Setting up Dispatch Profiles
A Dispatch Profile allows businesses to configure automated document dispatching processes, ensuring efficient communication with customers and partners. This guide explains how to set up and configure a Dispatch Profile in Business Central.
Create a Dispatch Profile
To create a dispatch profile, navigate to the Dispatch Profiles page as a Document Dispatch Administrator. From there, you can create new dispatch profiles with various options that allow you to align the setup with your business process. The following table provides detailed descriptions of the available options.
Option | Description |
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Code | Specifies the code used to identify the profile. |
Output Type | Defines the main functionality of the dispatch profile. If you want to send emails, set this to "Mail"; if you want to enable downloads, set this to "Download." Since output types can vary, a detailed explanation with respective configuration steps is provided in the Output Types section. |
Table | Specifies the table to which the dispatch profile belongs. For example, if you want to create a dispatch profile for posted sales invoices, set the table to "Sales Invoice Header." |
Table Filter | Allows you to define advanced criteria to refine the table selection. For example, if you set the table to "Sales Header," which includes Sales Orders, Sales Invoices, etc., you can use the filter to specify that the "Type" field must be set to "Order." |
Description | Describes the dispatch profile. Define a meaningful name that is clear to all employees, as this will be visible in various processes. |
Enable Document Dispatch Factbox | Enables the use of the dispatch profile via the Factbox. If you do not need this functionality, disable this option. |
Enable Attachment Selection for Document Dispatch Factbox Sending | Specifies whether the attachment selection is displayed. If enabled, a pop-up window will appear during the sending process, allowing users to select attachments that need to be sent. |
Enable Automatic Sending | Enables automatic sending of the dispatch profile. If enabled, converting or posting the respective Business Central document will trigger the sending process. This feature is only available for standard sales and purchase processes. |
Process Via Job Queue | Specifies whether document creation should be processed via the job queue. This option enhances performance by handling document creation in the background rather than during document conversion. |
Enable Sending Confirmation for Automatic Sending | Requires confirmation before automatic sending proceeds. If enabled, users must confirm the Document Dispatch queue before the process continues. |
Use Dynamic Setup | Enables the dynamic setup, which utilizes dynamic business partner mappings to identify the recipient and their email address. More details can be found in the Dispatch Profile Configuration section. |
Default Language Code | Specifies the default language code used for identifying the language. |
Page | Specifies the page linked to the selected table. This page is used in the Document Dispatch Queue, allowing users to open the business partner record directly from the queue entry. |
What to do if the setup is incorrect?
If your dispatch profile is not set up correctly, the system will highlight errors by displaying them in red. You can use the Check Configuration action to identify and fix the issue.
Dispatch Profile Configuration
Each dispatch profile line in the page contains an overview below the list, where further profile configurations can be made. Here, you define the business partner connection associated with your dispatch profile.
Each dispatch profile can be assigned to one or more business partners. You need to define the necessary details about where and to whom the documents should be sent. There are two configuration approaches: Dynamic Setup and Static Setup.
With the dynamic setup, you can use the Dynamic Business Partner Mappings field to dynamically determine the business partner.
Before explaining the options, let's clarify the functionality. The Dynamic Business Partner Mapping list allows you to establish one-to-many (1:n) relationships. Each line defines a recipient type (e.g., "To," "CC," or "BCC"), and all lines are merged together, enabling emails to be sent to multiple dynamically defined recipients.
Option | Description |
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Recipient Type | Specifies the type of recipient: "To," "CC," or "BCC." The recipient's email address is retrieved from the email field in the business mapping setup, and all lines are merged into a single business partner entry. |
Primary Business Mapping | Since multiple lines can be defined with different data, this setting allows one line to be marked as primary. The primary business mapping setup will be used for sending. This setting applies only to "To" recipient types and can be enabled only once. If no line is marked as primary, the first "To" recipient line will be used automatically. |
Data Mapping Code | Specifies a data mapping code, enabling values to be retrieved from related tables. |
Field | Specifies a field from the selected source table that contains the value identifying the business partner. This field is used in business mapping. |
Business Partner Mapping Code | Specifies the type of Document Dispatch business mapping, which contains details about the recipient and additional information. |
Business Partner Filter | Allows additional filters to be applied to refine the business partner selection. |
Use the static setup if you want to directly assign a predefined Document Dispatch business partner or work with extended recipients.
This setup establishes a one-to-one (1:1) relationship since the defined options apply to only one business partner or extended recipient. The static setup must be filled out only if you are not using the dynamic setup. However, you can use both setups in combination.
Option | Description |
---|---|
Data Mapping Code | Specifies a data mapping code, enabling values to be retrieved from related tables. |
Field | Specifies a field from the selected source table that contains the value identifying the business partner. This field is used in business mapping. |
Business Partner Mapping Code | Specifies the type of Document Dispatch business mapping, which contains details about the recipient and additional information. |
Business Partner Filter | Allows additional filters to be applied to refine the business partner selection. |
Copy a Dispatch Profile
Using the Copy Dispatch Profile action, an existing dispatch profile can be duplicated with minor modifications. This helps save time when creating multiple dispatch profiles. 🚀
Setting up Automatic Sending
The following steps need to be completed to set up an automatic sending.
- Open Dispatch Profiles from the Setup menu in the ribbon bar and execute Dispatch Profiles.
- Press New to create a new Document Dispatch profile.
- Enter the name you want in the Code field, then choose an Output Type and the Table for the profile.
- Apply the tab settings you like to use in the checkboxes beside it.
- Open Output Type Setup in the action bar, and enter the right settings for the respective output type.
