Professional Services on Product Documentation

Overview

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Professional Services extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with capabilities for service organizations that rely on recurring revenue, contract-based services, and service-oriented processes. The solution connects sales, contract management, service, and billing in one continuous workflow.

Typical use cases

Recurring billing for SaaS, rental, financing, maintenance, and support
Sales quotes and sales orders with related sales contracts
Periodic single, batch, and monthly billing
Billing for tickets and work orders
Management of objects, installations, and components
Integration of external ticketing systems through API

Functional focus areas

Sales and contract management

Professional Services supports the creation of sales quotes, sales orders, and sales contracts. Recurring services can be embedded directly in quote and order processes and prepared for later billing.

Business Functions

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Purpose

This page summarizes the main business capability areas of Professional Services. It helps teams understand which tasks the solution supports across sales, service, billing, purchasing, and customer-related master data.

Functional areas

Sales and contract management

Professional Services supports quotes, orders, and sales contracts for recurring services. Typical use cases include hardware rental, SaaS subscriptions, support and maintenance contracts, and project-related services.

Key capabilities include:

recurring billing embedded in quote and order processes
sales contracts as the basis for long-running service relationships
billing types and assignments for different business models
service level agreements and contingents for contract-based services

Details for this area are available on the Sales page.

Sales Quotes and Orders

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Purpose

Sales Quotes and Orders are the operational entry point into contract-related sales processes in Professional Services. When a quote is created, a new sales contract can already be created in parallel or an existing contract can be extended, so sales activities and recurring services are prepared together from the beginning.

Prerequisites

customer, project, and the intended sales type are defined
standard pre- and post-texts plus the relevant contract and billing parameters are configured
it is clear whether a new sales contract should be created or an existing one should be extended

Functional focus

New sales quote with sales contract

When you create a sales quote with the Professional Services sales type, a new sales contract can be generated at the same time. Customer, project, duration, and further document data are therefore prepared not only for the quote, but also for later contract and billing logic.

Sales

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Purpose

The sales functions of Professional Services connect quotes, orders, sales contracts, and recurring billing in one continuous flow. This allows recurring services to be sold, structured, calculated, activated, and billed on an ongoing basis.

Business value

recurring services can be embedded directly in quotes and orders
sales contracts provide the binding framework for support, maintenance, subscriptions, and similar service models
recurring billing enables batch invoicing across multiple contracts

Functional focus

Quotes and orders

When you create sales quotes, you can generate a new sales contract in parallel or extend an existing contract. This means sales activities and later billing are prepared together from the beginning.

Billing Types

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Purpose

Billing Types define how recurring services are represented commercially and operationally within a sales contract in Professional Services. They provide the frame for calculation, duration, billing rhythm, and the detailed billing-type assignments from which recurring services are later invoiced.

Prerequisites

a suitable sales contract exists or is prepared from a business perspective
number series and, if needed, billing-type templates are configured
the type, calculation logic, billing rhythm, and project reference are aligned

Functional focus

Billing types and templates

Billing types can be created manually or derived from templates. Templates help prepare recurring contract models such as financing, service, rental, or maintenance consistently and assign them to multiple contracts under the same rules.

Sales Contract

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Purpose

The sales contract is the central object for recurring services in Professional Services. It combines project, customer, contract duration, billing logic, and concrete contract lines in one document and forms the basis for recurring billing, contingents, and service-related add-ons.

Prerequisites

The core Professional Services setup is maintained.
Number series, contract types, billing types, SLA templates, and contingent templates exist.
The related project and customer are already available.

Functional focus

Contract structure

A sales contract is structured in three layers:

Service Level Agreements

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Purpose

Service Level Agreements define the service-related framework of a contract in Professional Services. They describe the committed response, arrival, and restoration times, the time window in which service is delivered, and how these commitments relate to the sales contract, project, and connected contingents.

Prerequisites

number series and, if needed, SLA templates are configured
a suitable sales contract and project reference are available
business commitments for priority, response time, and on-site service are aligned

Functional focus

SLA templates and contract linkage

SLAs can be created directly or derived from SLA templates. In practice they are closely linked to sales contracts and billing types so that recurring services are governed not only commercially, but also by explicit service commitments.

