Data Validation & Controls

The Data Validation & Controls feature provides comprehensive business rule enforcement, data quality controls, and validation mechanisms to ensure data integrity and business process compliance across all areas of Business Central.

🎯 Overview

This feature implements sophisticated validation controls and business rule enforcement mechanisms that go beyond Business Central's standard validation. It ensures data quality, prevents common data entry errors, and enforces business process compliance through configurable validation rules.

✨ Key Features

Document Validation Controls

• Unique External Document Number Checking: Prevent duplicate external document numbers
• Vendor Invoice Validation: Comprehensive vendor invoice number validation
• Vendor Shipment Number Controls: Mandatory and duplicate checking for vendor shipments
• Document Date Validation: Enhanced document date validation and controls

Currency & Pricing Controls

• Same Currency Mandatory Enforcement: Configurable currency matching requirements
• Zero Sales Price Prevention: Prevent zero-price sales with configurable controls
• Currency Consistency Validation: Ensure currency consistency across related documents
• Multi-Currency Validation: Advanced validation for multi-currency scenarios

Dimension Validation

• Configurable Dimension Checking: Validate dimensions at Release, Approval, or Posting
• Mandatory Dimension Validation: Ensure required dimensions are specified
• Dimension Consistency: Validate dimension consistency across document lines
• Cross-Dimension Validation: Advanced validation between dimension values

Master Data Controls

• Mandatory Field Validation: Configure mandatory fields for different record types
• Cross-Field Validation: Validate relationships between fields
• Data Format Validation: Ensure proper data formats and ranges
• Business Rule Enforcement: Comprehensive business rule validation

📋 Setup Instructions

1. Document Validation Setup

Configure External Document Number Validation

1. Open Sales & Receivables Setup or Purchases & Payables Setup
2. Enable unique document checking:

   Unique Vendor Document Checking: At Release
   Check Stage Options:
   - At Release: Check when document is released
   - At Approval: Check during approval process  
   - At Posting: Check at posting time
   

Set Up Vendor Shipment Controls

1. In Purchases & Payables Setup:

   Vendor Shipment No. Mandatory: All
   Options:
   - None: No validation
   - Item: Mandatory for item lines only
   - All: Mandatory for all purchase lines
   

2. Currency Validation Configuration

Configure Same Currency Mandatory

1. Set up currency validation in Sales & Receivables Setup:

   Same Currency Mandatory: Warning
   Options:
   - Default: Use customer-specific setting
   - No: Allow different currencies
   - Yes: Enforce same currency (error)
   - Warning: Show warning but allow proceed
   

Customer-Specific Currency Control

1. For each customer, set Same Currency Mandatory:

   Customer: CUST001
   Currency Code: USD
   Same Currency Mandatory: Yes
   Result: All documents must use USD currency
   

3. Pricing Validation Setup

Configure Zero Price Prevention

1. Set system defaults:

   Sales & Receivables Setup:
   Prevent Zero Sales Prices: Yes
   
   Customer Card Override:
   Prevent Zero Sales Prices: Customer-specific setting
   

Item-Level Price Controls

1. Configure item-specific controls:

   Item Card:
   Prevent Zero Sales Prices: Yes
   Result: Override customer and system settings
   

4. Dimension Validation Configuration

Set Up Dimension Checking Stages

1. Configure when dimension validation occurs:

   Sales & Receivables Setup:
   Dimension Checking: At Release
   
   Purchases & Payables Setup:
   Dimension Checking: At Approval
   
   Options:
   - At Release: Validate when document released
   - At Approval: Validate during approval
   - At Posting: Validate at posting time
   

Configure Mandatory Dimensions

1. Set up required dimensions by document type:

   Dimension Code: DEPARTMENT
   Mandatory for: Sales Orders, Purchase Orders
   Validation Level: Error (prevent posting)
   

🔧 Configuration Options

Validation Timing Options

Stage	Description	When Applied	Use Case
At Release	Early validation	Document release	Catch errors early
At Approval	Mid-process validation	Approval workflow	Business rule compliance
At Posting	Final validation	Document posting	Last line of defense
Real-time	Immediate validation	Field modification	User guidance

Currency Enforcement Levels

Level	Description	User Experience	Business Impact
Default	Use system/customer default	Based on setup	Flexible control
No	No enforcement	Full flexibility	No restrictions
Yes	Strict enforcement	Error if mismatch	Strong control
Warning	Soft enforcement	Warning message	User awareness

Validation Severity Levels

Level	Description	System Response	User Action
Information	Informational message	Show message, continue	None required
Warning	Warning message	Show warning, allow proceed	User decision
Error	Error message	Block action	Must resolve
Critical	Critical error	Block and log	Administrator intervention

