Module overview
Reference summary of the Trade Partners module: its tabs, records, key concepts and where account-wide settings live.
This reference describes the Trade Partners module in Wholechain: its screens, records, fields, tables and the actions available on each. Use it to look up what a field means, which values it accepts, what is required, what can be edited and what each action does. Step-by-step instructions are in the Trade Partners user guide, starting with Get started with Trade Partners.
Conventions
- Bold text is the exact label shown in Wholechain.
- Req. shows whether a field must be completed: Yes, No, or Conditional (with the condition stated).
- Editable shows whether a value can be changed after the record exists.
- Cross-references use page and section names, for example (see Rules and restrictions).
Purpose
The Trade Partners module holds the companies you do business with, such as suppliers, buyers, processors and logistics providers. A Trade Partner is the reference record for one of these companies: its name, identifiers and connection status. Every Location belongs to a Trade Partner, so the Trade Partner must exist before its Locations are added (see Get started with Locations).
Location
Master Data > Trade Partners in the left sidebar.
Opening Settings. Click the gear icon at the top of the Trade Partners page (or open Settings with the gear icon at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar), which opens Master Data Settings > Trade Partner. Settings can also be opened with the Settings button on the Dashboard.
Account-wide settings. The External Identifier Manager, the account-wide alias bulk upload, the master data download, the Default Invite Message and the restoring of archived Trade Partners (Master Data Settings > Archived) are not part of this module. They are documented in the Settings help docs: Master Data Settings and Archived.
Tabs
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Trade Partner List | Every Trade Partner in the account, including your own company, with search, filters, column settings and row actions. The number beside the tab is the count of Trade Partners listed. See Trade Partner List. |
| Invites | The invitations you have sent, and the Add Invite button. See Invitations. |
Records in this module
| Record | What it is | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Partner | A company you do business with. Your own company is a Trade Partner marked (Self). | Has any number of Locations, aliases, documents and invitations |
| Alias | Another identifier for a Trade Partner (alias types: External Identifier, URN or PGLN). | Belongs to one Trade Partner |
| Document | A file attached to a Trade Partner. | Belongs to the record it was added to |
| Invite | A request for a Trade Partner to connect with you. | Belongs to one Trade Partner |
Key concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Self Trade Partner | Your own company's Trade Partner record. It cannot be invited to connect. |
| External identifier | The identifier you use for a record in your own systems. Shown as Trade Partner Identifier. |
| Connection | Whether a Trade Partner is connected to you in Wholechain: Wholechain Connected, Externally Connected or Not Connected (see Trade Partner List). |
| Buyer / Supplier | What the partner is to you: Buyer or Supplier in the Add form and the Trade Partner drawer. In the spreadsheet upload this is the Connection Type column, which accepts Buyer, Supplier, Other or Self. It is not the same as Connection. |
| Type | Shown in the list and in the Details drawer, for example NonWholechain. It is read-only and cannot be edited. |
| Wholechain ID | The ID Wholechain assigns once a company is connected. It is read-only. |
For the meaning of other terms, see the Glossary. For restrictions that apply to Trade Partners, see Rules and restrictions. For what happens when a Trade Partner is archived, see Archive and restore. For the messages Wholechain shows, see Messages. For the Excel download, see Export files.