Upgrading from Easy PDF to Acumens e-Mailing in Business Central

The legacy Dynamics NAV system used Easy PDF to create PDFs of reports and send them by e-mail, print or fax. The replacement for this add-on is acumens e-mailing and is now available in Business Central.

This document describes how to replace Easy PDF with Acumens e-Mailing, with the emphasis on moving the customer-level communication settings (the data upgrade) so users keep the same delivery behavior after go-live.

Scope of this document includes:

• Functional comparison of Easy PDF and Acumens e-Mailing
• Upgrade and configuration of the application, e-Mail cards, sender details, and signature settings
• Data upgrade of customer settings using RapidStart configuration packages
• Identification of prerequisites, user roles, testing procedures

Business Central – Customer Communication Data Upgrade

Document type	Upgrade guide
Source solution	Easy PDF (legacy Dynamics NAV, carried into Business Central through the NAV to BC upgrade)
Target solution	Acumens e-Mailing, Microsoft AppSource
Scope	Comparison, set-up upgrade, customer data upgrade, prerequisites, testing, go-live

Easy PDF is an add-on that turns Dynamics NAV reports into PDF files and delivers them by e-mail, print or fax, singly or through batch queues. In the legacy environment it holds the global settings, extensions on the Customer Card (a ribbon group and a fast tab) that hold each customer’s delivery preferences, and Easy PDF actions on document pages such as Posted Sales Invoices, which e-mail, print or fax a document with its PDF attached. Each of these has to be replaced or migrated and they are described below.

Area	What Easy PDF provides today
Easy PDF	Lists: Easy PDF Report List; Tasks: Easy PDF Batch Queues; Easy PDF Setup, Archive: Easy PDF History; Administration: Easy PDF User Setup
Customer Card ribbon (Easy PDF group)	Send Statement by E-Mail; Send Statement by E-Mail+Print; Send Statement by FAX; Send Statement by Preferred Method; Easy PDF Addresses
Customer Card fast tab "Easy PDF"	Preferred Communication Method (for example E-Mail or Print); Append Open Invoices to Statement (checkbox)
Customer e-mail address	Standard Email field on the card, which can hold several addresses separated by semicolons (for example two contacts with the same customer)
Document pages (for example Posted Sales Invoices)	Easy PDF ribbon group with Send by E-Mail, Send by E-Mail+Print, Send by FAX and Send Selected to Batch, used to e-mail a document with its PDF attached to the customer
Batch processing	Easy PDF Batch Queues for queued bulk sending
Audit trail	Easy PDF History archive

Key customer-level data that drives behavior, and therefore must be upgraded:

• Preferred Communication Method
• Append Open Invoices to Statement
• Easy PDF Addresses (per-document-type recipient addresses)
• Customer e-mail address(es)

Figure 1: Customer Card & Easy PDF

Key setup-level data (Easy PDF Setup, DEFAULT user setup) that drives behavior, and therefore must be upgraded:

• Outgoing e-mail: SMTP is used for all outgoing e-mail, with the sender’s name "Accounting" and a sender address. A preview is shown before a single e-mail is sent, and empty addresses are silently ignored.
• Batch Sending: batches are cleared once sent, batch names follow the pattern for example %C - %D, e-mails are consolidated per customer, and PDF attachments are not merged.
• Fax: a fax server domain is configured.
• History: history is removed after 3 months, and attachments are saved as files in a folder on the server.
• Server paths and language: temporary files are written to a network share on the NAV server, and the preferred language is ENU.

Figure 2: Easy PDF Setup

The Easy PDF Setup page holds the global settings that Acumens e-Mailing and Business Central must reproduce. The page also links to NAV User Setup, Easy PDF User Setup, SMTP Mail Setup (Card Specific), Data Import / Export and Create Permission Set, so check each of those for overrides before cut-over.

Figure 3: Posted Sales Invoices Easy PDF Menu Actions

The Posted Sales Invoices list in the legacy Dynamics NAV client has an Easy PDF group under the Actions tab. These actions follow the customer’s settings and the global Easy PDF Setup.

Acumens e-Mailing is an AppSource extension for Business Central, and Dynamics NAV which enables you to send emails using customizable templates tailored to various functional areas. This feature allows for efficient and targeted communication with customers, enhancing both operational efficiency and customer engagement.

its main capabilities are:

• Sending all sales and purchase documents (unposted and posted), customer reminders and finance charge memos, singly or in batches.
• Service management documents (service contract quotes, contracts, orders, posted service invoices and credit memos)
• Customer statements with preconfigured templates, sent individually or in batch, ad hoc or periodically
• e-Mail Cards that define how each document type is e-mailed, with a default card per document type so users can send without choosing a template
• e-Mail signatures and sender address at user, department, division, location, business unit or company level.
• Multiple recipient addresses per e-mail with To, CC or BCC designation, internal or external
• Attachments from the user's machine, shared or network drives, or Azure Blob Storage
• PDF merges through an API, so several attachments can be combined into one before sending
• Test mode, switchable in setup
• Batch processing to send several invoices or customer statements through a single email.
• Cash receipt e-mailing and printing directly from the Cash Receipt Journal and from Customer Ledger Entries, with a preferred method defined on the customer card and report layouts assigned.

