This section describes how the data held is kashflow is represented in eLink. It is important for users to understand this relationship as it allows them to find and manage their data quickly and efficiently. Every system has a different approach to representing data, with different facilities and constraints. There are no rights or wrongs here, just differences. So, when attempting to share data between two systems, it is important to work out a system of equivalence. Kashflow and elink are no exceptions to this rule. Take, for instance, customers, suppliers which eLink represents as companies and contacts. Kashflow needs (for its purposes), to distinguish between customers and suppliers. In contrast, eLink deals only with companies and contacts. Finding a method of mapping between these two distinct system is as simple as first appears! Yet, it is important to achieve a suitable scheme so that both systems work sensibly.
The following table lists the main types of data held in Kashflow that need to be mirrored in elink. This table also shows how that data is modelled in eLink. Each kashflow data type has one or more elink custom data types associated with it. Where more than one custom data type is specified, the elink records must be of all specified types.
|
Kashflow Data Type
|
eLink Record Type
|
eLink Custom Data Type(s) |
Notes
|
| Customer | Company and Contact records | Customer@KF | Kashflow Customers can be represented in eLink in one of two ways:
a) as Contacts In essence, a Contact represent a domestic customer where a Company with an associated Contact represents a commercial customer. ASSUMPTION When copying a new Kashflow customer to eLink, the eLink to Kashflow synchronisation process distinguishes between these two types of customer by looking at the Kashflow contact fields. If this field is blank, the synchronisation process assumes the customer name is the name of a domestic customer. Otherwise, it assumes it is the name of a company, and represents a commercial customer. RESTRICTION The above assumption is made on creation of the new eLink records. Once the eLink records have been created, the structure of those records will not be altered, even if the Kashflow contact data is subsequently filled in (or emptied). So, it is important to get this information right before the synchronisation process is initiated. POTENTIAL FUTURE ENHANCEMENT The above restriction may be removed in future so that changing the contact field will cause the eLink representation of the same data to morph between domestic and commercial records. If this change is made, any associated data (e.g. invoices, quotes, etc) will be moved so that they are still associated with the revised records. |
| Commercial Customer | Company and Contact records | Customer@KF | Each commercial kashflow customer is represented by an elink company record, linked to an elink contact record. The kashflow data is shared between these two records. Only the company record has to be of type Customer@KF. It is not possible or desirable to represent a commercial kashflow customer through a single elink record. Instead, we use a combination of a company record and a contact record. |
| Domestic Customer | Contact records | Customer@KF | Each domestic kashflow customer is represented by an elink contact record. This contact record has to be of type Customer@KF. |
| Supplier | Company and Contact records | Supplier@KF | Each kashflow supplier is represented by an elink company record, linked to an elink contact record. The kashflow data is shared between these two records. Only the company record has to be of type Supplier@KF.It is not possible or desirable to represent a kashflow supplier through a single elink record. Instead, we use a combination of a company record and a contact record. |
| Quote | Document | General@KF Quote@KF |
A single quote in kashflow is represented by a document in elink. |
| Sales Invoice | Document | General@KF Invoice@KF | A single sales invoice in kashflow is represented by a document in elink |
| Purchase Invoice | Document | General@KF Purchase@KF |
A single purchase invoice in kashflow is represented by a document in elink |
| Quotes and Invoice Lines | Document to Product Links | Kashflow | Each line in a quote is mirrored by a link between the document representing that quote and an elink product (see ancillary data below). The same approach is used for sales invoices and purchase invoices. |
| Sales Invoice Payments | Project | Payment@KF InvoicePay@KF |
Each Kashflow payment is represented as a project in eLink. |
| Purchase Invoice Payments | Project | Payment@KF PurchasePay@KF | Each Kashflow payment is represented as a project in eLink. |
| Ancillary Data | Various | various | See below |
More details on each of the topics listed in the above table can be found in pages devoted to those specific topics.
In addition to the primary data as listed above, there are a variety of other, ancillary data items that have to be represented, including nominal codes, kashflow products, bank accounts and the like. Details of this ancillary data can be found in a page devoted to the subject.
