Automatically Setting Field Values with Assign Actions

Introduction

Business processes frequently require automatic field updates based on transaction context, related data, or calculated results. Manual field updates create inconsistencies, consume staff time, and introduce errors when users forget critical field assignments or apply incorrect values.

Common scenarios requiring automatic field updates include status field management (setting priority based on customer type, updating inventory status based on stock levels), calculated field population (computing discounts from customer agreements, deriving payment terms from credit ratings), cross-table data synchronization (copying vendor information to purchase orders, replicating customer defaults to sales transactions), and timestamp management (recording last activity dates, tracking modification history).

QUALIA Rule Engine's Assign actions enable automatic field value assignment through static assignments (fixed values), field copying (values from current or related records), calculated formulas (mathematical operations, string manipulation), conditional logic (different values based on conditions), and aggregate-based assignments (values derived from SUM, COUNT, AVG calculations).

Assign action capabilities:

• Static value assignment (text, numbers, dates, booleans)

• Field-to-field copying within or across tables

• Calculated formulas (arithmetic, string operations, date math)

• Conditional assignments using IF statements

• Aggregate-based values from related records

• Multi-field coordinated updates

Part 1: Static Value Assignments

Assigning Fixed Values

Static value assignments set fields to predetermined values when conditions are met, useful for status management, default values, and classification.

Validation Set: Sales Order - Priority Assignment - OnInsert

Rule 1: Set High Priority for VIP Customers

Table: Sales Header (36)

Source References:

1. Customer (18)
   Link via: [36:2] = [18:1]

Condition:

[18:CustomVIPStatus]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:CustomPriority]

Result: When sales order created for VIP customer, Priority field automatically set to "High" without user intervention.

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [36:2] - Sales Header (Table 36): Sell-to Customer No. (Field 2) - Links order to customer record

• [18:1] - Customer (Table 18): No. (Field 1) - Customer number for linking

• [18:CustomVIPStatus] - Customer (Table 18): Custom VIP Status field - Boolean flag indicating VIP customer

• [36:CustomPriority] - Sales Header (Table 36): Custom Priority field - Target field for automatic assignment

• Fixed value: 'High' - Static text value assigned to priority field

Boolean Field Assignment

Rule 2: Flag Rush Orders Based on Requested Date

Condition:

[36:CustomRequestedShipDate] < [T]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:CustomRushOrder]

Result: Orders requiring shipment within 3 days automatically flagged as rush orders.

Date Field Assignment

Rule 3: Set Review Date Based on Order Amount

Condition:

[36:109]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:CustomReviewDate]
Formula: [T]

Result: High-value orders automatically assigned review date one week out.

Part 2: Field-to-Field Copying

Copying Within Same Record

Assign actions can copy values from one field to another within the same record for data propagation or backup purposes.

Validation Set: Customer - Data Synchronization - OnModify

Rule 1: Backup Original Credit Limit

Table: Customer (18)

Condition:

{18:59} <> [18:59]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [18:CustomPreviousCreditLimit]

Result: Maintains history of previous credit limit before changes applied.

Copying Across Tables

Rule 2: Copy Customer Payment Terms to Order

Validation Set: Sales Order - Payment Terms Copy - OnInsert

Source References:

1. Customer (18)
   Link via: [36:2] = [18:1]

Condition:

[36:64]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:64]
Formula: [18:27]

// Copy customer default payment terms to order

Where:
[18:27] = Payment Terms Code (Customer)
[36:64]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [36:2] - Sales Header (Table 36): Sell-to Customer No. (Field 2) - Links order to customer

• [18:1] - Customer (Table 18): No. (Field 1) - Customer number for linking

• [36:64] - Sales Header (Table 36): Payment Terms Code (Field 64) - Target field on order

• [18:27] - Customer (Table 18): Payment Terms Code (Field 27) - Source field from customer defaults

• Empty check: [36:64] is '' - Condition to check if payment terms not yet set

Result: New orders automatically receive customer's default payment terms.

Multiple Field Copying

Rule 3: Synchronize Shipping Information

Action - Multiple Assigns:

Assign 1:
  Target: [36:13]
  Formula: [18:CustomDefaultShipToCode]

Assign 2:
  Target: [36:31]
  Formula: [18:CustomDefaultShippingAgent]

Assign 3:
  Target: [36:CustomShipMethod]
  Formula: [18:CustomDefaultShipMethod]

Result: Complete shipping configuration automatically applied from customer defaults.

Part 3: Calculated Field Assignments

Arithmetic Calculations

Assign actions support mathematical operations for computed field values.

