Business Central

Introduction

The integration between TimeLog and Business Central provides seamless cooperation between the two systems. 

Description

The integration brings a lot of advantages. 

• Easy and quick creation of invoices, based on project registrations. 
• Financial analyses can be carried out in TimeLog with all available dimensions (employee, project type, project category, department, etc.) incl. the financial reporting. 
• The project managers can find all information about invoicing in TimeLog and therefore do not need access to Business Central, so you save money on licenses. 
• The transfer of invoices to Business Central saves time and provides increased quality assurance around correct invoicing. 

From TimeLog to Business Central: 

• Automatic transfer of customers 
• Automatic transfer of contacts 
• Automatic transfer of employees 
• Automatic transfer of invoices 
• Automatic transfer of invoice specification 
• Automatic transfer of projects 
• Transfer of project expenses incl. image 

From Business Central to TimeLog: 

• Automatic transfer of customers and contacts 
• Importing financial accounts or item numbers 
• Easy transfer of vendor invoices via Import of project expenses 
• Automatic balancing of invoices when marked as paid in Business Central 

Installation of the Business Central integration 

Before you start creating the integration, you must have a TimeLog PSA site with Invoicing. Once that is in place, you must: 

• Register TimeLog PSA app in your Azure portal 
• Install TimeLog PSA app via BC Marketplace for extensions 
• Perform setup of TimeLog PSA in Assisted Setup 
• Check TimeLog PSA app in via BC Microsoft Entra programs 

 

Save the copied Client Id and Client Secret, for use when establishing the connection in the TimeLog integration. 

Consult the guide Register TimeLog PSA app for more information. 

Please note that you must be a super user in Business Central, with Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator rights, to create TimeLog PSA app and integration user information. 

Check your settings in Business Central 

To ensure optimal transfer of data between TimeLog and Business Central, check the following Business Central settings. 

• Financial account setup. Has significance for the transfer of invoices. 
• Debtor templates. Used if TimeLog is to be able to create new customers in Business Central 
• Purchase setup. Has significance for the import of supplier invoices. 
• TimeLog Setup 
  • Activate Use contact relationship Mgr. 
  • Transfer amounts from TimeLog 
  • Transfer VAT % from TimeLog 

The document Needed configuration in Business Central provides further information on the individual setups. 

Please note: Business Central has a limit on the number of marks that can be received from TimeLog. You can read more about this in the overview of how the fields are linked between TimeLog and Business Central. 

Establish the Integration connection 

• Add your tenant ID from the TimeLog PSA setup in Business Central 
• Add your Business Central installation environment (Environment) 
• Add the registered application Client ID from Azure Active Directory 
• Add the created Client secret from Azure Active Directory 
• Click on Connect to establish the connection between TimeLog and your Business Central installation. 

When the connection is established, a check mark appears next to Connection established, and you are now given the opportunity to configure the integration.

Step 1 – Setup 

• Check "Allow the integration of the organization no." if you must invoice Swedish customers by organization number. Remember to install the SweBase app in your Business Central installation. 
• Check "Transfer VAT percentage and invoice amount" if TimeLog is to transfer VAT percentage and amount on the invoice lines. 
• Choose which system should be the master for new customers. By selecting Business Central as master, Customers will automatically be created/updated in TimeLog. 
• Check "Allow TimeLog to automatically link customers with matching VAT number and create customer contacts when transferring invoices”, when Business Central is the master for new customers. 

Setting up customers 

You have three options to choose from when it comes to the ongoing maintenance of your customer databases. 

1. From TimeLog to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (TimeLog is master for new customers) 
2. From Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to TimeLog (Business Central is the master for new customers) 
3. To/from TimeLog to/from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Both systems can transfer new customers) 

If you choose option 2 or 3, you can extend TimeLog's ability to automatically link customers when transferring an invoice. You can allow TimeLog to link customers who have the same VAT number in both systems when you transfer an invoice. At the same time, you can also transfer and create contacts who have not already been created in Business Central. 