Figure 4: Acumens e-mailing Setup

Figure 5: Customer Card & e-Mailing Setup

Figure 6: Posted Sales Invoices Acumens e-Mailing Menu Actions

The Posted Sales Invoices list in Business Central has an Acumens e-Mailing menu in the action bar. It offers This menu replaces the Easy PDF group, and users start from the same list page, so the daily steps stay familiar.

Easy PDF and Acumens e-Mailing do the same core job: they turn Business Central documents into PDFs and deliver them to customers by e-mail or print. They differ in where the behavior is controlled and how far it can be tailored.

In Easy PDF, behavior is controlled by one global setup page (SMTP sender, batch and history rules) and two customer fields. Users send from Easy PDF actions on the Customer Card and on document pages such as Posted Sales Invoices (Send by E-Mail, Send by E-Mail+Print, Send by FAX, Send Selected to Batch). The layouts follow the underlying reports, and bulk sending runs through batch queues.

In Acumens e-Mailing, behavior is controlled by e-Mail Cards, which define how each document type is e-mailed and which template it uses, together with customer-level options for statements and documents. Signatures and sender addresses can be set per user, department, location or company. The same functions cover sales, purchase and service documents, customer statements and cash receipts.

For users, the daily steps stay the same: pick a document or customer, send or print it, or add it to a batch. What changes is the setup behind each step. The table below compares the two solutions by capability and states what the upgrade has to change.

Capability	Easy PDF (legacy)	Acumens e-Mailing	Upgrade implication
Platform	NAV classic client, carried into BC	Native BC extension (AppSource / on-prem)	Install the app in the BC environment; Easy PDF objects are retired
Delivery by customer preference	Preferred Communication Method on customer	Statement Options and Document Send/Print Options on customer	Data mapping required (section 5)
Statements	Send by e-mail, e-mail+print, fax, preferred method	Preconfigured statement templates, individual or batch, scheduled or ad hoc	Map statement behavior; fax has no documented equivalent
Append open invoices to statement	Customer checkbox	Statement attachment merge option (e-Mail Attachment Merge Option (Statements))	Map checkbox to merge option; confirm exact behavior in test
Sales and purchase documents	Via report list and queues	All unposted and posted documents, singly or in batch	Configure e-Mail Cards per document type
Batch sending	Easy PDF Batch Queues	Batch sending (for example Post & Send Email-via-Batch, Post & Print-via-Batch)	Replace queue-based jobs with Acumens batch options; retrain users
Multiple documents per e-mail	Report-dependent	Merged options such as Individual Documents on Individual Emails	Choose merge defaults per customer
Recipient addresses	Easy PDF Addresses	Multiple recipients with To/CC/BCC	Migrate recipient data if Easy PDF Addresses are in use
Sender and signature	User setup	Per user, department, division, location, business unit or company	Configure sender and signature setup
Attachments	Report PDF	PDF plus external attachments, Azure Blob support, PDF merge	New capability; optional
Fax	Send Statement by FAX	Retired	Business decision: retire fax
Cash receipts	Not part of Easy PDF	Email or print receipts from the journal and ledger entries	New capability
Support model	Legacy add-on	Vendor support (acumens@sbcdynamicserp.com), online help, version history	Raise support contact for setup and training

The upgrade follows five steps. Steps 3 and 4 are the data upgrade.

• Prepare: confirm prerequisites, install Acumens e-Mailing in a sandbox, and capture the Easy PDF baseline.
• Configure: set up Acumens e-Mailing (general setup, sender, signatures, e-Mail Cards, report selection).
• Export: extract Customer Easy PDF settings from the source with a RapidStart configuration package.
• Map and import: translate Easy PDF values into Acumens values in Excel, then import into Customer using a configuration package.
• Validate and cut over: test by customer segment, then go live and retire Easy PDF.

Source and Target Fields

Source (Easy PDF, Customer table)	Target (Acumens e-Mailing, Customer table)
Preferred Communication Method	Statement Options
Preferred Communication Method	Document Send/Print Options
Append Open Invoices to Statement	e-Mail Attachment Merge Option (Statements)
(no source, default value)	e-Mail Attachment Merge Option (Sales Documents)
Customer No.	Customer No. (key, unchanged)

Mapping Rules Used in the Customer Mapping Sheet

The mapping workbook contains three sheets: Customer (raw export), Customer Mapping (translation), and Import Customer into BC (final import layout).

The Customer Mapping sheet shows these rules:

Easy PDF Preferred Communication Method	Statement Options	Document Send/Print Options
E-Mail	Email	Post & Send Email-via-Batch
Print	Print	Post & Print-via-Batch

Constant values applied to every customer in the sample:

• e-Mail Attachment Merge Option (Statements): Individual Invoices on Single Email
• e-Mail Attachment Merge Option (Sales Documents): Individual Documents on Individual Emails

The visible sample rows contain only E-Mail and Print. If other values exist in the full data set (for example E-Mail+Print, Fax, blank), each needs an explicit rule.

