Linking Client and Vendor Records

If you manage both client and vendor/consultant records, you can either use one hub to maintain both client and vendor information or link client and vendor records together to share data.

Information will be provided in a future release.

Use One Hub

If you are a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) Only user, you can merge the Clients and Vendors hubs into one. This single hub can track all of the firms or companies with which you interact. You can name the singlehub something like "Firms," enter all client and vendor data in this one location, and eliminate the need to maintain the data in two hubs.

• New CRM users who want to take advantage of this feature can enter firm data in the Clients hub only and use Security Settings to disable the Vendors hub for all roles.
• Existing CRM users who want to combine data from the two hubs, but who already have records entered in both, must:
  • Use Utilities > Advanced Utilities > Create Client From Vendor to add all vendor records to the Clients hub, then
  • Use Configuration > Security > Roles to disable the Vendors hub for all roles.

Link Hub Records

If you use the Accounting application, or the Accounting and CRM applications together, you must maintain separate records in the Clients and Vendors hubs. This gives DPS the ability to associate client records with billings and use vendor records to process payments.

However, you can use the Create Client From Vendor feature to link client and vendor records together and maintain similar information.

You can also use the Create Vendor from Client feature to quickly create a new vendor record. DPS populates the vendor record with data from the Clients hub, thereby reducing the need for you to enter the same information at multiple locations in DPS. For example, you might link client and vendor information in the following scenario:

• Marketing develops a relationship with a prospective consultant as part of a new opportunity team. Marketing creates a client record for the consultant.
• The project is awarded.
• Accounting needs to pay the consultant as a vendor.

Resource Planning Users

If you use the Resource Planning application, you must set up clients and vendors separately. The Planning application uses Vendors hub records for budgeting consultants and expenses.