Business Central Item Templates and Customer Templates
business central item templates
Also searched as
- customer templates business central
- business central vendor templates
- business central new item template defaults
Short answer
Item templates and customer templates (also vendor and employee templates) hold default field values that Business Central applies when you create a new record. Open the Item Templates or Customer Templates page, define a template with posting groups and other defaults, and choose it when you create a new item or customer.
Applies to: Dynamics 365 Business Central 2020 release wave 2 and later, which replaced the older configuration templates for these master data types
How to create and use a template
- 1Search for Item Templates (or Customer Templates, Vendor Templates), and choose New.
- 2Give the template a code and description, and fill defaults: for items, Base Unit of Measure, Gen. Prod. Posting Group, Inventory Posting Group, Costing Method and Item Category.
- 3For customers, fill Gen. Bus. Posting Group, Customer Posting Group, Payment Terms Code, Payment Method Code and currency or country.
- 4Add default dimensions from the Dimensions action on the template so every new record gets them.
- 5Create a new item or customer from the list; if more than one template exists, pick the one you want in the selection dialog.
- 6Check the new card and confirm the defaults came across, then adjust record-specific fields.
- 7Use the setting for template usage in the relevant Setup page, or from the template list, to control how templates are offered.
What a template actually does
A template is applied at creation time. It copies its field values into the new record, together with the default dimensions. It does not stay linked, so changing the template later does not update existing items or customers.
The older Configuration Templates, used before the 2020 wave 2 release, are still found in Configuration Packages and RapidStart for data migration. The new templates are tied to a specific table (Item, Customer, Vendor, Employee) and are the right tool for daily record creation.
Designing a useful template set
Keep templates small and aligned to business meaning. For items, one template for purchased raw material, another for manufactured finished goods, another for non-inventory services. Each should set the posting groups, the costing method and the replenishment system (Purchase or Prod. Order) so planners do not fix them later.
For customers, a template per sales region or customer class is common: domestic, export, intercompany. Include Payment Terms, Reminder Terms and the VAT or tax business posting group so invoices work on the first posting.
Templates and number series
New records take their number from the No. Series set in the Sales and Receivables, Inventory or Purchases Setup. A template can carry a number series on some record types, which lets you give different item classes different prefixes. Check that the series is not shared across companies in a way that creates gaps or duplicates.
Mass changes to existing records are a different job. Use Edit in Excel on the list page, or a configuration package, to update many items at once. Templates are for defaults at creation only.
Try it here, free
Business Central Item Setup Options Reference
Plain-language meaning of the item card options in Business Central that drive costing and planning, with guidance on when each fits.
Common pitfalls
- !Expecting changes to a template to update existing items; they only affect new records.
- !Leaving Costing Method blank in the template and getting the default method for every new item.
- !Forgetting default dimensions, then correcting G/L entries after posting.
- !Creating dozens of overlapping templates, which pushes users to guess.
- !Confusing the old configuration templates with the new item and customer templates.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
ERPray can read your existing items or customers, group them by posting group and costing method, and propose which templates would cover most of them, showing the query behind the numbers. It does not create templates itself; a person decides the defaults. Because the analysis runs on your own server in an on-premises setup, master data stays inside your network.
Frequently asked questions
Where are item templates in Business Central?
Search for Item Templates in the search box. You can also reach template selection when creating a new item from the Items list, if more than one template exists.
Do customer templates update existing customers?
No. A customer template only fills fields when a new customer is created. To change existing customers use Edit in Excel, a configuration package, or a bulk edit from the list.
Can templates include dimensions?
Yes. Use the Dimensions action on the template to set default dimension values that are applied to the new record.
What happened to configuration templates?
From 2020 release wave 2 the dedicated Item, Customer, Vendor and Employee templates replaced them for daily use. Configuration templates remain relevant for RapidStart data migration.
Related
Business Central Manufacturing Setup: Items, BOMs, Routings and Production Orders
To run manufacturing in Business Central you configure Manufacturing Setup, create work and machine centers on a shop calendar, certify a production BOM and routing, set the item to Replenishment System Prod. Order with a manufacturing policy, then plan and run production orders. Manufacturing needs the Premium license, and evaluation demo data helps you learn the flow first.
