Master Data on Documents
The Master Data on Documents feature lets you automatically enrich sales, purchase, production, and other business documents with structured information drawn from your master data — such as item specifications, lot number attributes, or vendor details. Instead of manually adding notes to every document, the information flows in automatically based on templates you define, ensuring consistency and saving time across your entire document workflow.
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Feature Overview
When a user works with a sales order, purchase order, production order, or similar document in Business Central, relevant master data details — such as item technical specifications, quality attributes, or compliance information — can be pulled directly onto the document header, lines, or footer. This is controlled through Master Data Doc. Templates, which define exactly which information codes and values should appear on which part of a document, and for which type of document. The information can also travel further along the process: when a sales order generates a production order, an assembly order, a warehouse document, or a purchase order, the relevant lines can automatically be transferred. This gives everyone in the process — from sales to warehouse to production — a shared, accurate view of the information that matters for each transaction.
Typical Use Cases
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As a sales coordinator, I want item technical specifications to appear automatically on the sales order lines when I add an item, so that customers always receive complete and accurate product information without me having to look up or copy data manually.
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As a warehouse manager, I want item handling instructions to appear on warehouse shipment documents, so that my team always knows how to handle specific products without needing to check the item card separately.
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As a production planner, I want key item attributes (such as material composition or quality requirements) to be carried over from the sales order line to the corresponding production order line, so that the shop floor has the right information to manufacture the product correctly.
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As a purchasing manager, I want vendor-specific information — for example, packaging requirements or order notes — to appear automatically on purchase order headers when I create a special order or drop shipment linked to a sales line, so that the supplier receives the relevant instructions without additional manual effort.
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As a compliance officer, I want lot number tracking information (such as country of origin or quality test results) to be transferred to posted shipment and invoice documents, so that we have a complete and auditable record of what information accompanied each delivery.
Key Concepts
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Master Data Doc. Template — a template that defines which information to include on a document, organized into header, line, footer, and item tracking sections. Each template is assigned to specific document types through the setup.
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Master Data on Document Setup — links a document type (for example, Sales Order or Purchase Invoice) to a specific Master Data Doc. Template, determining which template is applied when the document is created or updated.
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Document sections — information can be placed at the Header, Line, Footer, or Item Tracking level of a document, giving precise control over where specific details appear.
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Transfer options — each information entry can be configured to transfer automatically to related documents, such as production order lines, assembly orders, purchase lines, or warehouse documents, as the business process progresses.
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Action when posting — controls whether information transfers to the posted document (shipment, receipt, invoice), and which posted document types receive the data.
Relations to Other Features or Apps
Within the Master Data Information app, this feature works closely with information codes and information entries defined on items, customers, vendors, and other master data records. The Master Data Extended Text feature can also be used as a source, allowing translated or language-specific descriptions to appear on customer-facing documents in the correct language.
Within standard Business Central, the feature integrates with the standard document flow for sales, purchase, production, assembly, and warehouse management. When Business Central creates a linked document — such as a production order from a sales order — the app automatically detects this and transfers the relevant Master Data on Documents lines to the new document, provided the transfer options are enabled in the template.
When This Feature Adds Value
- When your business needs to communicate product specifications, handling instructions, or compliance details consistently across all customer-facing and internal documents, without relying on manual copy-paste or free-text notes.
- When your document process spans multiple departments or document types (sales → production → warehouse → invoice) and you need the same structured information to follow the transaction end to end.
- When you sell or purchase items with item tracking (serial numbers, lot numbers, or package numbers) and need the tracking-related information to appear on relevant documents automatically.
- When you operate in multiple languages and need document information to appear in the customer's or supplier's language, based on the language code on the document.
