Master Data Information

  • Updated on Apr 30, 2026
  • Published on Apr 30, 2026
  • 18 minute(s) read
  • AF
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App Overview

Master Data Information is a product and attribute management app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It gives companies a structured, flexible way to define, collect, and use additional information about items, customers, vendors, and other records — information that Business Central does not have a dedicated field for and that would otherwise end up in free-text notes, external spreadsheets, or custom development.

At the heart of the app is the Information Code — a named attribute such as "Colour", "Material", "Certification", or "Weight". Each code can have a predefined list of allowed values (Information Values), data type validation, sorting rules, and integration settings. Specifications are assigned to master data records through the Information Setup page or, when configured, directly via embedded fields on standard BC pages. All specification data is stored in the Information Entry table, which is shared across all features — so a value entered on the Item Card is immediately visible in the Information Matrix, on printed documents, and in search results.

The app is organised around three concerns: Data Structure & Setup (defining which attributes exist and how they work), Data Entry & Maintenance (how specification data is created, edited, imported, and managed in bulk), and Visibility on Pages & Documents (how specification data surfaces in the user interface, on printed output, and in search workflows). All three concerns are addressed by dedicated features that build on the same shared data model.

Feature Map

Use this table to find the right article for your task.

Feature What it solves Who uses it
Information Codes How do I define a new attribute? The foundation of the app — create and configure the attributes you want to collect across master data records. IT Manager, Business Manager
Information Values What values are allowed for an attribute? Define the predefined options users can select when entering specifications. IT Manager, Business Manager
Translations How do I show attribute names and values in other languages? Maintain language-specific captions for codes and values used on multilingual documents. IT Manager, Business Manager
Extended Texts How do I attach a longer description to a specification? Write rich text or HTML content linked to a specific specification entry for use on documents or in the web shop. Business Manager, Sales Manager
Merge Descriptions How do I automatically build the item description from its specifications? Configure rules that combine specification values into the item's Description, Long Description, and Report Description fields. IT Manager, Business Manager
Logical Dependencies How do I prevent invalid specification combinations? Define which values are valid for one code based on values already selected for another code. IT Manager, Business Manager
Item Variants How do I manage colour-size matrices and generate variant combinations? Create and visualise item variants using specification dimensions, auto-generate all combinations, and enter variant-level prices. Business Manager, Purchasing Agent
Item Attribute Synchronization How do I keep standard BC item attributes in sync with MDI specifications? Automatically write MDI specification values back to standard Business Central Item Attributes so both systems stay aligned. IT Manager
Hierarchies How do I organise items into a category tree? Build multi-level product hierarchies from groups and specification-based relations, and use them to navigate, filter, and extend hierarchy-based marking. Business Manager, IT Manager
Specification Entry How do I add a specification to a record? The day-to-day workflow for assigning, editing, and managing specification values on individual items, customers, and vendors. Business Manager, Sales Manager, Purchasing Agent
Information Matrix How do I edit specifications across many records at once? A spreadsheet-style grid where each row is a record and each column is a specification — edit multiple records in one view. Business Manager, Purchasing Agent
Import Worksheet How do I bulk-import specifications from Excel? Load, validate, and carry out specification data from structured Excel files or CSV exports. Also used for creating new items and item variants in bulk. Purchasing Agent, IT Manager
Copy Master Data How do I copy specifications from one record to another? Duplicate specifications, texts, and files from a source record to a new or existing record, with configurable rules for which codes are copied, replaced, or cleared. Business Manager, Purchasing Agent
Order Matrix How do I review specifications across all lines of an order? A grid view for sales and purchase document lines showing specification values and quantities side by side. Sales Order Processor, Purchasing Agent
Master Data Archive How do I keep an audit trail of specification changes? Log every change to a specification value — who changed it, from what, to what, and when. IT Manager, Business Manager
Specifications on Pages How do I show specifications as fields on standard BC pages? Embed specification values as regular, editable fields on the Item Card, Customer Card, Sales Order lines, and other pages — without any development. IT Manager
Master Data on Documents How do I print specifications on sales and purchase documents? Configure which specifications flow to document output — including what is printed, in what order, and under what conditions. IT Manager, Sales Manager
Favorite Information in FactBox How do I show the most important specifications at a glance? Configure a curated FactBox on master data cards showing only the specifications that matter most for a given user or role. IT Manager, Business Manager
Image Handling How do I manage product images and attachments? Attach images and documents to specification codes, values, and entries, and display them in the Image Galleria FactBox on item and document pages. Business Manager, Purchasing Agent
Pop-ups How do I warn users when they encounter a specific item or vendor? Show automated notification messages at the relevant moment — on sales documents, purchase documents, or other workflow areas. IT Manager, Business Manager
Searching, Marking and Filtering How do I find items by specification criteria? Three interconnected tools — Specification Search (criteria-based), Item Search (keyword-based), and Mark Master Data — for finding and filtering records by specification values. Business Manager, Sales Order Processor, Sales Manager