Recurring Billing

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Purpose

Recurring Billing consolidates due contract invoices from multiple sales contracts into one shared processing run. It is the central mechanism for invoicing recurring services efficiently and with control.

Prerequisites

activated sales contracts with a correctly maintained next billing date exist
year, month, and posting date for the planned billing run are defined
if required, filter criteria are prepared to limit the run to a specific contract population

Functional focus

Billing period and contract selection

The recurring invoice list works on a calendar basis using year and month. In addition, the contract view can be used to restrict which sales contracts are included in a specific run. This supports both broad batch runs and targeted subsets.

Contingents

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Purpose

Contingents control which quantities or amounts are available to a customer within a contract period in Professional Services. They therefore connect the promised service scope with recurring provisioning and actual consumption in ticket, work-order, and billing processes.

Prerequisites

a suitable sales contract exists and is prepared for recurring services
the contingent type, method, and reference period are defined
if the contingent is linked through SLA or billing types, the related templates and assignments exist

Functional focus

Contingent type and billing logic

Contingents can be quantity-based or amount-based. They can also be capped or uncapped. This determines whether excess consumption is billed separately once the limit is reached or whether the service scope remains fully covered by the agreed service price.

Print Options

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Purpose

Print Options control how recurring invoices and service invoices are presented in the project and contract context in Professional Services. This makes it possible to align batch invoices and related document output with the business structure of a project or customer scenario.

Prerequisites

projects and contract-related billing processes are set up
the desired grouping or presentation of invoice documents is defined from a business perspective
if needed, project-specific defaults are already maintained

Functional focus

Print options on the project

For recurring invoices and service invoices, print options can be maintained directly on the project. These settings provide the default logic for later invoice documents and create a consistent output across multiple transactions.

Service

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Purpose

The service functions of Professional Services connect ticketing, work orders, recurring tasks, and service billing. This makes it possible not only to organize operational work, but also to turn it into structured, billable processes.

Business value

tickets, work orders, and recurring tasks are managed in one shared service model
external ticketing systems can be connected through the API
completed work can be transferred into project planning lines and billable service transactions

Functional focus

Ticketing

Tickets can be created manually in Professional Services or transferred from external systems through an interface. The ticket stores effort, responsibility, status, and billing-relevant information.

Work Tasks and Work Packages

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Purpose

Work tasks and work packages provide the planning foundation for recurring service delivery. They help define recurring activities, bundle them into reusable structures, and trigger tickets or work orders at the right time.

Prerequisites

recurring activities, intervals, and responsible roles are defined from a business perspective
required references to properties, customers, projects, or contracts are available
it is clear whether tasks should create tickets, work orders, or grouped operational transactions

Functional focus

Define work tasks

Work tasks describe individual recurring activities with a validity period, property context, and business assignments. They also define whether execution should generate a ticket or a work order.

Ticketing System

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Purpose

The ticketing system is used to capture customer requests, issues, and service cases in a structured way, process them, and turn them into billable services. Tickets can originate manually, from work packages, or through an API from external systems.

Business value

tickets can be assigned to customer, project, sales contract, SLA, and property-related objects
ticket lines capture the actual services delivered
completed tickets can be transferred into project planning lines and service billing

Functional focus

Create and assign tickets

A ticket is assigned to a customer and usually to a project. In addition, responsibility, priority, status, sales contract, contingent, SLA, and property-related data such as object, installation, or component can be maintained.

Work Orders

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Purpose

Work Orders are the operational bridge between tickets, planning, service capture, and billing in Professional Services. They support manual field service scenarios as well as processes created from tickets, properties, or recurring tasks.

Prerequisites

required order types, number series, and base parameters are configured
customer, project, and if needed sales contract, SLA, or contingent are available
if resources are planned, responsibilities, qualifications, and target dates are defined

Functional focus

Creation and dispatch planning

Work orders can be created manually, from a ticket, or directly from property-related master data. The document header stores order type, status, planning details, responsibility, and contract references. This makes the document both the planning object and the operational control point for the service case.