- If the line is shown with the color Red, we could use the action Check Configuration to look at what needs to be filled to make the profile work.
- For the Automatic Sending you need to turn on Send when Converting/Posting.
- When the user post an order from the respective Table, Document Dispatch will automaticaly send the data based on the chosen Output Type.
Enable attachment selection on automatic sending
The following steps need to be completed to enable attachment selection for automatic sending:
- Open Dispatch Profiles from the Setup menu in the ribbon bar and execute Dispatch Profiles.
- Select the Dispatch Profile where automatic sending is enabled.
- Activate the Enable Attachment Selection for Automatic Sending checkbox
Info
- A query will now be displayed when automatic sending is triggered. When confirming the query, where it is possible to select the attachments that should be sent.
- If the attachment selection is closed, the Document Dispatch entry will not be created.
Enable Email Dialog for automatic sending
The following steps need to be completed to enable the email dialog for automatic sending:
- Open Dispatch Profiles from the Setup menu on the ribbon bar and select Dispatch Profiles.
- Select the Dispatch Profile where automatic sending is enabled and the output type is Email.
- Open Output Type Setup in the action bar, and enter the right settings for the respective output type.
- Activate the Enable Email Dialog on Automatic Sending checkbox
Info
A query will now be displayed when automatic sending is triggered. When confirming the query, the email dialog will be shown where it is possible to edit the email before sending.
Steps for Email Output Type
The following steps are required to activate Automatic Sending on Email output type. 1. Choose Email as output type. 2. Click on Output Type Setup in the ribbon bar. 3. Select an email account on the field Email Account Name. (This account can be configured on the Email Accounts page. If no account is selected, the default account will be used.) 4. Select an email template type on the Email Template Type field.
Setting up Document Dispatch Template
- Configure a template with the help of Setting up Email Templates.
- Select a template on the field Default Email Template.
- Click on the action Email Placeholders in the ribbon bar to configure the placeholders for the template.
- Click on the field Email Signature to activate a signature.
- Click on the action Email Signature Placeholders and Email Signature Assignment to configure the signature.
Setting up Business Central Standard Template
- Select the report you want to use as the email body at the field Report.
- Select the Document Dispatch template in the Subject Code field from which to use the subject.
- Click on the action Email Placeholders in the ribbon bar to configure the placeholders for the template.
Setting up The sending of multiple documents at once
Setting up Multimail Template
- Configure a template with the help of Setting up Multimail Templates.
- Select a template on the field Multimail Template Code.
Info
It is not possible to define placeholders for the multimail template.
Activating the merge for Multimail
The following steps need to be completed to activate the merge of mails.
- Select the Dispatch Profile with the output type Mail where you want to configure the merge.
- Execute the Output Type Setup action in the ribbon bar.
- Activate the Merge Multimail Emails checkbox.
Info
The merge of emails is now activated and can be used. Now all emails created by the Multimail that have the same "to" email address and the same Dispatch Profile will be merged into one email with all found attachments. If the merge of emails is not activated, each mail will be sent separately and the default email template will be used.
Extra Steps for Selection Output Type
The following steps are required to active Automatic Sending on Selection output type.
- Choose Selection as output type.
- Use the Output Type Setup action.
- There will be Output Type Selection that could be turn on and off.
- Turn on the chosen output type.
- The Settings for the respective output type will be shown in the same page below the Output Type Selection.
- Enter the required configurations.
- Set the Default for Automatic Sending to the chosen Output Type for automatic sending.
- Close the page configuration page, and make sure that the option Send when Converting/Posting is turned on.
- Document Dispatch will automatically use the output type from the Default for Automatic Sending field when posting from a table.
Setting up a delayed Dispatch time
One of the following 2 processes is required if you want to set up dispatch time.
- We start in the Document Dispatch - Administrator role.
- Click on Setup in the ribbon bar and execute the action Module Setup.
- Navigate to the FactBox Setup.
- Activate the checkbox Send Delayed.
- All Document Dispatch entries created via the factbox will now be send delayed and processed with the Document Dispatch job queue.
The other option is to enable automatic sending for the dispatch profile.
- We start in the Document Dispatch - Administrator role.
- Click on Setup in the ribbon bar and execute the action General Datasets.
- Click on the dispatch profile that should be configured with the dispatch time.
- Activate the checkbox Enable Automatic Sending.
- When the user post an order from the respective Table, Document Dispatch will automaticaly send the data based on the chosen Output Type.
The following steps need to be completed to activate the dispatch time.
- We start in the Document Dispatch - Administrator role.
- Click on Setup in the ribbon bar and execute the action General Datasets.
- Click on the dispatch profile that should be configured with the dispatch time.
- Execute the action Output Type Setup in the ribbon bar.
- Enter the desired dispatch time in the field Delayed Dispatch Time.
- Every Delayed Document Dispatch entry that originates from the dispatch profile will now be only processed via the job queue after the configured time is passed.
Info
if no time is specified, the delayed entries will be processed as soon as the job queue is processed.
Define if found Extended Recipents are merged
- Start in Document Dispatch - Administrator role.
- Navigat to Document Dispatch - Profiles in the search field.
- Select a Dispatch Profile you want want to edit an which is from the Output Type Mail.
- Use the action Output Type Setup in the action bar.
- Enable or disable the field Combine Business Partner. This field specifies whether a single combined email or separate emails should be sent in the event of multiple detected recipient email addresses. This will only be used in case the feature of the extended recipent data table is used. If this feature is activated and more than one line for the same dispatch profile and the type email address is found the result will be merged (no document merge) and sent in a single email. Otherwise each recipient can be selected seperatly.