Licensing & Modules

The Warehouse Client requires two separate license levels:

the merchantCENTRAL module license WAREHOUSE – server-side in Business Central; the device app itself is free and requires no license key;
the Microsoft user license for Business Central – for warehouse terminals the Device license (see Sign-in).

License = tenant + module

A license is always bound to tenant + module code, never just to the tenant. The demo status ("demo already consumed") is also tracked per tenant + module. The same logic applies to all merchantCENTRAL modules – see Licensing (Hub).

License Status

Status	Meaning	App behavior
Active	Valid, paid license	Full feature scope
Demo	30-day demo active	Full feature scope until expiry
Expired / Unregistered etc.	No valid license/demo	Module is not enabled; the API refuses write actions

When the license expires, the Hub deactivates the extension; all write actions of the app are refused, and the app shows the reason instead of the tiles.

You can see the current status in the Setup Wizard (step 2), in the License info box of the setup page, and in the dashboard.

Starting a Demo

Open the wizard → License step → Register Demo, or
Setup page → Activate in Hub → extension card in the Hub, where the license check and demo registration run.

The demo runs for 30 days with the full feature scope.

Demo only once per tenant + module

A demo consumed in the production system cannot be started again. Renewed activation is only possible via the license manager. In a sandbox a demo does not count as consumed and there is no terminal limit — you still have to start the demo there, because without a licence or a running demo the module does not work in a sandbox either. Details: Start a free demo.

Enabling Modules

After a valid license/demo, you enable the modules:

Global: the 11 core modules in the wizard (Modules step), all 15 on the setup page.
Per terminal: via overrides on the terminal card – switch individual modules on or off per device.

On completing the wizard, the extension is activated automatically, provided it is licensed. Otherwise, do this after registering a demo/license via Activate in Hub.

Terminals

The license includes 3 terminals. Only enabled terminals are counted.
Additional terminals are booked as the add-on module MCWC-TERM via the License / Change Terminals action on the setup page or in the terminal list. On the first purchase the checkout wizard opens, afterwards a dialog to change the number of additional terminals.
Once the limit is reached, BC rejects further terminals – when creating them, on self-registration from the app and when re-enabling. Disable unused terminals (Enabled = No) to free up slots.
The Licensed Terminals (merchantCENTRAL) field on the setup page shows active versus licensed terminals (e.g. "2 of 3"), or "active (unlimited)" if the license sets no limit.
In a sandbox there is no terminal limit.

Every access to Business Central requires a Microsoft BC license – for warehouse terminals the Device license (device-based, concurrent model: the number of purchased Device licenses limits how many terminals are connected at the same time). There are two login modes, set centrally via the Login Mode in the setup and per device in the app (Einstellungen → Anmeldemodus; the app's interface is German):

Device Account + Badge (default; Windows and Android)

Each terminal signs in once with a shared device Entra account (e.g. pack01@company.com) that is a member of the group Dynamics 365 Business Central Device Users (exact name), without an Essentials/Premium license → it carries the Device license.
Setup: create the device account in the M365 admin center → add it to the Device Users group (without a BC license) → in the app Einstellungen → Gerät anmelden (sign in device, once).
During operation the app never prompts for a Microsoft sign-in by itself. If the sign-in is missing, it reports „Gerät nicht angemeldet" (device not signed in) – then run Gerät anmelden once. On Windows, the sign-in broker (WAM) keeps the device sign-in across restarts; only Gerät abmelden (sign out device) ends it.
Employees do not need a Microsoft account; they sign in inside the app with badge + PIN (see below). The employee is written to every posting and to the scan log.
After every restart of the app the employee signs in again with badge + PIN – the device sign-in is not affected.

Entra User (per Person) (Android/iOS only)

Each employee has their own Entra account (in the Device Users group, without a BC license) and signs in personally – quickly via QR code badge + PIN (Microsoft frontline feature).
Advantage: full BC-native audit trail. Restriction: Android/iOS only – Windows packing stations always use Device Account + Badge.
The QR badges are created and printed not in BC but in Microsoft "My Staff" or the Entra admin center.

License-compliant

The shared device account is the intended mechanism for Device licenses, as long as real Device licenses are purchased; the Entra User mode is Microsoft's preferred model. If in doubt, check with your Microsoft partner. Enter the Purchased Device Licenses in the setup – the Licensing (Compliance) area compares them with the registered terminals.

Not as the first sign-in

A device account must not be the very first sign-in in the tenant – an administrator or full user must initialize Business Central first.

Employees (badge + PIN)

Warehouse employees are maintained in Business Central as warehouse users (setup page → Warehouse Users action, or search MC Warehouse Users):

Field	Meaning
Code	Employee short code – appears in postings and in the scan log
Name	Shown at the terminal after sign-in
Badge Barcode	The barcode printed on the badge (unique per employee)
PIN Set	Assigned via the Set PIN action (at least 4 digits); only a salted hash is stored
Enabled	Only enabled employees can sign in
Last Login	Time of the last sign-in at a terminal

Printing badges: warehouse user list → Print Badge action. The Warehouse User Badge report prints one badge per employee with a QR code (badge barcode) and name. The PIN is never printed – share it with the employee confidentially.

If Require User Login is set, the modules are locked without a sign-in. At shift change the employee signs out and the next one signs in with their badge – the terminal stays connected to Business Central through the device account the whole time.

Permissions

Permission set	Purpose
`ALN MCWC Admin`	Administration in BC (setup, terminals, warehouse users …); includes API access
`ALN MCWC API User`	Access for the app; write operations only through the checked API actions

Through the entitlements, Device, Team Member and helpdesk licenses receive only ALN MCWC API User; Essentials, Premium and admin licenses receive both sets.