Skip to main content

3️⃣Business Central: Account Mappings

Written by Alvys Admin

Accurate account mapping is essential to ensure that all transactions exported from Alvys to Business Central are posted to valid accounts. The Business Central integration supports default account mappings and specific account mappings, providing flexibility and control over how revenue and expense transactions are recorded.

Default Account Mappings

Default accounts are required and serve as primary fallback accounts for any transactions that are not explicitly mapped to a specific account. These mappings ensure transactions can always be exported successfully and prevent errors caused by unmapped accounts.

Notion Image

How it Works

Based on the transaction types selected during configuration (Revenue and/or Expense), Alvys displays the required default accounts that must be mapped.

Notion Image

When Revenue is selected, both an Accounts Receivable account and a Default Revenue account must be mapped. From an invoice perspective, each individual invoice line item, such as customer linehaul, fuel surcharge, or accessorial charges, is posted to the mapped revenue account. The accumulated invoice total is then posted to the Accounts Receivable account, which represents the amount owed by the customer.

Notion Image

When Expense is selected, both an Accounts Payable account and a Default Expense account must be mapped. From a bill perspective, each bill line item, such as driver pay rates, carrier linehaul, fuel, or toll charges, is posted to the mapped expense account. The total bill amount is then posted to the Accounts Payable account, which represents the amount owed to the vendor or carrier.

Notion Image

This mirrors how Business Central processes transactions: revenue and expense amounts are recorded at the line-item level, while the total balance due from customers is tracked in Accounts Receivable and the total amount owed to vendors is tracked separately in Accounts Payable.

💡 Once the default accounts are configured, they function as fallback accounts. If specific accounts are not set up for individual transaction types, such as fuel surcharges or specialized trip rates, the system automatically uses the default revenue or expense accounts to ensure the transaction exports successfully.

⚠️ Users must map default accounts to the correct accounts in the Business Central Chart of Accounts. Selecting an account with the wrong type, for example mapping an Expense account to a Revenue field, will cause export errors.

If you do not have any specific accounts created in Business Central, once you have configured the default accounts you can click through the remaining integration steps, then click Save. Your integration will be successfully added.

Specific Account Mappings

Specific account mapping provides granular control over which Business Central accounts each transaction line-item posts to. This feature is optional but recommended if you have dedicated accounts for individual transaction types in your Business Central Chart of Accounts.

For each transaction category, you can map a default account specific to that category. If you have created a dedicated default account for a category, such as a Default Load Account, map it there. This ensures all transactions within that category are posted consistently. If you do not have a category-specific default account, the system will fall back to the general default revenue or expense account configured in the integration. Below is a detailed explanation of the transaction categories and specific line items available for mapping.

Load

The Load category represents revenue transaction line items that appear on customer invoices. Each line item on a load, such as linehaul or fuel surcharge, can be mapped to a specific Business Central account if one exists.

If you have dedicated accounts in your Business Central Chart of Accounts, such as Customer Linehaul or Customer Fuel Surcharge, map each line item accordingly. If you only have a general account for load revenue, map it to the Default Load Account.

Notion Image

Trip

The Trip category represents expense transaction line items that appear on bills. Each line item, such as driver pay rates or carrier linehaul, can be mapped to a specific Business Central account if one exists. If you have dedicated accounts in your Business Central Chart of Accounts, such as Carrier Linehaul or individual Driver Rate accounts, map each line item accordingly. If you only have a general account for trip expenses, map it to the Default Trip Account. If neither category-specific nor default trip accounts are available, the integration will fall back to the general default expense account configured in a prior step.

Trips can be associated with internal assets, subsidiary carriers only, or external carriers. For trips using internal assets (company drivers or owner-operators), the trip category line items on the bill represent driver rates. For trips using subsidiary or external carriers, the trip category line items on the trip bill represent carrier rates.

Notion Image

Accessorials

Accessorials represent additional charges or fees that can be applied to both customers (revenue) and drivers or carriers (expense). As such, they can impact both revenue and expense accounts in Business Central.

Notion Image

The list of accessorial types available for mapping is pulled from the custom accessorials configured by the tenant in Alvys. To configure custom accessorials, refer to the following Help Center article: Custom Accessorials . Each accessorial type includes two columns for mapping. The Revenue column is used to map the account for income generated from the accessorial when charged to customers. The Expense column is used to map the account for costs associated with the accessorial when charged to drivers or carriers.

Once the list is displayed, you can map each accessorial line item to its corresponding Business Central account if dedicated accounts exist. However, if your accounting process only includes a general revenue account and a general expense account for all accessorials, you may map those to the Default Accessorial Account option.

Notion Image

E-Checks

An e-check is an electronic check issued to pay a driver or external carrier, functioning like a digital payment method instead of a physical check. E-checks can include associated fees and may impact both revenue and expense accounts in Alvys and Business Central.

Notion Image

The E-Check category itself includes a default revenue account and a default expense account, which are used if specific accounts are not assigned. Each individual e-check type has its own revenue and expense columns for mapping. The revenue column represents the e-check fee charged to drivers or carriers and is recorded as income for the company.

