◄ Back to Creating External Companies

Creating external companies describes how companies can be set up outside their own company structure, and how the creation and administration of companies in their structure can be transferred to users specifically assigned there.

Within the example scenario (see Tutorial), 'Smart Logistics AG' has created some Transport companies ('GLS Germany', 'IDS' and 'DPD') and Suppliers ('Fancy Fireworks Corp.' and 'Slim Foods AG') as external companies.

These companies share the common characteristic that no Parent companies are assigned to them, since they are considered independent companies in the Lobster Data Platform / Orchestration system, which – as already implemented in the case of 'Slim Foods AG' – can also form the top of an independent hierarchy.

For the implementation of operative processes in the example scenario, 'Smart Logistics AG' seeks to set up specific Company authorizations that refer to 'all suppliers' or 'all transport companies'.

The required permissions could be set up explicitly and for each relevant company relationship individually, based on the company accounts created so far, as described under Creating company authorizations. Apart from the amount of work involved, this rule would require new authorizations to be added for each new supplier or transport company. Unlike a company structure linked by 'superordination', there is no common starting point for a 'Permission inheritance' for the suppliers and transport companies, which up to now have only been 'loosely connected' (see Creating company authorizations).

Create groups

In order to show the affiliation of independent companies, accounts for 'virtual' companies can be set up in the Lobster Data Platform / Orchestration, which are called groups.

In this specific case, two such groups – 'Suppliers' and 'Transport companies' – are to be set up and assigned to the 'real companies' as Parent companies. Each group is then at the top of a two-tier hierarchy whose child levels are formed by the 'real companies' that are members of the group. The fact that several Parent companies can be specified for the same company prevents conflicts with real company hierarchies on the one hand, and enables simultaneous membership of a company in different groups on the other.

Create two companies with the names 'Transport company' and 'Supplier' (see first two lines of the following company overview) and assign them to the corresponding members as a parent company according to the color scheme in the image!

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The group 'Suppliers' should include companies 'Fancy Fireworks Corp.' and 'Slim Foods AG'. These companies are highlighted in red by selection.
The group 'Transport Companies' should include the three service providers 'IDS', 'DPD' and 'GLS Germany'.

►NOTE◄ As the first column indicates the property Meta type (see Company meta type) from the Company account tab was used to separate the groups from the 'real company accounts':

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Create group-specific authorizations

The two newly created groups are automatically assigned the company of the session, i.e. 'Smart Logistics AG', as the owner. Therefore they are visible in the company overview, as well as the company accounts of their 'members', as long as 'Smart Logistics AG' is logged in.

However, the external companies bundled into groups should also be available with read access to the child companies within the company structure of 'Smart Logistics AG'.

Analogous to the procedure described under Creating company authorizations, a new authorization will be created to ensure that all members of the group 'Transport companies' can be read by all companies in the hierarchy of 'Smart Logistics AG':

The creation of a new permission is started in the overview for Company authorizations. This is configured as shown on the right:

As the Permission granting company, the group 'Transport company' is selected, whose members should be made visible.

The option 'First level children' is selected for the Permission inheritance, since the transport companies created here should not have their own company hierarchy with child companies, so that no 'All children' are to be considered.

Under Explicit grant (right), 'Smart Logistics AG' is selected under Granted companies. This is the owner of the 'First level children' of the group 'Transport company' and therefore is able to see them even without authorization. However, the company is also at the top of the Hierarchy that contains the actual recipients of the authorization. Therefore, the option 'All children' is selected so that permission is granted to all companies that are directly or indirectly subordinated to 'Smart Logistics AG'.

The Permissions tab is used to grant authorization to Read the company accounts as shown on the right.

The definition of company authorization is completed by 'Save' (in the ribbon).

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►NOTE◄ The option Exclude permission granting company is omitted here, although read access to the group 'Transport company' does not have to be enabled. Without read access for the group, however, the entry 'Hidden company' (instead of the name of the group 'Transport company') may appear in the Parent companies field when the company account of a member is viewed.

The organization of independent companies in groups simplifies the administration and increases the flexibility and transparency of the Lobster Data Platform / Orchestration system. The specification for certain categories of companies becomes technically transparent through the relationship to a group and can be handled much more efficiently than a multitude of individual regulations, which together have the same effect in terms of content. In addition to the creation of company permissions demonstrated here, this also concerns configurations (e.g. a data entry form with specific details for 'supplier' companies) or responsibilities (e.g. the definition of a user who is exclusively responsible for the creation of new members in the 'Transport company' group).

The previous steps of this tutorial were mainly concerned with the creation and administration of company structures in Lobster Data Platform / Orchestration. In the following, however, the operative processes will be in the foreground.

► Continue with Create input forms for shipments