustrate the application of product templates:

Example 1: Service Product

Suppose you're creating a new service called “Carpenter Service.” Here’s how to proceed:

1. Create a new product and assign it a product number.
2. Release the product to the legal entity.
3. After releasing, apply your previously created service template.
4. Check that all relevant fields, such as storage dimensions and item model groups, are correctly filled in.

Example 2: Regular Item

Next, let’s create a regular item, say “Electrical Batteries.” Follow these steps:

1. Input the product number and description.
2. Release the product.
3. Apply the product template to pre-fill the necessary fields.

By following this process, you can ensure that all key information is captured without redundant data entry.

Benefits of Using Product Templates

Utilizing product templates in D365 offers several advantages:

• Time Efficiency: Save time by reducing repetitive data entry.
• Consistency: Maintain uniformity across similar products.
• Accuracy: Minimize the risk of errors in product information.
• Flexibility: Easily customize templates as needed for different product types.

Final Thoughts

In summary, product templates in D365 are an invaluable tool for anyone involved in product management. They streamline the creation process, reduce errors, and ensure that all necessary data is captured efficiently. Whether you're a product designer, supply chain manager, or part of the sales department, leveraging this feature can significantly enhance your workflow.

So next time you're tasked with creating a new product, remember to utilize product templates to make your job easier and more efficient. Happy product creating!

In the realm of Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, managing vendor and customer groups efficiently is crucial for any organization. A key feature that helps streamline this process is the ability to generate account numbers based on specific groups. This guide will take you through the steps to create a logical account numbering system that not only makes it easier to identify accounts but also enhances the overall management of your financial operations.

Understanding Vendor and Customer Groups

Vendor and customer groups play a vital role in organizing accounts within Dynamics 365. These groups allow businesses to copy common values across multiple vendors or customers, simplifying data management. When creating a new vendor or customer, you have two options for number sequencing: manual or automatic. The automatic option generates the next sequential number, while the manual option allows for user-assigned numbers.

However, the real power comes when you base your sequencing on specific vendor or customer groups. By doing so, you can enhance clarity and organization, making it easier to track and manage accounts. Let’s dive deeper into how to set this up.

Setting Up Vendor Groups

To begin, navigate to the vendor groups within Dynamics 365. You'll find various categories such as Parts Vendor, Services Vendor, Tax Authority, and others. Each company can define its own vendor groups based on its unique needs. To access vendor groups, go to the Accounts Payable section, then select the Vendors menu.

Once you're in the vendor group section, you can start creating or editing groups. Common fields like Terms of Payment and Default Tax Group can be defined here. It's essential to set these fields correctly, as they will automatically populate when you create new vendors under these groups.

Creating a Vendor Group

To create a vendor group:

1. Open the vendor group section.
2. Insert a new group and fill in the necessary details.
3. Define the number sequence code and vendor account number sequence.
4. Save your view to ensure all details are retained for future use.

With the vendor groups set up, you can now customize the number sequences for each group. For instance, if you want to create a vendor group called "Parts," you can define a prefix such as "VG" and set the number format to include a specific number of digits.

Creating Number Sequences

Number sequences are essential for organizing account numbers systematically. To create a number sequence:

1. Navigate to the number sequence settings.
2. Create a new sequence, specifying the prefix and the desired number format.
3. Ensure the scope is set to "Shared" so that it can be used across different entities.
4. Define the maximum number of digits and the starting point for the sequence.

For example, if you set a prefix of "VG" for vendor groups and define nine digits for the number, the system will generate account numbers like "VG000000001" for your vendors.

Testing the Number Sequence

After setting up your vendor groups and number sequences, it's time to test the configuration. Navigate to the All Vendors page in the Accounts Payable section. Here, you can create a new vendor and select the corresponding vendor group.

As you fill in the vendor details, the system should automatically assign an account number based on the number sequence you defined. If everything is set up correctly, you will see the account number generated in real-time.

Setting Up Customer Groups

Just as with vendor groups, customer groups allow for organized management of customer accounts. To set up customer groups, go to the Accounts Receivable section. Here’s how to do it:

1. Access the Customer Groups setup.
2. Create a new group and define its parameters.
3. Insert the number sequence code relevant to this customer group.
4. Save your settings.

Ensure that the number sequence for customer accounts is also set to "Shared" to maintain consistency across legal entities.

Creating a Customer Number Sequence

When creating a customer number sequence, follow similar steps as with the vendor group. For instance, you might prefix customer sequences with "WS" for wholesale customers and define the number format accordingly.

