Work in a multi-company database

Most General settings apply to all companies in the database. Company-specific settings are indicated with the (Values set here are company-specific) icon, and can also be accessed through company records.

Create or edit a company

To create or edit a specific company, navigate to Settings app › Users & Companies › Companies. Click New and fill out the form with the company's information or select an existing company to edit it.

Archive a company

To archive a company, follow these steps:

1. In the Settings app, navigate to the Companies section and click Manage Companies.
2. In the Companies list view, select the company to be archived.
3. Click the Actions menu and select Archive.
4. Click Archive to confirm.

In a multi-company environment, users are granted access to one or more companies, and data is created or modified based on its intended use within that structure.

User access

A multi-company environment allows flexible control over user access and access rights that can be granted or restricted as needed.

Company selector

To switch between (or select) multiple companies, follow these steps:

1. Click the company selector in the top-right corner of the header menu.
2. In the drop-down list, select the checkboxes next to the desired companies.
3. The highlighted company indicates the current active environment.
4. To switch to another company, click its name in the list of selected companies.

Shared and company-specific records

Data, such as products, contacts, and equipment can either be shared across companies or restricted to a specific company by setting the Company field on relevant records:

1. Leave the field blank to make the record accessible to all companies.
2. Select specific companies to make the record visible to users logged in to those companies only.

Records specifically linked to a particular company are accessible only within that entity. For instance, quotations, invoices, and vendor bills associated with a company are visible only when logged into that company, and the corresponding company is automatically selected by default and displayed in the Company field.

In a multi-company database, new products and contacts are shared across companies by default. To restrict them to a specific company, set the Company field on the record's form.

The Inter-Company Transactions feature allows one company in the database to sell or purchase goods and services from another company within the same database. For inter-company transactions, product records are shared among the involved companies. Depending on the configuration settings, counterpart documents for orders and invoices can be automatically generated and synchronized.

To activate inter-company transactions, select the relevant company in the company selector, open the Settings app, navigate to the Companies section, enable Inter-Company Transactions, and click Save. Then, select the options to create a counterpart for the selected company:

• Create Vendor Bills: Automatically create a bill/refund when a company confirms an invoice/credit note for the selected company.
• Create Sales Orders: Automatically create a quotation (drafted sales order) when a purchase order is confirmed for the selected company.
• Create Purchase Orders: Automatically create a request for quotation (drafted purchase order) using the selected company warehouse in the Use Warehouse field when a sales order is confirmed for the selected company.
• Synchronize Stock Moves: Automatically synchronize stock moves between companies when fulfilling or receiving deliveries for the selected company.

To automatically validate the records, select Validated. This setting applies to all of the inter-company transaction options.

Inter-company transaction settings can also be accessed and modified by going to Settings › Users & Companies › Companies and selecting the company. Enable ../developer_mode and the Inter-Company Transactions tab appears.

Multinational companies

A multinational retail chain operating in the United States and Canada must manage transactions in USD and CAD.

Since each country has its own tax laws and regulations, using WindoorERP's multi-company feature is highly beneficial.

This setup allows for inter-company transactions, which is essential for managing cross-border inventory transfers. It also simplifies the sales process by enabling customers transactions in their local currency.

Separate processes

A small furniture company is launching a new product line that requires separate procurement, inventory, and manufacturing workflows. These new products differ significantly from the existing catalog. To manage this efficiently, the company is considering using the multi-company feature to manage the new line as a separate business entity.

However, creating a completely new company might add unnecessary complexity to the database. Instead, the company can leverage existing features such as analytic accounting and multiple warehouses to manage the new product line without complicating overall operations.

Most settings in the Settings app apply to the whole database. The ones that do not are marked with the (Values set here are company-specific) icon, and can also be edited from the company record itself.