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Connect Business Central, read-only

For when Business Central itself must stop Docentra from changing anything. Your IT administrator approves Docentra and adds it in Business Central with read access only. Then you sign in and pick the company.

Who does it: Your IT administrator, in about five minutes, once. Then it takes you a minute to connect.

Before you start

  • Business Central online. On your own server or at your partner, use the Business Central on-premises guide instead.
  • An IT administrator who can approve apps for the organisation in Microsoft and add permissions in Business Central.

Steps

  1. Send this page to your IT administrator

    What they do is under “For your IT administrator” below. Connect once they tell you it's done.

  2. Choose Business Central, read-only in Docentra

    In Docentra, open Settings › Accounting system and choose Connect next to Business Central, read-only.

  3. Sign in with Microsoft

    Pick the work account you use for Business Central. Microsoft doesn't ask you to approve anything: your IT administrator already did.

    The sign-in only shows Docentra which company to read and that you may see it. Docentra doesn't keep it.

  4. Pick the company

    If you have several companies in Business Central, Docentra asks which one to read. Microsoft's demo company is often listed next to your own, so pick the right one.

  5. Docentra starts reading

    You're back in Docentra. From now on, Docentra reads the supplier invoices you book, and syncs automatically every six hours. Invoices booked before you connected are read only if you ask Docentra, for example to check the last year too.

For your IT administrator

Docentra checks that the company pays its suppliers what was agreed. Connected this way, it reads Business Central as an app of its own, not as a person, and Business Central lets it do only what the permission set you give it allows: D365 READ.

You need to be a Global Administrator, Cloud Application Administrator or Application Administrator in Microsoft Entra, and be able to give permissions in Business Central.

  1. Approve Docentra in Microsoft

    Open the approval link and sign in with your administrator account. Microsoft shows what Docentra asks for in Business Central, for the whole organisation. Choose Accept. Microsoft then sends you back to this page.

    Microsoft's approval says read and write, because Microsoft offers nothing narrower. What Docentra can do is set in Business Central, in the next steps.

    Open the approval link

  2. Add Docentra in Business Central

    In Business Central, search for Microsoft Entra applications and choose New. In Client ID, paste Docentra's client ID. In Description, type Docentra. Set State to Enabled.

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  3. Give it D365 READ only

    On the same card, under User Permission Sets, add D365 READ and nothing else. Leave Company empty to let Docentra read every company, or pick the one company it may read.

  4. Tell the person connecting

    Docentra can now be connected. The person connecting needs a work account that can open the company in Business Central.

What the access allows

Docentra reads as an app of its own, with the permission set D365 READ, and Business Central refuses anything more. D365 READ gives read access to data. The only things it can change are the app's own lists of favourites and the list of published web services. On every request, Docentra also asks for a read-only session.

The person who connects signs in only to show which company Docentra reads and that they may see it. Docentra doesn't keep that sign-in, and keeps reading if they leave the organisation.

Docentra only reads. It never creates, changes or deletes anything in your system.

Removing access

In Docentra: open Settings › Accounting system and choose Disconnect. The booked entries are removed from Docentra, but invoices Docentra has already read stay.

In Business Central: open Microsoft Entra applications, open Docentra and set State to Disabled. Docentra can't read from then on.

At Microsoft: an IT administrator can delete Docentra in the Microsoft Entra admin center, under Enterprise apps › Docentra › Properties › Delete.

If something goes wrong

“Business Central doesn't let Docentra read yet”
The setup isn't finished. Check that Docentra is approved in Microsoft, that it is added in Business Central with State Enabled, and that it has D365 READ for the company you picked.
Microsoft says “Need admin approval” or “Approval required”
Docentra isn't approved for your organisation yet. Send this page to your IT administrator.
Microsoft says the account can't sign in to Docentra
Use your work account. Personal Microsoft accounts and guests from other organisations can't connect.
“Connecting was cancelled”
You cancelled, or closed the page before you were done. Choose Connect again.
“Another accounting system is connected”
Docentra reads only one accounting system per company. Disconnect the other system first, then connect this one.
“Business Central no longer gives Docentra access”
The access was removed in Business Central, or the person who connected it can't sign in any more. Choose Connect again.