Table of Contents

Dimension Management

The Dimension Management feature provides advanced dimension validation capabilities with configurable checking stages, enhanced dimension controls, and comprehensive dimension management tools for improved financial reporting and analysis.

🎯 Overview

This feature extends Business Central's dimension functionality with sophisticated validation controls, configurable checking stages, enhanced dimension management, and comprehensive validation rules to ensure proper dimension usage and financial reporting accuracy.

✨ Key Features

Configurable Dimension Validation

  • Multi-Stage Checking: Configure dimension validation at Release, Approval, or Posting stages
  • Document-Type Specific Rules: Different validation rules for different document types
  • Conditional Validation: Validation rules based on specific business conditions
  • User-Defined Validation: Custom validation rules for specific business requirements

Enhanced Dimension Controls

  • Mandatory Dimension Validation: Ensure required dimensions are specified
  • Dimension Combination Validation: Validate proper dimension combinations
  • Cross-Dimension Rules: Advanced validation between dimension values
  • Default Dimension Management: Enhanced default dimension handling

Advanced Dimension Features

  • Quick Add Functionality: Allow quick addition of dimension values during entry
  • Sell-to Customer Dimensions: Use sell-to customer dimensions in sales processes
  • Enhanced Dimension Defaults: Improved dimension default population
  • Dimension Restriction Management: Control dimension usage by user or role

Dimension Workflow Integration

  • Approval Workflow Integration: Dimension validation in approval workflows
  • Change Tracking: Track dimension changes during approval processes
  • Dimension-Based Routing: Route approvals based on dimension values
  • Workflow Dimension Validation: Ensure proper dimensions in workflow scenarios

📋 Setup Instructions

1. Dimension Validation Configuration

Configure Dimension Checking Stages

  1. Open Sales & Receivables Setup:

    Dimension Checking: At Release
Options:
- At Release: Validate when document is released
- At Approval: Validate during approval process
- At Posting: Validate at posting time

  2. Open Purchases & Payables Setup:

    Dimension Checking: At Approval
Use Sell-to Customer Dimensions: Yes (for sales)

Set Up Mandatory Dimensions

  1. Navigate to Default Dimensions for relevant master records
  2. Configure mandatory dimensions: 
    Table ID: 18 (Customer)
No.: CUST001
Dimension Code: DEPARTMENT
Value Posting: Code Mandatory

2. Quick Add Configuration

Enable Dimension Value Quick Add

  1. Open Linc Setup
  2. Enable Allow Dim. Val. Quick Add: Yes
  3. Configure quick add permissions: 
    User Setup:
Allow Dimension Quick Add: Yes
Dimension Quick Add Limit: 10 per session

3. Advanced Dimension Rules

Set Up Dimension Combinations

  1. Open Dimension Combinations
  2. Configure allowed combinations: 
    Code 1: DEPARTMENT
Code 2: PROJECT
Combination Restriction: No Limitations

Configure Dimension Restrictions

  1. Set up user-specific dimension restrictions: 
    User ID: SALES_USER
Dimension Code: DEPARTMENT
Allowed Values: SALES, MARKETING
Restriction Type: Limited Access

4. Workflow Integration Setup

Configure Dimension Workflow Events

  1. Set up workflow events for dimension changes: 
    Event: Dimension Change Detected
Condition: Department dimension changed
Response: Send for approval

Enable Dimension Approval Requirements

  1. Configure approval requirements for dimension changes: 
    Approval Type: Dimension Change
Approval Limit: Department Head
Required for: Budget-sensitive dimensions

🔧 Configuration Options

Dimension Checking Stages

Stage Description When Applied Best For
At Release Early validation Document release Catch errors early
At Approval Mid-process validation During approval Business rule compliance
At Posting Final validation Document posting Last line of defense
Real-time Immediate validation Field entry User guidance

Dimension Value Posting Options

Option Description Enforcement Use Case
Code Mandatory Dimension code required Must specify value Required dimensions
Same Code Must use same code as default Consistency enforcement Standardization
No Code Dimension code not allowed Block dimension usage Restricted scenarios
Blank/Code Optional dimension usage Flexible usage Optional dimensions

Validation Severity Levels

Level Description User Experience Business Impact
Information Informational message Show info, continue User awareness
Warning Warning message Show warning, allow proceed User decision
Error Error message Block action Must resolve
Critical Critical validation failure Block and escalate Administrator review

💡 Business Benefits

Enhanced Financial Control

  • Proper Segmentation: Ensure proper financial segmentation
  • Consistent Reporting: Consistent dimension usage across all transactions
  • Budget Control: Better budget control through dimension validation
  • Audit Compliance: Meet audit requirements for dimension tracking

