How to Use Dimensions on Purchase Orders in Business Central

Set up dimension values for departments, projects, and cost centers, configure defaults on vendors and items, then apply them on PO headers and lines for granular spend analysis.

Step-by-step guide

1

Set up dimension values

Search for 'Dimensions' in Business Central and open your dimension codes (e.g., DEPARTMENT, PROJECT, COSTCENTER). Add values under each dimension that reflect your organization's structure — for example, departments like Engineering, Marketing, and Operations.

2

Configure default dimensions on vendors and items

Open a Vendor Card or Item Card and click 'Dimensions'. Assign default dimension values so they auto-populate whenever this vendor or item appears on a document. Set the Value Posting rule to control whether users can change or must use the default.

3

Apply dimensions on PO headers and lines

When creating a Purchase Order, click 'Dimensions' on the header to set order-level dimensions. On individual lines, click 'Line' > 'Dimensions' to override or add line-specific values for more granular tracking.

4

Review dimension combinations

In 'Dimension Combinations', define which dimension value pairs are allowed, blocked, or limited. This prevents invalid postings — for example, blocking a marketing cost center from being used with a production department.

5

Analyze spending by dimension

Use 'Analysis by Dimensions' or build reports in the Chart of Accounts filtered by dimension values. This lets you see purchasing spend broken down by department, project, or cost center across any period.

The faster way with Zentriq

Zentriq PunchOut preserves your default vendor and item dimensions when creating Requisition Worksheet lines. Every cart captured from a supplier site inherits the correct cost center and department codes automatically, so your spend analysis stays accurate without manual tagging.

Related Zentriq products: Zentriq PunchOut, Zentriq Agent

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