Validation Set: Sales Line - Discount Calculation - OnValidate

Rule 1: Calculate Volume Discount

Table: Sales Line (37)

Condition:

[37:15]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [37:11]
Formula: IF([37:15] >= 500, 15,
           IF([37:15] >= 250, 10,
             IF([37:15]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [37:15] - Sales Line (Table 37): Quantity (Field 15) - Used both in condition and in nested IF statements

• [37:11] - Sales Line (Table 37): Line Discount % (Field 11) - Target field for calculated discount

• IF([37:15] >= 500, 15, ...) - Nested conditional expression: Returns 15 if quantity 500+, else evaluates next IF

• Threshold checks: Compares quantity against 500, 250, 100 to determine discount tier

Result: Line discount automatically calculated based on quantity thresholds.

String Manipulation

Rule 2: Generate Description from Components

Source References:

1. Item (27)
   Link via: [37:6] = [27:1]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [37:11]
Formula: [27:3] + ' - ' + [37:15] + ' units @ $' + [37:22]

Result: Line description automatically formatted with item details.

Date Calculations

Rule 3: Calculate Expected Receipt Date

Validation Set: Purchase Line - Lead Time Calculation - OnValidate

Source References:

1. Item (27)
   Link via: [39:6] = [27:1]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [39:CustomExpectedReceiptDate]
Formula: [38:20] + [27:12]

// Order Date + Lead Time Calculation (days)

Where:
[38:20] = Order Date
[27:12]

Placeholders Used in String and Date Examples:

String Concatenation (Rule 2):

• [37:6] - Sales Line (Table 37): No. (Field 6) - Item number for linking

• [27:1] - Item (Table 27): No. (Field 1) - Item number for linking

• [27:3] - Item (Table 27): Description (Field 3) - Item description text

• [37:15] - Sales Line (Table 37): Quantity (Field 15) - Quantity value in string

• [37:22] - Sales Line (Table 37): Unit Price (Field 22) - Unit price value in string

• [37:11] - Sales Line (Table 37): Description field (Field 11) - Target field for concatenated result

• String operators: + - Concatenates text and field values, ' - ' and ' units @ $' - Literal text in formula

Date Calculation (Rule 3):

• [39:6] - Purchase Line (Table 39): Item No. (Field 6) - Links to item

• [27:1] - Item (Table 27): No. (Field 1) - Item number

• [38:20] - Purchase Header (Table 38): Order Date (Field 20) - Base date for calculation

• [27:12] - Item (Table 27): Lead Time Calculation (Field 12) - Days to add to order date

• Date addition: [38:20] + [27:12] - Adds lead time days to order date

• [39:CustomExpectedReceiptDate] - Purchase Line (Table 39): Custom expected receipt date field - Target field

Result: Expected receipt automatically calculated from order date and item lead time.

Part 4: Conditional Assignments

IF Statement Logic

Assign actions support IF statements for conditional value assignment based on complex criteria.

Validation Set: Sales Order - Payment Terms Assignment - OnInsert

Rule 1: Assign Payment Terms Based on Credit Rating and Amount

Source References:

1. Customer (18)
   Link via: [36:2] = [18:1]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:64]
Formula: 
  IF([18:CustomCreditRating] is 'A' AND [36:109] > 10000,
    'NET60',
    IF([18:CustomCreditRating] is 'A',
      'NET45',
      IF([18:CustomCreditRating] is 'B' AND [36:109] <= 5000,
        'NET30',
        IF([18:CustomCreditRating]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [36:2] - Sales Header (Table 36): Sell-to Customer No. (Field 2) - Links to customer

• [18:1] - Customer (Table 18): No. (Field 1) - Customer number

• [18:CustomCreditRating] - Customer (Table 18): Custom Credit Rating field - Credit rating value (A, B, C, etc.)

• [36:109] - Sales Header (Table 36): Amount Including VAT (Field 109) - Order amount for threshold checks

• [36:64] - Sales Header (Table 36): Payment Terms Code (Field 64) - Target field for assignment

• Complex nested IF: Evaluates rating and amount conditions to return appropriate payment terms code

• Conditions: [18:CustomCreditRating] is 'A', [36:109] > 10000, [36:109] <= 5000 - Logical comparisons in IF statements

• Return values: 'NET60', 'NET45', 'NET30', 'NET15', 'PREPAY' - Payment terms codes assigned based on conditions

Result: Payment terms automatically assigned based on customer credit rating and order value.

