Dynamics GP to Business Central Tips and Tricks: Default Vendor Expense Accounts

When migrating from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, one of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “How do I get the default expense accounts to show up on a transaction like they did in GP?”

In Business Central, “Posting Groups” control most of the default posting previously handled on the “Accounts” screen in GP. With Posting Groups, you can set the default accounts for “Accounts Payable,” “Discount Account,” etc., as well as accounts for the item used on the purchase invoice. But you would still need to pick an “Item” or enter a general ledger (G/L) account row on the purchase invoice each time.

What if you just want the expense account to automatically show up on the purchase invoice each time you enter a bill for that vendor?

In Business Central, that option is tucked away under “Recurring Purchase Lines.” Here are the steps to use this functionality.

Set Up the Recurring Purchase Lines

Here’s where you will set up the codes that have the expense accounts you would like to default to the purchase invoice. You can assign multiple accounts, items or comments to the code, and codes can be assigned to multiple vendors.

1. In the “Tell Me” box, search for “recurring purchase lines” and click on the “Recurring Purchase Lines” link.
   
   
   
   
2. Click “+New” to create a new recurring purchase lines code.
   
   
   
   
3. Enter a code for the expense lines this will be used for, like utilities, office supplies, etc.
   
   Note: You could have more than one account setup here, so if you often enter multiple accounts, use a name to indicate that (for example, office supplies or postage).
   
   
   
   
4. On the lines, enter each of the G/L accounts or items that you want to default on the purchase invoice. You can add multiple accounts if needed. You can also include comments if you have certain notes that you want to show on the purchase document each time this code is used.
   
   
   
   
5. Close out of the “Recurring Purchase Lines” screen by clicking the back arrow.

Assign the Recurring Purchase Line Code to a Vendor

Here’s where we assign the code from the first step to a specific vendor and select how we would like expense accounts to default on the purchase invoice.

1. Open the vendor you want to assign the default accounts and navigate to Related > Purchases > Recurring Purchase Lines.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the code that you want to assign to the vendor.
   
   Note: More than one code can be assigned.
   
   
   
   
3. Select how the accounts will default on the purchase invoice and other documents. The options are:
   
   • Manual – You will need to navigate to another menu on the purchase invoice and select an option to insert the default expense accounts.
   • Automatic – Expense accounts and lines from the recurring purchase lines code are inserted automatically when you create a new purchase document.

     Select how the accounts will default on the purchase invoice and other documents. The options are:

   • Ask Each Time – Business Central will ask if you want to insert the recurring purchase lines each time you create a purchase invoice for that vendor.

   To replicate the functionality of Dynamics GP where the expense accounts are inserted automatically and you just enter the amount, select “Automatic.”
   
   
   
   Note: There are four columns here for purchase quotes, purchase orders, purchase invoices and credit memos. You can select a different option for each document type.
   
   
4. Exit the screens by clicking the back arrow.

That’s it! Now when you create a new purchase invoice for your vendor, the lines from the recurring purchase lines will default depending on the options you selected. All you have to do is enter the cost, saving you a lot of time during the accounts payable data entry process.

Need Help?

If you’re interested in improving your processes in Business Central, contact us online or give us a call at 410.685.5512.