The e-check fee is configured by the tenant based on the E-check type from the company profile and can have a minimum, maximum, or percentage-based value.

Notion Image
Notion Image
Notion Image

The expense column represents the actual e-check amount issued to the driver or carrier.

E-check fees are treated as revenue because, although they appear as an expense on a driver or carrier bill, they reimburse the company and are therefore considered income.

⚠️ A bill can fail to export if it includes e-checks with fees and the revenue account for the e-check fee is not mapped, especially when the configuration is set to export expenses only. This can be resolved by mapping the e-check fee to a specific e-check revenue account or by using Alvys’ default e-check revenue account.

💡 When e-checks are issued to a driver or an external carrier, an associated accessorial may also be created for the driver and the customer. Any accessorials associated with e-checks should be mapped under the Accessorials category if the specific accounts exist.

Deductions

Alvys provides a predefined list of deduction types. If you have specific accounts in your Business Central chart of accounts for any of these deduction types, you can map them accordingly. If you only have a general account for all driver deductions, you may map it to the Default Deduction Account.

Notion Image

Fuel

The Fuel category includes fuel transactions, such as diesel, linked to drivers or owner-operators. Each fuel type can be mapped to a specific Business Central account if one exists. If no specific account exists but a Default Fuel Account exists, the transaction will use the Default Fuel Account. If neither a specific nor a Default Fuel Account exists, the transaction will fall back to the Default Expense Account configured in the default account mapping.

Notion Image

Tolls

Only a single default account is provided for toll mapping. If a dedicated Business Central account for tolls exists in your chart of accounts, you may map it here. Otherwise, all toll expenses will be sent to the Default Expense Account.

Notion Image

⚠️ The Tax category is deprecated. Please skip this step.

Notion Image

Escrow

Escrow accounts are used to hold funds on behalf of drivers. These accounts are created on driver profiles, and deposits or withdrawals are reflected when driver statements or paystubs are generated.

Notion Image

When mapping Escrow accounts, if specific Escrow accounts exist in your Business Central Chart of Accounts for one or more Escrow account types, map those accounts. If no specific account exists but a Default Escrow Account exists for the Escrow category, map to the default. If neither exists, the transaction will fall back to the Default Liability Account.

💡 Escrow account mappings must be linked to a liability account in Business Central because these funds are held temporarily on behalf of drivers and do not represent a company expense.

Complete Setup

This completes the setup and mapping of accounts for the Business Central integration. Once all mappings are configured, click Done, then the Submit button to complete the integration. A green checkmark will appear next to the integration to confirm it was successfully added.

Notion Image

FAQs

Q: What if I don’t see the green checkmark after submitting the integration setup? A: Refresh the Alvys Integrations page. If the green checkmark still does not appear next to Business Central, reopen the integration dialog, reconnect using the Login button, confirm all settings and mappings, and click Save. If the issue persists, contact Alvys Support.

Q: What happens if I update my Chart of Accounts in Business Central later?

A: Account mappings in Alvys can be updated at any time. Open the Business Central integration dialog, navigate to the account mapping step, select the updated G/L account from the dropdown, and save the integration to apply the changes.

Q: What are default account mappings, and why are they required?

A: Default account mappings act as fallback G/L accounts for transactions not explicitly mapped to a specific line item. They ensure that all revenue (Sales Invoices) and expenses (Purchase Invoices) exported to Business Central post successfully, preventing sync errors due to unmapped financial data.

Q: When should I use specific account mappings?

A: Specific account mappings are recommended when dedicated Business Central G/L accounts exist for individual transaction types, such as fuel surcharges, driver pay, or detention. These provide granular control over your General Ledger, ensuring consistent and accurate financial reporting for different revenue and cost streams.

Q: What happens if a required default account is mapped incorrectly?

A: Mapping a default account to the wrong type such as using an Expense G/L account for a Revenue line will cause export errors in Business Central.

Q: Can I skip setting up specific accounts and rely only on default accounts?

A: Yes. If specific G/L accounts do not exist for every line item, transactions will fall back to the default accounts configured during setup. This allows the integration to function successfully without needing a highly granular Chart of Accounts.

Q: How do escrow transactions need to be mapped in Business Central?

A: Escrow accounts must be linked to a Liability account in Business Central. Because escrow funds are temporary holdings for drivers or carriers and not company expenses, mapping them to an expense account will misstate your financial statements and cause reconciliation issues.

Q: Can I map both revenue and expense lines for accessorials?

A: Yes. Each accessorial type in the mapping step includes a Revenue column for customer charges and an Expense column for carrier or driver costs. If dedicated G/L accounts do not exist for a specific accessorial, they can be mapped to the Default Accessorial Account.

Q: What should I do if I only have general accounts for deductions, fuel, or tolls?

A: If dedicated G/L accounts do not exist for specific categories like deductions, fuel, or tolls, map these transaction lines to the corresponding default account configured during the setup process. This ensures the transactions still export to Business Central under a broader category.

Next Steps

⏭️ After completing the account mappings, continue with Business Central: Transaction Export and Modification Workflow to export and make modifications to transactions.

Return to Collection

📁 Need to see the full list of articles? Return to the Business Central Integration Collection.

Did this answer your question?