Common Infrastructure

Several concepts are shared across all features. Understanding them once makes the feature articles easier to follow.

Information Entry

The Information Entry (SCB Information Entry) table is the central data store for the entire app. Every specification value — whether entered on the Item Card, via the Information Matrix, through an embedded page field, or imported from Excel — is stored here as a single row linked to the master data record, Information Code, and (where applicable) Information Value. All features read from and write to this shared table, so data entered in one place is immediately available everywhere else.

Information Codes and Subtypes

Every specification in the app is defined by an Information Code. A code has a Subtype that determines how it is used: Specification for structured attribute values, Text for longer free-form descriptions, and File for images and document attachments. The subtype is used for filtering throughout the app — the Specifications, Texts, and Files actions on master data cards each open the same Information Setup page filtered to the relevant subtype.

Information Values and Open Values

An Information Code can have a predefined list of Information Values — the options a user can select. If the code has no Information Values, or if Allow Users to Add Information Values is enabled, users can type any free value. The presence of a lookup is controlled by the code configuration, not by the field type on the page.

Sorting and Display Order

Each Information Code has a Sorting Level and each Information Value has its own Sorting Level. These two numbers control the order in which specifications appear on the Information Setup page, in the FactBox, and on documents. Lower numbers appear first. The default is 99 — codes with lower numbers rise to the top automatically.

Specification Field Name (Spec. Field Name)

When Specifications on Pages is configured, each embedded page field is linked to a specific Information Entry via the Specification Field Name field on the entry. This two-way link ensures that changes made through the embedded field update the correct entry, and that changes made through the Information Setup page update the correct page field.

Templates (Import, Matrix, Document)

The app uses three distinct types of templates that share a similar structure:

  • Import Templates define how columns in an Excel file map to BC fields and Information Codes — used by the Import Worksheet.
  • Matrix Setup (Information Matrix Templates) define which columns appear in the Information Matrix and Order Matrix grid views.
  • Document Templates define which Information Codes flow to printed documents and under what conditions — used by Master Data on Documents.

All three template types can reference the same Information Codes, and Import Templates and Matrix Setup templates can share the same column structure.

Typical Workflows

Setting up a new attribute from scratch

  1. Open Information Code List and choose New. Set the Code, Description, Table (e.g. Item), and Subtype (Specification).
  2. If the attribute has fixed options, open Information Values from the code card and add each allowed value with a description.
  3. Optionally configure Merge Descriptions, Logical Dependencies, and Sorting Level on the code card.
  4. To make the attribute visible as a field on the Item Card, open Specification on Pages from the code card and add a mapping to an available SCB MDI Field slot.
  5. Assign specifications to items via the Information Setup page on individual item cards, or in bulk via the Information Matrix or Import Worksheet.

