Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally for Business Central User Guide

Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally for Business Central streamlines the process of calculating the total quantity of an item based on its relevant measurements during a sale in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Extension

• Extension Version Number: 3.0.0.0
• Extension Version Date: 10/15/2026
• Published by: System Solutions LLC
• Find more extensions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central by System Solutions LLC

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System Requirements

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central version 28.0 or higher.

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Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally for Business Central Overview

The Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central streamlines the process of calculating the total quantity of an item based on its relevant measurements during a sale. Three options are available based on the item’s configuration: Length Tally calculates the quantity from multiple lengths and quantities, Sheet Tally calculates the quantity from multiple lengths and widths, and Unit Tally calculates the quantity from multiple units of measure. When an item that's configured with either sales tally setting is added to a sale, the extension automatically prompts a page for input. It then calculates the total quantity and generates comment lines detailing the recorded measurements.

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Key Features

Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally for Business Central Features

• Automated Quantity Calculation: Automatically calculates the total quantity of an item from various lengths and quantities, a length and width, or the units of measure the item is packed in.
• User-Friendly Input: Prompts a dedicated page for inputting measurements based on the type of item.
• Detailed Comments: Adds comment lines to the sale to describe each measurement used to calculate the quantity, providing clear and detailed records.

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Setup Instructions

Enable Tally Setting for an Item

• Under the "Prices & Sales" section of the Item Card, set the Sales Tally field to Length, Sheet, or Unit. The item will now prompt the selected tally page when it’s added to a sale.

Set Up the Item Card Units of Measure

Sheet Tally item example of units of measure (UoM)

• In our example, Lexan is purchased by the Sheet (example Sheet is 6 ft x 8 ft) and is cut to the (length x width) size requested by Customer, to yield Sq In, and sold by the Sq Ft.
• Create the following Units of Measure for the Item:
  • Sheet, Qty = 1
  • Sq In, Qty = 0.00014 (because this is how many Sheets there are in a Sq In using maximum Business Central UoM decimal places). This is our smallest UoM.
  • Sq Ft, Qty = 0.02083 (because this is how many Sheets there are in a Sq Ft using maximum Business Central UoM decimal places).
• Set Item Card Base Unit of Measure = Sheet
• Set Item Card Sales Unit of Measure = Sq Ft
• Set the Item Card Purchase Unit of Measure = Sheet

Length Tally item example of units of measure (UoM)

• In our example, Molding is purchased by the linear FT and sold by the linear FT. It could also be purchased by the Board FT (BF) which is a volume measurement.
• Create the following Units of Measure for the Item:
  • FT, Qty = 1
  • BF, Qty = (this depends on the size of the molding and we would need to calculate the number of FT in a BF and set this Qty).
• Set the Item Card Base Unit of Measure = FT
• Set the Item Card Sales Unit of Measure = FT
• Set the Item Card Purchase Unit of Measure = BF or FT depending on how purchased.

Unit Tally item example

• In our example, pavers are purchased by the Pallet, shipped in Pallets and Sections, and sold by the Sq Ft. A Pallet holds about 7 Sections, and pavers can also be counted by the Piece.
• Create the following Units of Measure for the Item:
  • SF (Sq Ft), Qty = 1. This is the base unit of measure.
  • SECTION, Qty = 12.66 (the Sq Ft in one Section).
  • PALLET, Qty = 88.6 (the Sq Ft in one Pallet).
  • PCS, Qty = 0.4 (the Sq Ft in one Piece). This is optional and is the smallest UoM.
• Set Item Card Base Unit of Measure = SF
• Set Item Card Sales Unit of Measure = SF
• Set Item Card Purchase Unit of Measure = PALLET
• The unit of measure Description (on the Units of Measure page) is used in the comment lines added to the sale, for example “2 Pallet.” If a unit of measure has no description, its code is used instead.

Sheet Tally Rounding

• If you’d like to round the quantity calculated on the Sheet Tally page, search for and open the page called "Length and Sheet Tally Setup." Enable the "Round Sold Sheet Quantity" setting.
• The "Maximum Quantity to Round" setting allows you to only round quantities up to a maximum. For example, if you only want quantities below 1 to be rounded to 1, set this Maximum to 1. Quantities such as 1.25 will not be rounded to 2. The "Round Sold Sheet Quantity" setting must also remain enabled.

Sheet Tally Preset Fractions

• The Sheet Tally page allows the user to select preset fractions for convenience. To add to the list of available fractions, search for and open the page called “Sheet Tally Preset Fractions.”

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How to Use the Length Tally Feature

Once the Length Tally feature is enabled and units of measure are set up for an item:

• Add the item to a sales order, sales invoice, or POS sales invoice.
• Input Lengths and Quantities
  • The Length Tally page will automatically open
  • Enter the various lengths and quantities as required.
• Finalize the Sale
  • Close (or Esc) the Length Tally page.
  • The total quantity of the item will be calculated and used in the sale.
  • Comment lines describing each tallied length will be added to the sale for record-keeping.

