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Managing Business Partners

This guide walks you through creating a new business partner and setting up all the related data that makes them ready for use in your day-to-day transactions.

Creating a new business partner​

To create a new business partner:

  1. Navigate to Master Data > Business Partners.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Category -- select a business partner category. The category determines the number range that will be used to assign the BP number automatically.
    • Legal person -- choose whether the partner is a natural person (individual) or a legal entity (organisation).
    • Name 1 -- enter the primary name. For organisations, this is usually the company name. For individuals, use the last name.
  4. Optionally fill in additional fields:
    • Name 2, 3, 4 -- additional name lines (e.g., first name, department, trading name).
    • Legal form -- the legal structure of the organisation (e.g., Ltd, GmbH, PLC).
    • Form of address -- a salutation such as Mr, Mrs, or Dr.
    • External BP number -- a reference number from another system.
  5. Click Save.

Ayiza will assign the next available BP number from the category's number range.

Adding addresses​

Each business partner can have multiple addresses, each with a specific type.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Addresses tab.
  3. Click Add Address.
  4. Select the address type (e.g., billing, shipping, correspondence).
  5. Fill in the address fields:
    • Address lines 1--4
    • Building number and floor (optional)
    • City, postal code, and country
    • State or region (if applicable)
    • P.O. box (optional)
  6. Click Save.

You can add as many addresses as needed. Different address types allow Ayiza to use the correct address in different contexts -- for example, a billing address on invoices and a shipping address on delivery documents.

Adding contacts​

Contacts are named individuals associated with a business partner. They are useful for tracking who to reach out to at a supplier or customer organisation.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Contacts tab.
  3. Click Add Contact.
  4. Enter the contact's details:
    • Last name (required)
    • First name
    • Form of address (e.g., Mr, Mrs)
    • Department -- which department they work in
    • Role -- their function or job title
    • Note -- any additional information
  5. Click Save.

Once a contact is created, you can add phone numbers and digital addresses (such as email) directly to that contact.

Adding phone numbers and digital addresses​

Phone numbers and digital addresses (email, website) can be added at the business partner level or linked to a specific contact.

Phone numbers​

  1. Go to the Phone Numbers tab (on the partner or contact).
  2. Click Add Phone Number.
  3. Select the type (e.g., landline, mobile, fax).
  4. Enter the phone number and optionally the country code.
  5. Mark one number as primary if it should be the default.
  6. Click Save.

Digital addresses​

  1. Go to the Digital Addresses tab.
  2. Click Add Digital Address.
  3. Select the type (e.g., email, website).
  4. Enter the address (e.g., accounts@example.com or https://example.com).
  5. Optionally add a note.
  6. Click Save.

Adding bank accounts​

Bank accounts are needed for payment processing -- to pay suppliers or to receive payments from customers.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Bank Accounts tab.
  3. Click Add Bank Account.
  4. Fill in the details:
    • Country -- the country where the bank account is held.
    • Bank -- select the bank from the bank master data.
    • Account number -- the local bank account number.
    • IBAN -- the International Bank Account Number (optional but recommended).
    • Account holder -- the name on the account.
    • Currency -- the currency of the account.
    • Company code -- optionally restrict this bank account to a specific company code.
  5. Click Save.

You can add multiple bank accounts for different currencies or different company codes. When processing payments, Ayiza will use the bank account that matches the payment currency and company code.

Tax identification numbers​

Tax identification numbers (such as VAT numbers and tax registration numbers) are used for tax reporting and compliance.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Tax IDs tab.
  3. Click Add Tax Identification Number.
  4. Fill in:
    • Country -- the country that issued the tax ID.
    • Tax ID type -- the type of tax number (e.g., VAT number, company registration number, UTR).
    • Tax identification number -- the actual number.
  5. Click Save.

You can add multiple tax IDs for different countries and types. For example, a UK-based partner might have both a VAT registration number and a Companies House registration number.

Withholding tax settings​

If you are required to withhold tax on payments to certain suppliers, you can configure withholding tax at the business partner level.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Withholding Tax tab.
  3. Click Add Withholding Tax.
  4. Fill in:
    • Company code -- the company code this setting applies to.
    • Withholding tax type -- the type of withholding tax (e.g., CIS deductions in the UK).
    • Withholding tax ID -- the supplier's withholding tax identifier.
  5. If the supplier has an exemption, fill in:
    • Exemption certificate number
    • Valid from and valid to dates
    • Exemption reason
    • Exemption percentage (e.g., 100% for full exemption)
  6. Click Save.

When you create a supplier invoice for this partner, Ayiza will automatically calculate withholding tax based on these settings.

Locking and sanctioning a partner​

Locking​

Locking a partner temporarily prevents new transactions from being created against them. Existing transactions are not affected.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Toggle the Locked switch to on.
  3. Click Save.

To unlock, toggle the switch back to off and save.

Sanctioning​

Sanctioning marks a partner as a sanctioned entity. This is a stronger block than locking and is typically used for trade compliance.

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Toggle the Sanctioned switch to on.
  3. Click Save.

Sanctioned partners cannot be used in any new transactions. Bank accounts belonging to a sanctioned partner are also blocked.

Assigning to company codes​

To use a business partner as a customer or supplier in financial transactions, you must assign them to the relevant company code.

Assigning as a customer​

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Company Code Assignments section.
  3. Click Add Customer Assignment.
  4. Select the company code.
  5. Select the AR control account (the accounts receivable G/L account).
  6. Optionally set:
    • Payment terms -- default payment conditions.
    • Payment method -- how you expect to receive payment.
    • Taxable -- whether sales to this customer are subject to tax.
  7. Click Save.

Assigning as a supplier​

  1. Open the business partner record.
  2. Go to the Company Code Assignments section.
  3. Click Add Supplier Assignment.
  4. Select the company code.
  5. Select the AP control account (the accounts payable G/L account).
  6. Optionally set:
    • Payment terms -- default payment conditions.
    • Payment method -- how you pay this supplier.
    • Withholding tax active -- whether withholding tax should be calculated on payments.
  7. Click Save.

A partner can be assigned as both a customer and a supplier for the same company code.

Importing business partners from Excel​

If you need to create many business partners at once -- for example, during initial setup or when migrating from another system -- you can import them from an Excel file.

  1. Navigate to Master Data > Business Partners.
  2. Click Import in the toolbar.
  3. Download the template -- click the download button to get an Excel template with the correct column headers.
  4. Fill in the template with your data. Each row represents one business partner.
  5. Upload the file -- select your completed file and click Import.
  6. Ayiza will validate each row and report any errors. Fix any issues in the file and re-upload if needed.

You can also import related data separately:

  • Addresses -- import addresses linked to existing partners.
  • Bank accounts -- import bank account details linked to existing partners.

When importing, make sure the BP numbers or other reference fields match existing records so that Ayiza can link the related data correctly.

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Start by importing the business partner master records first, then import addresses and bank accounts in separate steps. This ensures the parent records exist before their related data is loaded.