How-toStandard Costing in Business Central: Setup, Expected Cost and Variances
Business Central supports FIFO, LIFO, Specific, Average and Standard costing, chosen per item. With Standard, inventory is valued at the item's Standard Cost, and differences against actual purchase prices or production costs post as variances. Expected cost is the provisional cost recorded at receipt or shipment before the invoice, then replaced by actual cost.
How-toUnit Cost in Business Central and How to Set Up Cost Centers
On the Item Card, Unit Cost is a calculated average or standard figure that depends on the Costing Method, and it is recalculated when costs are adjusted. Business Central has no standalone cost center field on transactions: you model cost centers either with global dimensions or with the optional Cost Accounting feature, which maps G/L accounts to cost types, centers and objects.
Error fixFixing "Cannot create a record in (table). The record already exists" in D365 F&SCM data entity imports
This is the standard kernel duplicate-key exception, thrown when the Data Management Framework tries to insert a staging row into a target table whose unique or alternate key already matches an existing record. It almost always means the entity's insert-vs-update logic did not recognize the target row as an update, not that you have a true accidental duplicate in your source file.
Error fixFixing "There are currently no batch servers available for processing" in D365 F&SCM
This message means the batch framework cannot find any AOS instance flagged as a batch server and available for the batch group the job is assigned to. The fix is almost always in server configuration (System administration > Servers) or batch group assignment, not in the batch job itself.
Error fixFixing "You do not have the following permissions on TableData (table): (permission)" in Business Central AL
This runtime error means the current user's assigned permission sets do not grant the required Insert, Modify, Delete, Read, or Execute right on that specific table. It is most common right after installing or updating a custom AL extension, because Business Central checks object-level permissions even for tables an extension owns.
AI for ERPAI for Dynamics 365 Business Central, on-premises or SaaS, beyond Copilot
AI for Business Central beyond Copilot: grounded question answering over BC's data via OData and APIs, for on-premises and SaaS tenants alike.
AI for ERPAI for Business Central manufacturing operations, beyond Copilot
AI for Business Central manufacturing beyond Copilot: grounded answers on production orders, routings, and capacity via APIs v2.0, on-prem capable.
Stuck on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?
Talk to engineers who work inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central every week, and who build private AI that answers these questions from your own ERP data.
Keep exploring
Free tools
- Business Central Item Setup Options ReferencePlain-language meaning of the item card options in Business Central that drive costing and planning, with guidance on when each fits.
- Business Central Posting Groups Setup WorksheetMap general business and product posting groups to the G/L accounts they should post to before you configure General Posting Setup.
- Business Central Configuration Package WorksheetPlan the tables, load sequence and expected error counts for Business Central RapidStart configuration packages before you import.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- Unit Cost in Business Central and How to Set Up Cost CentersHow Business Central calculates Unit Cost by costing method, why it changes after Adjust Cost, and how to model cost centers with dimensions or Cost Accounting.
- Standard Costing in Business Central: Setup, Expected Cost and VariancesStandard costing in Business Central: costing methods, setting standard cost, the Standard Cost Worksheet, variances and expected vs actual cost.
- Business Central Manufacturing Setup: Items, BOMs, Routings and Production OrdersSet up Business Central manufacturing: Manufacturing Setup, work centers, production BOMs, routings, item settings, manufacturing policy and demo data.
AI on your ERP
- AI for Dynamics 365 Business Central in Discrete ManufacturingGrounded AI for Dynamics 365 Business Central discrete manufacturers: production orders, planning worksheets, routings and costing, on a private LLM.
- AI for Business Central manufacturing operations, beyond CopilotAI for Business Central manufacturing beyond Copilot: grounded answers on production orders, routings, and capacity via APIs v2.0, on-prem capable.
Integrations
- How to add an AI chatbot to Dynamics 365 Business CentralAdd an AI chatbot to Business Central: staff assistant, customer portal bot, grounding on ERP data, role-aware answers, and running it on-prem with open models.
- How to add WhatsApp to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralHow to connect WhatsApp to Dynamics 365 Business Central: API v2.0 or custom API pages, webhooks, template messages, and two-way replies that post back safely.
Software
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralDynamics 365 Business Central explained for manufacturers: modules, APIs, AL extensions, deployment, strengths, limits and alternatives for small and mid-size firms.
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply ChainDynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management explained for manufacturers: modules, data entities, OData, deployment, strengths, limits and alternatives.