Get better overview with role centers in Business Central

What can role centers do - and why do they matter?

A role center is a personalized workspace that brings together the elements most relevant to your specific function. But it's not just about seeing "My open orders" or "My tasks" – it's about:

• Responding faster to deviations
• Identifying issues before they become problems
• Removing noise and irrelevant information
• Making complex processes more accessible and automated

Role centers combine traditional ERP elements with dashboards, KPIs, integrations, and shortcuts to relevant pages – all to help you focus on what truly creates value.

Role centers in practice

Finance Manager - focus on cashflow, control, and compliance

As a finance lead, you’re responsible for reporting, cashflow, and monitoring daily financial processes. An effective role center for a finance user should include:

• Cash and bank overview with real-time balances and reconciliation status
• Power BI integration showing budget vs. actuals, DSO, revenue development, etc.
• Automated monitoring of unposted entries, pending approvals, and unresolved documents
• Quick access to various journal types for efficient navigation
• Alerts for posting errors, imbalanced entries, or deviations from chart of accounts

Tip: Use notifications and tiles to create visual warnings – e.g., for overdue payments, budget overruns, or open accounting periods.

Warehouse Manager - from insights to action

A warehouse manager works closely with purchasing, production, and logistics. While the standard role center is a good start, it should be customized with:

• Real-time overview of backorders, prioritized by delivery date or customer
• Quick access to inventory adjustment journals and receiving tasks
• Overview of reorder points, planning lines, and inventory levels
• Visualization of inventory turnover rate and inactive stock
• Location-based inventory tracking and comparisons

Tip: Combine the role center with drill-down functionality – so you can go directly from high-level views into the specific item or document.

Purchasing Agent - decision support and supplier performance

Purchasing is no longer just about placing orders – it's about timing, supply chain visibility, and supplier collaboration. The role center should help support that with:

• Replenishment suggestions based on actual inventory, orders, and consumption history
• Overview of pending confirmations and recent supplier price changes
• Dashboards for on-time delivery performance, delays, and supplier alternatives
• Direct access to purchase quotes, contract terms, and approval workflows
• Power BI integration to analyze purchase volumes, discounts, and vendor scorecards

Tip: Use fields like "My Vendors" or "Items to Reorder" and activate smart suggestions based on your purchasing patterns.

How to customize your role center in practice

To take your role center to the next level, here are some practical options in Business Central:

1. Use the “Personalize” function in the UI
   Add or remove fields, rearrange groups, and add shortcuts to key tasks.
2. Embed Power BI reports directly
   Display charts and insights (e.g., financial KPIs or stock movement) within your role center.
3. Create saved views and filters
   Build custom lists – e.g., for orders, open entries, or critical stock – and pin them to your workspace (these lists needs to be created as actions or shortcuts, or already available as tiles or reports in the role center).
4. Use notifications and visual indicators
   Set up alerts based on business rules, like delayed deliveries or missing approvals.
5. Assign different role center setups per user group
   Tailor views based on function – e.g., warehouse staff vs. warehouse managers.