Suppliers
A Supplier is the central entity in the FAP module. It represents a financial relationship with a party — the entity you receive invoices from, owe payment obligations to, and manage payables for. Every supplier references a party in the PRM (Party Relationship Management) module, linking the accounts-payable record to the broader party identity.
Party linkage
Each supplier record references a party in PRM. The supplier's name, address, and contact details live in PRM, while FAP holds the financial classification, terms, and transaction history. A party can exist in PRM without being a FAP supplier — the supplier record is created when the party enters a payables relationship.
Importantly, a party can be both a customer (in FAR) and a supplier (in FAP) simultaneously. The same PRM party record is shared; only one supplier record per party is permitted within a tenant.
Classification
Suppliers are classified along four dimensions:
| Dimension | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier type | EXT | Distinguishes external suppliers from internal entities |
| Supplier class | TRADE | Groups suppliers for reporting (e.g. trade, service, utility) |
| Status | A | Active/inactive lifecycle state |
| Approval status | A | Tracks whether the supplier record has been approved |
All four dimensions use configurable codes with internationalisation (i18n) support, so display values can be translated without changing the underlying codes.
Default payment terms
Each supplier carries a default payment term that cascades to new transactions. This references a payment term that defines when payments are due (for example, Net 30 or 2/10 Net 30). Payment terms are shared with FAR — the same term definitions apply on both the customer and supplier side.
The default can be overridden at the supplier site use level, giving different terms to different purchasing locations without needing separate supplier records.
Default transaction currency
Suppliers can carry an optional default transaction currency. When set, this pre-fills the currency on new transactions raised against the supplier. If it is not set, the currency must be specified on each transaction individually.
Supplier code
Every supplier is assigned a supplier code on creation. If no code is provided, Raytio generates one automatically — a human-readable, unique identifier for the supplier within the tenant.
Authorisation
Access to supplier records is managed through the platform's authorisation system. The FAP module uses the Accounts payable role set:
- Accounts payable administrator — full access, including managing the configurable code lists
- Accounts payable user — can view suppliers and record transactions
- Accounts payable viewer — read-only access
Permissions cascade to related entities — sites, site uses, transactions, holds, and payment schedules — so that access to a supplier implicitly grants visibility to its dependent records.
External users access their own supplier records via the Supplier external role, which restricts them to records belonging to their own supplier.
Further reading
- Supplier Sites and Site Uses — how suppliers operate across multiple locations
- Supplier Transactions — invoices, credit memos, debit memos, and prepayments from a supplier
- Transaction Holds — placing and releasing holds on transactions
- Payment Schedules — how payment obligations are tracked