Work with Subscription Orders
A Subscription Order represents an agreement between a company and customer for recurring delivery of goods or services over a specified period of time. Often Subscription Orders cover only one item or service with predetermined delivery dates.
Each Subscription Order is connected to a Project and Task. When posted, project usage is created for individual invoicing and flows to Invoice Suggestions as part of the regular invoicing process.
Deferral Templates can be selected that govern how revenue is deferred to the different accounting periods.
Important
The Subscription Orders No. Series must be set up in Sales & Account Receivables Setup before a Subscription Order can be created..
Create a Subscription Order
Choose the Search icon, enter Subscription Orders, and select the related link or navigate to Subscription Orders from the Role Center > Invoicing > Subscription Orders.
Choose the New action.
General FastTab
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| No. |
Specifies the Number of the new Subscription Order, according to the specified Number Series. |
| Customer No. | Specifies the Number of the Customer who will receive the products or services and be billed by default. |
| Customer Name | Specifies the Name of the Customer who will receive the products or services and be billed by default. |
| Order Date | Specifies the Date when the Subscription Order was created. |
| Start Date | Specifies the Date the Subscription starts. If populated, this date will be used as the default for all Lines. |
| End Date | Specifies the End of the Subscription. |
| Reference | Specifies free-form text for the Customer's reference information. |
| Salesperson Code | Specifies the name of the salesperson who is assigned to the customer. |
| Project No. | Specifies the default Project Number to be used for the Subscription Order. If populated, this Project Number will be used as the default for all Lines. |
| Task Code | Specifies the default Project Task to be used for the Subscription Order. If populated, this Task Code will be used as the default for all Lines. |
| Description Template | Specifies a Template that defines how the posted description is formatted. |
| Status | Specifies whether the document is Open, Released for Invoicing or Closed. |
| Order Type | Specifies the type of Subscription Order. For more information on Order Types, see: Subscription Order Types. |
| Order Description | Specifies user-defined information about the Subscription Order. |
| Billing Type | Specifies the method for billing the lines. |
| - Advance: Lines will be billed prior to the due date. Advance will be the default and will function as Subscription Billing has done in the past. Active Lines with a Next Date equal to or earlier than the Until Date limit, set in Batch Post Subscription Orders, will be posted. | |
| - Arrears: Lines will be billed in arrears, amounts that are due but have not been invoiced. Active Lines with a Next Date plus the period length, equal to or earlier than the Until Date limit, set in Batch Post Subscription Orders, will be posted. |
Subscription Order Lines
On the Lines tab, create separate lines for each Resource, Item or Expense.
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Active |
Specifies if selected (true), that the line is to be included when posting. |
Tip
In the ribbon, Active > toggle Show/Hide Inactive Lines to hide or show inactive lines. If Hide Inactive lines is selected, only lines marked as Active will be shown. If Show Inactive Lines is selected, both Active and Inactive Lines will be shown.
| Type |
Specifies the Type of entity that will be posted for this sales line, such as Item, Resource, or Expense. |
| No. | Specifies the number of a General Ledger Account, Item, or Resource, depending on the contents of the Type field. |
| Description | Specifies free-form text information about what is being sold. |
| Description Template | Specifies a Template that defines how the posted description is formatted. For more information, see: Subscription Description Templates. |
| Unit of Measure Code | Specifies how each unit of the Item. Expense or Resource is measured, such as in pieces or hours. By default, the value in the Base Unit of Measure field on the Item Card, Expense Card, or Resource Card is inserted. |
| Quantity | Specifies how many units are being sold. |
| Period | Specifies the selected period for the Subscription. For more information, see: Subscription Periods |
| - First Date: Specifies the date the Subscription starts. Defaults from the header information. | |
| - Previous Date: Specifies the system-populated date of the latest posting. | |
| Next Date Formula | Specifies the formula to find the Next Date. For more information on Date Formulas in Business Central, see: DateFormula Data Type. |
| Next Date | Specifies the system populated Next Date that the Subscription will be posted. |
| End Date | Specifies the End of the Subscription. Defaults from the header information. If left blank the Subscription will continue until it is no longer posted. |