Service Billing

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Purpose

Service Billing groups tickets and work orders into one shared billing run. This allows multiple service cases to be collected, turned into invoices, and then reviewed, printed, or posted in a controlled way.

Prerequisites

Tickets or work orders with billable service lines exist.
Project, contract, and billing references are maintained in the underlying documents.
If contingents are used, they are assigned correctly to the relevant ticket or contract.

Functional focus

Billing period and selection

Service Billing does not rely on fixed periods. Instead, you define a flexible start date and end date for the billing interval. Based on this range, the system identifies billable cases and transfers them into the billing lines.

Property-Based Service Operations

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Purpose

Property-based service operations connect operational service cases with objects, installations, and components. This makes it possible to assign tickets, work orders, contracts, and recurring tasks not only to a customer, but also to the concrete installed base.

Prerequisites

objects, installations, and components exist as master data or are defined as part of the target model
required number series, attributes, and hierarchy assignments are configured
customer, project, and if needed contract references are available for later service processing

Functional focus

Master-data model for objects, installations, and components

Professional Services can model customer environments flexibly through objects, installations, and components. These elements can be linked hierarchically and further classified through attributes, serial numbers, activation dates, or manufacturer information.

Objects

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Purpose

Objects are the top property-related structure level in Professional Services. They provide the business container in which installations, components, attributes, and related service processes are grouped so services can be connected to a concrete customer context.

Prerequisites

the basic object structure and its business hierarchy are defined
customer reference, address reference, and required attributes are available
if installations or components should be assigned, those master-data elements are prepared

Functional focus

Object card and customer reference

The object card stores the object number, description, and customer assignment. This allows an object to be described from a business perspective and linked directly to a customer or delivery address.

Installations

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Purpose

Installations are the technical middle layer between objects and components in Professional Services. They show which installed units are active at a customer site, which components belong to them, and from which concrete installed-base element service processes are handled.

Prerequisites

the related object exists or is defined as part of the target model
installation types, required number series, and relevant serial or lot information are prepared
if service processes should be started directly from the installation, work-order and service processes are configured

Functional focus

Installation card and business assignment

The installation stores information such as installation type, object number, description, and activation or deactivation dates. Serial number and lot number can also be maintained so the installed unit can be identified clearly and tracked across its lifecycle.

Components

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Purpose

Components describe the individual technical elements inside an object or installation in Professional Services. They help structure the installed base in detail and connect service, contract, and billing processes precisely to concrete installed elements.

Prerequisites

related objects and, where needed, installations exist
component types, calculation types, and relevant item or resource assignments are aligned from a business perspective
if service or contract references should be used, the related master data and processes are configured

Functional focus

Master data and technical classification

The component stores object and installation references, description, component type, calculation type, and sales-related references. In addition, installation and activation dates, quantities, units, serial or lot numbers, version numbers, and manufacturer information can be maintained.

Purchasing

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Purpose

In the purchasing area, Professional Services supports the management of purchase contracts and their business assignment to customer and sales-contract scenarios. This keeps vendor, customer, and recurring-service relationships visible in one shared view.

Business value

purchase contracts can be maintained with vendor, validity period, and optional customer assignment
sales contracts can be linked to purchase contracts for transparency
purchasing-related scenarios can be connected to contract-based and service-based processes

Functional focus

Purchase contracts

Purchase contracts define the contractual framework with vendors. The header typically contains the vendor, the validity period, and, where needed, the related customer.

Purchase Contract

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Purpose

Purchase Contracts provide the contractual framework toward vendors in Professional Services. They combine the vendor, duration, project and customer reference, and the concrete contract lines, creating a reliable basis for recurring or planned purchasing scenarios.

Prerequisites

a vendor with the relevant contact and payment information exists
project reference and, if needed, customer reference are clarified
duration, cancellation logic, and the services or items to be procured are defined

Functional focus

Contract header and master-data linkage

The purchase contract stores the contract type, vendor, contact, start and end date, and project or customer reference. This makes the contract not just a purchasing document, but a structured frame for later procurement and assignment processes.