You import a new customer list by building a tab separated text file that identifies the Customer table, includes the customer number as the primary key, and lists the fields you want to populate, then running the Import operation with record inserts enabled. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. The Import Export PowerTool does not assign customer numbers automatically, so you supply them in the file, which is easy to generate in Excel.
Building the import file
The simplest way to learn the exact layout is to export one customer first, which shows you the table line, the field names, and a sample data row. To create the file yourself, start a line that names the Customer table, either by name or by its table identifier. On the next line, list the field names you intend to import, such as the customer number, name, address, city, and country code. Below that, place one row per customer with the values under the matching field names. You only need to include the fields you actually want to set; you do not have to provide every field in the table.
Validating the right fields
Mark a field for validation, indicated by an asterisk in front of the field name, when it is a value you would normally type into the customer card and that triggers underlying business logic. Validation runs that same logic on import, which can populate related defaults and enforce that referenced values exist. Fields that simply hold data do not need validation. A balanced approach is to validate the key fields that drive other behavior and leave the rest unvalidated, which keeps the import both correct and fast.
How customer numbers are assigned
The tool will not generate the customer number for you. Each customer record needs its number supplied in the file as the primary key. In practice this is simple to handle in Excel, where you can create a sequential series of numbers and fill them down across all your rows in seconds, then paste the result into your import file. If you prefer Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to assign numbers from a number series, you would create the records through the standard interface instead, but for a bulk list the explicit numbering in the file is usually faster and more predictable.
Inserting and later updating
With record inserts enabled, the tool creates the new customers. If you later need to add more fields or correct values, you can take the same file, add the additional columns or data, and run the import again with record updates enabled, which updates the existing customers and adds any new ones. For tables where setting validated fields during a single insert can cause issues, the two step insert option first creates the record with its key and then fills the remaining fields, which improves reliability at a small cost in speed.
Related Tools
Import Export PowerTool is the Insight Works app for fast import, export, update, and delete operations in Business Central. Its Import operation, field validation, and insert and update options are what you use to load and maintain a customer list.
Importing a customer list is quick once your file is set up correctly. Define the Customer table, supply your own customer numbers, validate the fields that need it, and enable record inserts. Reuse the same file with updates enabled whenever you need to enrich or correct the records later.