Configuration packages and RapidStart

Configuration packages, also called RapidStart, are used to move setup and master data between companies in Business Central without keying it all in. They save time, but they are also a source of errors if used wrongly. The article explains what they can do, when they fit and the typical mistakes you can avoid. It is written for the people who will use them in a project.

What a configuration package is

A configuration package is a collection of tables and fields with data that you can export from one company and import into another. It can also be used to load data from Excel, where you fill in a package and apply it. The Config. Worksheet gives an overview of tables, number of records and errors.

Microsoft Learn shows that Business Central includes standard packages for setup and master data that you can use as a starting point.

When they fit, and a safe process

Microsoft Learn says that RapidStart configuration packages should only be used when you set up a company for the first time. They are not intended for companies that are already in production.

They fit new companies, new countries and sandbox environments where you want the same setup as another company. For ongoing changes in a production company, a manual correction or a journal is safer. If you need to repeat a setup several times, for example for several subsidiaries, a package is well suited, because you get the same result every time.

Use a fixed order of steps so that you can repeat the process.

Create the package, and select only the tables you need.
Export data from the source company, or fill in the package in Excel.
Import the package into a sandbox company first.
Review errors per package, and fix the source.
Apply the package, and check that the data is correct.
Repeat in production when the test is clean.

Typical mistakes

The most common mistake is the wrong order. Tables depend on each other, so a customer cannot be loaded before its payment terms exist. Set the order with the Processing Order on the tables.

Another mistake is different setup between the companies. Microsoft Learn says that the databases must have the same table and field structure for export and import. Validation errors occur when field values do not fit the setup, for example an unknown posting group.

The third mistake is missing permissions. The user who exports needs direct read permission, and the user who imports needs direct insert and modify permissions.

Errors and overview

After import you can open the errors per package, filter on error text, field or table, and export the list to Excel. Use the list as a work list. Fix the source, not the package, if you need to use it again.

There is also telemetry for the lifecycle of configuration packages, if you have Application Insights set up.

Use for migration and traceability

Configuration packages can also be used to load master data from Excel. You export the package with empty tables to Excel, fill in the sheet and import it again. It is a simple method for customers, vendors, items and the chart of accounts.

For opening entries and balances you typically use journals after loading master data, not the package itself.

If telemetry is set up, you can see when packages were exported, imported, applied and deleted. That can help if something has been loaded twice, or if a package has been changed and nobody knows why. Also keep copies of the packages as documentation of the setup.

Next steps

Addverk is a new Business Central partner. We help build and test configuration packages as part of an implementation. See our services and prices.