Sales Configurator

App Overview

Sales Configurator is a make-to-order configuration and production planning app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It lets sales staff configure customer-specific products directly on a sales quote or sales order — specifying the exact attributes a customer requires — without needing a separate item number for every possible combination of size, colour, material, or specification.

At the heart of the app is Configuration Search: a matching engine that compares the attribute values entered on a sales line against the specifications registered on your items and BOMs, and presents the closest fitting items ranked by deviation. Sales staff can prefill configurations from previous orders, existing items, or predefined templates — making repeat and similar orders fast to process.

Once a line is configured, Supply Order Hierarchy takes over: a production or assembly order is created directly from the sales line, and all sub-orders for the BOM's make-to-order components are linked together under a shared reference number. The complete supply chain for a customer order — from the top-level finished good down to purchased raw materials — is visible in a single indented hierarchy view, and can be refreshed, replanned, or deleted in one operation.

For companies that need cost-based pricing, Sales Price Calculation is an optional, separately activated feature that calculates the expected sales price by traversing the supply order hierarchy, summing component and routing costs, and applying configurable profit percentages. The result is written directly back to the sales line unit price.

Feature Map

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

Feature	What it solves	Who uses it
Configuration Search	Which existing item or BOM best matches what the customer wants? Lets sales staff specify product attributes on a sales line and find the closest match from the item master.	Sales Order Processor, Sales Manager
Supply Order Hierarchy	How do I create and manage the full production chain for a configured item? Creates and links all supply orders for a sales line, with a hierarchy view showing every related order.	Sales Order Processor, Production Planner
Sales Price Calculation	What should we charge for this specific configuration? Calculates the sales price from the actual hierarchy costs with configurable profit percentages. Requires separate activation.	Sales Order Processor, Sales Manager, Business Manager

Common Infrastructure

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

Configuration Entries

Every attribute value specified on a sales line is stored as a Configuration Entry linked to that line. Configuration entries carry the Configuration Code (the attribute), the value entered, and the item or BOM the value was derived from. They persist through the quote-to-order conversion and are copied to posted shipment lines for traceability. The configuration history for a line is always accessible from the line itself via Configurator → Configuration.

Reference Number

When a supply order is created from a sales line, the system assigns a Reference Number shared by all orders in the hierarchy. This number — generated from the number series set in Configurator Setup — is the link that lets the app find, display, and manage the full set of related production, assembly, and purchase orders as a group. All operations on the hierarchy (refresh, replan, delete) work by filtering on this reference number.

Include in Sales Configurator Hierarchy

The Include in Sales Configurator Hierarchy flag on the Item Card and Stockkeeping Unit Card controls whether a BOM component is exploded into its own linked supply order when the hierarchy is created. Items without this flag are treated as stock items and sourced from inventory in the normal way. The flag can be set item by item or applied to an entire BOM in one step using Mark Items in Hierarchy on the Item Card.

Master Data Information Dependency

Configuration Search depends on the Master Data Information app (Abakion) for its attribute definitions. Information Codes and their allowed values are defined in MDI, and item specifications — the attribute values that make a given item findable — are registered as MDI Specification entries on each item. Sales Configurator reads these entries during the search and matching process.

Configurator Setup

Configurator Setup is the single administration page for the app. It controls the guided flow toggle, which information panels are visible on each document type and production order status, the number series for hierarchy reference numbers, dimension captions, and — when Sales Price Calculation is enabled — all price calculation parameters. Most deployments require only a few settings changed from the defaults.

Typical Workflows

Configuring a sales order line from scratch

Open a Sales Order, add a line with the top-level configurable item number.
On the line, go to Configurator → Configuration (Shift+Ctrl+K). If Use guided flow is enabled, the wizard opens and steps through each attribute one by one. Otherwise, the full configuration screen opens.
Enter or select the customer's required value for each attribute (colour, size, specification, etc.).
Click Search Match. The match subform populates with the closest fitting items or BOMs ranked by deviation count.
Select the best match and click Select Match. The configuration is saved on the sales line.