Step-by-Step Data Upgrade Procedure

• In the source company, open Administration > Application Setup > RapidStart Services > Configuration Packages.
• Create or use package (“Customer export easypdf”), containing the Customer table (table 18) with only the key (No.) and the Easy PDF fields (Preferred Communication Method, Append Open Invoices to Statement).
• Use Get Tables if needed, then Export Package to produce the rapidstart file. Keep a copy as the baseline.
• Load the exported data into the Customer sheet of the mapping workbook.
• Build the Customer Mapping sheet with formulas or lookups that translate Easy PDF values to Acumens values according to the excel sheet shown below. Use an Excel table with filters so exceptions can be reviewed.
• Prepare the Import Customer into BC sheet with the Customer No. and the four Acumens fields in the exact layout expected by the target package.
• Create a target configuration package (for example from the Acumens customer fields) and import the Excel data into it (Import Package or Excel import), keeping the field list restricted to the Acumens fields so no other customer data is overwritten.
• Run Validate Package and resolve errors (the package page shows No. of Errors per table).
• Apply Package in the sandbox first, then compare a sample of customers.
• Repeat in production during the cut-over window.

Figure 7: Customer Easy PDF to Acumens Mappings Data

Exceptions and Decisions Required

Topic	Question	Suggested default
Blank Preferred Communication Method	Which delivery option applies?	Print, or the customer's current actual behavior
E-Mail+Print or Fax in the data	No documented single-value equivalent	Map to E-Mail and flag for review; retire fax
Customers with no e-mail address but E-Mail preference	Send would fail	Report these before go-live and fix or switch to Print
Append Open Invoices to Statement checked	Exact merge value for statements	Confirm the option list in a sandbox, then map
Merge defaults	Individual vs combined e-mails	Keep the constant from the mapping workbook unless customers ask otherwise

Easy PDF Addresses

Easy PDF Addresses exports the Customer table. Check whether this table holds data. If it does:

• Export it in a second package and map each address to the Acumens multiple-recipient setup, deciding To, CC or BCC.
• Otherwise rely on the Customer Card Email field (semicolon-separated addresses).

Below snapshot shows the equivalent in business central

Figure 8: Customer e-Mail Address List

Data Quality Checks before Import

• Every Customer No. in the import exists in the target company.
• No duplicate Customer No. rows.
• Option values exactly match the target option text (for example "Post & Send Email-via-Batch").
• E-Mail customers have a valid e-mail address.
• Row counts reconcile: source count, mapped count, imported count, rejected count.

Step	Activity	Owner
1	Install Acumens e-Mailing from AppSource in sandbox, then production; assign permission sets and license/user pack	BC administrator
2	Complete Acumens e-Mailing Setup, including test mode on for sandbox	Functional consultant
3	Configure the BC e-mail accounts used for sending (Microsoft 365 or SMTP) and the sender addresses, including shared mailboxes	IT / administrator
4	Define e-mail signatures at the required level (user, department, location, company)	Business owner
5	Create e-Mail Cards and assign the default card per document type	Functional consultant
6	Assign layouts in Report Selection (including posted and unposted cash receipts if used)	Functional consultant
7	Configure attachments and PDF merge API, and Azure Blob storage if external attachments are required	IT
8	Set up the statement run schedule (monthly, ad hoc) through job queue if required	Functional consultant

Licenses and Software

• Acumens e-Mailing subscription sized for the number of users who send e-mails
• Business Central version supported by the current app release (verify against the AppSource listing and version history)
• A sandbox environment copy of production for testing

Access and Tools

• Rapid Start Services enable users with permission to export and import configuration packages
• Excel with the mapping workbook
• Access to the legacy Easy PDF data
• Vendor contact for setup and training (acumens@sbcdynamicserp.com or the contact form)

People

Role	Responsibility
Project lead	Plan, decisions, sign-off
Functional consultant	Setup, mapping rules, templates
Data owner (AR / finance)	Approve mapping and exceptions, review customer list and addresses
IT / administrator	Mail accounts, permissions, deployment

Acumens e-Mailing is a suitable replacement for Easy PDF. It covers the functions the business relies on today:

• Sending customer statements and posted sales documents by e-mail or print, batch sending, several recipients per customer, a common sender and signature, and a test mode for safe rehearsal.
• It also offers capabilities Easy PDF did not offer, such as service documents, cash receipts, external attachments and PDF merge.

The data upgrade is the critical path, and it is small and well defined. Two Easy PDF customer fields, Preferred Communication Method and Append Open Invoices to Statement, are translated into the Acumens customer fields through the Customer export package, the mapping workbook and an import package. The mapping already handles the E-Mail and Print values. Success depends on profiling all values in production, validating the import and piloting with a small customer group.

Check whether Easy PDF Addresses hold data that must be mapped to the Acumens recipient setup.

The recommended path is to configure Acumens e-Mailing in the sandbox, run the data upgrade and the tests, resolve the open items, pilot with a small customer group, and then release to all users and retire Easy PDF.