---
title: "Information Codes"
slug: "information-codes"
description: "Master Data Information app utilizes Information Codes to define attributes like Colour and Material, ensuring consistent data across Business Central."
status: "update"
updated: 2026-05-06T07:42:21Z
published: 2026-05-22T11:55:29Z
canonical: "docs.abakion.com/information-codes"
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abakion.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Information Codes

## Feature Overview

Information Codes are the foundation of the Master Data Information app. An Information Code defines a single attribute — such as "Colour", "Material", "Certification", or "Weight" — that can be assigned to master data records across Business Central. Every specification you collect, display, or print flows through an Information Code.

Each Information Code has a subtype that signals its intended use. A code with subtype **Specification** holds structured attribute values chosen from a predefined list. A code with subtype **Text** holds longer free-form descriptions. A code with subtype **File** is used to attach images or documents. The subtype is used for filtering throughout the app, so setting it correctly from the start keeps pages and documents clean and predictable.

Information Codes are deliberately reusable. You define "Colour" once, and that same code can appear on items, customers, vendors, lot numbers, serial numbers, and any other supported entity. If you want to restrict a code to a specific entity type, set the **Table** field — the code will then only be available when working with records from that table.

Beyond the basic attribute definition, each Information Code controls a wide range of behaviour: whether users are allowed to add new values on the fly, whether a data type validation should be enforced when entering values, how the code contributes to automatically generated descriptions (Item Description, Long Description, Report Description), whether changes to the code should be tracked in the archive, and whether a pop-up message should appear when the code is encountered on a document.

**Key Facts**

| Area | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Where to set up | Information Code Card, Information Code List |
| Supported subtypes | Specification, Text, File |
| Supported entity types | Items, Customers, Vendors, Lot Numbers, Serial Numbers, Package Numbers, Jobs, and more |
| Key configuration fields | Code, Description, Subtype, Validation Datatype, Table, Sorting Level, Allow Users to Add Information Values, Delete is not Allowed |
| Integration points | Information Values, Translations, Extended Texts, Merge Descriptions, Logical Dependencies, Specifications on Pages, Master Data on Documents, Archive Entries, Pop-up Messages, Item Attribute Synchronization |

---

## Getting Started

1. Open **Information Code List** from the Master Data Information menu or by searching for it in Business Central.
2. Choose **New** to open the **Information Code Card**.
3. Enter a short, unique **Code** (up to 20 characters) and a descriptive **Description**.
4. Set the **Subtype** field to reflect the intended use: *Specification* for structured attributes, *Text* for longer descriptions, *File* for attachments.
5. If the code should only be available for a specific entity type (e.g. items only), set the **Table** field. Leave it blank to make the code available across all entity types.
6. If users should only be able to select from a fixed list of values, leave **Allow Users to Add Information Values** disabled and define your values via the **Information Values** action. If users should be able to type free values, enable this field.
7. If you want to enforce a specific data format (number, date, boolean, etc.), set the **Validation Datatype** field.
8. Set **Sorting Level** to control the order in which this code appears on the Information Setup page and in Master Data on Documents.
9. If this code should contribute to automatically generated item or report descriptions, configure the relevant **Merge Descriptions** fields on the card.
10. Save the record. The Information Code is now available for assignment to master data records.

---

## Related Features

Information Codes are the central building block that all other features in the app depend on. **Information Values** defines the allowed options for a code of subtype Specification — without values, users cannot select anything. **Translations** allows the code description and its values to be shown in the correct language on documents. **Merge Descriptions** uses one or more Information Codes to automatically generate item or document descriptions by combining their values in a defined format. **Logical Dependencies** uses Information Codes to define rules that control which values are valid depending on what has been selected in a related code. **Specifications on Pages** exposes Information Codes as fields directly on Business Central pages such as the Item Card or Sales Order. **Master Data on Documents** controls which Information Codes flow to printed sales and purchase documents. **Item Attribute Synchronization** links an Information Code to a standard Business Central Item Attribute, keeping the two in sync.

---

## User Stories

****US-01: Create a new specification attribute for items****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** create an Information Code for a product attribute such as "Colour" **So that** all users enter colour information in a consistent, structured way across all item records

**Setup:**

1. Open **Information Code List** and choose **New**.
2. Enter a **Code** (e.g. `COLOUR`) and a **Description** (e.g. `Colour`).
3. Set **Subtype** to *Specification*.
4. Set **Table** to *Item* if this code should only appear on items.
5. Open the **Information Values** action and add the allowed colours (e.g. `RED`, `BLUE`, `GREEN`).
6. Save and close.

****US-02: Restrict an Information Code to a specific entity type****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** ensure that the "Fabric Content" Information Code only appears when working with items **So that** the code does not clutter the specification page for customers or vendors

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the relevant code.
2. Set the **Table** field to *Item*.
3. Save. The code will no longer appear in the Information Setup for other entity types.

