The Subscription Management app is actually just an extension to Standard Business Central functionality. So in Standard Business Central we can already create an invoice that generates a draft invoice. And if we post that one, we will get a posted invoice. So everything blue here, that’s standard already.
The Subscription app for Business Central is an extension to standard functionality, not a separate system bolted on top. It adds a subscription list and a subscription setup, and it expands the existing create invoice function so you can generate subscription invoices.
The subscription invoices you create are standard Business Central draft invoices. When you post them, they become standard posted invoices and appear in the same lists as all your other invoices.
The app reuses your existing items, customers, and standard deferral codes. You do not need to maintain a separate set of master data for subscriptions.
If you want subscription invoices in their own number series, you can set up a separate posting number series for them.
The subscription list is built on the standard sales blanket order feature, extended with the fields needed to handle a recurring invoice stream.
The Subscription app extends standard Business Central functionality
The Subscription app is an extension to standard Business Central functionality. In standard Business Central you can already create an invoice that generates a draft invoice, and when you post that draft you get a posted invoice. That part is unchanged.
What the app does is expand the create invoice function so you can create subscription invoices. To make that possible, we added a new table for subscriptions. That is where you set up all your subscriptions for the different customers, with the lines you are invoicing.
Subscription invoices rely on standard data
The whole process of creating and posting subscription invoices relies on standard data. You use your current items, and you can of course create new ones specifically for your subscriptions. You use the customers you already have, and any new customer you create is available to add to new subscriptions. The app also uses the standard deferral codes, so you can defer your income.
All three of these data sources are standard Business Central. The main additions from the app are the subscription list and the subscription setup.
Draft and posted invoices stay in the normal lists
When you create a subscription invoice, you still get a standard draft invoice, and it shows up in the normal draft invoice list. When you post it, it becomes a standard posted invoice and lands in the same list as everything else.
You do have the option to set up a separate posting number series for subscription invoices if you want them to go in a specific number series.
The subscription list is built on sales blanket orders
The subscription list is the one fully new element, but even that builds on the standard sales blanket order feature. We drew heavily on those functions and extended them with the fields needed to handle subscriptions. A subscription is a recurring invoice stream, and the extended fields make that easier to handle than a normal sales blanket order would.
Q&A
Is the Subscription app a separate system from Business Central?
No. The Subscription app is an extension to standard Business Central functionality. It adds a subscription list and a subscription setup, and it expands the existing create invoice function.
What happens to invoices created from a subscription?
You get a standard draft invoice that appears in the normal draft invoice list. When you post it, it becomes a standard posted invoice in the same list as all your other invoices.
Do I need separate items and customers for subscriptions?
No. The app uses your existing items and customers, along with standard deferral codes. You can create new items specifically for subscriptions if you want, and any new customer is automatically available to add to subscriptions.
Can subscription invoices use their own number series?
Yes. You can set up a separate posting number series for subscription invoices if you want them in a specific number series.
What standard feature is the subscription list based on?
The subscription list is built on the standard sales blanket order feature, extended with the fields needed to handle a recurring invoice stream.