Setup and Configuration

Setup and Configuration

Feature Overview

Before Global Master Data Sync can exchange any data between companies, each participating company must be configured to tell the app what role it plays in the synchronization landscape. This is done in the Global Master Setup page, which is the single configuration record for the current company. Every company that participates in synchronization — whether it sends data, receives data, or does both — must complete this setup.

The setup revolves around three decisions. First, you assign a Company Type that determines whether this company acts as a Master (the source of truth that owns and distributes data templates), a Subscriber (a company that receives and applies synchronized data), or both at the same time. Second, you assign a globally unique Partner ID that identifies this company to every other participant in the synchronization landscape — this ID is embedded in every file and record exchanged, so it must be unique across all environments. Third, you configure a transport mechanism — the file storage technology used to move data files between the Master and its Subscribers. New installations use the External File Account approach, which integrates with Business Central's built-in file account framework and supports a variety of connectors (SharePoint, Azure Blob, SFTP, and others). A legacy Azure Blob Storage setup is also available for existing installations where direct connection details are managed manually.

The setup page also controls a set of behavioral switches that govern how the Master pipeline produces and distributes files, how the Subscriber pipeline imports and synchronizes them, and how errors are handled. The Connection Information group on the same page gives the information a partner needs to configure a Web-service connection back to this company. Job Queue entries that drive the automated pipelines can be created directly from the setup page with a single action.

Key Facts

Getting Started

The steps below take a consultant from a fresh app installation to a running synchronization between one Master company and one Subscriber company.

1. Open Global Master Setup in the Master company. Search for Global Master Setup in the Business Central search bar. The page opens automatically on a single record; if none exists it is created on first open.

2. Set Company Type to Master. In the General group, choose Master from the Company Type field. The Master Company group of fields becomes active. The system sets reasonable defaults: Master Auto Update Record Set, Master Create IC Files, and Master Exchange Record Set are all enabled.

3. Enter a Partner ID. Type a short, unique code in the Partner ID field. This code identifies the Master company in every exchanged file. It must not already exist as a Partner record in the same environment, and it must be unique across every company that participates in your synchronization landscape.

4. Configure the External File Account. In the Subscriber Company group, locate the External File Account sub-group. Click the Select Account link (displayed in blue). A lookup of all configured file accounts in Business Central opens. Select the account that will be used to stage synchronization files. The account name and connector type are displayed after selection. If no accounts exist yet, set one up first via the Business Central File Accounts page and return here.

5. Test the storage connection. From the action bar, use Storage Connection > Upload test file to confirm that the selected file account is reachable and writable. Then use Download test file and Delete test file to verify round-trip connectivity.

6. Create the Job Queue entries. From the action bar choose Create Job Queue Entries. Confirm the prompt. For a pure Master company, one job is created: Global Master: Create and send IC File Logs to Subscribers, scheduled to start at 06:00. Both entries are created in On Hold status and must be activated before the automated pipeline starts.

7. Open Global Master Setup in the Subscriber company. Switch to the Subscriber company and open Global Master Setup. Set Company Type to Subscriber. The Subscriber Company group activates and defaults are applied: Subscriber Handle IC File and Subscriber Synch. Record Set are enabled, Only Synch. Net Changes is enabled, and Reset No. Of Synchronization Attempts (Hours) is set to 24.

8. Enter the Subscriber's Partner ID. Provide a unique Partner ID for this company — different from the Master's Partner ID.

9. Configure the External File Account on the Subscriber. In the Subscriber Company group, use the Select Account link to choose a file account. This should point to the same shared storage location used by the Master — both sides must read and write files to the same container or folder.

10. Set the Subscriber Log Creation Policy. Choose an appropriate option from Subscriber Log Creation Policy: None creates no log entries, Success and Errors logs everything, Errors only logs failures (the default), and Success only logs successful synchronizations.

11. Set Maximum No. of Attempts and reset hours. Review Maximum No. of Attempts to Synchronize (default 5, up to 100) and Reset No. Of Synchronization Attempts (Hours) (default 24). These control how the Subscriber handles records that fail to synchronize — the auto-reset means skipped records are retried automatically after the specified number of hours.

12. Create the Subscriber Job Queue entry. From the action bar choose Create Job Queue Entries on the Subscriber. One job is created: Global Master: Import, update and synchronize Record Data, scheduled to start at 06:15. Activate this entry when ready to begin synchronization.

Note on Master and Subscriber in the same company: If a single company acts as both Master and Subscriber (Company Type = Master and Subscriber), both job queue entries are created together. The Master job is offset to 06:10 and the Subscriber job to 06:05 to avoid collision.

Related Features

The Global Master Setup is the gateway to the rest of the app. A company must have a valid Company Type and Partner ID before any Data Templates can be created (Master) or imported (Subscriber) — changing or clearing these fields is blocked if templates already exist. The transport configured in the setup is used by every Partner record on the Master side; each Partner can override the transport type, but the External File Account and legacy Blob Storage fields on the Global Master Setup serve as the default for the owning company. The Job Queue entries created from the setup page drive both the Master pipeline (which packages and distributes data) and the Subscriber pipeline (which imports and applies it), and both pipelines read their behavioral switches directly from this setup record. Template Packages — pre-built collections of Data Templates distributed by Abakion — can only be imported on a company configured as Master, and the import wizard is accessed from the Global Master Template Packages page. The GM Tenant Connector Codes page, also accessible under Administration, holds the OAuth 2.0 credentials that allow a Master to push data to Subscriber companies via web services rather than a shared file account; each Partner record references one connector code when the Web-service transport type is chosen.

Field Reference

Global Master Setup page — General group

Global Master Setup page — Master Company group

Global Master Setup page — Subscriber Company group

Global Master Setup page — External File Account group (visible when Import Method = External File Account)

Global Master Setup page — Azure BLOB Storage group (visible only when Import Method = Azure Blob Storage)

Global Master Setup page — Connection Information group

GM Tenant Connector Codes page