****US-03: Allow free-text entry without a predefined value list****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** let users type a free numeric value for "Weight (kg)" rather than selecting from a list **So that** each item can have its exact weight recorded without needing a value per weight

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the relevant code.
2. Set **Subtype** to *Specification*.
3. Set **Validation Datatype** to *Decimal* to enforce numeric input.
4. Leave **Information Values** empty — with no predefined values, users can type directly into the **Value** field on the Information Setup page.
5. Optionally enable **Delete Zero Values** so that entering 0 removes the entry rather than saving a zero value. This applies when editing via the **Information Matrix** or via a **Specifications on Pages** embedded field.
6. Save.

****US-04: Validate that users enter a valid date format****

**As a** IT Manager **I want to** enforce that the "Last Inspection Date" attribute only accepts valid dates **So that** the data quality is maintained and downstream processes can rely on the values

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the relevant code.
2. Set **Validation Datatype** to *Date*.
3. Save. Business Central will now validate any value entered against this code and reject non-date input.

****US-05: Prevent accidental deletion of a critical Information Code****

**As a** IT Manager **I want to** protect the "Product Category" Information Code from being deleted **So that** users cannot accidentally remove a code that is used across thousands of item records

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the relevant code.
2. Enable **Delete is not Allowed**.
3. Save. Any attempt to delete this code will now result in an error.

****US-06: Control the display order of Information Codes on specification pages****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** ensure that the most important attributes appear at the top of the specification page **So that** users see and fill in the critical fields first

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for each relevant code.
2. Set **Sorting Level** to a numeric value — lower numbers appear first (e.g. set the most important code to `10`, the next to `20`, etc.).
3. Save each code. The order on the Information Setup page and in Master Data on Documents will update accordingly.

****US-07: Create a text-type Information Code for marketing descriptions****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** create an Information Code specifically for longer product marketing text **So that** this text is kept separate from structured specifications and can be formatted using the Extended Texts editor

**Setup:**

1. Open **Information Code List** and choose **New**.
2. Enter a **Code** (e.g. `MKTG-TEXT`) and a **Description** (e.g. `Marketing Description`).
3. Set **Subtype** to *Text*.
4. Save. Users can now open the **Extended Texts** action on any item's specification page to write rich text for this code.

****US-08: Create a file-type Information Code for product images****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** create an Information Code used specifically to attach product images **So that** images are stored consistently alongside other specifications

**Setup:**

1. Open **Information Code List** and choose **New**.
2. Enter a **Code** (e.g. `PROD-IMAGE`) and a **Description** (e.g. `Product Image`).
3. Set **Subtype** to *File*.
4. Save. Users can now attach image files to this code from the item's specification page.

****US-09: Configure an Information Code to contribute to the item's Long Description****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** include the "Brand" and "Model" codes in the automatically generated Long Description **So that** the Long Description field on item records is always up to date without manual editing

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the `BRAND` code.
2. In the **Merge Descriptions** group, set **Long Description** to a Description Setup code (e.g. `IV`).
3. Set **Long Description Order** to control where this code appears in the merged result (e.g. `10`).
4. Repeat for the `MODEL` code with order `20`.
5. Use the **Update Merge Descriptions** action to regenerate all existing Long Descriptions.

> **Note:** The Description Setup code controls how the value is formatted — whether to include the code description, the value, or the information value. See the Merge Descriptions article for details.

****US-10: Set up an Information Code to participate in Logical Dependencies****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** mark the "Material Type" code as a driver for Logical Dependencies **So that** selecting "Metal" automatically restricts the available values on the "Surface Treatment" code

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for `MATERIAL-TYPE`.
2. In the **Logical Dependencies** group, enable **Logical Dependencies**.
3. Open the **Logical Dependencies** action and define the rules between Information Codes and their values.

> **Note:** See the Logical Dependencies article for full setup instructions.

****US-11: Enable Specification Search for an Information Code****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** include the "Material" code in the Specification Search index **So that** sales users can find items by searching for material values

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the relevant code.
2. In the **Specification Search** group, enable **Include in Specification Search**.
3. Save. This code's values will now be included when the Specification Search string is calculated.

> **Note:** The Specification Search feature must be enabled in Master Data Information Setup.

****US-12: Roll up an Information Code value through the Master Data Hierarchy****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** roll up the "Certification" value from child items to their parent in the hierarchy **So that** the parent level automatically reflects the certifications held by its components

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for the `CERTIFICATION` code.
2. In the **Master Data Hierarchy** group, enable **Roll up Hierarchy**.
3. Ensure the Master Data Hierarchy is set up and refreshed.

> **Note:** See the Hierarchies article for instructions on setting up and refreshing the hierarchy.

****US-13: Configure an Information Code for webshop export and filtering****

**As a** IT Manager **I want to** mark the "Colour" Information Code as exportable to the webshop and configure how its value is represented in the export **So that** the webshop integration picks up the correct attribute data in the correct format

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for `COLOUR`.
2. In the **Web Shop** group, enable **Export to webshop**.
3. Enable **Filter on Web** if this attribute should be available as a filter facet in the webshop.
4. Set **Web value option** to the field combination that the webshop integration expects — for example *Information Value* (the code), *Description* (the label), or a combined format.
5. The **Web Name** field is auto-populated from the Code when the code is created; adjust it if the webshop integration requires a different identifier.
6. Save.

