Configuration packages and RapidStart in Business Central

A new company needs setup data (posting groups, payment terms, number series) and master data (customers, vendors, items). Configuration packages, part of RapidStart Services, move that data in a controlled way instead of typing it by hand.

What a package holds

A package lists tables and, for each table, the fields to include. You can set a Processing Order so that, for example, posting groups are created before the customers that use them.

The standard flow

1. Create the package on the Configuration Packages page and add the tables you need.
2. Export to Excel to get a workbook with one sheet per table. The customer fills it in.
3. Import from Excel. The data now sits in the package, not yet in the real tables.
4. Validate Package to find errors, such as a posting group that doesn’t exist. Errors show per table.
5. Apply Package to write the data into the company.

Packages between companies

Action	File	Use it for
Export Package / Import Package	.rapidstart	Copying a complete package, with data, to another company or database
Export to Excel / Import from Excel	.xlsx	Letting a customer review or enter data

Useful options

• Skip Table Triggers on a package table imports without running the table’s validation code. Use it with care.
• Dimensions as Columns lets you import default dimensions in the same sheet as the master record.
• The Configuration Worksheet groups several packages into one plan for a full implementation.

Exam traps

Imported is not applied. If data “isn’t visible yet”, the answer is Apply Package.

Validate before you apply. Fixing errors in the package is easier than fixing posted or applied data.

Learn more: Set up a company with RapidStart Services.

Practice questions

Choose an answer, then review the explanation to check your understanding.

1. You imported a configuration package with customer data. The customers don't appear on the Customers list yet. What is missing?

1. A.Apply Package
2. B.Validate Package
3. C.Export to Excel
4. D.Run the Change Global Dimensions action

Show answer

Answer: A.Imported data first lands in the package (a staging area). Apply Package writes it into the real tables.

2. In which order do you normally process a package that a customer filled in using Excel?

1. A.Apply Package, Import from Excel, Validate Package
2. B.Validate Package, Apply Package, Import from Excel
3. C.Import from Excel, Validate Package, Apply Package
4. D.Import from Excel, Apply Package, Export Package

Show answer

Answer: C.Import the data, validate it to find errors while it is still in the package, then apply it.

3. You want to copy the setup of a finished company into many new customer companies. Which file do you exchange?

1. A.An Excel file from Export to Excel
2. B.A permission set export
3. C.A copy of the database
4. D.A .rapidstart file from Export Package

Show answer

Answer: D.Export Package creates a .rapidstart file containing the package definition and its data, ready for Import Package in another company.