Multi-Company and Extended Multi Company: Customer
Multi-Company and Extended Multi Company: Customer
Introduction
The Multi company module is able to handle the business requirements to be able to produce
independent, balanced books for financial entities from the same database.
The Multi Branch module allows independent financial entities to produce independent
balanced books while sharing the same financial data files. The Multi Branch module
simplifies multi branch processing where all branches share the same data, but where each
branch is required to produce a balanced set of books. It can be set up within an existing
single or multi company environment.
A combination of the Multi Company (MC) and Multi Branch (MB) modules can together
provide extended multi company functionality.
GLOBUS supports operation of multiple companies within one system. These can operate
independently or they can share CUSTOMER files and/or certain files that contain controlling
(“static”) financial information. Companies can also share operation of Nostro accounts. SMS
maintains security of access at company level.
Transactions can take place involving accounts in different companies and appropriate entries
will be made to inter-company accounts automatically.
You can produce CRF reports for combinations of companies with currencies converted as
required.
Definitions
A single company could be described as the related data items that allow the production of a
set of balanced books for a single financial entity.
In a combined multi company and multi branch set there are three types of company.
Master Company
o This is the first company set up in a GLOBUS installation (normally BNK)
and it owns a complete set of data tables. The Master company can also be a
Lead company. The master company will be present in all types of GLOBUS
environment.
Lead Company
o This is identical to a normal multi company in that it can share files with other
companies and stores all financial level data in its own set of tables. A lead
company is defined on installation by indicating that the financial tables are to
be owned by the company being created.
Branch Company
o A branch is defined as a standard GLOBUS Company, all data except for those
tables related to company level reports and COB list processing tables will be
shared with the designated lead company. A Branch Company is defined on
installation by indicating that the financial tables are to be owned by an
existing lead company. A branch can only be linked to a Lead Company. It is
not possible to link a branch to another branch. A branch will always share its
local currency and batch holiday table with its lead company.
The major differences between Multi Company and Multi Branch are as follows: -
In a Multi branch setup all financial level data is held in a single database table for all
branches in the group whereas in Multi Company financial data is held in a separate
table for each company. For example if there are 20 branches all with the same lead
company then there will be only 1 account table whereas if this were set up as 20
separate lead companies there would be 20 account tables.
In Multi Branch Close of Business processing all branches linked to the same lead
company are processed in the same job, whereas in Multi Company a separate job is
run for each company. (The exception being company level reporting jobs)
In Multi Branch financial level data from different companies can easily be combined
in the same enquiry. This is possible using multi company but is less efficient.
In Multi Branch a customers accounts and contracts can be easily moved from one
branch to another, without the need to close and reopen them. It is also possible to
close and merge branches within the same branch structure.
In Multi Branch customer accounts do not have to be identified by a branch code as in
Multi Company, so it is possible for all accounts in each group of branches to follow
the same structure.
In a Multi Company setup independent COB processing can take place using the
Global Processing product, and different local currencies can be set up. Neither is
possible within a single multi branch group.
The files are grouped according to purpose and some of these groups may be shared with
other companies. The options are taken when setting up a company record and cannot be
changed.
GLOBUS tables can be grouped into various types some of which can be shared between
Lead companies.
A description of the various table types follows: -
INT Installation Level
o There will only be one copy of installation level tables in a GLOBUS database
so the actual table name does not include a company mnemonic. Examples of
INT level tables include COMPANY, USER, VERSION and ENQUIRY
CUS Customer level
o The CUSTOMER and related tables, often including the customer number in
the key. Examples include CUSTOMER.DEFAULT and LIMIT. This type of
table can be shared between lead companies.
CST Customer tables
o Parameter tables related to customer examples include INDUSTRY and
SECTOR, together with parameter tables for limits, collateral and position
management. This type of table can be shared between lead companies.
NB: possibly expand this paragraph with some examples / suggestions on sharing table types.
For the parameter table levels there is a default company. For Customer Tables and for
Financial Tables there is the opportunity for file(s) to be linked to a different Company from
the default. Depending on local conditions these parameter tables may be held at Lead
company level or shared between groups of Lead companies.
COMPANY.GROUP
COMPANY.GROUP codes are used to identify the various operating companies, using the
GLOBUS system. The COMPANY.GROUP code is part of the 'GLOBUS Company' key and
as such will help in identifying a particular operating company ofe 'GLOBUS Companies' that
have been set up for it. This will help in reports etc. being grouped/combined.
Thus for each of the GLOBUS COMPANY records for the same operating company, the
COMPANY.GROUP must be the same. Therefore the same COMPANY.GROUP codes will
need to be created at each of the locations where the organisation is operating the GLOBUS
system.
