Automatic Directory Update

The internal phone directory is updated automatically when master data is changed in Business Central. This keeps search results current without having to manually run Refresh Data after every change.

How It Works

When a customer, vendor, or contact record is saved, Ventoo Phone Lookup automatically performs the following steps:

  1. The phone number and mobile number of the record are normalized using the configured country prefix rules.

  2. The existing directory entries for that record are deleted.

  3. New entries with the updated normalized numbers are inserted.

This process runs in the background on every save and requires no user interaction.

When the Automatic Update Is Triggered

Action

Directory updated

Create a new customer / vendor / contact

Yes

Change a phone number on an existing record

Yes

Change the country/region code on a record

Yes

Bulk import via data migration or RapidStart

No

Change the country prefix configuration

No

Note: For bulk imports and after changes to country prefixes, the directory must be rebuilt manually. Open Phone Lookup Setup → Refresh Data to do so.

Requirement for Normalization

The automatic update only normalizes phone numbers if the saved record has a country/region code set and an entry for that code exists in the country prefix table. If either value is missing, the number is stored in the directory without normalization.

Tip: Make sure all customer, vendor, and contact cards have a country/region code set so that automatic normalization works reliably.

Force a Manual Rebuild

If you want to ensure the entire directory is fully up to date:

  1. Open Phone Lookup Setup.

  2. Select the Refresh Data action.

  3. Wait for the process to complete.

The manual rebuild deletes all existing entries and completely repopulates the directory from all customer, vendor, and contact records.