Table of Contents

Work with dimensions

Dimensions are values that categorize entries so you can track and analyze them on documents, such as shipments. Dimensions can, for example, indicate the project or department an entry came from.

So, instead of setting up separate general ledger accounts for each department and project, you can use dimensions as a basis for analysis and avoid having to create a complicated chart of accounts.

Setting up Defalt Dimensions

You can setup default dimensions directly on master tables such as the Service, Customer and Vendor table, to ensure consistent dimension application across all forwarding documents that use those services. If more complex criterea are needed, for example when dimensions have to be applied based on the area of the shipment, consider setting up the dimensions in the Dimension rules table.

Service Dimensions

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature. icon, enter Services (FMS), and select the related link.
  2. Select the service you want to configure dimensions for.
  3. Choose the Dimensions or Multiple-Dimensions action from the ribbon to open the default dimensions setup.

The system automatically applies the default dimensions from the associated service to ensure consistent financial reporting across all forwarding operations.

Dimension Rules

Dimension Rules enable you to automatically apply financial dimensions to forwarding documents based on predefined criteria. This ensures consistent financial reporting and analysis across your freight forwarding operations.

What are Dimension Rules?

Dimension Rules determine which dimensions are applied to cost and revenue lines in forwarding documents. They support filtering based on:

  • Type (Cost, Revenue, or Both)
  • Service or Service Group
  • Area codes
  • Business Unit
  • Document-specific criteria through table filters

Setting up Dimension Rules

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature. icon, enter Dimension Rules (FMS), and select the related link.

  2. Choose New to create a rule.

  3. Fill in the required fields:

    • Type: Select whether the rule applies to Cost lines, Revenue lines, or Both.
    • Description: Enter a descriptive name for the rule.
    • Service Source Type: Specify if the rule applies to a specific Service, Service Group, or leave empty to apply to all services.
    • Service Source No.: Enter the specific service or service group code if applicable.
    • Area Code: Select the area where this rule applies (e.g., Export, Import).
    • Business Unit Code: Specify the business unit if the rule is specific to one.
    • Subsidiary Code: Set the subsidiary code that will be copied to revenue lines.
    • Priority: Set the priority of the rule (lower numbers = higher priority).
    • Valid From/To Date: Optionally limit the rule to a specific date range.

  4. Choose the Dimensions or Multiple-Dimensions action to set up the dimension values that will be applied when this rule matches.

How Dimension Rules Are Applied

To apply dimension rules to cost and revenue lines, a function needs to be configured in the status process.

The system then searches for rules in this priority order:

  • Rules specific to the service on the line
  • Rules for the service group of the service
  • General rules with no specific service

The first matching rule with the highest priority (lowest number) is applied:

  • Applies the dimensions from the rule
  • Copies the Subsidiary Code to the line
Note

Dimension rules will only be applied to cost and revenue lines if the application of dimension rules is properly configured in the status flow for Cost/Revenue lines. Without this configuration, the rules will not take effect automatically.

Dimension Propagation

  • Business Unit: The dimension of the Business Unit code from the document header is applied to all revenue lines.
  • Subsidiary Code: The Subsidiary code from the dimension rule is copied to the revenue line. The corresponding dimension is set based on the default dimension configured on the Subsidiary code.

Best Practices

  • Setup Default dimensions on master tables such as Business Unit, Subsidiary code, Service, Customer and Vendor when possible and use Dimension rules when needed.
  • Review dimension application regularly to ensure financial data accuracy
  • Use the Dimensions-Multiple action to efficiently update dimensions for multiple rules or services

Standard Business Central Documentation:

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