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Subcontracting Worksheet Not Populating Data in Business Central

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Posted on by RG-12041856-0

Hi Everyone,

I am facing an issue while working on the subcontracting process in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Issue:When I go to the Subcontracting Worksheet and click on the Calculate Subcontracts action, no data gets populated in the worksheet. Because of this, I am unable to proceed with the subcontracting process.

What I want to understand:I would like to know whether, apart from setting up a Work Center for subcontracting, there are any additional configurations required for this process.

Questions:Is Work Center setup sufficient for subcontracting, or are there additional setups required?

What are all the necessary configurations needed to make the Subcontracting Worksheet work properly?

Do we need to configure Vendor, Routing, or Production BOM in a specific way for subcontracting?

Are there any specific settings in Manufacturing Setup or Planning that impact subcontracting calculation?

Is there any condition under which the Calculate Subcontracts action does not return data?

It would be really helpful if someone could explain the complete subcontracting setup and prerequisites in Business Central.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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CU13040805-0 2 on at

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Hello geometry dash 3d, in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a Work Center alone is not enough.
Subcontracting Worksheet shows data only if all are true:

Item has Production BOM + Routing

Routing includes a subcontracting Work Center (linked to a Vendor)

Routing is certified

There is demand (Released/Firm Planned Production Orders)

Most likely no production orders or routing doesn’t use the subcontracting Work Center.

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Aziz Skhiri 420 on at

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Hey, The Subcontracting Worksheet staying empty after clicking Calculate Subcontracts is a very common issue. Work Center setup alone is NOT enough. You need several things configured correctly: Minimum required setup for Subcontracting Worksheet to populate:

Work Center

Set Subcontractor No. (the vendor who will do the work)

Routing (this is the most important missing piece for many people)

Create a Routing for the item

Add a line with Type = Work Center

Select the subcontracting Work Center

Fill in Operation No., Input Quantity, etc.

Item / Production BOM

The item must have a Production BOM (even if it's very simple)

Released Production Order

You need at least one Released Production Order where the routing includes the subcontracting Work Center

Only after all the above does Calculate Subcontracts show lines in the worksheet.

Most common reasons why nothing appears:

No Released Production Order exists

The Routing is not linked to the Production Order

The Work Center is not marked as subcontractor

The operation in the routing is not set to the subcontracting Work Center

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Ben Baxter 6,947 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Please ignore the AI responses, they are misleading. The one and ONLY thing needed is a subcontractor Work Center defined on a Released Production Order's Routing.

A subcontractor Work Center is a Work Center where the Subcontractor No. (previously Vendor No.) has a Vendor No. defined.

It does NOT require a BOM be defined.

In fact, you don't even have to use the Routing that is defined on the Prod. Order Line. To test this, I added an Item that does NOT have a BOM or Routing defined. I refreshed my Prod. Order Line, which pulls in nothing but the Item being produced. I then added a Routing No. to the Prod. Order Line (required to manually enter Operations), but I did NOT Refresh my Prod. Order. I then added a Subcontractor Work Center to my Production Order Routing as the only Operation (could have been one of many as well). Immediately received a suggestion in the Subcontracting Worksheet for that Operation.

Please help others by marking this a verified response. Please do not mark either of the AI responses as verified, as they provide incorrect information.

Best Regards,

Ben Baxter

Accent Software Inc

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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 25,800 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi, good day
I hope this can help you, and give you some hints.

sub contract | Olof Simren - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Blog

Best Regards
Gerardo

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OussamaSabbouh 13,627 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello ,

Work Center setup alone is not enough: the Subcontracting Worksheet only picks up Released Production Orders that have a routing line using a subcontract work center (meaning the work center has Subcontractor No. filled with a vendor), and the production order should be refreshed so the routing lines are actually created/updated; if Calculate Subcontracts returns nothing, the usual reasons are that the production order is not Released, the routing does not contain a real subcontract work center, the order was not refreshed after routing changes, filters on the request page exclude the order/work center, or a subcontract PO was already created for that operation, so yes, vendor and routing setup matter directly, while BOM is only indirectly relevant because the worksheet is driven mainly by released production order + subcontract routing operation.

Regards,
Oussama Sabbouh

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