Business Central document management starts with the Attachments FactBox, which lets you attach files, links, and notes to most cards and documents, and it ends wherever your files need to live long term. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central stores standard attachments inside Business Central itself, which works for a customer PO on a sales order but strains once a company wants folder structure, SharePoint search, or access for people without a Business Central license. This article explains what the standard attachment features do, where they stop, and how DocXtender extends them with drag and drop and SharePoint Online storage.
What does Business Central do for document management out of the box?
Standard Business Central attaches files, links, and notes to records through the Attachments FactBox, and that is the whole of the built-in document management story. Microsoft Learn describes it plainly: “On most list pages, cards, and documents, you can attach files, add links, and write notes on the Attachments tab of the FactBox pane” (add attachments, links, and notes on records).
Three things happen when a user attaches a file this way:
- The file uploads and is stored with the record inside Business Central.
- The FactBox tab shows a count, so a purchaser opening a purchase order sees “Attachments (2)” and knows something is there.
- The attachment follows the document through its life. As the same Learn page puts it, “Attachments, links, and notes stay attached to the card or document while it’s processed into other states,” and the page’s own example is a file that travels from an ongoing sales order to the posted sales invoice.
Business Central also integrates with OneDrive for Business. Microsoft Learn says the integration “makes it easy to store, manage, and share files with other people through OneDrive,” using Open in OneDrive and Share actions on files that are attached to records (OneDrive for Business integration). Note the direction of that flow: the actions for opening Business Central files in OneDrive copy a file out of Business Central into OneDrive. They do not change where the attachment itself is stored.
Where does standard Business Central document management stop?
The standard features stop at the point where a warehouse or accounting team wants to treat documents as a filing system rather than as a note on a record. Four limits show up in practice.
Storage sits inside Business Central. Every scanned packing slip, signed BOL, and supplier certificate consumes Business Central storage. For a distributor attaching photos at receiving, that adds up over time.
There is no folder structure outside Business Central. A quality manager who wants every certificate of analysis for a lot in one folder, browsable without opening Business Central, has nowhere to look. The files exist only as attachments on the receipt.
Search is record by record. You find a file by finding the record first. Searching across all attachments for a supplier’s name, or filtering by file type, is not part of the standard experience.
Access requires a license. An auditor or an external bookkeeper who only needs to read supporting documents still needs a way into Business Central to see them.
None of these are defects. Microsoft built attachments to support a transaction, not to run a document repository. When the repository is what you need, the practical answer is to store the files in SharePoint Online and keep the link to the record.
How does DocXtender extend Business Central document management?
DocXtender adds drag-and-drop attachment and a SharePoint Online storage option to any Business Central page that has an Attachments FactBox, including line-level attachment on sales and purchase order lines. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. Insight Works publishes the details on its page for the free document management app for Business Central, and the walk-through below covers the parts an implementer cares about.
How does drag and drop work in DocXtender?
A user drags one or more files from the file system onto the Attachments FactBox icon, and the files attach to the record. That is the core moment. Drop behavior is configurable: silent, or with a confirmation prompt. Duplicate-file handling is also a setting, with options to prevent duplicates, rename automatically, or prompt to rename. A supplier invoice, a customer PO, a photo of damaged goods, and a .msg email file are all valid; the app accepts PDF, Office formats, images, .zip, .msg, and similar types with no cap on attachments per record.
The setup itself is short. Install from Microsoft Marketplace, and the first use prompts for configuration. The DocXtender user guide on the Insight Works knowledge base covers the settings.
What changes when DocXtender stores documents in SharePoint?
Storage mode is a configuration choice. As the app page puts it, “You can configure it to either store documents directly inside Business Central or upload documents to SharePoint Online,” and the setting that makes the choice is File Storage Behavior. In SharePoint mode, DocXtender creates a browsable folder structure organized by document type and document number, for example a Sales Order folder containing a folder named for the order, and the structure is predefined rather than configurable. The SharePoint folder structure is documented in the knowledge base.
