Enhanced interface

Guidelines for a multi-entity shared company

Setting up and using applications in a multi-entity shared company often involves some consideration. Does a given application require configuration at the top level? Are there circumstances in which an application needs configuration at the entity level?

See the following topics for more information about multi-entity shared guidelines per application:

For more information about multi-entity shared guidelines that apply universally, read on.

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Shared, restricted, and private data

In a multi-entity company, data can be shared, restricted, or private.

Shared data is visible to users with access to all entities. By default, items that are created at the top level are shared by the top level and all entities. Shared customers, vendors, and bank accounts appear in the lists for all entities.
Restricted data is visible only to those users with access to those entities to which the data is restricted. If a customer, vendor, or bank account should be limited in use, you can restrict it to a subset of locations or departments, or restrict it to the top level only. For example, a vendor in the UK might be restricted to only UK entities so that other entities don't see the vendor in lists.
Private data is visible only to users who can access the entity where the private data was created. Customers, vendors, and bank accounts that are created at the entity level are private and can be used only by that entity.

As long as they have the relevant permissions, users working at the top level can access all data: shared, restricted, and private.

Locations are always entity-private, but departments are always shared. However, to limit access to a department, set user permissions individually.

When you create entity-private transactions or entity-private data, everything you do with that transaction or data is also done at the entity level. For example, if you create an entity-private customer, you can only create invoices for that customer at the entity level. Another example is that if you create a bill at the entity level, you have to pay that bill at the entity level.

For more information, see Private and restricted data.

Account labels

In a multi-entity shared environment, accounts created at the top level can be shared across multiple entities. For each shared account, you can specify a unique account label for one or more entities, based on their native language or any other entity-specific option. On the Account label by entity page you are working only with the titles of GL accounts— not the actual accounts.

Requiring Account labels is an optional feature that must be turned on in the application desired: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Cash Management. Employee expense types is another, related, form of account label.

When you open the Account label page, you'll see more than just the label. Depending on the application, you'll see other relevant options.

For more, see About AR account labels, Set up AP account labels, Configure Cash Management, or Employee expense types.

Not owned

In a multi-entity company, shared records such as customers, vendors, and other items can be edited only at the top level of a company. Some journal transactions, for example, recurring journal entries created at the top level, are also owned at the top and can't be edited from within an entity.

If you display the list of shared records (customer, vendor, or entry) within an entity, you can see the shared records in the list. However, these will be listed as Not owned by the entity and the Edit option won't appear. Move to the top level, which owns the record, to make any changes.

Accounting periods

If you are using custom accounting periods in your company, you can use the Accounting Period Information page to add, edit, or view an accounting period.

The Standard or Custom accounting period structure is set at the top level on the Company Setup > Accounting tab. It applies to all entities in a multi-entity company. For single entity companies, it applies to the company.

Only one basic calendar structure is available for a company: Standard or Custom. In a multi-entity shared company, you can't have one entity with a standard calendar and another entity with a custom calendar, nor can you have different custom calendars for different entities in an ME-shared company.

After there is at least one transaction in the company, you can't change from Standard to Custom or from Custom to Standard.

Top level guidelines

To view top level records on a page, create and save a filter set that includes the Show top-level transactions option.

Entity level guidelines

Entities do not have visibility across to other entities. Private data cannot be seen by other entities.

An entity-level transaction has access to records created at the top level and its own entity-private data records.

If you want a record to be unique to a particular entity, create that record at the entity level. For example, create an entity-specific vendor in that entity.

Account labels and expense types can be entity-specific. You can create the label using another language or any other name that makes sense. For example, an account whose default label is "Transaction" can be set to appear as "Transazione" for the Italian entity.

Reclassification

Reclassification applies to: