Getting Started with your Datahaven 365 trial
Congratulations on beginning your Datahaven 365 journey by licensing Datahaven 365 Business Central Core Edition. As you will soon experience, Datahaven Core Edition gives your organization everything it needs to start using the primary archiving features of Datahaven 365 on vendor and customer records.
Getting Started
Confirm that your device and browser is supported
Before you begin, please confirm that you will be using one of the devices and web browsers supported by Datahaven 365. Datahaven 365 supports either of the two most recent major versions of the Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers running on a PC.
Navigate to customer or vendor records
Once you have confirmed that you are using a supported device and browser, you can start using Datahaven 365 Business Central Core Edition by navigating to a specific vendor or customer record or to the list of vendors or customers in Business Central.
You will see the Datahaven 365 virtual folder structure embedded on the right side of the page. Just keep in mind that this is not a Windows Explorer folder structure. It is much more.
The Datahaven folder structure is context-sensitive. This means that, as you move to other records in Business Central, the Datahaven folder structure will automatically display only those folders and documents that are related to the active record.
Browsing Folder Structures
When you drill down into the Datahaven folder structure displayed on the customer and vendor pages in Business Central, you will see folders related to individual transactions and other records related to the active record.
For example, from the vendor page, you will be able to see folders related to quotes, orders, and invoices.
You can download a complete list of all of the folder structures on all of the pages where Datahaven’s virtual folder structures appear by default in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
If you decide to implement Datahaven, you will be able to add to or modify any of these default folder structures as part of your Datahaven implementation project.
Navigating to Transaction Pages Displayed in the Datahaven Folder Structure
The Datahaven virtual folder structure (and the documents and other files stored in it) can be used to navigate to and from a wide range of transactions related to customer and vendor records.
From the vendor folder structure, for example, a user can navigate to a posted purchase invoice record related to that vendor by right-clicking on the folder for that invoice record and either clicking on “Launch Linked Record” in the right-click menu or clicking the button in the Datahaven toolbar.
A Core Edition user can add documents and other files to any customer or vendor record.
Note: Although Datahaven 365 Core Edition enables a user to quickly navigate to related Dynamics transaction records, it does not enable a Core Edition user to add or open documents linked to these transaction records. This requires additional licensing.
Understanding the Icons on the Datahaven 365 Toolbar
Near the top of the Datahaven 365 component, you will see a toolbar of functionality available to you.
You will not see all icons because some of them are only applicable if you elect to upgrade your Datahaven 365 licenses.
Also, you may notice that some of the icons you do see are occasionally grayed out. Icons are grayed out when they are not applicable in a certain context or when a user does not have the required security permission.
Understanding the Default Datahaven DocTypes
Datahaven 365 relies on a concept of a Datahaven DocType that is distinct from the type of electronic file that can be stored in Datahaven.
You can store any type of electronic file in the Datahaven repository, including scanned documents (TIFF or PDF), pictures (JPG, PNG), or other electronic files (email, email attachment, Word, Excel, etc.)
Each Datahaven DocType is configured to use certain data to enable the programmatic naming of the files stored in the Datahaven 365 repository and the folders in which they are displayed.
The default configuration for Core Edition provides four vendor DocTypes (Vendor Correspondence, Vendor Agreement, Vendor Miscellaneous, and Vendor Tax Forms) that can be saved to the vendor record.
The default configuration for Core Edition also provides for four customer DocTypes (Customer Correspondence, Customer Agreement, Customer Miscellaneous, and Customer Tax Forms) that can be saved to the customer record.
In a production implementation, Datahaven 365 can support an unlimited number of Datahaven DocTypes.
Knowing Which Records Contain Sample Documents
You can add any document, email, or other electronic file to the customer and vendor records in your Datahaven 365 instance.
We also have stored and linked a limited set of documents to certain transactions in demo instances.
Customer transactions with sample documents
We have stored and linked up to the five most recent sales orders and posted sales invoices.
Vendor transactions with sample documents
We have stored and linked up to the five most recent purchase orders and posted purchase invoices.
Adding Files to Customer or Vendor Records
Core Edition enables users to archive documents, emails, and other electronic files on customer and vendor records by importing or dragging and dropping these files on the Datahaven virtual folder structures displayed on these records.
Note: With a Core Edition license, you will not be able to add documents to records other than the customer and vendor records. With additional licensing, you can expand your use of Datahaven 365 to enable adding and viewing documents at the transaction-level, at the line-level, and on journals, registers, and ledgers throughout Business Central.
Importing a document or other electronic file
To import a document or other electronic file to a vendor or customer record, click on the import icon at the bottom of the Datahaven component. This will launch a file selector.
After you select the file you want to import into Datahaven, you will see a list of available document/file types. Select the type of document/file (e.g., Agreement) and click OK.
You have the option (but are not required) to add additional information about the document/file that will be used to automatically name the document/file.
You will then see the imported file saved to the applicable Datahaven folder structure, automatically named based on pre-defined criteria (which can be configured to your company’s preference), and the folder automatically expanded where the file was saved.
Dragging-and-dropping a document or other electronic file
To drag-and-drop a document or other electronic file, go to your Outlook inbox, hard drive, or network location and select the file you want to drag into Datahaven.
