Create incoming document records directly from documents and entries

You can store external business documents in Business Central by attaching the document files to the related incoming document records. If the document, such as a purchase invoice, didn't start its existence as an incoming document record, you can still create and connect an incoming document record to it later. You can also attach incoming document files to posted purchase and sales documents and to vendor, customer, and general ledger entries by using the Incoming Document Files FactBox in, for example, the Posted Purchase Invoices and Vendor Ledger Entries pages.

From the Chart of Accounts and General Ledger Entries pages, you can use a search function to find general ledger entries for posted purchase and sales documents that don't have incoming document records and then centrally link to existing records or create new ones with attached document files. For more information, see Find Posted Documents without Incoming Document Records.

The following procedures show how to attach a file to a vendor ledger entry or an existing purchase invoice that wasn't created from an incoming document record. Attaching a file to posted purchase or sales documents works in a similar way.

Tip

After you archive documents, such as purchase and sales quotes and orders, the archived versions of the documents contain the incoming document you attached before you archived them. When you select the number in the No. of Archived Versions field to open the Purchase List Archive page, the Incoming Document FactBox contains the attachments to the original document.

Create and connect an incoming document record from a purchase invoice

1. Choose the icon, enter Purchase Invoices, and then choose the related link.

2. Select the line for a purchase invoice that you want to attach a file to, and then choose the Create Incoming Document from File action.

3. Alternatively, select the line for a purchase invoice that you want to attach a file to, and then choose the Attach File action.

4. On the Insert File page, do one of the following steps to attach a file that represents the incoming document in question:

   • Drag the file from file explorer on your device to the dialog box.
   • Select the click here to browse link, find the file, then select the Open button.

Create and connect an incoming document record from a vendor ledger entry

1. Choose the icon, enter Vendor Ledger Entries, and then choose the related link.

2. Select a line for a vendor ledger entry that you want to attach a file to, and then choose the Create Incoming Document from File action.

3. Alternatively, select a line for a vendor ledger entry that you want to attach a file to, and then choose the Attach File action.

4. On the Insert File page, do one of the following steps to attach a file that represents the incoming document in question:

   • Drag the file from file explorer on your device to the dialog box.
   • Select the click here to browse link, find the file, then select the Open button.

Remove a connection from an incoming document record to a posted document

You can remove file attachments from non-posted documents at any time by deleting the related incoming document record. If the document is posted, then you must first remove the connection from the incoming document record.

1. Choose the icon, enter Incoming Documents, and then choose the related link.
2. Select the line for an incoming document record connected to a posted document that you want to remove, and then choose the Remove Reference to Record action.

The connection to the posted document is removed. You can now proceed to connect another incoming document record to the posted document as described in this article.

See also

Create Incoming Document Records Use OCR to Turn PDF and Image Files into Electronic Documents Find Posted Documents without Incoming Document Records Incoming Documents
Purchasing
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