Multi-Condition Logic

Rule 2: Calculate Shipping Charges

Source References:

1. Customer (18)
   Link via: [36:2] = [18:1]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [36:CustomShippingCharge]
Formula:
  IF([18:CustomFreeShipping] is true,
    0,
    IF([36:109] > 500,
      0,
      IF([18:10] is in ('10000-19999', '20000-29999'),
        15,
        IF([18:10]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [36:2] - Sales Header (Table 36): Sell-to Customer No. (Field 2) - Links to customer

• [18:1] - Customer (Table 18): No. (Field 1) - Customer number

• [18:CustomFreeShipping] - Customer (Table 18): Custom Free Shipping field - Boolean flag for free shipping eligibility

• [36:109] - Sales Header (Table 36): Amount Including VAT (Field 109) - Order total for threshold check

• [18:10] - Customer (Table 18): Post Code (Field 10) - Customer postal code for zone determination

• [36:CustomShippingCharge] - Sales Header (Table 36): Custom Shipping Charge field - Target field for calculated charge

• IS IN operator: Checks if post code falls within specified zone ranges ('10000-19999', '20000-29999', etc.)

• Nested IF logic: Free shipping customers → Orders over $500 → Local zones → Regional zones → Remote zones (default)

Result: Shipping charges automatically calculated from customer location, free shipping status, and order amount.

Part 5: Aggregate-Based Assignments

Using SUM in Assignments

Assign actions can use aggregate functions to compute values from related records.

Validation Set: Customer - Credit Utilization - OnModify

Rule 1: Calculate Current Credit Utilization

Table: Customer (18)

Source References:

1. Sales Header (36) - Open orders
   Link via: [18:1] = [36:2]
   Reference Filters:
     [36:1] is 'Order'
     [36:120] is 'Open'

2. Customer Ledger Entry (21) - Unpaid invoices
   Link via: [18:1] = [21:3]
   Reference Filters:
     [21:13] is false  // Open
     [21:14]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [18:CustomCurrentExposure]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [18:1] - Customer (Table 18): No. (Field 1) - Customer number for linking

• [36:2] - Sales Header (Table 36): Sell-to Customer No. (Field 2) - Links orders to customer

• [36:1] - Sales Header (Table 36): Document Type (Field 1) - Filter for 'Order' type

• [36:120] - Sales Header (Table 36): Status (Field 120) - Filter for 'Open' status

• SUM(36:109) - Aggregate sum of Sales Header: Amount Including VAT (Field 109) - Total of all open orders

• [21:3] - Customer Ledger Entry (Table 21): Customer No. (Field 3) - Links ledger entries to customer

• [21:13] - Customer Ledger Entry (Table 21): Open (Field 13) - Filter for open entries (false = not closed)

• [21:14] - Customer Ledger Entry (Table 21): Remaining Amount (Field 14) - Outstanding amount on entry

• SUM(21:14) - Aggregate sum: Total of remaining amounts on unpaid invoices

• [18:CustomCurrentExposure] - Customer (Table 18): Custom Current Exposure field - Target field for total exposure

• Aggregate addition: SUM(36:109) + SUM(21:14) - Combines open orders and unpaid invoices for total exposure

• Source Reference filtering: Filters configured in linked table setup, not in aggregate formula

Result: Customer credit utilization automatically updated when orders or invoices change.

Using COUNT for Status

Rule 2: Update Item Active Status

Validation Set: Item - Activity Status - OnModify

Source References:

1. Sales Line (37)
   Link via: [27:1] = [37:6]
   Reference Filters:
     [37:CustomOrderDate] >= [T]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [27:CustomActiveStatus]

Placeholders Used in This Example:

• [27:1] - Item (Table 27): No. (Field 1) - Item number for linking

• [37:6] - Sales Line (Table 37): No. (Field 6) - Item number on sales line for linking

• [37:CustomOrderDate] - Sales Line (Table 37): Custom Order Date field - Date filter for recent activity

• [T] - System placeholder: Today's date - Used in date range calculation

• Date arithmetic: [T] - 90 - Calculates date 90 days ago from today

• COUNT(37:*) - Aggregate function: Counts number of Sales Line records matching filters (asterisk counts all matching records)

• Source Reference filtering: Filter [37:CustomOrderDate] >= [T] - 90 configured in linked table setup

• [27:CustomActiveStatus] - Item (Table 27): Custom Active Status field - Target field for status

• Conditional assignment: IF(COUNT(37:*) > 0, 'Active', 'Inactive') - Returns 'Active' if count greater than 0, else 'Inactive'

Result: Item status automatically reflects recent sales activity.

Using AVG for Analytics

Rule 3: Calculate Average Order Value

Source References:

1. Sales Header (36) - Posted orders
   Link via: [18:1] = [36:2]
   Reference Filters:
     [36:120] is 'Posted'
     [36:20] >= [T]

Action - Assign:

Target Field: [18:CustomAvgOrderValue]

Result: Customer average order value automatically maintained.

Part 6: Multi-Field Coordinated Updates

Updating Multiple Related Fields

Single rule can execute multiple assign actions to maintain data consistency across related fields.

