Concerning structure and function, import document definitions are largely identical to Document Definitions.

Import document definitions define how t o import the documents stored on the ECM system by external applications into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The documents are then assigned to processes or documents using a matching document definition.

Generally, all storages in which documents from external applications are collected can be processed via import document definitions, e.g.:

• storages in which scanned documents are stored using a corresponding application (e.g. paper documents scanned via EASY Capture Plus)

• storages in which Microsoft Office documents are stored using a corresponding application (e.g. Microsoft Word/Excel files, e-mails captured via EASY Capture Plus)

• storages in which print documents are stored using a corresponding application (e.g. print lists archived via EASY Capture Plus)

• storages in which other documents captured using a corresponding application are stored (e.g. using a bulk import application of captured output from foreign systems such as EDI, MDE, tills, BDE, etc.)

Processing such documents via EASY for Dynamics 365 BC requires that the documents captured in the corresponding scenarios have an identification feature stored as a metadata in the ECM system (for scan documents, for example, a barcode number that is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is also aware of) which establishes a reference to a document, record, or process in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

An essential difference between document definitions and import document definitions is that imported documents are imported using significantly less metadata information. Since only a very limited number of document metadata flow into the ECM system when, for instance, scanning or using the manual storage from Microsoft Office, only very few metadata are available for import in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

After the data have been imported into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central via import document definition, EASY for Dynamics 365 BC provides functions for enriching indexing. For instance, the metadata of imported documents can be automatically enriched from the data of exported documents of the same process. In this way, the necessity, for instance, of manual data input is reduced to a minimum.

Due to the limited metadata information of imported documents, import document definitions are also limited in terms of functionality compared to document definitions.

For scan scenarios, for example, a single import document definition is usually enough. Using the ECM document type and the assignment of the imported document to a process, EASY for Dynamics 365 BC enriches the scanned document with all the necessary information.

If in EASY Archive / Microsoft SharePoint you want to work with only a single storage for documents to be imported (e.g. scan documents), you will have to set up only one import document definition.

However, you can also set up and use multiple import document definitions which will then get the data from the respectively correct ECM storage. Basically, you have to set up a separate import document definition for each import storage.

Imported documents are assigned exclusively to existing processes and to those automatically or manually generated in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The general principle of import (example of Scan):

A document is placed in the Import storage of the ECM system using a scan program (Scan archive). It is then imported into EASY for Dynamics 365 BC using the NAS services's ECM monitoring feature and a corresponding import document definition, i.e., a new entry for the document is created in the journal row in the On Hold Journal, so that the document can be assigned to a process.

• The "General" FastTab

• The "Lines" FastTab

• The "Monitor for Import ECM Repository/Library" FastTab

• The "Process - Assign" FastTab

• The "Posting" FastTab

, like documents stored on the ECM system by external applications are imported into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and, using the document definition, these documents are assigned to processes or documents.