Bulk-populating specifications for existing items

  1. Create or open an Import Template that maps your data file columns to the relevant Information Codes.
  2. Use Generate Import Template Excel Spreadsheet to produce a correctly formatted Excel file.
  3. Fill in the file and load it via the Master Data Import Worksheet → Import Data.
  4. Review Action Messages, accept the relevant lines, and choose Carry Out Actions.

Reviewing and editing specifications for a group of items

  1. On the Item List, filter to the items you want to work with.
  2. Choose Master Data Information → Information Matrix to open the grid view.
  3. Use Add Master Data to Matrix to load the filtered items.
  4. Edit specification values directly in the cells. Changes are saved immediately.

Searching for items by specification and working with results

  1. From the Item List, choose Master Data Information → Search by Master Data.
  2. Enter criteria for one or more Information Codes and choose Search Match.
  3. Choose Add Mark to mark the results.
  4. Open the Information Matrix or a sales order — the marked items are available for use.

Configuring specifications to print on sales quotes

  1. Open Master Data on Doc. Template and select (or create) the SALES LINE template.
  2. Open Master Data on Document Content and add lines for each Information Code to include.
  3. Set the Order for each code to control the print sequence.
  4. Enable Add Master Data Text and optionally Add Extended Text per line.
  5. Create a test quote for an item with the relevant specifications and print or preview to verify.

Integration with Other Abakion Apps

App Integration
Document Customizer (Abakion) Controls the layout, positioning, and formatting of Master Data Information content on printed documents. When installed, it provides precise design control over how specifications appear in document output — complementing the content selection configured in Master Data on Documents.
Document Handling (Abakion) When installed, specification values and extended texts from Master Data Information are included in the email body and attachments sent from Document Handling. File-type specifications (images, PDFs) can be attached to outgoing emails automatically.
Reverse Planning (Abakion) Reverse Planning's planning templates can reference Master Data Information specification codes to include attribute-based filtering in supply planning scenarios.
Sales Configurator (Abakion) The Sales Configurator is a separately licensed extension that uses Logical Dependencies between Information Codes to guide users through a structured product configuration process on sales documents. It builds on the same dependency rules configured in Master Data Information.

Setup

The setup user stories below cover the end-to-end configuration of Master Data Information — from activating the app to configuring your first attributes, document output, and search functionality. Work through the Core Setup section first. The remaining sections are independent and can be completed in any order based on which features you are activating.

Core Setup

SETUP-01: Activate the app via Assisted Setup

As a IT Manager
I want to activate Master Data Information using the Assisted Setup wizard
So that the app is registered and users can start defining Information Codes without seeing activation warnings

Setup:

  1. In Business Central, use the search bar (Tell Me) to search for Assisted Setup and open the page.
  2. Find Setup Master Data Information in the list and click on it.
  3. Follow the wizard steps to register and activate the app.
  4. Choose Finish to complete activation.

Note: If the app has been installed but not yet activated, a notification bar appears on the Role Centre, offering a shortcut to the Assisted Setup wizard.

SETUP-02: Create your first Information Code

As a Business Manager
I want to create an Information Code for a product attribute we need to track
So that users can start assigning specifications to items

Setup:

  1. Search for Information Code List and open the page.
  2. Choose New.
  3. Enter a Code (e.g. COLOUR), Description (e.g. Colour), set Table to Item, and Subtype to Specification.
  4. Set Sorting Level to control where this attribute appears relative to other codes (lower = higher in the list).
  5. Save.
SETUP-03: Add Information Values to a code

As a Business Manager
I want to add the allowed values for the Colour attribute
So that users can select from a predefined list when assigning colour specifications

Setup:

  1. Open the Information Code Card for the code you created in SETUP-02.
  2. Choose Information Values from the action bar.
  3. Add one line per allowed value: enter Information Value (e.g. RED) and Description (e.g. Red).
  4. Optionally set a Sorting Level per value to control display order within the code.
  5. Save.
SETUP-04: Assign a specification to an item