Improved Data Quality

  • Standardization: Standardized dimension usage across organization
  • Error Prevention: Prevent dimension-related posting errors
  • Consistency: Consistent dimension combinations and values
  • Completeness: Ensure complete dimension information

Operational Efficiency

  • Early Validation: Catch dimension errors before processing
  • User Guidance: Provide real-time guidance on dimension requirements
  • Automated Validation: Reduce manual dimension checking
  • Process Integration: Seamless integration with business processes

📊 Usage Examples

Example 1: Sales Order Dimension Validation

Scenario: Sales order release with missing department
Document: Sales Order SO-2024-001
Customer: CUST001 (Department mandatory)
Missing: Department dimension on order lines

Validation Stage: At Release
Result: Error "Department dimension mandatory for customer CUST001"
Action Required: Add department to all lines before release

Example 2: Quick Dimension Value Addition

Scenario: User needs new project dimension value
Context: Creating purchase order for new project
Current Project Values: PROJ001, PROJ002, PROJ003
Required: PROJ004 (Emergency Project)

Quick Add Process:
1. User enters "PROJ004" in dimension field
2. System prompts "Create new dimension value?"
3. User confirms and provides description
4. New dimension value created and assigned
5. Order processing continues without interruption

Example 3: Dimension Checking at Approval

Scenario: Purchase order approval with dimension validation
Document: Purchase Order PO-2024-050
Amount: $50,000 (requires approval)
Dimension Setup: Cost Center mandatory for approvals

Approval Process:
1. User submits for approval
2. System checks dimension requirements
3. Missing cost center detected
4. Approval blocked until dimension added
5. User adds cost center, resubmits
6. Approval proceeds normally

Example 4: Sell-to Customer Dimension Usage

Scenario: Sales order using sell-to customer dimensions
Bill-to Customer: CUST_HQ (Dimensions: Dept=CORPORATE, Region=NATIONAL)
Sell-to Customer: CUST_BRANCH (Dimensions: Dept=SALES, Region=REGIONAL)

Configuration: Use Sell-to Customer Dimensions = Yes
Result:
- Order uses SALES department (from sell-to)
- Order uses REGIONAL region (from sell-to)
- Proper financial allocation to selling location

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Dimension Validation Not Working

Problem: Dimension validation not triggering at configured stage Solution:

  1. Check dimension checking configuration in setup
  2. Verify validation stage setting (Release/Approval/Posting)
  3. Ensure user permissions include dimension validation
  4. Review document-specific dimension requirements

Quick Add Permission Issues

Problem: Users cannot quick add dimension values Solution:

  1. Check "Allow Dim. Val. Quick Add" in Linc Setup
  2. Verify user permissions for dimension value table
  3. Ensure user has modify permissions for dimensions
  4. Review security filtering on dimension values

Wrong Dimensions Being Used

Problem: Incorrect default dimensions being populated Solution:

  1. Review default dimension setup for master records
  2. Check dimension priority rules and hierarchy
  3. Verify sell-to customer dimension configuration
  4. Review dimension combination restrictions

Approval Blocking on Dimensions

Problem: Approvals blocked due to dimension requirements Solution:

  1. Review dimension requirements for approval workflows
  2. Check mandatory dimension configuration
  3. Verify dimension values exist and are valid
  4. Ensure proper dimension permissions for approvers

📈 Monitoring & Analytics

Dimension Performance Metrics

  • Validation Success Rates: Track successful dimension validations
  • Error Frequency: Monitor common dimension validation errors
  • Quick Add Usage: Track dimension value quick add usage
  • Compliance Rates: Monitor dimension compliance across processes

Key Performance Indicators

  • Percentage of transactions with complete dimensions
  • Average time to resolve dimension validation errors
  • User adoption of dimension quick add feature
  • Dimension-related approval processing times

Reporting Capabilities

  • Dimension Usage Analysis: Analyze dimension usage patterns
  • Dimension Quality Report: Monitor dimension data quality
  • Validation Error Report: Track dimension validation failures
  • Compliance Dashboard: Monitor dimension compliance metrics

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Complex Dimension Scenarios

  • Multi-Company Dimensions: Dimension management across companies
  • Time-Based Dimensions: Dimensions that change over time
  • Hierarchical Dimensions: Support for dimension hierarchies
  • Calculated Dimensions: Dimensions derived from other values

Integration Features

  • BI Integration: Dimension data integration with business intelligence
  • External Systems: Dimension synchronization with external systems
  • Consolidation: Dimension mapping for consolidation scenarios
  • Reporting Integration: Enhanced dimension reporting capabilities

Automation Capabilities

  • Auto-Population: Automatic dimension population based on rules
  • Bulk Updates: Bulk dimension updates and corrections
  • Scheduled Validation: Scheduled dimension validation processes
  • Exception Handling: Automatic handling of dimension exceptions

🔗 Related Features

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