Microsoft Business Central is expressly designed to help streamline many of your business practices and make your life easier. Even if you’ve been using the platform for some time, however, you may have missed out on some of its most vital hacks and tricks: the strategies that can make the most out of the platform. Try out some of these strategies to improve your workflow on the system:
1. Use the Pop-Out Icon to Work on Two Windows at the Same Time
Sometimes, you may need to access two windows at the same time: pulling together an invoice for sales and invoice for purchasing, comparing two invoices, or other tasks that require two screens. Rather than clicking back and forth between them, use the pop-out icon, located near the top right, to bring one of the screens forward.
You’ll then have two separate windows that you can tile according to your usual preferences, which can make it easier to compare or transfer data without constantly finding yourself clicking back and forth between the two. Hint: if you hit the Windows key + a directional arrow, it will move the window to that half of your screen. You can then place the other window you need to use alongside it.
2. Personalize Your Screen So That It Has the Information You Really Need on Display
Microsoft Business Central is designed to work for you, rather than forcing you to fit your preferences and tools into a predetermined platform. On the page you want to customize, click the gear icon. Select “Personalize.” You will then see the bar at the top of the screen that will note that you’re personalizing your content. From there, add or delete the fields you need to help you make the most of your interactions with Microsoft Business Central every day. Do you want to see overdue sales invoice amounts? Purchase invoice amounts? Each user can customize this screen based on the data they need most often from the application.
Some things are hidden by default within the application. Generally, those items will be grayed out with slash marks around it on the personalization screen. By clicking on it, you can bring it forward and make it a visible part of the screen. If you don’t want to see a particular piece of information, simply click “hide” on its display. That will take out that part of the page, allowing you to focus on the information you really want to see.
3. Activate Focus Mode When You Need to Specifically Zero in on a Project
Viewing extensive tables can be a challenge, especially on small screens. Fortunately, Microsoft Business Central offers focus mode for your tables and line items section. Either click the “focus mode” icon in the top right corner of the window or use Ctrl + Shift + F12 to activate focus mode, expand the view of that section, and have it fill your screen, rather than taking up only a small portion of it.
Often, this simple strategy can eliminate distractions or make it easier to navigate those tables filled with data, including giving you a wider view that encompasses all the data on the screen.
4. Make Your Data Entry Faster by Removing Unnecessary Fields in Quick Entry
Your personalization setting isn’t just for ensuring that only the data you need shows up on your homepage. You can also streamline data entry by personalizing your data fields. For example, perhaps a specific spreadsheet does not actually need addresses, or doesn’t need one of the types of information usually included on that spreadsheet.
You have the option to customize your data entry, including hiding specific types of data or including specific tasks in Quick Entry to make it easier for you to enter data swiftly. By removing unnecessary data fields, you also make it easier to check the information on your spreadsheets.
5. Bookmark the Pages You Use Most Often
You know which pages you’re most likely to use over the course of your business day, including the specific pieces of data you’re most likely to check–whether that’s purchase orders, vendor purchasing lists, or specific budget notes. Often, you may need to refer back to that data multiple times over the course of the day–and you want the platform to make it easy.
With Microsoft Business Central’s new bookmarks feature, which was released with Wave 2 of updates, you can bookmark specific screens or reports to your homepage so that you can quickly navigate back to them later. Simply click the bookmark icon on the page you want to store for later use. Then, you can navigate straight there from your homepage–no need to search for that data or go through a complex navigation process to get there again in the future.
6. Input Company Badges That Cannot Be Covered Up
Sometimes, the pop-up screens in the application will cover up the company name, which can make it difficult to tell what, specifically, you’re working on and lead to unnecessary confusion–especially if you’re toggling multiple windows or dealing with interruptions that take your attention off the task at hand. Using company badges will help decrease the odds that vital information will get hidden at just the wrong moment.
On the company information screen, set the custom badge, which can be set in specific colors so that your eye will be drawn to it easily. It will then display a four-character ID at the top of that business’s screen that will not be hidden by other pop-ups within Microsoft Business Central, making it easier for you to keep track of exactly what you’re working on.
Microsoft Business Central is a highly valuable platform that can make it easier to perform many of your vital business tasks. With these hacks, you can enhance overall functionality and make the most of it. Want to learn more? Contact us today for more information about how we can help you keep up with your standard business functions.