As a Business Manager
I want to record the colour of an item
So that the specification is stored and available for filtering, documents, and search

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Card for the item.
  2. Choose Master Data Information → Specifications.
  3. On a new line, select Information Code = COLOUR and Information Value = RED.
  4. Save.
SETUP-05: Configure the default Master Data Information Setup

As a IT Manager
I want to review the global Master Data Information Setup options
So that the app behaves consistently according to our company's data management policies

Setup:

  1. Search for Master Data Information Setup and open the page.
  2. Review and configure:
    • Default Language — the language code used when generating Merge Descriptions and document output. Leave blank to use the user's current session language.
    • Merge Item Description — controls whether and how the item's standard Description field is incorporated into the merged Long Description. Options include: Before, After, Replace, or blank (not included).
    • Exclude Item Description — when enabled, the item's standard Description field is excluded from the Long Description output entirely.
    • Force unique Batch Number — when enabled, enforces unique batch numbers in import worksheet operations.
    • Show Image Galleria FactBox — enable this to display the Image Galleria FactBox on item and document pages.
  3. Save.

Merge Descriptions Setup

Complete this section if you want the app to automatically generate the item's Description, Long Description, or Report Description from its specification values. Skip it if you manage descriptions manually.

SETUP-06: Create a Description Setup template

As a IT Manager
I want to define how specification values are formatted when they are combined into a merged description
So that the auto-generated descriptions follow a consistent format across all items

Setup:

  1. Search for Description Setup and open the page.
  2. Review the default templates (e.g. IC_IV for Information Code + Information Value, IC_V for Information Code + Value).
  3. To create a custom format, choose New and set:
    • Code — a unique code for this format template.
    • Include Info. Code Descrip. — include the code's description text.
    • Sign after Info. Code — separator between the code description and the value (e.g. : ).
    • Include Info. Value Descrip. — include the Information Value's description.
    • Include Value — include the raw Value field.
    • Sign after Information Value / Sign after Value — separator after each element (e.g. , ).
  4. Save.
SETUP-07: Link a Description Setup to each Information Code

As a IT Manager
I want to configure which Description Setup format each Information Code uses when contributing to merged descriptions
So that each attribute is formatted correctly in the combined description output

Setup:

  1. Open the Information Code Card for each code that should contribute to descriptions.
  2. In the Descriptions section:
    • Set Include in Long Description to the Description Setup code that defines the format for this code's contribution to the item's Long Description.
    • Set Include in Type Description for the Type Description output.
    • Set Include in Report Description for the Report Description (used in document output).
    • Set Long Description Order / Type Description Order / Report Description Order to control the sequence in which this code appears in each description type.
  3. Save.
  4. To trigger a recalculation of all existing items' descriptions, run the Recalculate Long Descriptions report from the Information Code List or from the Master Data Information navigation.

Specifications on Pages Setup

Complete this section if you want specification values to appear as regular, editable fields on standard BC pages (Item Card, Customer Card, Sales Order lines, etc.) without opening the Information Setup page.

SETUP-08: Map an Information Code to a page field

As a IT Manager
I want to embed the Colour specification as a visible field on the Item Card
So that users can see and set the colour directly on the card without navigating away

Setup:

  1. Open the Information Code Card for COLOUR and choose the Specification on Pages action.
  2. Choose New on the Specifications on Pages list.
  3. Set:
    • Table Description — Item (or select via the lookup).
    • Field — select an available SCB MDI Field slot from the lookup (e.g. SCB MDI Field 1).
    • Related Information Code — COLOUR.
    • Master Data Field Type — Information Value (since Colour has predefined values).
  4. Save.
  5. To populate existing items' page fields with their current colour specifications, select the new line and choose Update Field Value.

