Dimensions

Enable Shortcut Dimensions 3-8 Enhancement

  1. To enable or disable this feature, navigate to the SL Overlay Setup page > Default Dimensionsfast tab.
  2. Select the option: Enable SL Overlay Dimensions to enable it. Deselect the option to disable it.
Important

If the SL Overlay Dimensions enhancement is disabled, SL Overlay Reports will display a message: "SL Overlay Shortcut Dimensions must be turned on in the SL Overlay Setup". In addition, any pages that use dimensions (such as the Chart of Accounts, or Ledger Entry pages), the SL Overlay Dimensions will be replaced with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central shortcut dimensions.

Shortcut Dimensions 3-8

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central includes 8 different dimensions that can be used to take account information being entered and further break it down for reporting and other needs. Only two of these dimensions are available globally for setup and data entry. The remaining dimensions, 3-8, are available but requires navigation from main screens (setup and data entry type screens) to access or enter data.

The idea of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central dimensions is similar to the idea of the Microsoft Dynamics SL sub-account. SL sub-accounts can be defined for setup and data entry and support having up to 8 different segments. Microsoft Dynamics SL users are used to having up to 8 segments available for data entry or setup.

The SL Overlay adds the remaining Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central dimensions (3-8) to the setup and data entry screens in the financial modules. This makes the entry and use of these fields easier for the end users. Please note that a future feature will include the ability to use these dimensions to filter for reporting purposes.

The focus of this help article is around the changes to how global and shortcut dimensions are displayed and how they work differently in master records, and ledgers with the SL Overlay installed.

Analyzing by Dimensions

The Dimensions functionality plays an important role in business intelligence, such as when defining analysis views.

Dimension Sets

Dimension Sets do not work differently with the SL Overlay installed. The Dimension Set ID will still represent a Dimension Combination. A new field has been added to the Dimension Value table called Shortcut Dimension No. This field is used to allow the Shortcut Dimensions to be populated on ledger entries. This is a system field – the user does not need to do anything with this field. It will be automatically filled in and the user will not see it.

A dimension set is a unique combination of dimension values. It is stored as dimension set entries in the database. Each dimension set entry represents a single dimension value. The dimension set is identified by a common dimension set ID that is assigned to each dimension set entry that belongs to the dimension set.

In standard Dynamics 365 Business Central, when you create a journal line, document header, or document line, you can specify a combination of dimension values. Instead of explicitly storing each dimension value in the database, a dimension set ID is assigned to the journal line, document header, or document line to specify the dimension set.

However, current Dynamics 365 Business Central functionality restricts the ability to filter using the shortcut dimensions. While you can filter reports and screens on sets of dimensions (which may include global dimensions and shortcut dimensions), you cannot filter on just a specific shortcut dimension. The SL Overlay provides that additional functionality to filter on a specific shortcut dimension.

Setting Up Dimensions

You can define the dimensions and dimension values to categorize journals and documents, such as sales orders and purchase orders. You set up dimensions on the Dimensions page, where you create one line for each dimension, such as Project, Department, Area, and Salesperson.

You also set up values for dimensions. For example, values might be departments in your company. Dimension values can be set up in a hierarchical structure similar to the chart of accounts, so that data can be broken down into various levels of granularity, and subsets of dimension values can be totaled. You can define as many dimensions and dimension values as you need, and everyone in your company can use them.

When dimensions and values are set up, you can define global and shortcut dimensions on the General Ledger Setup page that will always be available to select as fields on journal and document lines, without having to open the Dimensions page first.

  • Global Dimensions are used as filters, for example, on reports, batch jobs, and XMLports. You can use only two global dimensions, so choose dimensions you will use often. Global dimensions are defined by the first 2 dimensions set up in the system. You can change the global dimension 1 and 2 between the global dimensions, but you cannot designate other dimensions as global dimensions.

  • With the SL Overlay, Shortcut Dimensions are also available as filters on fields on journal and document lines, the same as Global Dimensions. There is no limit to the number of Dimension Sets you can maintain and up to six of these can be specified in General Ledger Setup to be used for your Filtering and Entry needs.

