Supplier Types

A supplier type is a label you attach to a supplier to group them, for example Manufacturer, Distributor, Importer, or Local Supplier. It is an independent master file: each type has a name and, optionally, a parent type, so you can nest narrower types under a broader one. The bookkeeper or accountant sets these up once, and everyone picks from the list when creating a supplier.

A supplier type is a reference label only. It does not post to the ledger and does not carry payment, credit, or account settings, so classifying a supplier does not change how their transactions are recorded. Its job is to let you slice your supplier base: each supplier has one optional Supplier Type, and the Suppliers list can show it as a column and be filtered by it. See Suppliers.

Before you start

Every new business starts with eight types, already active and approved: Manufacturer, Distributor, Importer, Local Supplier, Service Provider, Equipment Supplier, Raw Material Supplier, and Packaging Supplier. For many businesses these are enough, and you only need this screen to add your own or to retire ones you do not use.

Access is controlled by the Supplier Types permissions in your user's permission profile, under Administration → Permissions (see Users, seats & permissions). There are separate switches to list, create, edit, delete, and approve supplier types. You need the list permission to open the Supplier Types screen.

Create a supplier type

1. Open the Supplier Types list

   Go to Lists → Supplier Types. The table shows each Type, its Parent, its Status (Active or Inactive, and Approved or Pending), and Created By. You can search by type name, and switch to a card or list view.

2. Start a new type

   Select Add Supplier Type. The Create New Supplier Type panel opens from the right.

3. Enter the type name

   Type the Type Name (required), for example Raw Material Supplier. Each name must be unique.

4. Choose a parent type (optional)

   Use Parent Supplier Type (Optional) to nest this type under a broader one, for example placing Fabric Supplier under Raw Material Supplier. Search for the parent and select it, or leave it blank for a top-level type. Only active, approved types are offered. A type cannot sit under itself or under one of its own child types, and a type can be nested at most five levels below a top-level type.

5. Set the status flags

   Two checkboxes control whether the type can be used:

   Field	What it does
   Active	On by default. An inactive type stays for history but is not offered when classifying a supplier.
   Approved	Off by default. A type is only offered for selection once it is both Active and Approved. Ticking this needs the approve permission. Once a type is saved as approved, the box is locked and cannot be cleared.

6. Save

   Select Create Supplier Type. The type appears in the list and, once approved, in the Supplier Type dropdown on the supplier form.

You can also add a type without leaving the supplier form: open the Supplier Type dropdown and select Add Supplier Type. The same panel opens, and the new type is selected on the supplier straight away if you saved it as both Active and Approved.

Import or export the list

If you have the create permission, the list also has Export and Import. Export downloads the types currently shown in the list as a CSV file, with each type's name, parent type, Active and Approved flags, who created it, and when. Import also needs the edit permission. It loads types from a CSV file: you match its columns to Type Name, Parent Type Name, Active Status, and Approved Status, and choose whether to skip or update types whose name already exists. Type Name is required on every row. A parent is matched by its type name, so list a parent above its children in the file.

Edit, deactivate, or delete

Select the edit icon on any row to rename a type, change its parent, or change its flags, then select Update Supplier Type. Renaming a type changes the name shown on every supplier that carries it. To stop a type being used without losing its history, clear its Active flag rather than deleting it.

Related

• Suppliers: where you assign a supplier type to each supplier.
• Customer Types: the equivalent classifier for customers.
• Users, seats & permissions: where the Supplier Types permissions are granted.