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How to Use the Sheet Tally Feature

Once the Sheet Tally feature is enabled and units of measure are set up for an item:

• Add the item to a sales order, sales invoice, or POS sales invoice.
• Input Length and Width
  • The Sheet Tally page will automatically open.
  • Add a new line and input the whole number and fraction for the length and width. The units of length and width will default to the linear units (in this case inches) used to calculate the smallest available area for the sheet item (in this case Sq In).
• Select the Measured Area Unit of Measure
  • The Sheet Tally page is designed to allow sheets to be measured and sold in different units of measure.
  • The Measured Area Total calculates the area from the inputted length and width.
  • Select the Measured Area Unit of Measure (for example Sq In). As noted, it will default to the smallest available unit of measure for the item.
• Select the Sell As Unit Quantity
  • If the line’s calculated quantity should be multiplied by additional units, input a value into the Sell As Unit Quantity. Otherwise, this will default to 1 per line.
• Select the Sell As Unit of Measure
  • Select the Sell As Unit of Measure in the page header. This is the unit of measure that the item will be sold in (for example, square feet). It will default to the Sales Unit of Measure on the Item Card.
  • The Sell As Total Area shows the converted quantity based on the selected units and quantities for each line.
  • It will be rounded up if the “Round Sold Sheet Quantity” field was enabled during the extension’s setup.
  • The Sell As Total Quantity is the total quantity of all lines on the page that will be used in the sale.
• Finalize the Sale
  • Close (or Esc) from the Sheet Tally page.
  • The total quantity of all lines, “Sell As Total Quantity,” and its unit of measure, “Sell As Unit of Measure,” will be used in the sale.
  • Comment lines describing the inputted lengths and widths will be added to the sale for record-keeping. If a Sell As Unit Quantity greater than 1 was specified for a line, it will be shown at the end of the comment in parentheses.

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How to Use the Unit Tally Feature

Once the Unit Tally feature is enabled and units of measure are set up for an item:

• Add the item to a sales order, sales invoice, or POS sales invoice.
• Review the Units of Measure
  • The Unit Tally page will automatically open.
  • Each unit of measure set up for the item is listed on its own line, from largest to smallest. The Qty. per Unit of Measure column shows how many base units are in each one.
• Select the Sell As Unit of Measure
  • Select the Sell As Unit of Measure in the page header. This is the unit of measure the item will be sold in (for example, Sq Ft). It defaults to the Sales Unit of Measure on the Item Card.
  • The line for the Sell As Unit of Measure is shown in bold.
  • Changing the Sell As Unit of Measure keeps any quantities already entered. The Sell As Total Quantity and Extended Quantity are converted to the new unit of measure.
• Enter a Total or Enter Quantities by Unit of Measure. Use either method, or both:
  • Enter a total. Input the Sell As Total Quantity (for example, 250 Sq Ft). The page right-sizes it automatically:
    • It fills the units of measure larger than the Sell As Unit of Measure with whole units, largest first.
    • Whatever is left over goes on the Sell As Unit of Measure line. If a Quantity Rounding Precision is set for that unit of measure (for the base unit, it’s at the bottom of the Item Units of Measure page), the leftover is rounded up to it.
    • Example: 250 Sq Ft = 2 Pallet + 5 Section + 9.5 SF.
    • If the leftover should be sold as another larger unit instead, adjust the lines by hand. For example, change Section to 6 and SF to 0.
  • Enter quantities by unit of measure. Input a Quantity on any line, including units smaller than the Sell As Unit of Measure. The Sell As Total Quantity updates to the total of all lines.
  • The Quantity column is the only column on the lines that can be edited. Qty. per Unit of Measure and Extended Quantity are calculated. Extended Quantity shows each line’s quantity converted to the Sell As Unit of Measure.
• Use the Page Actions
  • Right-size: right-sizes the current Sell As Total Quantity again, as described above. This replaces all quantities entered on the lines.
  • Clear: sets all line quantities to 0.
• Finalize the Sale
  • Close (or Esc) the Unit Tally page.
  • The Sell As Total Quantity and the Sell As Unit of Measure will be used in the sale.
  • A comment line is added to the sale for each unit of measure with a quantity, for example “2 Pallet” and “5 Section.”
  • If the Sell As Total Quantity is 0, the sale line is not changed.

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Changing the Sale Line Later

• If the quantity or unit of measure is changed on a sale line created by a tally, a notification will appear stating that the tally comments may no longer match the quantity.
• Select Delete tally comments in the notification to remove them, or update the comment lines by hand.
• The tally page does not reopen. To recalculate, delete the sale line and add the item again.

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Example Business Workflows

Length-Based Molding Sale

A sales user adds molding configured for Length Tally to a sales order, enters the required lengths and quantities, closes the Length Tally page, and uses the calculated total quantity and generated tally comments in the sale.

Cut Sheet Material Sale

A sales user adds Lexan configured for Sheet Tally, enters the whole number and fraction for length and width, confirms the measured area and Sell As unit of measure, and closes the page so the total area and measurement comments are added to the sale.

Paver Sale by Pallet, Section, and Square Foot

A sales user enters a Sell As Total Quantity for pavers. The Unit Tally page right-sizes the total into whole pallets, then sections, then the remaining square feet, subject to the configured quantity rounding precision.

Mixed Unit Entry

A sales user enters quantities directly on Pallet, Section, SF, or PCS lines. The page calculates each Extended Quantity and updates the Sell As Total Quantity before the sale is finalized.

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Conclusion

Length, Area and Unit of Measure Tally for Business Central supports sales of items whose quantities depend on lengths, dimensions, or packaging units. Configure the Item Card tally setting and units of measure, enter the applicable measurements or unit quantities, and use the calculated total and generated comment lines in the sale.

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Related System Solutions Resources