| Unit Price Excl. Tax | Specifies the Price for one Unit on the Sales Line. The Price will populate either from the information for the Type, i.e., Item Price or if available, from the Sales Price List. If the price is set manually, the Manual Price checkbox must be selected. |
| Manual Price | Specifies if selected (true) that the Price is manually set on the line and should not be updated from the Price List. This field must be selected for prices to be adjusted with the Adjust Subscription Prices function. |
| Project No. | Specifies the number of the related Project. Defaults from the header information. |
| Task Code | Specifies the number of the related Project Task. Defaults from the header information. |
| Deferral Code | Specifies the Deferral Template that governs how revenue earned with this Sales document is deferred to the different accounting periods when the good or service was delivered. For more information, see: Deferral Templates |
| Line Discount % | Specifies the Discount Percentage that is granted for the Item on the line. |
| Line Amount Excl. Tax | Specifies the net amount, including any invoice discount, which must be paid for products on the line. |
| Price Adjusted | Specifies the date of the latest price adjustment. |
| Ref. Link | A text field that specifies the URL of an external document. Clicking the link opens the URL. |
Tip
The link can be edited using the Edit Ref. Link action, found under Lines | Manage | Edit Ref. Link.|
| Shortcut Dimension 1 |
Specifies the code for Shortcut Dimension 1, which is one of two Global Dimension Codes selected in General Ledger Setup. |
| Shortcut Dimension 2 | Specifies the code for Shortcut Dimension 2, which is one of two #Global Dimension Codes selected in General Ledger Setup. |
Details FastTab
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Currency Code |
Specifies the currency to be used on the sales document. |
| Customer Price Group | Specifies the Customer Price Group Code, which can be used to set up special sales prices on the Sales Prices page. |
| Customer Disc. Group | Specifies the Customer Discount Group Code, which can be used as a criterion to set up special discounts on the Sales Line Discounts page. |
| Language Code | Specifies the language to be used on printouts for this customer. |
| Shortcut Dimension 1 | Specifies the code for Shortcut Dimension 1, which is one of two Global Dimension Codes that are set up in General Ledger Setup. |
| Shortcut Dimension 2 | Specifies the code for Shortcut Dimension 2, which is one of two Global Dimension Codes that are set up in General Ledger Setup. |
| Price Index Adjust | If selected (true), Specifies that the prices are to be adjusted. |
| Price Index Code | Specifies how the prices should be adjusted. |
| Price Adjusted | Specifies the last date the prices were adjusted. Drill-down on the field will show the entry in the Subscription Prices page. |
Post and Create an Invoice for a Subscription Order
To post the lines on the Subscription Order page, the Lines must be marked as Active.
The Subscription Orders header must have a status of Released to be posted. To do this, open the Subscription Order and select Release > Release from the menu.
Choose Posting > Post... to post the batch for an individual order. Usage is created in the Project Ledger when the Subscription entries are posted.
One batch can be posted for multiple released Subscription Orders in the Subscription Orders List by highlighting the Subscription Orders (SHIFT + mouse Left-Click) to be posted and selecting Posting > Post Batch.
Tip
You can open Batch Post Subscription Orders by using the Search icon and selecting the related link.
Note
Note that the Subscription Orders must have a status of Released before they can be posted. To do this, open the order and select Release > Release from the menu.
Options
When Post or Post Batch is selected, an Options page opens with the following available selections:
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Until Date |
Specifies the last date for orders to be included in the posting. If not set, the Work Date will be used. |
| Invoice | Specifies, if true, that the Subscription Orders will be invoiced when posted. If not selected (false), Project Entries will be created and available to be processed from Invoice Suggestion. |
Choose OK.
Choose Close.
A page with the created invoices is displayed. To see the invoices, click Close, then highlight a line and choose Show document...
The following applies to invoices after they have been created from Subscription Orders:
After an invoice is created from a Subscription Order it can be posted and revenue will be recognized for the Project and Task selected on the Subscription Order.
If the invoice is fully or partially deleted a new invoice can be created using Invoice Suggestion or by manually creating a new invoice and choosing the Get project usage action.
Adjust Subscription Prices
To adjust Subscription Prices, see: Adjust Prices on Subscription Orders
See also
Subscription Billing with Revenue Recognition