User Guide

Manage Business Central attachments with more structure, traceability, and automation.

DocZone 365 adds a guided document workflow to standard Business Central attachments. Users can upload files through a dropzone, enrich them with metadata, keep multiple versions under control, extract text with OCR, search across attachments, and monitor due or expiration dates from inside Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Good to know

DocZone 365 works on top of the standard Business Central Document Attachment table. It extends the existing process instead of introducing a separate document repository.

Optional OCR prerequisite

If you want to use OCR, you need an externally reachable Apache Tika server with an HTTPS URL. In Business Central, the extension must also be allowed to make HttpClient requests.

Getting started

Installation

Install the extension directly from Microsoft AppSource within Dynamics 365 Business Central.

1
Open Dynamics 365 Business Central search.
Use Alt+Q to open Tell Me and search for Extension Marketplace.
2
Find DocZone 365.
Search for the app, open the marketplace entry and choose Get it now.
3
Complete installation.
Follow the standard Dynamics 365 Business Central prompts.

First steps

Set up DocZone 365

After installation, open the DocZone setup page and decide which document controls should be active in your environment.

Open the setup page

Use Alt+Q in Business Central and search for DocZone Setup. This page controls upload behavior, metadata fields, OCR processing, quick filters, and date-based automation.

Enable Document Versioning controls whether files with the same name become new versions or overwrite earlier attachments.
Show Only Latest Versions hides older versions in the factbox while keeping them in the database.
Show Dropzone in Factbox enables or disables the DocZone upload area on document pages.
Max Upload Size and Allowed File Extensions enforce server-side upload rules.

Configure metadata behavior

DocZone 365 delivers ten fixed metadata fields that can each be configured separately:

Field	Available controls
Document Type	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox, managed lookup values
Category	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox, managed lookup values
Project	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox
Dimension	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox, optional dimension filter
Document Date	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox
Due Date	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox
Expiration Date	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox
Confidentiality	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox, managed lookup values
Keywords	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox
Responsible Person	Enabled, Mandatory, Show in Factbox

Mandatory rules and date defaults

The setup page also allows you to tighten the workflow:

Enforce Mandatory Fields stops users from leaving the metadata dialog until required values are filled.
Expiration Months can automatically calculate an expiration date when a document date is entered.
Quick Filter Days Due and Quick Filter Days Expiring define the default windows for search shortcuts such as Due Soon and Expiring Soon.

Daily workflow

Upload documents and capture metadata

DocZone 365 improves the attachment workflow directly in the factbox of the current source document.

1
Open a document with attachments.
Go to a record that uses the standard attachment factbox, for example a posted or open business document.
2
Drop or select one or more files.
The DocZone area supports drag-and-drop, click upload, and chunked transfer for larger files.
3
Fill the metadata dialog.
Enter or confirm the configured metadata fields before the attachment is finalized.
4
Save the document.
DocZone 365 validates file size and extension rules on the server and stores the attachment in the standard Business Central table.

What happens during upload

The current Table ID, document number, and line context are passed from the factbox to the upload logic.
Large files are transferred in chunks and reassembled server-side.
The file name, extension, and total size are validated before the document is stored.
The metadata dialog can also appear for standard Business Central uploads if the document was not already processed by DocZone.

Helpful metadata behavior

When a file with the same name already exists, metadata can be prefilled from the latest known version.
The Document Date can be recognized from the file name.
If configured, entering a Document Date can auto-calculate the Expiration Date.
Lookup-based fields such as Document Type, Category, and Confidentiality support centrally maintained value lists.

Control and retrieval

Work with versions, search, and bulk updates

Once documents are stored, DocZone 365 adds the tools needed to keep the attachment base usable as it grows.

Document versioning

Version numbers are stored directly on the attachment records. A latest-version flag controls what users see in the factbox, and a dedicated repair logic can rebuild the latest-version markers if needed.

Version No. identifies the position in the version sequence.
Is Latest Version marks the current active file for the document group.
The factbox can be configured to show only the latest version while still preserving older records.

Central document search

The Document Search page searches across file and metadata fields with one input field. Multiple search terms are handled with AND logic, and result lines can open the source document or export the selected attachment.

Search across filename, metadata fields, creator, and attachment dates.
Use quick filters for Due Soon, Overdue, and Expiring Soon.
Send selected documents by email directly from the search page.

Mass metadata editing

The DocZone Mass Metadata Edit dialog lets users update multiple documents in one step. Each supported field has an apply checkbox so only the intended values are changed.

