SAP Business One Customization without Programming or is it really possible?

Mar 21
08:54

2012

Andrew Karasev

Andrew Karasev

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Customization in the past was often associated with expenses on hiring software developers and then hiring them again with version upgrade.

mediaimage

These people typically spend their time on creating new tables and programming forms for their user interface.  However again this is what it was in the past.  Modern accounting and ERP systems such as SAP B1 allow you add user defined fields to existing tables as well as create new tables directly is settings and without programming.  User interface is created automatically by the application itself.  Let’s take a look at the procedure:

1. New User Defined Table.  Please navigate your system the following directions: Tools -> Customization Tools -> User Defined Table Setup.  Here give your new table name and description and click OK.  Now let’s add fields to the table: Tools -> Customization Tools -> User Defined Fields Management.  On the bottom of the form expand User Tables,SAP Business One Customization without Programming or is it really possible? Articles find your table, highlight it and click Add.  Take your time and add fields as needed

2. Metadata in SQL Company Database.  Very good you may say but where these tables are described?  The answer is in metadata which is hosted in company database.  In other words table is created physically in company database as well as its reference is added in several tables responsible for user defined objects metadata.  Let’s launch Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, select your company DB and in query take a look at the contents of the following tables: OUTB (User Defined Tables header) and CUFD (User Defined Fields master)

3. Add Field to Existing Core Table.  Now let’s add field to sales order line maybe something like ‘special thanks.’  Navigate as following: Tools -> Customization Tools -> User Defined Fields Management and expand Marketing Documents and highlight Rows.  Here please click add and setup Special Thanks field.  Now could you guess what happened in the metadata?  The answer is we got new rows in CUFD table.  However there are numerous rows.  This is because Marketing Documents is a set of tables describing such objects as Sales Order, AR Invoice, Purchase Quotation to name a few of them

4. Automatic User Interface.  Please navigate the following way: Tools -> User Defined Windows and here you should see your new user defined table interface option.  The interface allows you to add, edit and delete rows.  Let’s now take a look how user defined field could be added to AR Invoice.  Open AR Invoice form and click on Form Settings icon on the top menu.  Click on Table Format and as you see your user defined field ‘Special Thanks’ is now available for being market as Visible and Active (scroll all the way down)

5. Metadata and version update projects.  As tables and fields are registered directly in SQL Server database there is no need to modify client application.  This means that these objects are neutral to the future releases.  There is nothing that you should care about in the future regarding these custom objects

6. Please call us 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904, help@efaru.com.  We have local presence in Chicagoland, Southern California, Atlanta Georgia, South West Michigan, Houston and Dallas areas of Texas. We serve customers USA and Canada nationwide and internationally via web sessions and phone conferences (Skype is welcomed).  We are working on Brazilian ERP consulting market in Sao Paulo since 2004