Implementing Sales Budgets in Dynamics 365 Business Central: A Step-by-Step Guide

I have spent plenty of time in Business Centrals' G/L Budgets ( like this blog here), but until recently didn't spend much time in the Sales Budgets. There isn't a ton of documentation on it, so it took a little bit of exploring to see how I wanted to utilize it. Here are some steps I took to begin using this feature.

In your Tell Me navigation, search for "Sales Budgets"

It will look very similiar to the G/L Budgets page, You are going to fill the name (code) and description of your Sales Budget and Assign any additional dimension you would like to budget on. In this environment the Department and Customer Group are the global dimensions, so I am going to pick three other dimensions to add on to the budget.

You next will want to add the budget goodies. You will start this by selecting Edit Budget from the toolbar.

When you open that window, your default view will be viewing Items and Periods, but you can change that!

The Show as Lines and the Show as Columns are one of my favorite features in these budget. I love how dynamic my views are and how I can enter and manipulate my data based on these views.

For example, if I have the goal of budgeting for sales from certain customers, I can do that! I can also set things like Sales Amount, Cost Amount, or Quantity.

Before we start entering in our budget information, let's hop down to the bottom section of the page! Here we have our filters!

For the current example I am setting a budget for sales for my customers in the year of 2025. Therefore, the most useful filter for me to set up right now is my date range. I want it to be from January 1st - December 31st of 2025.

You can see once my date filter was entered, the period descriptions in my columns are for that date range.

You can get your budget data into Business Central in a few different methods:

1. Hand Enter

2. Export a template, fill it out and then import the template.

3. 
   

Let's touch on each briefly.

Hand Enter

I can click into one of the months and a new window opens. I then enter in the data for my entries. Note that my source type is customer and I am choosing not to budget by a specific item number.

Export a template, fill it out and then import the template.

1. Export to Excel:

   1. In the "Budget" page, click on the "Actions" tab.

   2. Select "Export to Excel." Then "Create New Document

Filling Out the Excel Template

With the exported template, you can now fill in your budget data. Here's how to do it effectively:

1. Open the Excel File:

   1. Open the exported Excel template. You'll see a structured format with predefined columns for the budget dimensions and periods.

2. Enter Budget Data:

   1. Populate the budget amounts for each combination of dimensions and periods.

   2. Ensure that the data is accurate and adheres to the formatting requirements of Business Central. For example, numerical values should not contain any special characters or formatting.

1. Utilize Excel Features:

   1. Take advantage of Excel's features like formulas, data validation, and conditional formatting to streamline data entry and ensure accuracy.

2. Save the Completed Template:

   1. Once you've entered all the budget data, save the Excel file. It's a good practice to keep a backup copy.

Importing the Filled Template Back into Business Central

After filling out the Excel template, the next step is to import it back into Business Central. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth import process:

1. Open the Budget in Business Central:

   1. Go back to the "Sales Budgets"

   2. Select the budget you want to import data into and click on "Edit Budget."

2. Import from Excel:

   1. In the "Budget" page, click on the "Home" tab.

   2. Select "Import from Excel."

   3. Browse and select the completed Excel file from your local drive.

   4. You will be given the option to choose which budget you are uploading to and if you would like to add or replace the entries. If you will want to choose carefully. The replace will overwrite any entries all ready in the budget. The add will add the entries from excel to any entries already existing. So be careful you do not create duplicates.

3. Complete the Import:

   1. If everything looks correct, click "OK" to complete the import process.

   2. Business Central will update the budget with the imported data.

Now you can utilize your Sales Budgets just like your G/L Budgets!