Capability	What it means
Selective updates	Only fields with an active apply checkbox are written back.
Same metadata set	The dialog supports the same core metadata fields as the upload workflow.
Dimension-aware lookup	If a dimension filter is configured in setup, the dimension selection respects that filter.

Optional automation

Enable OCR with Apache Tika

DocZone 365 can extract text from uploaded documents through an external Apache Tika server and store the result on the attachment.

OCR setup

Field	Purpose
Enable Tika OCR	Turns OCR processing on or off.
Tika Server URL	HTTPS base URL of the Tika server. Only HTTPS endpoints are accepted.
Tika Username / Password	Optional credentials for protected Tika instances. The password is stored in isolated storage, not in the setup table.
OCR Language(s)	Tesseract language codes such as deu+eng.
OCR Max Retries	Maximum retry attempts for failed scans.
OCR Retry Delay Minutes	Delay before a failed attachment is retried.
OCR Batch Size	Controls how many documents are processed per batch.

How OCR processing works

New uploads are queued automatically for OCR processing.
A background Job Queue routine processes queued documents in batches.
Each attachment stores OCR Status, engine status, last scan time, OCR text, and retry information.
The DocZone OCR Overview page shows the processing state and allows drill-down into the OCR text viewer.

Lifecycle management

Monitor due dates and expiration dates

DocZone 365 includes date-based automation to help users follow up on documents before they become outdated.

Notification setup

The Date Management & Notifications area in setup controls reminder behavior:

Enable Date Notifications activates reminder emails.
Notify Days Before Due and Notify Days Before Expiry define the look-ahead window.
Notification Fallback Email is used when no responsible person email is available in User Setup.

Automatic cleanup

If your governance process requires it, Auto Delete Expired Docs can permanently delete attachments with an expiration date before today. This option should only be enabled when retention rules are fully defined and approved.

How the date job works

DocZone 365 provides a Job Queue codeunit for daily processing. It can consolidate reminder emails by recipient, notify the responsible person or fallback address, and then optionally delete expired attachments.

Automation	Behavior
Due date reminders	Collects documents that are overdue or due within the configured window and sends one consolidated email per recipient.
Expiration reminders	Collects documents that are expired or expiring soon and sends a separate consolidated email per recipient.
Expired document deletion	Deletes attachment records with an expiration date earlier than today when auto-delete is enabled.

Recommendations

Best practices for daily use

DocZone 365 works best when metadata and retention rules are kept simple, clear, and consistently maintained.

For key users

Keep metadata lean. Start with the fields users truly need for search, governance, or reporting.
Use value lists for consistency. Central lookup values reduce spelling differences and improve search quality.
Review versioning behavior early. Decide whether users should overwrite or create new versions before rollout.
Maintain responsible persons. Date reminders only help if the related user email addresses are maintained.

For administrators

Test OCR connectivity. Verify HTTPS access, credentials, and language packs on the Tika server before enabling OCR for users.
Set realistic upload limits. Choose a max upload size that matches your tenant and business needs.
Treat auto-delete carefully. Only enable automatic deletion when retention and compliance rules are already agreed.
Use Job Queue intentionally. OCR and date alerts depend on background processing, so monitor the relevant queue entries after go-live.

Permissions

Users need access to the delivered DocZone pages and the standard Business Central attachment functionality. OCR and email-driven processes also depend on the related system configuration in the tenant, such as HttpClient permission and email setup.

Questions & answers

Frequently asked questions

Does DocZone 365 replace the standard attachment feature?

No. It extends the standard Business Central attachment workflow and stores its additional data on the attachment records.

Can users still upload files through the standard Business Central actions?

Yes. DocZone 365 can also trigger its metadata dialog for standard uploads when the upload was not already handled through the DocZone dropzone.

How are large files handled?

The DocZone factbox upload uses chunked transfer so large files can be uploaded in multiple parts and assembled on the server.

Does OCR work without an external server?

No. OCR requires an Apache Tika server that is reachable via HTTPS.

Can the app remind users about expiring documents?

Yes. A daily Job Queue routine can send reminder emails for due and expiring documents to the responsible person or a fallback email address.

Can expired documents be deleted automatically?

Yes, but only if Auto Delete Expired Docs is enabled in setup. This should be used carefully and only with approved retention rules.

Which languages are available?

The extension currently provides English and German language support.

Support & Feedback

We are here to help

Whether you have technical questions, need guidance during your rollout, or want to share feature requests — our dedicated Dynamics 365 Business Central team is ready to assist you. Drop us a message, and we'll ensure you get the absolute most out of our apps.

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