To set up a new entity from the Administration Layer you need the appropriate level of admin permissions. Usually, this is only relevant if you have multiple entities to setup and maintain, such as in the case of Accounting Firms, Franchise Owners, Group Companies, and Outsource Service Providers. If you only have an individual entity, your System Provider will have already set it up for you. 

Using Standard Templates

To speed up entity setup, you can copy and modify several standard templates. For example, you can choose a U.S. Corporate, UK Sterling Company, or European template. Each template will follow the local standard regarding date formats, language, tax details, computations, and reports. 

Entity setup using standard templates is as follows:

1. Select the appropriate template to create your new Entity and modify it as required.
2. Set up the basic tables, such as Tax, Products, Customers, Suppliers, and Analysis. If you want, you can set up Users and their permissions at this stage. 
3. Save your entity as a new template. When you want to set up other entities that need to have the same data, you can use this template. This is particularly important for Franchisers and Group Companies that need to have the same analysis codes for Profit & Loss Reporting or Sales Analysis. It is also important for Accounting Firms and Practices that deal with Industry verticals such as Catering, Retailing, or Services. 

See:

Managing Company Details & Settings‍ 

Managing Default Settings‍ 

Using Codes Maintenance‍ 

Using Extended Business Analysis‍ 

Managing Financial Periods‍ 

Managing General Ledger Accounts‍ 

Only admin users can set up an entity. For more on user roles, see Setting Up System Users‍ 

Refer to Managing Company Details & Settings for detailed field explanation in combination with the information below.

1. In the group layer, open the Entities tab.
2. Click on New Entity.

3. Under Select Template Company select either:
   • Standard Template Company: These provide a basic entity structure in the designated currency. 
   • Saved Templates:  This option and Saved Template Copy Options will not be available if this is your first entity. For more on using templates, see the relevant section. 

4. Click Next Step.
5. In the Company Details tab, complete the details of your entity to appear on documents such as Invoices or Statements. In the Upload Logo field, any logo you select will also appear on documents. 

6. Click Next Step. 
7. In the Settings tab, select your Entity Type and other settings used by the system. 

8. Click Next Step.  
9.  Under the Financial Year Setup tab, use the dropdowns to create the Financial Calendar. 
   • Financial Year: Ensure this is correct as it determines your monthly reporting. This is an important setting which you should confirm with your accountant. This can still be changed in the Company Details & Settings screen if no year ends have been processed. Otherwise, see Changing Financial Year Ends.‍
   • First Open Month: The system will automatically consider all prior periods as closed from a data entry and reporting point of view.
   • First Open Year: The system will automatically consider all prior years as closed from a data entry and reporting point of view.
      

10. Click Next Step. 
11. Click Create Company and wait for the process to complete.
     

12. Main Settings displays your new entity's name. When you set up users, they will receive a login for this entity code. For more on setting up users, see Setting Up System Users.‍ 
     

Next, you must tailor the default coding of the system to meet your entity's needs as well as add any additional coding.

The following were added during initial entity setup:

• General Ledger Codes with their Categories and Sub Categories.
• General Ledger Codes for System Accounts. 

Log into the new Entity

Log into your newly created entity by clicking on the Entity ID. If you are presented with a Default Settings screen, ignore it by clicking Close.
 

Step One: Set Company Details & Settings

Here you can view the Company Details & Settings data created during entity setup, in case you need to edit any details. 

Go to Setup > Company Details & Settings.  See Managing Company Details & Settings‍ for complete details.
 

Step Two: Create Codes in Codes Maintenance

This is the central location to set up and manage coding. 

Go to Setup > Codes Maintenance. Complete these tables as comprehensively as possible to get maximum benefit from the system and its Sales Analyses Reports. See Using Codes Maintenance for more details on completing these fields.
 

Ensure you set the following:

• Codes used in Sales Analysis, such as Areas, Regions, Customer Groups, and Item Groups. In addition to the codes set in Codes Maintenance, you may wish to create Sales Representatives‍.  
• Currency Codes with their rates. For more details, see Managing Multiple Currencies‍ 
• Ensure that the Tax Rates are up to date as they determine how transactions will be treated in the statutory VAT Tax Returns preparation process. For more details, see ‍ Managing VAT (UK & Ireland)‍ 

Step Three: Set Default Settings

Here you can set defaults for customers, suppliers, items, and GL Accounts. This saves time and helps maintain consistency. 

Go to Setup > System Defaults and compete any details necessary, referring to Managing Default Settings for more details.‍ 

Step Four: Create Dimensions & BI Codes

Analysis codes let you break down your company's activities using Branches, Departments, Divisions, Activities, Locations, or other metric. 

Go to GL and select either Dimensions or BI Codes. Set up the relevant Dimensions and BI Codes, referring to Using Extended Business Analysis for more details.‍ 

After creating an entity, you can save it as a template.This saves time and increases accuracy across all entities in the group.This can benefit Franchisers, Group Companies, and Companies in the same industry as they require similar Charts of Accounts, Analysis requirements, Stock Items, or Suppliers.

Save an Entity as a template

1. In the group layer, find the entity you want to use as a template.  
2. In the Actions dropdown, select Edit Entity.
   
3. Check Use as Template.
4. Click Process.
    

Use a template to create an Entity

In the Company Setup screen, any saved templates will be available for selection and the Saved Template Copy Options will be active. This lets you copy the template entity's: 

• General Ledger Codes
• Currency Codes and Rates
• Sales Analysis Codes
• Extended Business Analysis Codes
• Suppliers
• Customers

Once, you have set up your entity, you can make any required changes from the group layer, both at entity level at for the entire group. For further editing options within entities, see Managing Company Details & Settings, Using Codes Maintenance, and Managing Default Settings.‍ 

Edit Entity Details screen

1. In the group layer, find the entity you want to use as a template. 
2. In the Actions dropdown, select Edit Entity.

3. Here, you can edit the details of any of the setup entities, such as the following.
   • Group Vat Reporting Entity: Enter the Entity ID that is designated as the Group VAT reporting entity. Note that only the designated Group VAT Reporting entity can be linked to HMRC for VAT return submissions.
   • User Allowance: This number represents the maximum number of concurrent (i.e. simultaneous) users allowed to access this entity based on the license purchased. For example, in a four-user concurrent use license, after four users are logged into the system, the fifth user is prohibited. When any one of the first four log out, the next person can log in. If you require more concurrent users, please contact your local support team.
   • Entity Logo: Recommended image dimensions: 300 x 84 pixels.
   • Use as Template: Set the Entity as a template to be used when setting up other Entities.

Edit Group Details

In the group layer, go to Setup > Group Details. 
 

Here you can White-Label the System‍ and set configurations at group level, such as the following:

• Session Timeout (Mins): When users authenticate to the system, a session is established. For the duration of the session, users won't need to re-authenticate.
  The default idle session timeout is 240 minutes (4 hours), but you can change it here. When a session expires, the system will prompt the user with an on-screen message informing them that the session has expired and that they will need to log into the system to resume.

1. In the group layer, find the entity you want to use as a template. 
2. In the Actions dropdown, select Deactivate Entity.