The single page where every system-wide configuration choice for Essential Rental lives. Set once when you onboard the company, revisit when behaviour needs adjusting.
How it fits in
Rental Setup is a single-record card that holds every default and switch that controls how the rest of Essential Rental behaves. There's only one record per company; you don't create new ones, you adjust the one that's there.
A handful of fields here change how documents in the Document Flow behave (default Price Term, default Billing Cycle, Pricing Priority, Billing Period Includes scope); others wire Essential Rental into the surrounding Business Central setup (Number Series for each rental document type, Fixed Asset Journal templates, Dimension defaults). The page is divided into FastTabs by topic.
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Most setup choices are "set and forget". The fields most likely to be revisited are in the General FastTab: defaults that change as your operation evolves (e.g. flipping Pricing Priority, adjusting Default Billing Cycle, turning on Auto Reservation).
First-time setup with the Setup Wizard
For a brand-new company, the recommended starting point is the Setup Wizard action on the Rental Setup ribbon. It runs through three pages and offers to auto-configure the most common defaults so you don't have to set every No. Series, Price Term, and Report Selection by hand.
1
Welcome
An introductory page. Click Next to proceed.
2
Defaults
Tick the items you want the wizard to set up using sensible defaults; untick any you'd rather configure by hand later. Choices are:
Default No. Series: creates and assigns Number Series for every rental document and master record (Quotes, Orders, Shipments and posted Shipments, Returns and posted Returns, Invoices and posted Invoices, Items, Item Types, Item Groups, Kits, Price Lists, Fixed Assets).
Default Price Terms: creates the standard Price Term Codes (Day, Week, Month, Quarter, Year) so lines and price lists have something to reference from day one.
Default Stock to Fleet: pre-fills the Item Journal Batch and Fixed Asset journal settings used by the Stock-to-Fleet wizard.
Enable Rental Dimensions: turns on automatic dimension assignment and creates the Item Group / Item Type / Item dimension placeholders.
Default Report Selections: assigns the Standard Rental reports (Quote, Order, Shipment, Invoice) to their corresponding rental document types via Report Selection - Rental.
3
That's it!
The wizard finishes. Whatever you ticked has been applied; the rest is left blank for you to set manually on the Rental Setup card. You can re-run the wizard at any time, but it won't overwrite values you've already set yourself.
After the wizard, return to the Rental Setup card and review the FastTabs below for any defaults that need adjusting to your operation (Pricing Priority, Default Billing Cycle, Lost Lines configuration, Fixed Asset journals, etc.).
General FastTab
The General FastTab is the busiest part of Setup. It groups defaults and behaviour switches by topic.
Quote behaviour
Quote behaviour
Quote Expiry Formula
A date formula (e.g. 30D, 1M) that's added to a new Quote's date to populate its Quote Valid-to Date. Sets the default expiry window for new Quotes.
Archive Quotes
Whether to archive Quotes when they're deleted or converted to Orders. Always (the default) snapshots automatically; Question asks each time; Never skips archiving.
Pricing and billing defaults
Pricing and billing
Default Price Term Code
The Price Term used as the default for new Rental Item Groups, with downstream Item Types and Items inheriting it. Can be overridden at any level.
Default Billing Cycle
The Billing Cycle used as the default on new Customers and the rental documents created against them. Each customer can override; each line on a document can override.
Pricing Priority
Controls which side wins when the rental price list and a rental line carry different prices for the same line. Price List: the price list overwrites the line's price if a matching price-list entry exists. Rental Line (the default): the line's price is respected even when a different price-list entry exists.
Billing Period Includes
Controls which line types contribute to the Total Expected Billing Period Amount and to the base that invoice discounts are calculated against. Recurring Only (the default) excludes one-time lines such as delivery or mobilisation charges; All Lines includes every billable line.
Invoice Discount Method
Controls how invoice discounts are applied. The choice affects both the rental Sales Invoice path and the Job Planning Lines path.
Rental Discount G/L Account
The G/L Account used when a rental discount line is appended to a generated rental invoice or to Job Planning Lines. Required when Invoice Discount Method is set to Line, and always required when invoicing a rental order whose lines are on a project (planning lines always emit a discount line). Set the account's VAT Posting Group to match the prevailing VAT posting of rental lines.
