- Feature
- Post direct transfer orders from warehouse-enabled locations
- Availability
- Generally available (October 2026)
- Industry focus
- Electrical and plumbing wholesale with branch networks
Electrical wholesalers live on branch availability. When an electrician walks into a branch for cable, consumer units or lighting, the stock needs to be there. That means constant transfers from a central distribution centre to branches, and between branches. Business Central 29.0 makes those transfers simpler while keeping the warehouse controls the distribution centre relies on.
The industry challenge
Business Central offers two ways to transfer stock:
- With an in-transit location, which posts a shipment and a separate receipt, showing stock as "on the way"
- Direct transfers, which move stock straight from one location to another without an in-transit step
Direct transfers are simpler, ideal for short, same-day branch replenishment. But there were limits. Using them from a distribution centre that requires picks and shipments was awkward, and one company-wide setting controlled how all direct transfers were posted. Wholesalers with different routes, such as a van run to a nearby branch versus a longer trunk route, couldn't treat them differently.
What Microsoft delivered in Business Central 29.0
According to Microsoft, direct transfers can now be used when the source location requires outbound warehouse handling, while keeping that location's picking and shipment controls.
The posting method can also be set per transfer route:
- A Default Direct Transfer Posting setting on Inventory Setup defines the company-wide default.
- Direct Transfer Posting on the Transfer Routes page overrides it for specific routes.
- The setting can also be changed on an open transfer order.
There are two posting methods. Shipment and Receipt posts a transfer shipment and receipt together, with partial posting supported from a warehouse shipment. Direct Transfer posts one posted direct transfer document for the full quantity.
Microsoft lists how each warehouse set-up at the source location works, from no warehouse requirements, to pick and shipment, to directed put-away and pick. There are limits at the destination. For example, with Shipment and Receipt, the destination can't require warehouse receipt or put-away.
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact for an electrical wholesaler |
|---|---|
| Branch availability | Faster replenishment with fewer posting steps |
| Warehouse control | Picks and shipments still enforced at the distribution centre |
| Flexibility | Different posting methods for different routes |
| Accuracy | Fewer workarounds, such as reclassification journals, to move stock quickly |
| Admin effort | Less handling of in-transit documents for short routes |
A worked scenario
Consider an electrical wholesaler with a regional distribution centre and 12 branches (an illustrative example). The distribution centre uses picks and shipments, and branches are simple locations.
Before 29.0, the wholesaler used in-transit transfers for every route, so branch staff had to receive each transfer separately, often late in the day. With Business Central 29.0, the operations manager sets local branch routes to post direct transfers. Warehouse staff still pick and ship from the distribution centre as usual, but stock lands in the branch as soon as the shipment is posted. The longer trunk route to a distant branch keeps its existing method. Branch availability is accurate earlier in the day, and electricians find what they need.
Adoption considerations
- Map your routes. Decide which routes suit direct transfers and which need in-transit tracking.
- Check destination set-ups. Make sure destination locations meet the requirements for the chosen method.
- Train warehouse staff. Confirm how picks and shipments work with direct transfers.
- Watch partial shipments. Understand how partial posting works with each method.
- Test with bins. Destinations that use bins need a valid transfer-to bin code.
The bottom line
For electrical wholesalers, branch availability is the business. Direct transfers from warehouse-enabled locations in Business Central 29.0 let stock move to branches faster without weakening the controls in the distribution centre. It's a practical upgrade for any multi-site distributor that moves stock every day.
If branch replenishment is slow or complicated in your business, it's worth reviewing your transfer routes with an experienced Business Central adviser.
Source: Microsoft roadmap 573347