Validation Set: Item - Inventory Status Update - OnModify

Rule 1: Update Inventory Classification

Table: Item (27)

Source References:

1. Item Ledger Entry (32)
   Link via: [27:1] = [32:5]

Condition:

{27:Inventory} <> [27:Inventory]

Actions - Multiple Assigns:

Assign 1 - Inventory Status:
  Target: [27:CustomInventoryStatus]
  Formula: IF([27:Inventory] <= 0,
             'Out of Stock',
             IF([27:Inventory] <= [27:15],
               'Low Stock',
               IF([27:Inventory] <= [27:15] * 2,
                 'Normal',
                 'Overstock'
               )
             )
           )

Assign 2 - Last Stock Change Date:
  Target: [27:CustomLastStockChange]
  Formula: [T]

Assign 3 - Stock Change Amount:
  Target: [27:CustomLastStockChangeQty]
  Formula: [27:Inventory] - {27:Inventory}

Assign 4 - Reorder Urgency:
  Target: [27:CustomReorderUrgency]
  Formula: IF([27:Inventory] <= [27:15] * 0.5,
             'Urgent',
             IF([27:Inventory] <= [27:15]

Result: Inventory change triggers coordinated update of status, date, change amount, and reorder urgency fields.

Cascading Field Updates

Rule 2: Order Status Management

Validation Set: Sales Order - Status Cascade - OnModify

Actions - Cascading Logic:

Assign 1 - Processing Status:
  Target: [36:CustomProcessingStatus]
  Formula: IF([36:120] is 'Released',
             'Ready for Shipment',
             IF([36:120] is 'Open',
               'In Progress',
               'On Hold'
             )
           )

Assign 2 - Priority Based on Status:
  Target: [36:CustomPriority]
  Formula: IF([36:CustomProcessingStatus] is 'Ready for Shipment',
             'High',
             IF([36:CustomProcessingStatus] is 'On Hold',
               'Low',
               'Normal'
             )
           )

Assign 3 - Expected Ship Date:
  Target: [36:CustomExpectedShipDate]
  Formula: IF([36:CustomPriority] is 'High',
             [T] + 1,
             IF([36:CustomPriority] is 'Normal',
               [T] + 3,
               [T]

Result: Single status change cascades through processing status, priority, and expected ship date with interdependent logic.

Part 7: Best Practices and Patterns

Performance Considerations

Optimize aggregate calculations:

✓ Good: SUM with date filters
  SUM(36:109 WHERE [36:20] >= [T]

Minimize calculation complexity:

✓ Good: Simple conditions
  IF([Field]

Field Update Timing

OnValidate scenario:

• Fires when specific field changes

• Immediate user feedback

• Use for: Related field updates, calculated fields

OnModify scenario:

• Fires on any field change

• Can execute frequently

• Use for: Status management, timestamps

BeforePost scenario:

• Fires once before posting

• Final calculations

• Use for: Totals, final status, audit fields

Testing Checklist

Before deploying assign actions:

• Verify target field is editable (not blocked)

• Test with various data types (null, zero, negative)

• Confirm formula syntax (no undefined fields)

• Check aggregate performance with production data volumes

• Validate conditional logic covers all scenarios

• Test multi-field updates in correct sequence

• Verify no circular references (Field A → Field B → Field A)

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Status Derivation

Pattern 2: Default Value Application

Pattern 3: Computed Metrics

Summary and Key Takeaways

This guide covered automatic field value assignment using QUALIA Assign actions in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:

• Static assignments set fixed values (text, numbers, dates, booleans)

• Field copying transfers values within or across tables

• Calculated formulas compute values using arithmetic, string operations, date math

• Conditional logic applies different values based on IF statement evaluation

• Aggregate assignments derive values from SUM, COUNT, AVG of related records

• Multi-field updates coordinate changes across related fields

Practical applications:

• Automate status field management based on business conditions

• Copy default values from master data to transaction records

• Calculate discounts, dates, and derived values automatically

• Apply conditional logic for complex business rules

• Maintain analytical fields with aggregate calculations

• Coordinate multi-field updates for data consistency

Implementation exercise: Create an automatic priority assignment rule:

1. Identify priority criteria (customer type, order amount, urgency)

2. Configure conditional logic for priority determination

3. Set up automatic assignment on order creation

4. Test various customer and order scenarios

5. Verify priority correctly influences downstream processes

6. Monitor effectiveness over 30 days

Related topics:

• Blog 017: Multi-Condition Validation (conditional logic patterns)

• Blog 024: Aggregate Calculations (SUM, COUNT, AVG usage)

• Blog 030: Understanding Scenarios (timing of assign actions)

• Blog 031: Advanced Table Linking (cross-table value copying)

This blog is part of the QUALIA Rule Engine series for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Follow along as we explore business rule automation patterns.