How-ToFinance & Operations

How to Set Up Dimensions in Business Central

Define and assign dimension codes in Business Central to classify transactions by department, project, or cost center for better reporting.

Stein Sæstad
7 min read

Dimensions let you tag transactions with classification codes, department, project, cost center, or any other category that matters to your reporting. Once set up, dimensions appear on journal lines, sales and purchase documents, and can be used to filter and analyze data in account schedules and reports.

This guide covers creating dimension codes, defining values, assigning defaults to G/L accounts and customers or vendors, restricting combinations, and using dimensions on journal lines.

Create Dimension Codes

  1. Search for Dimensions using Alt + Q.
  2. Select New on the Dimensions list page.
  3. Enter a Code, for example, DEPARTMENT or PROJECT.
  4. Enter a Description to explain what the dimension represents.
  5. Optionally set a Code Caption and Filter Caption to control how the dimension appears in filters across the system.

Repeat for each dimension you need. Most companies start with two or three dimensions and add more only when reporting requirements make it necessary.

Set Up Dimension Values

Each dimension needs a set of values that users can select when posting.

  1. On the Dimensions page, select a dimension code and choose Dimension Values from the ribbon.
  2. Select New for each value you want to add.
  3. Enter a Code and Name for each value.
  4. Set the Dimension Value Type, use Standard for regular values, Total or Begin-Total/End-Total for reporting groupings.

Example dimension structure:

Dimension CodeValue CodeValue Name
DEPARTMENTSALESSales
DEPARTMENTFINANCEFinance
DEPARTMENTITIT
PROJECTPROJ-001Website Relaunch
PROJECTPROJ-002ERP Implementation
COSTCENTERCC-100Head Office
COSTCENTERCC-200Branch Oslo

Assign Default Dimensions to G/L Accounts

You can configure default dimension values on G/L accounts so they populate automatically when that account is used in a journal or document.

  1. Search for Chart of Accounts and open the relevant account.
  2. In the ribbon, select Account then Dimensions.
  3. On the Default Dimensions page, select New.
  4. Choose the Dimension Code you want to default.
  5. Set the Dimension Value Code to the value that should pre-fill.
  6. Set Value Posting to control enforcement:
    • Code Mandatory, users must enter a value for this dimension.
    • Same Code, the value is fixed and cannot be changed.
    • No Code, the dimension must be blank on this account.
    • Blank, no enforcement rule.

Assign Default Dimensions to Customers and Vendors

The same default dimension setup is available on Customer and Vendor Cards.

  1. Open the Customer Card for the relevant customer.
  2. In the ribbon, select Customer then Dimensions.
  3. Add dimension defaults following the same steps as for G/L accounts.

When a sales document is created for this customer, the dimension values will populate automatically on the document header and lines.

Block Invalid Dimension Combinations

If certain dimension combinations should never appear together, for example, a department value that conflicts with a specific project, you can restrict combinations using the Dimension Combinations setup.

  1. Search for Dimension Combinations using Alt + Q.
  2. The page shows a matrix of all dimension codes.
  3. Click the intersection of two dimension codes to set the rule:
    • Blank, no restriction.
    • Limited, only specific value combinations are allowed.
    • Blocked, the two dimensions cannot be used together at all.
  4. For Limited combinations, select the cell and then open Dimension Value Combinations to specify which value pairs are permitted.

Use Dimensions on Journal Lines

Dimensions appear as columns on General Journal lines and can be entered manually or populated from defaults.

  1. Search for General Journals and open a journal batch.
  2. On a journal line, locate the dimension shortcut columns, by default, the first two global dimensions (Shortcut Dimension 1 Code and Shortcut Dimension 2 Code) appear as columns.
  3. Enter or select a dimension value directly in the column.
  4. To set values for additional dimensions, select the line and choose Line then Dimensions from the ribbon.

The two global dimensions are defined in General Ledger Setup under the Dimensions tab. All posted entries store dimension values and can be filtered by them in G/L entries and reports.

If you are new to the G/L account structure that dimensions attach to, see How to Configure General Posting Setup in Business Central.