Creating the supply order hierarchy

With a configured sales line on a Sales Order, go to Configurator → Create Supply Order (Shift+Ctrl+P).
The system creates a production or assembly order based on the item's replenishment setup, linked to the sales line.
Use Configurator → Show Order Hierarchy (Shift+Ctrl+O) to view the full tree of linked orders at any time.
If the configuration or quantity changes, use Configurator → Handle Orders in Hierarchy to refresh or replan all linked orders in one step.

Converting a configured quote to an order

Complete configuration and supply order creation on a Sales Quote.
Use the standard BC Make Order action. Sales Configurator automatically transfers all configuration entries and re-links all supply orders to the new sales order lines.
No re-configuration or re-creation of orders is needed.

Calculating a cost-based sales price

Activate Sales Price Calculation in Configurator Setup → Abakion Feature Management.
Configure the profit percentage and cost source settings in Configurator Setup → Price Calculation.
After creating a supply order hierarchy on a sales line, go to Configurator → Update Sales Price (Shift+Ctrl+U).
The system traverses the hierarchy, sums component and routing costs, applies the profit percentage, and updates the unit price on the sales line.

Handling a repeat order efficiently

Open a new Sales Order and add a configurable line.
Open the configuration screen and use the Prefill Entry section to load attribute values from a previous order: enter the source document type, number, and line number.
Adjust any values that differ for this order, then click Search Match and confirm the match.
Proceed to create the supply order as normal.

Integration with Other Abakion Apps

App	Integration
Master Data Information	Required for Configuration Search. Information Codes, Information Values, and item specifications are all defined and maintained in the Master Data Information app. Without it, there are no attributes to search on.
Reverse Planning	Sales Configurator passes the hierarchy Reference Number to Reverse Planning so that planning calculations can trace supply orders back to the originating sales line. When a supply order in a configurator hierarchy is rescheduled in Reverse Planning, the hierarchy reference is preserved.
App Manager Core	Used for license management, trial activation, and the Feature Management page (Abakion Feature Management) that controls the optional Sales Price Calculation feature.

Setup

The setup user stories below cover the full initial configuration of Sales Configurator. Work through the Core Setup stories first — they are required for all users. The Manufacturing Setup stories are needed if you use production orders in your hierarchy. The Price Calculation Setup stories apply only if Sales Price Calculation has been activated.

Core Setup

SETUP-01: Activate the app via Assisted Setup

As a IT Manager
I want to activate Sales Configurator using the Assisted Setup wizard
So that the app is registered and all Configurator actions and fields become visible to users

Setup:

In Business Central, search for Assisted Setup and open the page.
Find Abakion Sales Configurator in the list and click it.
Enter your Email Address — this is required to activate the trial.
Optionally enable I am a partner activating this on behalf of a client if applicable.
Click Activate Trial to register the app and start the 30-day trial period.
Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Note: Activating the trial does not commit you to a subscription. The 30-day period lets you test all features before purchasing.

SETUP-02: Review global setup options

As a Business Manager
I want to review and configure the global settings in Configurator Setup
So that the app behaves according to our company's workflow from day one

Setup:

Search for Configurator Setup and open the page.
In the Sales group, review the Show [section] On Sales Quote/Order toggles. These control which prefill sections (Source Document Info, Entry Info, Item Info, Template Info) appear on the configuration screen for each document type. All are enabled by default — disable any sections your sales staff do not need.
Enable or disable Use guided flow depending on whether you want sales staff walked through attributes one at a time (enabled) or shown all attributes at once (disabled).
Close the page to save.

SETUP-03: Set up Configuration Templates on configurable items

As a Business Manager
I want to assign a Configuration Template to each configurable item
So that the configurator knows which attributes to present when that item is placed on a sales line

Setup:

Ensure the relevant Information Codes and Configuration Templates have been created in the Master Data Information app.
Open the Item Card for each configurable parent item.
Go to Configurator → Configuration Template.
In the Type Information Template list, add a line linking this item to the relevant Template Code.
Repeat for all configurable items.

