Copy Master Data

Feature Overview

Copy Master Data duplicates specifications, texts, and files from one master data record to another. When you need a new item, customer, or vendor that shares most of its attribute data with an existing record, Copy Master Data saves you from re-entering every specification manually — you copy the source record's data and then adjust only what differs.

The feature supports copying between items, customers, vendors, lot numbers, serial numbers, package numbers, and jobs. Copying is done record by record from the relevant copy page, which is accessible from the master data list or card via the Copy Item (or equivalent) action.

The behaviour of the copy is controlled by Copy Master Data Action rules. These rules let you define — per Information Code — what happens to a specific code's value when it is copied: whether it is copied as-is, replaced with a new value automatically, or cleared. This means you can, for example, always clear the Serial Number specification on copy (because each new item should get a unique value), always copy the Material specification unchanged, and replace the Colour specification with a new value that you enter at copy time.

Key Facts

Area	Detail
Where to use	Item List / Item Card → Master Data Information → Copy Item; equivalent actions on Customer, Vendor, Lot No., Serial No., Package No., and Job pages
What is copied	Specifications (Information Codes), Texts, Files — configurable per code via Copy Master Data Actions
Supported entity types	Items, Customers, Vendors, Lot Numbers, Serial Numbers, Package Numbers, Jobs
Behaviour control	Copy Master Data Actions — define per-code whether to copy, replace, or clear each attribute
Integration points	Information Codes, Information Values, Import Worksheet (template copy option)

Getting Started

Open the Item List (or another supported list) and select the source record you want to copy from.
Choose Master Data Information → Copy Item.
The Copy Item page opens. Enter the target item number (or let BC assign one from the number series).
Configure which data to include: specifications, extended text, images, and standard BC item fields.
Choose OK to execute the copy.
The new item is created with the copied specifications. Open it and adjust any values that should differ from the source.

To control which specifications are copied, replaced, or cleared by default:

Open Copy Master Data Actions from the Master Data Information setup navigation or from the Information Code Card.
Add rules for each Information Code that should be handled differently. Set the Information Code Action, Information Value Action, and Value Action to define the behaviour.

Related Features

Copy Master Data builds on Information Codes and Information Values — it copies the specification entries associated with those codes from the source to the target record. The Copy Master Data Actions setup page controls how each code behaves during the copy. The Import Worksheet also supports copying from an existing record when creating new items via the Creation Worksheet — this is a related but separate mechanism that applies during bulk variant creation rather than single-record copying. Master Data Archive records changes on the target record just as it would for any other specification edit, so copied values are logged if the archive is configured for those codes.

User Stories

US-01: Copy an item and its specifications to create a similar new item

As a Business Manager
I want to copy an existing item along with all its specification values to use as the starting point for a new product variant
So that I only have to change the few attributes that differ rather than entering everything from scratch

Setup:

Open the Item List and select the source item.
Choose Master Data Information → Copy Item.
Enter a new item number for the target item.
Enable the options to copy specifications, texts, and images as needed.
Choose OK. The new item is created.
Open the new item and adjust the specifications that differ from the source.

US-02: Copy a customer with its classification specifications to a new customer

As a Sales Manager
I want to create a new customer based on an existing one, including all the CRM-related specifications such as Segment and Relationship Type
So that the new customer starts with the correct classification without manual re-entry

Setup:

Open the Customer List and select the source customer.
Choose Master Data Information → Copy Customer (or equivalent action on the customer page).
Enter the new customer number.
Enable copying of specifications.
Choose OK and adjust any customer-specific specifications on the new record.

US-03: Configure a Copy Master Data Action to always clear a specific specification

As a IT Manager
I want to ensure that the "Serial Number" specification is always cleared when an item is copied
So that each copied item does not inherit a serial number that belongs to the source record

Setup:

Open Copy Master Data Actions from the Master Data Information navigation.
Add a new line: set Table to Item, Information Code to SERIAL-NO, and set Information Code Action to Clear.
Save. The next time an item is copied, the Serial Number specification will be blank on the new item.

US-04: Configure a Copy Master Data Action to replace a value at copy time

As a Business Manager
I want to ensure that when I copy an item, I am prompted to enter a new Colour value for the new item rather than inheriting the source's colour
So that the copy process enforces the entry of a new distinguishing attribute

Setup:

Open Copy Master Data Actions and add a line for the COLOUR Information Code.
Set Information Code Action to Replace and specify the New Information Code and New Information Value fields with the desired replacement logic.
Save. When the item is copied, the Colour specification will follow the replacement rule.

Note: The exact replacement behaviour depends on how the action fields are configured. Consult the Copy Master Data Actions page for the available options per field.

US-05: Copy lot number tracking specifications to a new lot

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to copy the specification data from an existing lot number to a new lot that uses the same product parameters
So that the quality control specifications are consistently recorded across related lots

Setup:

Open the Lot No. Information List and select the source lot.
Choose the Copy action (or access it via Master Data Information).
Enter the target lot number.
Enable copying of specifications and confirm.

US-06: Copy a vendor's qualification specifications to a new vendor record

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to copy the supplier qualification and compliance specifications from an existing vendor to a new vendor from the same supplier group
So that the new vendor record starts with the correct baseline qualifications

Setup:

Open the Vendor List and select the source vendor.
Choose Master Data Information → Copy Vendor.
Enter the new vendor number.
Enable copying of specifications and confirm.
Adjust any vendor-specific attributes on the new record.

Field Reference

Copy Master Data Actions fields:

Field	Where to find it	What it does	Default
Table	Copy Master Data Actions page	The entity type this rule applies to (e.g. Item)	—
Information Code	Copy Master Data Actions page	The Information Code this rule applies to	—
Information Value	Copy Master Data Actions page	The specific Information Value this rule applies to (leave blank to apply to all values for this code)	Blank
Value	Copy Master Data Actions page	The specific Value this rule applies to	Blank
Information Code Action	Copy Master Data Actions page	What to do with the code on copy: Copy, Clear, or Replace	—
Information Value Action	Copy Master Data Actions page	What to do with the Information Value on copy	—
Value Action	Copy Master Data Actions page	What to do with the Value on copy	—
New Information Code	Copy Master Data Actions page	The replacement Information Code when action is Replace	Blank
New Information Value	Copy Master Data Actions page	The replacement Information Value when action is Replace	Blank