Adding an existing site or entity to an existing system (one site per database)

To add a site/entity with existing data to an existing multi-site system, follow these steps. See the relevant chapters in this guide or the online help for additional details about any step.

Before you start:

  • Back up all existing databases before starting this process.
  • If the existing site currently reports to an entity and will report to a different entity after moving, think carefully about the implications.
  • If the site previously did not report to an entity, but it will now, you must ensure that the site’s currency, chart of accounts, and so on, match those at the entity.
  • See the information in the Multi-Site Planning Guide about entities and reporting structures, especially the information on changes to reporting structures.
  1. If the site currently is part of another multi-site SyteLine system, follow the steps in Removing a site from an existing system. Then return to this topic and complete the rest of the steps.
  2. Follow steps 10 through 17 under Adding a new site or entity to an existing system (one site per database); then return to this process.
  3. To synchronize customer and vendor information at sites:
    1. Using SQL queries, find existing vendors and customers in the newly added site that have matching numbers but different names in existing sites.
    2. At the added site, use the Move Local Customers and Move Local Vendors utilities to change customer and vendor numbers at this site to match the number used at existing sites in this multi-site system. See the online help on these forms for more information about how to use them.
    3. If you ran the Move Local Customers utility in the previous step, run the Rebalance Customer Balances utility to update the customers’ posted balance and order balance.
  4. Set up replication rules between the new site/entity and the other sites and entities. For more information, see Setting up replication at sites.
  5. Regenerate the replication rules at all sites and entities.
  6. In all sites that are sharing customers and vendors, use the Manual Replication Utility to replicate a category that contains vendaddr_mst and custaddr_mst. This populates the customer and vendor records in all sites that are sharing customers and vendors with the added site.
  7. If the added site or entity will report to an entity in its new structure, perform these tasks:
    1. If chart records exist at the added site/entity that do not exist at the entity it will report to, add those records to the financial entity.
    2. Run the Change Reports To Entity utility at the added site/entity:
      • You can only change the Reports To Entity to a financial entity that has the same base (domestic) currency, Chart of Accounts and accounting periods. Also, the system verifies that all accounts defined at the site already exist at the financial entity. If this validation fails, the change will not be allowed and a report is created detailing the failures.
      • If no Chart of Accounts, financial statement account templates, or accounting periods have been set up yet at the site, this Change Reports To Entity utility will copy them from the entity to the site.
    3. Run Ledger Consolidation (again) at each site and entity in the new structure. This consolidates the beginning balances for each account up through the new financial entity hierarchy.
  8. If you are adding an entity, use these steps:
    1. If chart records exist at the existing site/entity that do not exist at the added entity they will report to, add those records to the entity.
    2. Run the Change Reports To Entity utility at the sites that will report to this entity, specifying the name of this added entity.

      • You can only change the Reports To Entity to a financial entity that has the same base (domestic) currency, Chart of Accounts and accounting periods as the site. Also, the system verifies that all accounts defined at the site already exist at the financial entity. If this validation fails, the change will not be allowed and a report is created detailing the failures.

      • If no Chart of Accounts, financial statement account templates, or accounting periods have been set up yet at the site, this Change Reports To Entity utility will copy them from the entity to the site.

    3. Run Ledger Consolidation (again) at each site/entity in the new structure. This consolidates the beginning balances for each account up through the new financial entity hierarchy.