SETUP-04: Register item specifications for matching

As a Business Manager
I want to register the attribute values that describe each item in the configurator
So that the matching engine has data to compare against when a sales line is searched

Setup:

Open the Item Card for each item that should appear as a match candidate.
From the Master Data Information app, add Specification entries to the item — one row per Information Code, with the value, interval (min/max), or filter that describes this item's attribute.
Repeat for all items in the configurable product range.
Optionally use Configurator → Recalculate Configuration on the Item Card after updating specifications to refresh the Information Control entries.

Manufacturing Setup

SETUP-05: Mark items for hierarchy inclusion

As a Production Planner
I want to mark each BOM component that should generate its own linked supply order
So that the hierarchy is created correctly and sub-orders are automatically linked to the sales line

Setup:

Open the Item Card for each make-to-order BOM component.
Enable Include in Sales Configurator Hierarchy.
Verify that Replenishment System is set to Prod. Order or Assembly, and that Manufacturing Policy or Assembly Policy is set to Make-to-Order. The system will warn you if the flag is set on an item that does not meet these conditions.
Repeat for all relevant components.

Note: As a shortcut, open the top-level item's card and use Configurator → Mark Items in Hierarchy to automatically flag all Make-to-Order components in the BOM in one step.

SETUP-06: Configure the Production Order Ref. Nos. number series

As a IT Manager
I want to assign a number series for production order reference numbers
So that all orders in a Sales Configurator hierarchy share a unique, traceable reference identifier

Setup:

Open Configurator Setup.
In the Manufacturing group, set the Production Order Ref. Nos. field to the desired number series. Use the lookup to select from existing series, or create a new one first in the No. Series page.
Save. All subsequent supply order hierarchies will use this series for their shared Reference Number.

SETUP-07: Configure dimension captions for measured attributes

As a IT Manager
I want to set custom captions for the Length, Width, and Depth fields on production order components
So that these fields display terminology that matches our product vocabulary rather than the standard BC field names

Setup:

Open Configurator Setup.
In the Manufacturing group, enter values for Length Caption, Width Caption, and Depth Caption as needed.
If left blank, the fields use their standard BC captions.

Price Calculation Setup

Complete this section only if you want to use cost-based sales price calculation. The feature is disabled by default and must be explicitly activated.

SETUP-08: Activate the Sales Price Calculation feature

As a IT Manager
I want to enable the Sales Price Calculation feature
So that the price calculation fields and actions become visible on sales lines and in Configurator Setup

Setup:

Open Configurator Setup and click Abakion Feature Management.
Find Sales Price Calculation in the feature list and enable it.
Close and reopen Configurator Setup. The Price Calculation group is now visible.

SETUP-09: Configure price calculation parameters

As a Business Manager
I want to configure how the system calculates and applies costs and margins
So that the Update Sales Price action produces prices that reflect our costing approach and margin targets

Setup:

Open Configurator Setup → Price Calculation.
Set Default Sales Price Calculation Method:
- Through Hierarchy — derives the price from actual supply order costs (recommended for make-to-order).
- Use Current Line — applies the profit percentage to the unit cost already on the sales line.
Set Default Profit % — the fallback margin percentage when no item- or line-specific override is set.
Set Get Purchase Cost From:
- Always from Purchase Line Unit Cost — always uses the purchase order line's unit cost.
- According to Costing Method — uses standard cost for standard-costed items; uses purchase line cost for all others.
Set Get Component Cost From:
- Item Unit Cost — uses the item's standard or average cost.
- Purchase Prices — looks up the best purchase price (blank currency); falls back to item unit cost if none found.
Set Cost Roll Up Principle:
- Rolled Up — sums costs across all levels of the hierarchy.
- Single Level — includes only the top-level order's direct costs.
Save.

SETUP-10: Set item- or work centre-specific profit percentage overrides

As a Business Manager
I want to define profit percentage overrides for specific items, work centres, or machine centres
So that certain products or operations carry a different margin than the default

Setup:

Open the Configurator Profit Pct. page (search for it or access it from the Configurator Setup area).
Add a line for each override. Set Type to Item, Work Center, or Machine Center, and enter the relevant No..
Enter the desired Profit %.
Optionally set a Sales Price Calc. Method override for this entity (Through Hierarchy or Use Current Line).
Save. These overrides take precedence over the default profit percentage in Configurator Setup when a price calculation is run on a matching sales line.