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FAQ: What's the difference between Supplier, Customer, and Employee records?

Zudello's Relationships module allows you to manage key entities your business interacts with. While they share some common fields, they represent distinct types of relationships and are used differently within the platform:

Supplier:

  • Represents: A vendor or company you purchase goods or services from.
  • Used In: Primarily the Purchasing module (Purchase Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Invoices, Credits, Statements) and sometimes Expenses (if an expense was paid to a specific supplier).
  • Key Function: Links incoming invoices/credits to the correct vendor, applies supplier-specific default coding or settings (like Consolidate Lines), used for matching POs, basis for ERP integration (creating Bills/Vendor Credits).
  • Unique Data: Often includes tax_number (ABN), bank_account_number, bank_bsb, default purchasing accounts/dimensions, purchasing payment terms.
  • See Managing Supplier Records.

Customer:

  • Represents: A client or company you sell goods or services to.
  • Used In: Primarily the Sales module (Sales Orders, Sales Invoices, Sales Returns, Remittance Advice).
  • Key Function: Links sales documents and payments to the correct client, applies customer-specific default coding or pricing (future), basis for ERP integration (creating Sales Invoices/Customer Payments).
  • Unique Data: Often includes default sales accounts/dimensions, sales payment terms, credit limits (future).
  • See Managing Customer Records.

Employee:

  • Represents: An individual employed by your organisation who may incur expenses or require reimbursement.
  • Used In: Primarily the Expenses module (Expenses, Mileage, Claims). Also used for user-based defaults or potentially manager lookups in approvals.
  • Key Function: Links expense entries and claims to the correct employee, stores bank details for reimbursement, applies employee-specific default coding. Often linked to a Zudello User account.
  • Unique Data: Often includes employee ID, personal bank details (bank_account_name, bank_account_number, bank_bsb), default expense coding, potentially linked User account, manager relationship.
  • See Managing Employee Records.

While all are managed under the "Relationships" umbrella, Zudello uses the specific type (Supplier, Customer, Employee) to filter records appropriately within different modules and apply relevant logic (e.g., you can only select Suppliers on Purchase Invoices, only Customers on Sales Orders, only Employees on Expense Claims).