Default Tier Calculation Method
The tier calculation method new price-list lines start with for tiered pricing. Progressive bills each period at the rate of the tier its elapsed duration falls in. Each price-list line can override it.
Minimum Period Billing
When a minimum billing period is charged. On Early Close (the default) tops up the final invoice only when an item is returned before the minimum elapses; Up Front bills the whole minimum on the first invoice.
Rental period defaults
Rental period
Rental End Date Mandatory
When ticked, a Rental Order can't be processed unless Rental End Date is filled in. Untick if you want to allow open-ended rentals (where the end date is set when the equipment is due back).
Re-Open Closed Rental Orders
Controls whether closed Rental Orders can be reopened (and to what extent). Tightens or loosens the lock on completed rentals.
Same Day Equals One Day
When ticked, a return processed on the same day as a shipment counts as one chargeable day. When unticked, same-day returns produce a zero-day rental period.
Shipment and return defaults
Shipment and return
Default Qty. to Ship
What Quantity to Ship defaults to when a new Shipment Order line is created. Remainder (the default) defaults to whatever's left to ship; Blank requires the user to enter a quantity each time.
Default Quantity to Return
As above, for Quantity to Return on Return Order lines. Same options.
Shipment Today, Return Today
When ticked, new Shipment / Return Orders default the Posting Date to today rather than the work date.
Auto Reservation
When ticked, the system attempts to reserve stock automatically when lines are added to a Rental Order. When unticked, reservation is a manual line-level action. Setting Reservation Handling to Off disables auto-reservation and greys this field out.
Reservation Handling
How the system treats a unit that is already committed elsewhere when you put it on a quote or another order. Warn lets the line through but shows a non-blocking notification naming the clashing order. Block stops a date change that would overlap another order's hold with an error. Off turns the clash checks off altogether (and disables Auto Reservation): no conflict notifications, and the legacy "already reserved" popup does not appear.
Copy Comments to Invoices
When ticked, comment lines on the Rental Order are carried through onto generated invoices.
Default G/L Account Quantity
When ticked, a G/L Account line added to a rental document starts at quantity 1 instead of blank. A G/L Account line that is a component of a kit or a rental item type keeps its own quantity and is not overridden.
Lost Lines
Configures what happens when a Return line is posted with the Lost flag ticked. See the Lost Items process doc (coming soon) for the end-to-end workflow.
Lost Lines
Lost Lines Generate Sales Lines
When ticked, a posted Return line marked as Lost generates a corresponding Sales Line (effectively charging the customer for the lost equipment) instead of just closing the rental obligation.
Lost Sales G/L Account
The G/L Account that the generated Sales Line for lost equipment posts to.
Fixed Asset Integration FastTab
Wires Essential Rental into Business Central's Fixed Assets module so that rental items can be tracked as Fixed Assets (depreciation, acquisition cost, disposal). Used most often for high-value rental fleet where balance-sheet treatment matters.
Fixed Asset Integration
Default FA Journal Template
The Fixed Asset Journal Template used by default when posting acquisitions and disposals from rental flows.
Acquisitions FA G/L Journal Batch
The General Journal Batch used when acquiring a rental item as a Fixed Asset (e.g. via the Stock-to-Fleet wizard). Filtered to batches under the chosen FA Journal Template.
Disposals FA/GL Journal Batch
The General Journal Batch used when disposing of a rental Fixed Asset.
Default Item Journal Batch
The Item Journal Batch used for stock-to-fleet processing (moving stock items into the rental fleet).
Depreciation Start Date Method
Controls when depreciation begins on a newly acquired rental Fixed Asset (acquisition date, first day of next month, etc.).
Maintenance FastTab
Settings for equipment maintenance: how returned units are maintained, certificate gating, number series, and the rate and handling-time defaults used when scheduling and posting maintenance.
Maintenance
Auto Maint. on Return
When ticked, a Rental Item is automatically flagged as undergoing maintenance once a Return that includes it is posted.