1 From TimeLog to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 

If you choose this option, you can transfer your customer manually from TimeLog to Business Central by going to the customer card and clicking on the three dots next to the customer’s name. Here you select Link customer with integration, which opens a pop-up, then click the black dot to link and click OK. You can do the same on contacts. 

In the same way, you can also remove the link again by opening the customer or contact in question and clicking on the three dots. It opens the same pop-up where you now have the option to click the check mark to remove the link. You can subsequently see in the integration log whether the action was successful. 

New TimeLog customers who are not already linked are created in Business Central upon transfer of the first invoice and receive the TimeLog customer number. 

2 From Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 

When you choose this option, your new and updated customers in Business Central will automatically be transferred and created in TimeLog. The created customers are assigned the customer number from Business Central. 

3 To/from TimeLog to/from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 

When you choose this option, you can create new and update existing customers in both systems. This option combines the first two options, and you can freely update data in both systems. Your changes will be transferred to the other system, as described in the other two choices

• Activate "Transfer invoice specification to Business Central" if TimeLog invoice specification is to be transferred together with the invoices. 

Click Next. 

Step 2 – Setup of Business Central company 

Select the company accounts that TimeLog must be integrated against. 

Click Next. 

Step 3 – Link customers 

To be able to transfer invoices to Business Central, all customers must be found in TimeLog and linked to the corresponding customer names in Business Central. This is done in the table of customers, which has four display options (One Proposal, Multiple Proposals, No Proposal & Ignored Customers). 

The left half of the tables shows the Business Central customers, and the right half the TimeLog customers. TimeLog checks on customer number, VAT number, phone number, and customer name.

Before the integration is activated, it is important to handle all the Business Central customers in the table view options. 

One match: Customer pairs that can be linked immediately. 

More matches: Customers in Business Central where more than one matching customer has been found in TimeLog. 

No match: Customers in Business Central where there is no match in TimeLog. 

Ignored Customers: Customers in Business Central that should not be used in TimeLog (you can ignore customers all three table options, which you can read more about after the four customers linking scenarios) 

On all four table view options, there are four options for linking the customer information: 

1. Link and used data from Business Central: This action links the customer pairs and overwrites customer data in TimeLog with customer data from Business Central. Fields that are not filled in in Business Central are not overwritten in TimeLog. 
2. Link and use data from TimeLog: This action links the customer pairs and overwrites customer data in Business Central with customer data from TimeLog. Fields that are not filled out in TimeLog will not be transferred. 
3. Import as a new customer in TimeLog: This action creates a new customer in TimeLog based on data in the Business Central customer including the BC customer number. 
4. Ignore Customer(s): This action ignores the customers from Business Central and puts them into their own table. The customer names can subsequently be imported into TimeLog if the need arises. 

When you have imported the new customers in TimeLog, the customer number from Business Central is also imported to the customer in TimeLog. If you want TimeLog to be the master for new customers, we recommend that you correct your customer number series in System administration -> General settings -> Number series, so that the new customers you create in TimeLog get a customer number that continues the number series in Business Central. In this way, the customer numbers in the two systems will be the same. 

The procedure for the chaining depends on one of the following typical scenarios: 

1. There is no customer data in either Business Central or TimeLog 
2. There is customer data in Business Central and none in TimeLog (new TimeLog customer) 
3. There is customer data in TimeLog and none in Business Central (new Business Central customer) 
4. There is customer data in both TimeLog and Business Central 

Below, the four scenarios are reviewed separately. 

Scenario 1: There is no customer data in either Business Central or TimeLog 

In this case, linking of the customer databases is not necessary, so the point can be skipped. If Business Central is selected as master (From Business Central to TimeLog) for new customers in the Setup section, new Business Central customers are automatically created in TimeLog. 

If TimeLog is selected as master (From TimeLog to Business Central), the customers are created and linked in Business Central when the first invoice is transferred. 