Note: Each SCB MDI Field slot can only be mapped to one Information Code per table. Plan which codes get which slots before mapping, as changing a slot mapping later requires clearing existing values on all records.

Document Output Setup

Complete this section if you want specifications to appear on printed or emailed sales and purchase documents.

SETUP-09: Configure which specifications print on sales documents

As a IT Manager
I want to configure the SALES LINE document template to include the Material and Certification specifications on printed sales quotes and orders
So that customers receive complete product attribute information on their documents

Setup:

  1. Search for Master Data on Doc. Template and open the list.
  2. Open the SALES LINE template (or create it if it does not exist).
  3. Choose Master Data on Document Content.
  4. For each specification to include, add a line:
    • Information Code — the code to print.
    • Order — the sequence number (lower = appears first on the document).
    • Add Master Data Text — enable to include the specification value.
    • Add Extended Text — enable if the code's extended text should also print.
  5. Save.
SETUP-10: Link the document template to document types

As a IT Manager
I want to ensure the SALES LINE template is active for Sales Orders and Sales Quotes, but not for Sales Credit Memos
So that specification content appears only on the appropriate document types

Setup:

  1. Search for Master Data on Document Setup and open the page.
  2. Review the existing lines. Ensure template links exist for:
    • Type = Sales, Document Type = Quote, Master Data Doc Template = SALES LINE.
    • Type = Sales, Document Type = Order, Master Data Doc Template = SALES LINE.
  3. Remove or leave absent any link for Document Type = Credit Memo if you do not want specifications there.
  4. Repeat for Purchase documents using the PURCHASE LINE template.

Search Setup

Complete this section if you want users to find items by typing keywords that include specification values.

SETUP-11: Enable Item Search for an Information Code

As a IT Manager
I want to include the Material and Colour specifications in the Item Search string
So that users can find items by typing material or colour keywords in the search page

Setup:

  1. Open the Information Code Card for COLOUR.
  2. In the Specification Search group, enable Include in Specification Search.
  3. Repeat for MATERIAL and any other codes to include.
  4. Run the Calculate Item Search String report (available from the Item List or the Master Data Information navigation) to build the initial search strings for all existing items.
SETUP-12: Review Item Search Setup

As a IT Manager
I want to review the global Item Search Setup options
So that the search string includes the right combination of fields for our users' search habits

Setup:

  1. Search for Item Search Setup and open the page.
  2. Review the settings:
    • Update On Modify — enable to recalculate the search string automatically when specifications change. Disable and use a nightly batch job if bulk modifications cause performance concerns.
    • Include Item Number, Include Item Description, Include Variant Code, Include Variant Description — toggle each based on what users typically search for.
    • Include Vendor Number, Include Vendor Name — enable if vendor searches by keyword are common.
    • Include Master Data Information — must be enabled for specification values to be included.
    • Include Long Item Description — enable to include the Long Description field.
  3. Save.

Archive Setup

Complete this section if you need an audit trail of changes to specific specification values — for example, for regulated attributes or quality management purposes.

SETUP-13: Enable change logging for an Information Code

As a IT Manager
I want to log all changes to the "Fire Resistance Class" specification value
So that there is an audit trail of every change for compliance purposes

Setup:

  1. Open the Information Code Card for the relevant code and choose Archive Entries Setup.
  2. Add a line: Information Code = the relevant code, Change Field = Information Value, Log Changes = enabled.
  3. Optionally add additional lines for Change Field = Value or Description if those fields should also be logged.
  4. Optionally enable Log Same Value if re-confirming an unchanged value should also be logged.
  5. Save.
Related articles
  • Specification Entry
    Master Data Management > Master Data Information > Data Entry & Maintenance > Specification Entry
  • Master Data on Documents
    Master Data Management > Master Data Information > Visibility on Pages & Documents > Master Data on Documents
  • Information Codes
    Master Data Management > Master Data Information > Data Structure & Setup > Information Codes

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