Block Shipment on Expired Certificate
When ticked, a unit with a lapsed gating certificate cannot be shipped. When off, an expired certificate only raises a notification.
Maint. Orders
No. Series used to assign numbers to open maintenance orders.
Posted Maint. Orders
No. Series used to assign numbers to posted maintenance orders.
Certificates
No. Series used to assign numbers to new certificates.
Certificate Expiry Notice (Days)
How many days ahead of expiry a certificate raises a renewal notification.
Maintenance Due Notice (Days)
How many days ahead of a calendar maintenance due date a rule is flagged as due soon on the maintenance due register and cue.
Maintenance Standard Day (Hours)
The standard number of working hours in a maintenance day, used to lay a task's estimated hours across working days when scheduling.
Default Outbound Handling Time
The default outbound preparation lead time before a hire starts, as a date formula such as 1D or 1W (not a number of hours). Used when a unit, type or group has none of its own; blank counts as zero.
Default Inbound Handling Time
The default inbound turnaround after a hire returns before a unit is available again, as a date formula such as 1D or 1W (not a number of hours). Used when a unit, type or group has none of its own; blank counts as zero.
Dimensions FastTab
Configures automatic dimension assignment so rental transactions carry analysis dimensions (for reporting, profitability by group / type / item) without users having to set them per line.
Dimensions
Enable Rental Dimensions
Master switch. When ticked, the dimension defaults below are applied to rental transactions.
Item Group Dimension
The dimension whose values track Rental Item Group. Each Rental Item Group is mapped to a value in this dimension; transactions inherit the value automatically.
Item Type Dimension
As above, for Rental Item Type.
Item Dimension
As above, for individual Rental Items.
Number Series FastTab
Each rental document type and master record needs its own Business Central Number Series. This FastTab wires up the series for every rental object: Quotes, Orders, Shipments and posted Shipments, Returns and posted Returns, Invoices and posted Invoices, Items, Item Types, Item Groups, Kits, Price Lists, Fixed Assets.
If a series isn't set, the system can't auto-assign numbers when you create new records, and you'll need to enter them manually. Set them once during onboarding from BC's standard No. Series page.
Number Series
Rental Quotes
No. Series for new Rental Quotes.
Rental Orders
No. Series for new Rental Orders.
Shipment Orders, Posted Shipment Orders
Two separate series: one for working (open) Shipment Orders, one for the posted record. Keeping them separate lets posted documents have their own numbering scheme distinct from drafts.
Return Orders, Posted Return Orders
As above, for Returns.
Rental Invoices, Posted Rental Invoices
Two separate series for the working invoice document and the posted Sales Invoice produced by rental invoicing.
Series used when a rental item is created as a Fixed Asset via the Stock-to-Fleet wizard.
FactBoxes (right-side panel)
Two FactBoxes appear on the Rental Setup card:
About Essential Rental: shows the installed version and other product information.
Product Activation: shows the current activation/subscription status of the Essential Rental licence for this company.
Actions
Setup Wizard: launches the guided onboarding wizard that walks you through configuring the essential fields step-by-step. Recommended for the first install in a new company.
Report Selection - Rental: opens the Report Selection Rental page where you assign which Reports run for which rental document type (Quote / Order / Invoice / Shipment). See Reports doc (coming soon).
Register Product: opens the registration / activation flow to register your Essential Rental licence against the company in this environment. Registration is per-company, so each company that uses Essential Rental needs its own registration even if they share a tenant.
Synchronise: refreshes the Product Activation FactBox by re-checking subscription status with the licence server.
Delete Synch: clears the cached subscription record. Used during licence transfer or when troubleshooting activation issues.
Related pages
Stock-to-Fleet: the wizard that uses the Item Journal Batch and FA Journal Batch defined here.
Rental Order: where many of the General FastTab defaults take effect.
Rental Invoice: where Billing Period Includes, Invoice Discount Method, and Rental Discount G/L Account take effect.
Rental Return: where Lost Lines configuration takes effect.
Lost Items process (coming soon): the end-to-end workflow that the Lost Lines fields configure.
Reports (coming soon): configured here via the Report Selection - Rental action.