Key Concepts
Before you dive into the individual features, it helps to understand the building blocks that Ayiza uses to organise your financial data. This page explains the core concepts you will encounter throughout the platform.
Company Code
A company code represents a legal entity within your organisation — for example, a subsidiary, branch, or trading company. It is the most important organisational unit in Ayiza because all financial transactions are recorded against a company code.
Each company code has its own:
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Currency | The local currency used for reporting (e.g. GBP, EUR, USD). |
| Chart of accounts | The set of G/L accounts available for posting. |
| Fiscal calendar | The financial year structure and period definitions. |
| Number ranges | Automatic numbering sequences for invoices, journal entries, and other documents. |
If your organisation has multiple legal entities, each one is set up as a separate company code. You can still view consolidated reports across all company codes.
When you open most screens, you will be asked to select a company code. This scopes the data you see to that entity.
Business Partners
A business partner is any external party your organisation does business with. Ayiza uses a unified business partner model, which means a single record can act as a customer, a supplier, or both.
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer | A party you sell goods or services to and invoice. |
| Supplier | A party you buy goods or services from and receive invoices from. |
| Both | Some partners are both — for example, a company you buy from and also sell to. |
Each business partner has:
- General data — Name, address, contact details, tax numbers. This is shared across all roles.
- Company code data — Payment terms, bank details, reconciliation accounts, and other settings that may differ per company code.
You manage business partners under Master Data > Business Partners in the sidebar.
G/L Accounts (General Ledger Accounts)
G/L accounts are the categories used to classify every financial transaction. Together they form your chart of accounts — the complete list of accounts available for posting.
Every G/L account belongs to one of five account types:
| Account type | What it tracks | Example accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Asset | What the business owns | Bank accounts, trade receivables, equipment |
| Liability | What the business owes | Trade payables, loans, accruals |
| Equity | Owner's interest in the business | Share capital, retained earnings |
| Revenue | Income earned | Sales, service income, interest received |
| Expense | Costs incurred | Rent, salaries, utilities, materials |
G/L accounts are managed under Chart of Accounts > Accounts in the sidebar.
Control Accounts
A control account is a special G/L account that is linked to a sub-ledger. You do not post to a control account directly — instead, the system posts to it automatically when transactions are recorded against the linked sub-ledger.
| Control account type | Linked to | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Receivable (AR) | Customer sub-ledger | When you post a customer invoice, Ayiza automatically updates the AR control account. |
| Accounts Payable (AP) | Supplier sub-ledger | When you post a supplier invoice, Ayiza automatically updates the AP control account. |
| Bank | Bank account | When you post a bank transaction, Ayiza automatically updates the bank control account. |
Control accounts ensure that the general ledger always stays in sync with the detailed sub-ledger records. You configure which G/L account serves as the control account for each sub-ledger under Chart of Accounts > Account Determination.
Because control accounts are updated automatically, you cannot post manual journal entries to them. If you need to make a correction, post against the relevant sub-ledger instead (e.g. create a credit note rather than a manual journal to AR).
Accounting Documents
An accounting document is the fundamental record of a financial transaction in Ayiza. Every invoice, payment, journal entry, and bank posting creates an accounting document.
Each document consists of:
- A header — The document date, posting date, reference number, company code, and currency.
- Two or more lines — Each line records an amount against a G/L account, with a debit or credit indicator. The total debits must always equal the total credits.
Document lifecycle
Every accounting document moves through a defined set of statuses:
Draft ──► Posted ──► Reversed
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | The document has been created but not yet finalised. | Edit, delete, or post the document. |
| Posted | The document is finalised and has updated the ledger balances. | View the document. You can no longer edit or delete it. |
| Reversed | A reversal document has been created to cancel this one out. Both the original and the reversal remain in the system for audit. | View only. |
Always check the details of a document before posting. Once posted, the only way to correct it is to reverse and re-enter.
Financial Periods
Ayiza organises your financial year into periods. A period typically corresponds to a calendar month, but your administrator can configure a different structure (for example, 4-4-5 week periods or a non-calendar fiscal year).
Opening and closing periods
Periods control when transactions can be posted:
| Period status | Effect |
|---|---|
| Open | Transactions can be posted into this period. |
| Closed | No new transactions can be posted. This is used after month-end or year-end to prevent accidental changes. |
Your administrator opens and closes periods under General Ledger or Organisation settings. Typically, only the current period and perhaps one prior period are open at any time.
Year-end lockdown
At the end of the fiscal year, all periods for that year are closed permanently. This ensures that prior-year figures remain unchanged for auditing purposes. Any adjustments after year-end are posted into the new fiscal year.
If you try to post a document and receive an error about a closed period, check the posting date on the document. It may need to be changed to fall within an open period.
Permissions and Roles
Ayiza uses a role-based permission system to control who can see and do what.
How it works
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Permission | A single, specific right — for example, Create Supplier Invoice or View Bank Statement. |
| Role | A named collection of permissions — for example, Accounts Payable Clerk or Finance Manager. |
| User | An individual person. Each user is assigned one or more roles. |
Your access in Ayiza is the combination of all permissions from all roles assigned to you. If a sidebar section, tile, or button is not visible to you, it means your current roles do not include the necessary permission.
Common role examples
| Role | Typical permissions |
|---|---|
| Viewer | View-only access to financial data. Cannot create, edit, or post. |
| AP Clerk | Create and edit supplier invoices. Submit for posting. |
| AR Clerk | Create and edit customer invoices. Submit for posting. |
| Finance Manager | Full access to all finance functions, including posting and reversals. |
| Administrator | Manage users, roles, configuration, and organisation settings. |
Roles and permissions are managed by your administrator under Administration > Users & Access. If you need additional access, contact your administrator.
Putting it all together
Here is how these concepts connect in a typical workflow:
- Your administrator sets up a company code with its currency, chart of accounts, and fiscal calendar.
- G/L accounts are created in the chart of accounts, including control accounts for AR, AP, and bank.
- Business partners are created for your customers and suppliers.
- Financial periods are opened for the current year.
- Users are assigned roles that give them the permissions they need.
- Day-to-day transactions (invoices, payments, journal entries) create accounting documents that update the ledger through the control accounts.
Next steps
You are now familiar with the building blocks of Ayiza. From here, explore the area most relevant to your work:
- Banking — Import bank statements and reconcile transactions.
- Payables — Manage supplier invoices and payments.
- Receivables — Manage customer invoices and incoming payments.
- General Ledger — Post journal entries and view reports.
- Master Data — Set up business partners, products, and properties.
- Chart of Accounts — Configure your G/L accounts and account structure.
- Organisation — Manage company codes and organisational structure.
- Tax & Compliance — File VAT returns and other HMRC submissions.