Testing Customer Account Numbers

Once your customer groups and sequences are set up, you can test them similarly. Create a new customer in the All Customers page, selecting the appropriate customer group. The system should automatically generate the account number based on your defined sequence.

Managing Fixed Assets

Fixed assets also require an organized numbering system. In the Fixed Asset module, you can create fixed asset groups, similar to vendor and customer groups. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the Fixed Asset Groups setup.
2. Create a new group and define the number sequence code.
3. Ensure the Auto Numbering feature is enabled if applicable.
4. Save your settings.

The fixed asset numbering can also follow a logical sequence based on the groups defined, ensuring all assets are categorized correctly.

Final Thoughts

By implementing a structured approach to generating account numbers based on vendor, customer, and fixed asset groups in Dynamics 365, you can significantly enhance your organization’s efficiency. This not only simplifies account management but also improves reporting and analysis.

Remember, the key is to configure your number sequences correctly and ensure they are shared across legal entities to maintain consistency. As you continue to refine your processes, you’ll find that this system not only saves time but also improves accuracy in your financial operations.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more insights on optimizing your Dynamics 365 experience.

Problem Description

Need a bit of clarification on the DateTimeUtil Class and the questions are:

1. Some functionalities of client's product needs to store Date/Time to the 100 Nano seconds unit like the System.DateTime type. Is it possible to get this functionality in the utcDateTime?

2. The function datetime2str() you have thefollowing code:

// Start
utcDT = DateTimeUtil::utcNow();
info(datetime2str(utcDT));
// End

Assume that I live in Brussels, the company and user settings have the time zone set to GMT+1. I expect now that infolog prints me the local time, instead it prints the utc value without zone conversion. Any Ideas?

Thanks again! 

Solution to point#2

Can’t answer point1, but for point 2 they need to change the code like this:

utcDT = DateTimeUtil::applyTimeZoneOffset(DateTimeUtil::utcNow(), DateTimeUtil::getUserPreferredTimeZone());

Solution to point#1
Answering the first question. The utcdatetime type supports a minimum precision of 1 second. It is not possible to go to 100 nano second values. I would be very interested in knowing the partner’s scenario. You can share that with me offline if you can.

Best Response
I had no problem (except a little .NET interop weirdness w/int64) creating a table and storing high precision date/time values in it. Create a table called “TestDateTime” with two columns “str Description” and “int64 DateTimeInt” and run the following job to try it out:

static void DateTimeInTable(Args _args)
{
TestDateTime dtTable;

void SaveRec(str _description, str _datetimeStr)
{
System.DateTime dt;
int64 dtInt;

dtTable.clear();
dtTable.Description = _description;
dt = System.DateTime::Parse(_datetimeStr);
dtInt = dt.ToBinary();
dtTable.DateTimeInt = dtInt;
dtTable.write();
}

void ShowRec(TestDateTime _rec)
{
System.DateTime datetime = System.DateTime::FromBinary(_rec.DateTimeInt);
str dtStr = datetime.ToString('o');

info(strfmt('%1=%2', _rec.Description, dtStr));
}

void ShowRecs(str _orderby)
{
info(_orderby);
while(true)
{
next dtTable;
if(dtTable)
ShowRec(dtTable);
else
break;
}
info('');
}

delete_from dtTable;

SaveRec('Rec 1','2009-01-01T12:12:12.1234567');
SaveRec('Rec 4','2009-02-01T12:12:12.1234567');
SaveRec('Rec 3','2009-06-01T12:12:12.1234567');
SaveRec('Rec 2','2009-01-02T12:12:12.1234567');

select nofetch dtTable order by Description;
ShowRecs('By Description');

select nofetch dtTable order by DateTimeInt;
ShowRecs('By DateTime');
}

Problem Description
Hi,
I just got the following question regarding WF customization using X++ code. 
Any help is appreciated since case is old already:

We are designing a workflow which has variable number of approvals. Variable means number of approvals became clear after the workflow starts. 
Also the people that approvals are assigned to became clear at run-time according to a parameter. We need a workflow design that has variable number of approvals and variable assigned people. Could you help me how it can be done?


Thanks a lot for your help,

Response#1
Maybe you can find useful information here:

Workflow Providers Overview
====================
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc519521.aspx

Walkthrough: Creating a Workflow Template
=============================
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc641259.aspx

Walkthrough: Creating a Workflow with a Task and an Approval
=========================================
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc585944.aspx

Walkthrough: Adding Workflow to an Existing Form
=================================
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc653399.aspx