Working with companies

When you work with LN:

  • You can only access the data of the company in which you work.
  • You can only work in a single company at a time.

The system administrator specifies your default company in Tools. To access the data of another company, you must change the company. However, in a multicompany structure, LN can be set up to automatically change the company if you need to alternate between working in a logistic company and in a financial company.

You automatically log on to the company that is defined as your default company in the User Data (ttaad2500m000) session. In the User Data (ttaad2500m000) session, the following companies can be defined for you:

  • The default company

    When you log on to LN, you automatically work in this company.

  • A logistic company

    If you work in a financial company and you start a session that belongs to a logistic company, you automatically switch to this logistic company.

  • A financial company

    If you work in a logistic company and you start a session that belongs to a financial company, you automatically switch to this financial company.

Financial group company

To see the consolidated financial results of a number of financial companies, link the companies to a group company. If you link financial companies to another financial company, the latter automatically becomes a group company.

In the Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session you link a financial company to the group company. Use the Group Company Parameters (tfgld0101s000) session to define the group company parameters, such as:

  • The reference currency
  • The dimensions used
  • The fiscal period

These parameters apply to the group company itself and to all the companies in the group.

Internal transactions

LN carries out triangular invoicing for transactions within a single logistic company involving entities that are linked to a different enterprise unit. For more information, refer to Example of external material delivery.

LN can automatically create intercompany transactions between different financial companies that belong to the same group company. LN generates intergroup transactions between financial companies that belong to different group companies. For more information, refer to Intercompany transactions.

LN generates intercompany settlements for transactions between different logistic companies without generating open invoices.

Archive companies

You can create archive companies to store historic data. An archive company can be:

Multiple companies

You can create more than one company on a single LN system. For example:

  • A financial company for your financial administration.
  • A logistic company to manage the manufacturing of your products.
  • An archive company to store historic data.

Operational company

The operational company is the company to which a department, warehouse, project, or internal business partner belongs, usually the company in which the entity was created. Transactions originating from the department, warehouse, or project can only be created in the operational company.

The operational company of a logistic department, warehouse, project, or internal business partner must be of the type Logistic or Both. The operational company of an accounting department must be of the type Financial or Both.

Affiliated company

A logistic company can act as a customer or supplier of another logistic company. To invoice this company, define the company as a business partner. Specify that the business partner is an affiliated company and enter the company number in the Business Partners (tccom4500m000) session. For an affiliated company business partner, define all the business partner roles.

Use sales and purchase orders to register the goods transfer between affiliated companies. If more than one financial company is involved, LN carries out the financial intercompany transactions.

Sharing company data

Companies in a multicompany system can also share data. For example, the logistic companies can share the business partners and credit limit data, the financial companies the defined currencies and the currency exchange rates.

Companies on a single server can share database tables. The database administrator uses the Database Management sessions in LN Tools to define which database tables the companies share.

To share data between companies installed on different servers, you must use the sessions of the Exchange module in LN Tools to exchange and synchronize the database tables.

Electronic data exchange

You can use electronic commerce to exchange transaction data between companies and for communication with your customers and suppliers.

Multicompany structures

Create the logistic and financial companies to make the most efficient use of the databases on a single server or different servers.

If your organization has offices in several locations and branches in various countries, set up a multicompany structure. You represent your organization's structure by defining:

  • Entities
  • Enterprise units
  • Sites, if multisite is implemented.

You must create at least one financial company in each country, but a single logistic company can include enterprise units and sites located in different countries.

You must use the sessions of the Intercompany Trade module  to define the relationships between the enterprise units and entities, and use the sessions of the Enterprise Modeling Management module to link the enterprise units to the logistic companies.

If multisite is implemented, you must link the entities of your company structure to sites to model the activities performed at your business locations, and to define how these activities are performed.