> **Note:** These fields are consumed by webshop integrations that read from the Master Data Information data model. The exact behaviour depends on the webshop connector in use.

****US-14: Allow the same Information Code to be assigned multiple times with different values****

**As a** Business Manager **I want to** assign multiple certifications to a single item — for example both "CE" and "UL" — using the same Information Code **So that** an item can hold more than one value for the same attribute simultaneously

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for `CERTIFICATION`.
2. Enable **Allow Multiple Information Values**.
3. Save.
4. Open an item and choose **Master Data Information → Specifications**.
5. Add a line: **Information Code** = `CERTIFICATION`, **Information Value** = `CE`.
6. Add a second line: **Information Code** = `CERTIFICATION`, **Information Value** = `UL`.

> **Note:** Without this flag enabled, the system will show an error if you try to add a second line for the same Information Code on the same record. When using **Specifications on Pages**, multiple values for the same code require a separate field slot per value — each slot must be configured with a specific **Information Value** in the Specifications on Pages setup. See the Specifications on Pages article for details.

****US-15: Ensure each Information Value can only be assigned to one record at a time****

**As a** IT Manager **I want to** configure the "Serial Number" Information Code so that each serial number value can only be assigned to a single item **So that** the system enforces uniqueness and prevents the same serial number from being recorded on two different items

**Setup:**

1. Open the **Information Code Card** for `SERIAL-NO`.
2. Enable **Only one Information Value**.
3. Save.

> **Note:** When you enable this field, the system immediately validates all existing entries. If any Information Value is already assigned to more than one record, you will see an error identifying the conflicting value — you must resolve those duplicates before the flag can be saved. Once enabled, any attempt to add an Information Value that is already in use on another record will be blocked.

---

## Field Reference

| Field | Where to find it | What it does | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Code | Information Code Card | Unique identifier for the attribute | — |
| Description | Information Code Card | Display name shown on specification pages and documents | — |
| Subtype | Information Code Card | Defines whether the code is a Specification, Text, or File | Specification |
| Validation Datatype | Information Code Card | Enforces a data format (Decimal, Integer, Date, Boolean, etc.) on entered values | Blank |
| Table | Information Code Card | Restricts the code to a specific entity type; leave blank to allow all | Blank |
| Sorting Level | Information Code Card | Controls display order on specification pages; lower numbers appear first | 99 |
| Allow Users to Add Information Values | Information Code Card | Allows users to type new values directly on pages without pre-defining them | Disabled |
| Allow Multiple Information Values | Information Code Card | Allows the same Information Code to appear more than once on the same record, each with a different Information Value. Required for codes where a record can legitimately hold multiple values simultaneously (e.g. multiple certifications). See also the Specifications on Pages article for how multiple values interact with embedded page fields | Disabled |
| Only one Information Value | Information Code Card | Enforces that each Information Value for this code can only be assigned to a single master data record across the entire system. Validated immediately on save — all existing entries are checked, and an error is shown for any value already assigned to more than one record | Disabled |
| Delete is not Allowed | Information Code Card | Prevents the code from being deleted | Disabled |
| Delete Zero Values | Information Code Card | When enabled, typing 0 or clearing a cell in the **Information Matrix** or a **Specifications on Pages** embedded field deletes the underlying entry instead of saving a zero value. Has no effect when editing directly on the Information Setup page | Disabled |
| Long Description | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Links this code to a Description Setup for generating the Long Description field | Blank |
| Long Description Order | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Controls the position of this code in the merged Long Description | Blank |
| Item Description | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Links this code to a Description Setup for generating the item Description field | Blank |
| Item Description Order | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Controls the position of this code in the merged item Description | Blank |
| Report Description | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Links this code to a Description Setup for use in Master Data on Documents | Blank |
| Report Description Order | Information Code Card — Merge Descriptions group | Controls the position of this code in the merged Report Description | Blank |
| Include in Specification Search | Information Code Card — Specification Search group | Includes this code's values when calculating the Specification Search string | Disabled |
| Roll up Hierarchy | Information Code Card — Master Data Hierarchy group | Rolls up this code's value from child to parent in the hierarchy | Disabled |
| Logical Dependencies | Information Code Card — Logical Dependencies group | Marks this code as participating in Logical Dependency rules | Disabled |
| Pop-up Message | Information Code Card | Indicates whether a pop-up message is configured for this code | Disabled |
| Item Attribute Integration with | Information Code Card — Item Attributes group | Specifies which part of the entry (Description, Information Value, or Value) syncs with a BC Item Attribute | Blank |
| Export to webshop | Information Code Card — Web Shop group | Marks this code for export to a connected webshop integration | Disabled |
| Filter on Web | Information Code Card — Web Shop group | Makes this code available as a filter facet in the webshop | Disabled |
| Web Name | Information Code Card — Web Shop group | The technical identifier used by the webshop integration; auto-populated from the Code | Auto-generated |
| Web value option | Information Code Card — Web Shop group | Specifies which field combination is exported to the webshop (e.g. Information Value, Description, or a combined format) | Information Value |