Product Specification Sheets

The automated spec sheet generator creates specification PDFs for products using data from Business Central and assets from SharePoint. This guide walks you through the automated generation process.

What you'll accomplish: Generate professional spec sheet PDFs for multiple products at once using the internal portal.

Time required: 10-15 minutes (depending on number of products)

What you need:

  • Access to the internal portal (authorized user account)

  • Products set up in Business Central

  • Product assets in SharePoint

  • Line drawing files

  • Excel file with product SKU list

How Spec Sheet Generation Works

The automated spec flow streamlines the time and resources required to create specification sheets. It:

  • Pulls data from Business Central - Product No., Description, Attributes

  • Retrieves assets from SharePoint - Primary images, line drawings

  • Generates consistent PDFs - Unified format across all spec sheets

  • Processes multiple products - Up to 25 products per batch

Goal: Retain unity and consistency across each independent spec file while saving time.

Requirements for Successful Generation

Before generating spec sheets, ensure all requirements are met. The system validates everything before generating.

Requirement 1: Product in Business Central

The product must exist in Business Central with:

  • No. field (complete SKU)

  • Description field (product details)

  • Item attributes configured

See guides:

Requirement 2: Collection Folder in SharePoint

The family collection folder must be created:

  • Location: Website assets / Collection placeholder images / [Collection Name]

  • Collection image is not required for spec generation

  • Folder presence confirms the collection is approved for the website

See guide: Add a New Collection

Requirement 3: Product Folder in SharePoint

The product folder must be created with required assets:

Location: Website assets / Products / [Collection] / [SKU]

Required asset:

  • Primary image (product main image)

  • File name: [SKU].jpg or [SKU].webp

See guide: Add a New Product

Requirement 4: Line Drawing File

Line drawing must be available in the Line Drawing folder:

File naming:

  • Format: Line drawing - [First 5 digits of SKU]

  • Example: Line drawing - 10101.jpg

Dimensions:

  • Width: 3600 px

  • Height: 3300 px

File types:

  • JPG/JPEG or WEBP

Note about DPI: DPI applies only to printing

Location: Line Drawing folder (specific SharePoint location)

Requirement 5: Excel File with SKU List

Prepare a single-column Excel file:

Column A: Titled "Item Numbers"

Rows: List the item numbers (SKUs) that require spec sheets

  • One SKU per row

  • Up to 25 item numbers per file

  • File should have 26 rows total (1 header + 25 SKUs max)

Example Excel structure:

Generate Spec Sheet PDFs

Step 1: Log into the Portal

1. Access the internal portal

  • Navigate to the portal

  • Use your authorized user account credentials

2. Log in

  • Enter username and password

  • Verify you have access to Spec Generator

Step 2: Navigate to Spec Generator

1. Select the Spec Generator heading

  • Located in the top left tab (below the logo)

2. The spec generator interface opens

  • You'll see options to upload Excel file and run generation

Step 3: Prepare and Upload Excel File

1. Create your Excel file following the format outlined above

  • Single column titled "Item Numbers"

  • List up to 25 SKUs

  • Save the file

2. Upload the Excel file

  • Click to upload

  • Select your prepared Excel file

  • File uploads to the portal

3. Wait for file validation

  • Portal validates the Excel format

  • Checks that it meets requirements

Step 4: Run Sanity Check

1. Select "Start Sanity Check" once the file is uploaded and validated

What the sanity check does:

  • Validates each SKU exists in Business Central

  • Checks that SharePoint folders and assets are present

  • Verifies line drawing files are available

  • Confirms all requirements are met

2. Review sanity check results

  • Shows which products are valid (ready for generation)

  • Shows which products have issues (missing requirements)

Step 5: Generate Spec Sheets

You have two options based on sanity check results:

Option A: Fix & Retry

Use this if: Some products failed sanity check validation

What it does:

  • Shows you what's missing for each failed product

  • Allows you to fix issues in Business Central/SharePoint

  • Retry sanity check after fixing

Steps:

  1. Note which products failed and why

  2. Fix the issues (add missing assets, configure attributes, etc.)

  3. Click "Fix & Retry"

  4. System re-validates the products

  5. Continue when all products pass validation

Option B: Generate for Valid Items

Use this if: You want to generate spec sheets only for products that passed validation

What it does:

  • Generates spec sheets only for products that met all requirements

  • Skips products that failed validation

Steps:

  1. Click "Generate for Valid Items"

  2. System generates spec sheets for passing products

  3. Failed products are skipped

Step 6: Download Generated Spec Sheets

1. Wait for generation to complete

  • Portal processes all valid products

  • Creates spec sheet PDFs with data and assets

2. Download the zip file

  • A single zip file downloads containing all generated spec sheets

  • Each spec sheet is a separate PDF inside the zip

3. Extract the zip file

  • Unzip to access individual PDF files

  • Each file is named by SKU

Step 7: Upload Spec Sheets to SharePoint

1. Navigate to each product folder in SharePoint

2. Upload the spec sheet PDF

  • File naming: Spec sheet - [Full SKU].pdf

  • Example: Spec sheet - 10162-017-01.pdf

  • Upload to the product folder

Location:

3. Repeat for all generated spec sheets

  • Upload each PDF to its corresponding product folder

  • Spec sheets sync to website and appear on product pages

See guide: Add a New Product for file naming conventions

What Happens Next

After uploading spec sheets to SharePoint:

  1. Backend detects the new spec sheets as triggered events

  2. Maps to product pages using the SKU in the file name

  3. Syncs to website - spec sheets become downloadable on product pages

  4. Users can download the spec sheet PDFs

Sync timing: 10-15 minutes typically.

Important Notes

Overall Rules Still Apply

Even when using the automated generator:

  • Family collection folders must exist in SharePoint

  • Product folders must exist in SharePoint

  • Item attributes must be configured in Business Central

  • File naming conventions must be followed

The generator doesn't bypass requirements - it relies on them.

Maximum 25 Products Per Batch

Each Excel file can contain up to 25 item numbers (for now).

If you have more than 25 products:

  1. Split into multiple Excel files

  2. Generate in batches

  3. Process one batch at a time

File structure: 26 rows total (1 header + 25 SKUs)

Line Drawings Are Required

Every product needs a line drawing file for spec generation.

File must:

  • Be in the Line Drawing folder

  • Be named correctly: Line drawing - [First 5 digits of SKU]

  • Have correct dimensions: 3600 x 3300 px

Missing line drawings will cause sanity check failures.

Sanity Check Prevents Errors

The sanity check validates everything before generation.

This prevents:

  • Generating incomplete spec sheets

  • Wasting time on products with missing assets

  • Manual error checking

Always run the sanity check and fix any issues before generating.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Sanity check fails for some products

Solutions:

  • Review which products failed and why

  • Common issues:

    • Product not in Business Central

    • Missing collection folder in SharePoint

    • Missing product folder in SharePoint

    • No primary image in product folder

    • Missing line drawing file

    • Incorrect file naming

  • Fix the issue in Business Central or SharePoint

  • Click "Fix & Retry" to re-validate

Issue: Line drawing missing or rejected

Solutions:

  • Verify line drawing file exists in Line Drawing folder

  • Check file name: Line drawing - [First 5 digits].jpg

  • Verify dimensions: 3600 x 3300 px

  • Confirm file type: JPG/JPEG or WEBP

  • Upload or correct the line drawing file

  • Retry sanity check

Issue: Excel file not uploading or validating

Solutions:

  • Verify single-column format

  • Check Column A header: "Item Numbers"

  • Ensure no more than 25 SKUs listed

  • Save as .xlsx or .xls format

  • No blank rows between SKUs

  • Re-create the Excel file if issues persist

Issue: Generated spec sheet missing data

Solutions:

  • Check Business Central for complete product data

  • Verify No. field has full SKU

  • Verify Description field is complete

  • Ensure item attributes are configured

  • Re-generate after fixing data

Issue: Uploaded spec sheet not appearing on website

Solutions:

  • Verify file name: Spec sheet - [Full SKU].pdf

  • Check that it's in the correct product folder

  • Wait 10-15 minutes for sync

  • Ensure file is actually a .pdf

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: First time generating spec sheets for new products

  1. Set up products in Business Central (SKU, description, attributes)

  2. Create collection and product folders in SharePoint

  3. Upload primary images to product folders

  4. Upload line drawings to Line Drawing folder

  5. Create Excel file with SKUs (up to 25)

  6. Log into portal, navigate to Spec Generator

  7. Upload Excel file and run sanity check

  8. Fix any issues if needed

  9. Generate for valid items

  10. Download zip file

  11. Upload spec sheets to product folders

Scenario 2: Generating spec sheets for established products

  1. Products already exist in BC and SharePoint

  2. Verify line drawings are available

  3. Create Excel file with SKUs

  4. Log into portal

  5. Upload Excel, run sanity check

  6. Generate (should all pass if products are complete)

  7. Download and upload spec sheets

Scenario 3: Batch with some failed validations

  1. Upload Excel with 25 SKUs

  2. Run sanity check

  3. 20 products pass, 5 fail

  4. Review failures (missing line drawings, missing attributes)

  5. Choose: Fix & Retry or Generate for Valid Items

  6. If Fix & Retry: fix issues, retry, then generate all 25

  7. If Generate: only 20 spec sheets created, fix 5 later

Scenario 4: Multiple batches for large product catalog

  1. Have 100 products needing spec sheets

  2. Split into 4 Excel files (25 SKUs each)

  3. Generate first batch, download, upload to SharePoint

  4. Generate second batch, download, upload

  5. Repeat for remaining batches

  6. All 100 products now have spec sheets

Best Practices

Before generating:

During generation:

After generation:

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