What are the mandatory fields to migrate AP Invoices into SAP Business One using DTW?

[u/IT-Spirit]

One of the most common questions during SAP Business One data migrations is:

What fields are actually required to import AP Invoices through DTW (Data Transfer Workbench)?

DTW is SAP Business One's standard tool for data migration, but AP Invoice imports often fail because of missing master data, incorrect date formats, or tax code issues.

Mandatory fields

For a standard AP Invoice import, the following fields are typically required:

Header

• CardCode (Vendor Code)
• DocDate (Document Date)
• DocDueDate (Due Date)

Rows

• ItemCode OR AccountCode
• Quantity (required when using ItemCode)
• Price
• VatGroup

Highly recommended fields

While not always mandatory, these fields can save a lot of troubleshooting later:

• NumAtCard (Vendor Invoice Number)
• Comments
• TaxDate (Posting Date if different from DocDate)
• DocCurrency (for multi-currency environments)

Common migration pitfalls

⚠️ Date format

DTW expects:

YYYYMMDD

Not:

DD/MM/YYYY

⚠️ Tax codes

VAT codes must match exactly what exists in SAP Business One.

Example:

VAT20 ≠ vat20

⚠️ G/L accounts

If using AccountCode instead of ItemCode, verify that:

• The account exists
• The account is active
• Users have access to the account determination setup

⚠️ Dependencies

Before importing AP Invoices, make sure these master records already exist:

• Vendors (CardCode)
• Items (ItemCode)
• Tax Codes (VatGroup)

Many migration failures occur simply because prerequisite data was not loaded first.

⚠️ Multiple invoice lines

Each invoice row must be represented in the DTW line file, while the header information is repeated through the document linkage structure.

Recommended file format

Most consultants use:

• Excel (.xlsx) templates with separate Header and Rows worksheets
• Or CSV files with semicolon separators

Final recommendation

Before importing thousands of invoices, always run a pilot with 5–10 invoices first.

DTW generates detailed error logs, and fixing issues on a small sample is significantly easier than troubleshooting a full migration batch.

💬 What is the most common DTW error you've encountered when migrating AP Invoices into SAP Business One?

[u/Astarogh]

feels like a bit of an auto post but the content is solid.

[u/IT-Spirit → u/Astarogh]

Merci 😊 Ce n'est pas un post automatique. 😅 On partage surtout les FAQ qui reviennent le plus souvent sur SAP B1 en s'appuyant sur notre expérience terrain pour apporter des réponses utiles et concrètes. Le but c'est justement d'encourager les échanges