To set up default dimensions for customers, vendors, and other accounts

You can assign a default dimension for a specific account. The dimension will be copied to the journal or document when you enter the account number on a line, but you can delete or change the code on the line if appropriate. You can also make a dimension required for posting an entry with a specific type of account.

With the SL Overlay, you can define your Global and Shortcut dimensions in a new Default Dimensions fast tab in the Customer Card, Vendor Card and G/L Account Card. If you add dimensions here, they will be automatically added to the Default Dimensions table. Also, if you add the Global and Shortcut dimensions in the Default Dimensions table, they will automatically be copied back to the Default Dimensions fast tab on the card.

To set up global and shortcut dimensions

Global and shortcut dimensions can be used as a filter anywhere including on reports, batch jobs, and analysis views. Global and shortcut dimensions are always available to be inserted directly without first opening the Dimensions page.

With the SL Overlay, on journal and document lines, you can select global or shortcut dimensions in a field on the line. You can set up two global dimensions and six shortcut dimensions. Choose the dimensions that you use most frequently.

Using Dimensions with the SL Overlay

In a document such as a sales order, you can add dimension information for both an individual document line and the document itself. For example, on the Sales Order page, you can enter dimension values for the first two shortcut dimensions on the individual sales lines, and you can add more dimension information if you choose the Dimensions button.

If you work in a journal instead, you can add dimension information to an entry in the same way, if you have set up shortcut dimensions as fields directly on journal lines.

You can set up default dimensions for accounts or account types, so that dimensions and dimension values are filled in automatically.

To view global and shortcut dimensions in ledger entry pages

Global dimensions are always company-defined and company-named. To see the global dimensions and shortcut dimensions for your company, open the General Ledger Setup page.

In a ledger entry page, you can see whether there are global or shortcut dimensions for the entries. The SL Overlay allows you to use them as filters anywhere in the system. The SL Overlay allows you to filter directly on shortcut dimensions by themselves, or you can group them with the global dimensions as well.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Chart of Accounts, and then choose the related link.

  2. On the Chart of Accounts page, choose the Ledger Entries action.

  3. To see only the entries that are relevant, set one or more filters on the page.

  4. To see all the dimensions for an entry, select the entry, and then choose the Dimensions action.

  5. You are able to add filters in Customer Ledger, Vendor Ledger and General Ledger for up to 8 dimensions, depending on how many dimensions are in use.

Shortcut Dimensions and Trial Balance Report

The SL Overlay adds the ability to add filters for shortcut dimensions 3-8 to the Trial Balance Detail/Summary Report and the Trial Balance Report. The overlay adds a filter option for each Shortcut Dimension maintained in General Ledger Setup, which will show in the filtering list for Filter Totals By…

Shortcut Dimensions and Chart of Accounts

The SL Overlay adds the ability to add filters for shortcut dimensions 3 – 8 to the Chart of Accounts page. To display the SL Overlay generated values in the new fields, you will need to add these fields to the Chart of Accounts. To add the new SL Overlay shortcut dimension fields to display in the Chart of Accounts, use these steps:

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Chart of Accounts, and then choose the related link.
  2. Select Settings > Personalize
  3. From the Personalizing: option, select +Field
  4. The SL Overlay added fields will display with an asterisk(*) in the front of the field name. Review the list and select, then drag and drop the SL Overlay Chart of Account fields to the form in the desired column.
  5. Select Done to complete the action.

To add a filter to the Chart of Accounts to display values in the newly added shortcut dimension fields, use these steps:

  1. Choose the Funnel that opens the Show filter pane feature icon.
  2. Under Filter list by", choose +Filter. The new Shortcut Dimension fields display with an asterisk (*) in the field name.
  3. Select the desired shortcut dimension fields as filter(s) to display the Chart of Accounts using the selected dimensions.

See Also

Working with Dimensions

Analyze Data by Dimensions