💡 Business Benefits

Enhanced Data Quality

• Consistent Data Entry: Standardized data entry across all users
• Error Prevention: Prevent common data entry errors before they occur
• Data Integrity: Maintain data integrity through comprehensive validation
• Standardization: Ensure consistent data formats and values

Improved Compliance

• Business Rule Enforcement: Automatic enforcement of business rules
• Regulatory Compliance: Meet regulatory data quality requirements
• Audit Trail: Complete audit trail of validation activities
• Process Compliance: Ensure adherence to business processes

Operational Efficiency

• Reduced Errors: Significant reduction in data entry errors
• Early Detection: Catch errors early in the process
• Automated Validation: Reduce manual data checking efforts
• User Guidance: Provide real-time guidance to users

📊 Usage Examples

Example 1: Vendor Invoice Duplicate Prevention

Scenario: Entering vendor invoice
Vendor: VENDOR001
External Document No.: INV-2024-001
System Check: Previous invoice with same number exists
Result: Error message "Duplicate vendor invoice number"
Action Required: Use different document number or verify if duplicate

Example 2: Currency Validation with Warning

Scenario: Sales order creation
Customer: CUSTOMER_USD (Currency: USD)
Order Currency: EUR
Customer Setting: Same Currency Mandatory = Warning
Result: Warning "Customer currency is USD, order currency is EUR"
User Decision: Continue with EUR or change to USD

Example 3: Dimension Validation at Release

Scenario: Purchase order release
Document: Purchase Order PO-2024-001
Missing: Department dimension on line 2
Validation Stage: At Release
Result: Error "Department dimension mandatory for purchase orders"
Action Required: Add department dimension before release

Example 4: Zero Price Prevention

Scenario: Sales order line entry
Item: WIDGET001
Quantity: 10
Unit Price: 0.00
Customer Setting: Prevent Zero Sales Prices = Yes
Result: Error "Zero sales prices not allowed for this customer"
Solution: Enter valid unit price or change customer setting

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Validation Not Triggering

Problem: Validation rules not being enforced Solution:

1. Check validation configuration in setup tables
2. Verify validation stage settings (Release/Approval/Posting)
3. Ensure user permissions include validation enforcement
4. Review field-specific validation settings

False Positive Validations

Problem: Validation errors for valid business scenarios Solution:

1. Review validation rule configuration
2. Check for customer/vendor specific overrides
3. Verify validation logic matches business requirements
4. Consider adjusting validation severity levels

Performance Issues with Validation

Problem: System slow due to extensive validation Solution:

1. Review validation frequency and complexity
2. Consider moving validation to different stages
3. Optimize validation logic and queries
4. Implement selective validation based on criteria

User Confusion About Validation Messages

Problem: Users don't understand validation messages Solution:

1. Customize validation messages for clarity
2. Provide user training on validation rules
3. Create help documentation for common validations
4. Implement user-friendly error messages

📈 Monitoring & Reporting

Validation Performance Metrics

• Validation Success Rates: Track percentage of successful validations
• Error Frequency: Monitor most common validation errors
• User Compliance: Track user adherence to validation rules
• System Performance: Monitor validation performance impact

Key Performance Indicators

• Percentage reduction in data entry errors
• Time saved through early error detection
• User satisfaction with validation controls
• Compliance improvement metrics

Available Reports

• Data Quality Dashboard: Overview of data quality metrics
• Validation Error Analysis: Detailed analysis of validation failures
• User Compliance Report: User adherence to validation rules
• System Performance Report: Impact of validation on system performance

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Custom Validation Rules

Create custom validation rules for specific business requirements:

• Industry-Specific Rules: Validation rules specific to your industry
• Complex Business Logic: Multi-field and cross-table validation
• Integration Validation: Validation for integrated systems
• Regulatory Compliance: Validation for specific regulatory requirements

Conditional Validation

• Context-Sensitive Rules: Validation rules based on document context
• User-Based Validation: Different rules for different user types
• Time-Based Validation: Validation rules that change over time
• Entity-Specific Rules: Validation based on customer, vendor, or item type

Integration Capabilities

• External Validation Services: Integration with external validation systems
• Real-Time Validation: Real-time validation during data entry
• Batch Validation: Validation for imported or batch-processed data
• Cross-System Validation: Validation across multiple Business Central companies

🔗 Related Features

• Customer Management - Customer-specific validation rules
• Vendor Management - Vendor validation controls
• VAT Management - VAT-specific validation rules
• Journal Management - Journal entry validation controls

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For additional support or feature requests, contact Linc Communications technical support.