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Dynamics 365 Business Central

Connection setting requirements

  • Data Hub v8 or later

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 or later

Add Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

A Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central data source can be added to a new or existing data model.

Existing model

To add a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central data source to an existing Data Model:

  1. Open an existing Data Model from RESOURCE EXPLORER.

  2. Expand Data Sources.

  3. Click the Add Data Source button.

Select source

  1. Under the Apps (On-prem) section, select Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

  2. From the source type pop-up, click Connect on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central entry tagged Data Source.

Connect

To connect Data Hub and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:

  1. Complete the following fields:

    1. Data Gateway - Leave this item set to None unless you are using a Data Gateway.

    2. Server - Use the server name if the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central server is on the same network as the Data Hub server. Otherwise, a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is required.

    3. Authentication - Depending on how your instance of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is configured, authentication credentials are provided by either:

      1. Windows login - Use a Windows user name and password. Active Domain credentials are also accepted.

      2. SQL Server login - Use a SQL Server user name and password.

    4. User Name - Enter the user name of a user with access to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central instance. The user name provided may require the domain name (such as domain\user) or a User Principal Name format (user@fully-qualified_domain_name).

    5. Password - Enter the password for the provided user name.

    6. Database - Type the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central database name, or select the database from the drop-down list. Data Hub automatically combines data from the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central company databases for the Configure Source and Select Data steps.

    7. Caption Language - Select a display language for element descriptions in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

  2. (Optional) Advanced connection settings can be added or modified for this data source by using either of the following settings:

    1. Advanced panel on the Connect screen when adding the data source.

    2. Properties panel when viewing an existing data source, in Advanced section.

  3. Click Test Connection to verify that Data Hub can connect to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central database with the credentials provided.

  4. Click Next to continue to the Configure Source step.

Configure source

To specify which entities (or companies) should be available for analysis in Data Hub:

  1. Specify which entities to include for analysis by selecting or clearing the check box beside the entity names.

  2. Select the Primary Company check box for the primary entity if there is more than one entity).

  3. Click Next to continue to the Select Data step.

Configure model

Financial dimensions are used to store information (e.g. cost center, department, and project). They are used to classify data in financial reports.

Select the financial dimensions that are to be included in the data model. The selected financial dimensions are automatically configured to relate to pipelines from the data source.

  1. Select the financial dimensions to include in the data model.

  2. Create a dimension pipeline for each of the selected financial dimensions with either of the following actions:

    • Click Next to create the selected dimensions and proceed to the Configure Calendars step.

    • Click ➕ Dimensions to create the individual financial dimensions, but remain on the Configure Model screen.

  3. If necessary, click Next to continue to the Configure Calendars step.

Select data

To add tables from the data source to the data model:

  1. Select tables to be added as pipelines using the check box column.

  2. To add the pipelines to the data model:

    1. Click Add Pipelines to add tables as individual pipelines.

    2. Click Add Pipeline as Union of Tables option from Add Pipelines drop-down menu, to add a single pipeline created from a union of the selected tables.

      Note

      If all of the tables in the data source are selected, the pipeline will always perform a union on all tables from the data source, even if the table list changes. For example, if the data source contains only tables of sales for the USA, UK, and Europe, selecting them all will union the three tables into a single pipeline. If a fourth table with sales for Australia is later added, it will automatically be included in the union for the pipeline.

  3. Click Finish to add tables as individual pipelines and finish adding the data source.

  4. If Finish was not used to add pipelines, click Finish to complete the process.

Data screen elements

Select Data screen displays the following:

  • Select All/Clear - If no table checkboxes are currently selected, Select All can be used to select all of the tables in the source database.

    If one or more table checkboxes are selected: Clear (x) can be used to clear all the selected tables.

  • Show selected tables only - This hides all tables where the check box column is currently cleared (not selected).

  • Show tables without rows - When selected, this item shows all source tables, including tables that do not contain data.

  • Add Pipelines - Click Add Pipelines to add all selected tables to the data model as individual pipelines. The Add Pipelines drop-down provides two options:

    • Add Pipelines. Same function as the Add Pipelines button.

    • Add Pipeline as Union of Tables. Creates a single pipeline from the union of the selected tables from this data source.

      Note

      If all tables in the data source are selected, the pipeline will always perform a union on all tables from the data source, even if the table list changes. For example, if the data source contains only tables of sales for the USA, UK, and Europe, selecting them all will union the three tables into a single pipeline. If a fourth table with sales for Australia is later added, it will automatically be included in the union for the pipeline.

  • Finish - This adds the selected tables as individual pipelines and finalizes adding the data source. Once the request has been processed, Data Hub opens the Data Model Overview.

  • Filter row - The first row of the Select Data table is the filter row. Use the fields to filter rows based on the column contents. To clear all filters entered, either delete the entered text or use the Clear filter icon at the end of the row.

  • Select Data step table - This table shows the tables present in the data source.

Select data table columns.

  1. Select options from the following Select Data table columns:

    1. Check box column - Select to create a pipeline for this source table.

    2. Table - The database table name.

    3. Relationships - Shows source tables that share a relationship with the current table. These relationships join the tables, allowing for easier report building.

  2. Click Finish.

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