Incoming Documents
Some business transactions are not recorded in Microsoft Dynamics NAV from the outset. Instead, an external business document comes into your company as an e-mail attachment or a paper copy that you scan to file. This is typical of purchases, where such incoming document files represent payment receipts for expenses or small purchases. Other examples of incoming document files are electronic documents from trading partners with whom you have agreed to exchange documents electronically. The generic version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV supports incoming invoices and credit memos in the PEPPOL format. From PDF or image files representing incoming documents, you can have an external OCR service (Optical Character Recognition) generate electronic documents that can then be converted to document records, like for electronic PEPPOL documents. For more information, see Data Exchange.
In the Incoming Documents window, you use different functions to review expense receipts, manage OCR tasks, and convert incoming document files, manually or automatically, to the relevant documents or journal lines in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The external files can be attached to their related document in Microsoft Dynamics NAV at any process stage, including to posted documents and to the resulting vendor, customer, and general ledger entries.
The incoming document process can consists of the following main activities:
Record the external documents in Microsoft Dynamics NAV by creating lines in the Incoming Documents window in either of the following ways:
Manually, by using simple functions in the Incoming Documents window, either from a PC or from a mobile device, in one of the following ways:
Use the Create from File button, and then fill relevant fields in the Incoming Document window. The file is automatically attached.
Use the New button, and then fill relevant fields in the Incoming Document window and attaching the related file.
From a tablet or phone, use the Create from Camera button to create a new incoming document record, and then send the image to the OCR service, for example.
Automatically, by using automation features that push electronic documents into new or existing incoming document records in one of the following ways:
Receive the document from the OCR service as an electronic document after you have e-mailed the related PDF or image file to the OCR service. The Financial Information FastTab is automatically filled in the Incoming Document window.
Receive the document from a trading partner as an electronic document through the document exchange service. The Financial Information FastTab is automatically filled in the Incoming Document window.
Use the OCR service to have PDF or image files turned into electronic documents that can be converted to document records in Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
Create new documents or general journal lines for incoming document records in either of the following ways:
Manually, by entering the information in new documents or journal lines as read from incoming document files.
Automatically, by converting electronic documents to new documents or journal lines based using the Data Exchange Framework.
Attach incoming document files to purchase and sales documents of any status, including to the resulting vendor, customer, and general ledger entries that result from posting.
View incoming document records and their attachments from any purchase and sales document or entry, or find all general ledger entries without incoming document records from the Chart of Accounts window.
Note
You can create workflows where the creation of a new incoming document record starts related processing tasks that you define as workflow steps. The generic version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV includes the From Incoming Document to Purchase Invoice Workflow workflow template, which you can build on. For more information, see Workflow.
The following table describes a sequence of tasks, with links to the topics that describe them.
| To | See |
|---|---|
Set up the Incoming Documents feature, set up the OCR service, and set up the document exchange service. |
|
Create incoming document records, attach files, use OCR to turn PDF files into electronic documents, convert electronic documents to document records in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, audit incoming document records posted sales and purchase documents. |