Similarly, you can drag an Outlook email message (which will include any attachments) or any of its individual attachments to the Datahaven folder structure.
Once dropped, the file will be automatically named based on pre-defined data from the file and from Dynamics.
Understanding How Folders and Files Are Programmatically Named
No matter how you add a document, email, or other electronic file to Datahaven 365, the file will be named automatically based on pre-configured data in Business Central (e.g., vendor or customer name) and data related to the file itself (e.g., file type, date added).
The default configuration for Core Edition gives users the option to supplement the automated naming of documents and other files with additional detail.
This supplemental naming data option can be turned on or off or be a required field for each file type.
The specific data used to name the file can be configured to suit your organization’s needs as part of a professional services engagement.
Opening Files Linked to a Customer or Vendor
To open a document, email, or other electronic file saved in the Datahaven repository and linked to a customer or vendor record in Business Central, double-click on the file or single-click on the file and click the view icon in the toolbar.
Note: With a Core Edition license, you will be able to see that documents have been linked to a transaction record, but you will not be able to open these documents unless you upgrade your license.
If the file is a PDF, TIFF, or other image-based format, Datahaven will launch a new tab (or replace an existing tab) that displays the document image in the Datahaven viewer.
If the file is not a PDF, TIFF, or other image-based format (e.g., Microsoft Word or Microsoft Outlook file), Datahaven 365 will launch the locally-installed application associated with the file type.
Searching for Content
Datahaven’s patented, virtual folder structure is designed to give you instant access to every piece of relevant content you might need. If for some reason you don’t see what you need, you can perform a quick search for it.
To search for a document, email, or other electronic file saved in the Datahaven repository, switch to the search interface by hovering over the Context View button (Note: this button also allows higher-level licensed users to switch to a workflow context view), choose Search or Search Popup and enter your search query.
Changing a File Name or Where a File Is Stored
A Datahaven user may occasionally miscategorize a file. This will cause the file document to be named and filed incorrectly.
Users can correct these issues simply by right-clicking on the document and choosing the correct file type. This will automatically re-file the file in a different folder (if applicable) and automatically re-name the file.
Viewing the Datahaven Audit Trail
Datahaven 365 tracks every action users take with a document, email, or other electronic file stored in its repository.
You can access these system notes (also referred to as an audit trail) through the Datahaven right-click menu or by selecting the Notes button in the Datahaven toolbar.
Adding User Notes
You can add a user note to a document, email, or other electronic file stored in the Datahaven repository by clicking on the Add Note button in the notes dialog.
Downloading Folder Structures
The patented, virtual folder structure that you see displayed as part of the Core Edition is one of the most powerful differentiators of the Datahaven 365 solution.
As a Core Edition user, you can add documents and other files to the folder structure and have them linked to the customer or vendor record, and you can use the folder structures to navigate quickly to related Dynamics transaction records. However, as a Core Edition user, you cannot add or open documents linked to records other than vendors and customers. This requires additional licensing (see below).
If you decide to implement Datahaven, you will be able to add to or modify any of these default folder structures as part of your Datahaven implementation project.
Upgrading Licenses
Datahaven 365 Business Central Core Edition gives an organization everything it needs to get started using the primary archiving features of Datahaven 365 on vendor and customer records. With additional licensing, you can expand your use of Datahaven into every area of your organization with advanced functionality, including transaction and line-level archiving, workflow routing and approvals, AP automation, and sales automation.
Advanced Archiving
The advanced archiving capabilities of Datahaven 365 includes such features as adding and viewing documents at the transaction-level, at the line-level, and on journals, registers, and ledgers throughout Business Central. You also will have the ability to render (archive) Business Central transactions as PDF files and store them in the Datahaven repository.
Automated Workflow Routing & Approval
As your organization grows, complex document processes will become more difficult to manage because there are more people and a higher transaction volume. Datahaven 365 is powered by a fully-configurable workflow engine that enables document-centric business processes to be driven by specific user actions (e.g., posting a purchase order to a purchase invoice) and by automated business logic (e.g., routing a purchase invoice that exceeds a configurable threshold allowance above its corresponding purchase order to require additional approvals).
AP Automation with OCR Data Extraction
You can combine the workflow routing and approval functionality of Datahaven 365 with its automated OCR data extraction engine to:
- Accelerate PO invoice processing and profit from early payment discounts
- Avoid duplicate invoices with 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way automated matching options and quick mismatch corrections
- Eliminate data entry and accelerate non-PO invoice processing with flexible coding options and programmatically-created invoice records
- Enforce corporate policies by applying special AP rules applicable to your organization related to tax, freight, and charge items
Sales Automation with OCR Data Extraction
Apply the same technologies used in our AP automation solution to your sales team. The Datahaven 365 Business Central sales automation solution enables sales and receivables departments to automate the tedious process of entering sales orders in Business Central based on the information contained in a customer’s purchase order. The Datahaven sales order automation solution dramatically reduces the data entry burden on your sales staff so they can focus on selling rather than on entering sales orders.
Other Integrations
As you have experienced, we have embedded the Datahaven patented folder structures throughout Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, but we didn’t stop there.
We also have embedded Datahaven with:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations
- Microsoft Outlook
- the Microsoft Power Platform
- Microsoft Teams