Scenario 2: There is customer data in Business Central and none in TimeLog 

Start by transferring the relevant customers in Business Central to TimeLog. Table display option One match and More matches will be empty and can be skipped. When the table shows No match, all active customers in Business Central will be displayed. Mark the customers to be created in TimeLog and select Import to TimeLog as new customer under Select action and click OK. 

The customers are now created in TimeLog, and at the same time they are linked to Business Central's customer database. The new customers in TimeLog get a customer number from Business Central.

Scenario 3: There is customer data in TimeLog and none in Business Central 

In this case, there is no concatenation to perform, so the point can be skipped. Customers will be created in Business Central in connection with invoicing if TimeLog is the master for new customers. 

If Business Central is the master, the customer must be created in Business Central and linked via the table view option One match. 

Scenario 4: There is customer data in both TimeLog and Business Central 

This connection is the most time-consuming, as there will be a need to manually connect the individual customer pairs. Fortunately, the system helps to find customer pairs that match. 

Please be aware that if you have many customers in Business Central, it is an advantage to link/ignore groups of customers so that the list is continuously shortened. 

When you have finished handling all the customers, click Next to continue setting up the integration. 

Ignore customers 

You have the option to ignore the customers from Business Central that you do not want to use in TimeLog on all three table selections with linking suggestions. 

You ignore the customers by marking the checkboxes on the far right and selecting Ignore customer(s) in Select action and clicking OK. 

When you ignore the customers, they are moved to the Ignore customer(s) table, where you get an overall overview. From here you have the option to import or link them if you need them later.

Step 4 – Import item numbers 

In this configuration section, choose whether TimeLog invoices should use product numbers or financial accounts on the invoice lines, when transferring to Business Central. 

Business Central requires that each invoice line is printed with an product number/financial account, which determines how the invoice line should be posted in the accounts with respect to VAT and turnover statistics. If a product number/financial account has not been selected on one invoice line in TimeLog, the invoice draft cannot be posted, and only posted TimeLog invoices can be transferred to Business Central. 

Do not be confused when reading product number on various websites. It will always be the selected data type (product number or financial account) that is displayed in various fields. 

After selecting product numbers or financial accounts, the table at the bottom of the screen shows the active product numbers or financial accounts in your Business Central. Mark the check box next to the product numbers/financial accounts to be used on your invoice lines in TimeLog. The selection is activated by selecting the Activate action and click OK to activate the number in TimeLog. 

You can also click directly on Inactive in the Status column to activate the individual product number/financial account. 

Configuration of product numbers 

Configuration of product numbers/financial accounts has two setups that make invoice creation easier. 

1. Default product numbers for project work
2. Standard product numbers on expenses

By default, the product number/financial account must be selected on the individual invoice line. For each data type and form of settlement in TimeLog, you can choose a principle for the default selection. You also have the option of choosing a specific product number/financial account for the individual data type. 

The integration works fine, even if the setup of default product numbers has not been completed. In that case, you must manually select a product number/financial account on each invoice line on the invoice draft. 

We recommend setting up default product numbers, as it will save you a lot of time in the invoicing process when TimeLog adds the selected product numbers/financial accounts to the individual invoice lines for you. This is especially an advantage if there are many of you who must share the responsibility of creating invoices. 

Setting up default product numbers for project work 

When assigning product numbers/financial accounts to the different data types (time & material and fixed price payments), you have different options, depending on the data type. 

Time & material: Has six possible choices: Select when invoicing, Select dimension (Project type, Project category, Task type or Hourly rate) or one of the imported product numbers/financial accounts. 

Select when invoicing: Here, the product number/financial account must be selected on the individual invoice line when you create your invoices. 

Select dimension: Here, the selected dimension must subsequently be updated in System administration -> Finance -> Product number mapping. 

If Hourly rate is selected, your hourly rates in System administration -> Finance -> Hourly rates will have an extra field added (Product no.). Click on an hourly rate name or edit and select a product number/financial account. The same product number/financial account can be used for several hourly rates. If it is not possible to select a single product number/financial account for an hourly rate, it can be omitted and must instead be selected on the individual invoice lines. 