This is where the four limits above get answered:
| Limit in standard Business Central | What SharePoint mode changes |
|---|---|
| Files consume Business Central storage | Files live in SharePoint Online; the record keeps the link |
| No folder structure outside Business Central | Folder per document type and document number, browsable in SharePoint |
| Search is record by record | SharePoint search, views, alerts, and Power Automate flows apply to the folders |
| Viewing requires a Business Central license | A person can be granted access to the SharePoint folder directly |
For a shipping department, that means the signed proof of delivery dropped onto a posted sales shipment lands in a SharePoint folder that customer service can open without a Business Central login. The blog post on document management with a free app introduces the drag-and-drop and the two storage options from the user’s side.
Which Business Central licenses work with DocXtender?
The app page lists three Business Central license types for DocXtender: Essentials, Premium, and Team Member. A Device license is not listed for this app, so plan on one of the three named types for anyone who attaches documents.
How do I store documents in SharePoint from Business Central?
Set DocXtender’s File Storage Behavior to SharePoint Online, then drag files onto the Attachments FactBox as usual. The connection points at a SharePoint Online site; the app page describes SharePoint Online integration, not self-hosted SharePoint Server.
Two configuration details matter for an implementer:
- Interactive versus non-interactive mode. Interactive mode uploads under the signed-in user’s credentials. Non-interactive mode uses an Azure app registration so uploads can run with no user present. That is what allows job queue processes, web service calls, and handheld photo or signature capture from Warehouse Insight to file documents into SharePoint. The knowledge base has a non-interactive mode configuration guide.
- Duplicate handling differs by storage mode. SharePoint mode does not support the rename-prompt option, and Document Attachments mode does not support replace. Pick the duplicate rule after you pick the storage mode, not before.
If you are weighing this against the network file share most companies start with, the post on navigating document storage in Business Central compares the two.
Does DocXtender work on custom pages?
Yes, with developer involvement. Out of the box, DocXtender attaches to any page that carries an Attachments FactBox. For a page that does not, an AL developer can extend the app using its event subscribers so drag and drop appears on that table and page. The knowledge base article on extending drag-and-drop attachments to any table and page shows the pattern. This is development work, not a setting a power user turns on.
What should I check if DocXtender stops working after a Business Central update?
Start with permissions and the app version, because those are the two areas the knowledge base documents. The DocXtender permissions article lists the permission sets a user needs, including IWORKS COMMON. The community thread on DocXtender suddenly not working records one case where a SharePoint security change broke uploads for every user at once; the interim workaround was switching File Storage Behavior back to Document Attachments, and the fix was updating to the current version of the app.
A reasonable checklist after any Business Central update:
- Confirm the DocXtender extension is installed and on a current version in Extension Management.
- Confirm the affected users still hold the DocXtender permission sets.
- In SharePoint mode, confirm the app registration credentials have not expired and the SharePoint site is reachable.
- Test with a small PDF on a sales order before escalating.
If none of that resolves it, the Insight Works support page is the next step.
Frequently asked questions about Business Central document management
How do I store documents in SharePoint from Business Central? Install DocXtender, set its storage mode to SharePoint Online for the environment, and drag files onto the Attachments FactBox. DocXtender files them into a folder named for the record type and record number.
Does DocXtender work on custom pages? It works on any page with an Attachments FactBox without changes. For other pages, a developer adds it through the app’s event subscribers.
Can I use both Document Attachments and SharePoint storage? The File Storage Behavior setting selects one or the other: documents stored inside Business Central, or documents uploaded to SharePoint Online.
Does DocXtender work with Business Central on-premises? The app page states that DocXtender is designed for Business Central online (SaaS) only and does not support on-premises installations. If you run on-premises, ask your partner or Insight Works about current options before planning around it.
Is DocXtender really free? Yes. It requires a valid Business Central user license (Essentials, Premium, or Team Member) and, for SharePoint mode, a SharePoint Online site your organization already has.
Can I drag an email from Outlook straight onto a record? Yes for the message itself: the app page states you can “drag email messages directly from Microsoft Outlook and store them as .msg files.” Dragging a file attachment from inside an open email is a different action, so test it in your environment before you promise it to users.