If a specific product number/financial account is selected: Time registrations will automatically have the selected product number/financial account added to the invoice lines. 

Fixed price: Has four possible choices: Select when invoicing, Select dimension (Project type and Project category) or one of the imported product numbers/finance accounts. 

Select when invoicing: Here, the product number/financial account must be selected on the individual invoice line when you create your invoices. 

Select dimension: Here, the selected dimension must subsequently be updated in System administration -> Finance -> Product number mapping. Fixed price payments will then automatically get the product number/financial account added when a new fixed price contract is created. 

If a specific product number/financial account is selected: The fixed price payments will automatically have the selected product number/financial account added to the payments when a new fixed price contract is created. 

Setting up standard product numbers on expenses 

Expenses: Has three possible choices: Select when invoicing, Expense type or one of the imported product numbers/financial accounts. 

Select when invoicing: Here, the product number/financial account must be selected on the individual invoice line when you create your invoices. 

If Expense type is selected, your expense types must subsequently be assigned an product number/financial account in System administration -> Finance -> Product number mapping. Click on the expense type name or Edit icon and select a product number/financial account. It is not recommended to use the same product number/financial account on more than one expense type as this will affect the import of project expenses If it is not possible to select a single product number/financial account for the expense type, it can be omitted and must instead be selected on the individual invoice lines. 

Mileage: Has two possible choices: Choose when invoicing, or one of the imported product numbers/financial accounts. 

Allowance: Has two possible choices: Choose when invoicing, or one of the imported product numbers/financial accounts. 

Accommodation: Has two possible choices: Choose when invoicing, or one of the imported product numbers/financial accounts. 

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration section. 

Change predefined mappings. 

The functionality on this button is only be used if you have changed the data type of the invoice lines from e.g. financial accounts to product numbers, after you have transferred invoices to Business Central. 

When changing from e.g. financial accounts to product numbers, a warning pop-up will appear, warning you that all imported product numbers/financial accounts and selected setup of default product numbers/financial accounts will be deleted when you click OK. 

Step 5 – Expenses 

Configuration of expense export 

After activating the expense export, you must select which journal TimeLog should transfer the project expenses to in your Business Central. You are then able to transfer the expenses that your employees enter in TimeLog, e.g. via our Mobile app, to Business Central, including the attachment for the expense. 

For the expenses to be transferred, you must add the corresponding financial account number from Business Central to all expense types in TimeLog. The addition of financial accounts is carried out in System administration -> Time and expense registration -> Expense types. 

Setting up expense import 

After activating the expense import, you must add the financial accounts from which TimeLog must import purchase invoices from. Click in the field and click on the desired financial accounts, after which the account is added. 

All purchase invoices posted to these accounts can be imported into TimeLog via the Import Project Expenses web page and added to your projects in TimeLog. To optimize the import of purchase invoices, you should add the corresponding account numbers from Business Central to all active expense types in TimeLog. If the purchase invoices also contain a TimeLog project number is TimeLog automatically adding it in the import table. 

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration section. 

Step 6 – Projects 

Once you have activated the project transfer, TimeLog will automatically transfer your project names and numbers to Business Central when they are created in TimeLog. Where in Business Central the projects are transferred to is configured in the next configuration step. 

When TimeLog has transferred a project to Business Central, it can be selected on your purchase invoices. Timelog Import of project expenses will then automatically show which project the purchase invoice is to be imported into TimeLog. 

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration section. 

Step 7 – Configuration of dimensions 

In this configuration section, you choose which dimensions in TimeLog are to be matched against your Business Central dimensions. Each dimension in Business Central can only be matched with one TimeLog dimension. Your selections are automatically saved once you have selected a dimension. If you choose not to match a dimension, no data from the TimeLog dimension is transferred to Business Central. 

Click Activate to activate the integration and you are ready to transfer the first invoices to Business Central, and you can update the integration at any time if changes/additions are needed. 

If you have several legal entities in your TimeLog installation that are to be integrated into a Business Central account, you must add and configure an integration for each legal entity in TimeLog.