CC GGG LLLL
Where:
Note:
Local code must be different for each location/ branch within one country even if the
processing is run in different environments.
The COMPANY.GROUP code thus forms the centre portion of the individual COMPANY
records.
Both Multi Company and Multi Branch inter company accounting use the same mechanism
where the books are balanced by passing entries through internal inter company accounts.
The user must be signed in to the relevant company or branch to input a transaction. However
in Multi Branch a user can be automatically switched from one branch to another before
entering a transaction. This is controlled at Version level.
For example to post en entry from an account in company A to company B the following
entries are generated.
Company A
Debit account A Credit A to B inter company account
Company B
Debit B from A inter company account Credit account B
In EMC the subdivision code of the owning company is appended to the key of internal
accounts. This is an automatic process with no conversion of existing internal accounts
required.
A future development may be to pass inter company accounting entries via a defined single
company. This will increase the number of entries for a inter company transfer from 4 to six
with 2 additional entries in the designated company but will considerably reduce the number
In a Multi Branch set up because all internal accounts for all branches are stored on the same
table there is an additional 4 numeric character subdivision code of the company that owns the
account. If passing an entry from company A to company B the inter company account in
company A has the following format: -
CCY Currency code
CATEGEG Inter company category code
SUBDIV B Sub division code of the company being posted to
SUBDIV A Subdivision code of the company being posted from
When installing a multi branch system the conversion of the existing internal accounts will be
automatic. When an entry is passed to an internal account a new internal account will be
opened, the old account will be set for closure and will be set to auto pay into the new
account.
Multi-company Parameters
If you require inter-company accounting then you must input and authorise this record before
creating the second company. Before this record is authorised for an inter-company
accounting environment the record INTERCO must be present on the ACCOUNT.CLASS file.
There must be portion of the account number from which the Lead Company can be
determined. This is called the branch code and can be used to identify the branch. Each value
that it can take must be assigned to a company as postings to accounts can only be made by
transactions of the company to which the account belongs (except for inter-company postings
for which special rules apply). If an account has a branch code which is not assigned to a
company then no postings can be made to it. If the account is in the Master Company or one
of its branches then it is not necessary to have a branch code in the account number. Normally
Master Company accounts are of a different length to those in other Lead Companies.
The COMPANY.CONSOL file holds the descriptions and the details of grouping of companies
for combined CRF reports.
The group number is part of the data entered at report production stage. Each record is
independent of the others and there is no hierarchical relationship between them.
The default currency for any report produced can be specified. Special currency exchange
rates can be used or the standard rates from the currency file(s) can be used.
When producing a combined report the local currency amount or the local currency equivalent
amount is converted into the reporting currency. The original currency figures are not used.
Therefore it is necessary to enter some default conditions on these records. These default
conditions are -
a) The currency file to be used, when the rates are to be taken from one file.
b) Where there are two or more currency files for the same local currency which
The RE.RPT.CCY.RATE file holds the details of the exchange rates to be used when producing
combined reports.
The key to the records on this file is the reporting currency followed by a sequence number
allowing more than one set of rates to be loaded per reporting currency. This allows for the
case where head office reporting requires a different rate from the current market rates. When
converting to the reporting currency, the local currency amount field is the one converted, not
the foreign currency (original currency) field. This means that only rates between the
reporting currency and the local currency for each company need to be loaded.
Where two or more companies share the same local currency, then the exchange rate between
the local currency and reporting currency will be shared by all the companies with the same
local currency. It is not possible to load different rates per company.
These requests can be run as part of the end of day processing in the batch process called
EB.CONSOL.PRINT or on-line using the V verification function for this application.
Details that are included in a request are the CRF report, the level of the report, the currency
of the report, the consolidation group and where and which exchange rates are to be used. It is
the local currency amounts, from the CRF base, that are converted into the reporting currency.
The original currency amounts are ignored for combined reporting.
For each local currency one rate is determined and is used for all the companies with that
local currency irrespective of whether there are different set of exchange rates for each
company.
a) from a record on the RE.RPT.CCY.RATE file. This option is referred to as the SPECIAL
rates.
b) from the CURRENCY file for each local currency. If more than one currency is used as a
local currency then the one to be used is specified on the COMPANY.CONSOL record. This
option is referred to as the COMPANY level rates.
c) from one of the CURRENCY files. This file will have been specified on the
COMPANY.CONSOL record. These rates are considered to be the DEFAULT rates.
If a particular rate is missing from the level requested it is obtained using the next level down
or by using the master company's CURRENCY file and calculating cross rates where
required.
CRF reporting
In a Multi Branch environment the CRF key will include the company code as the last
possible element of the key, e.g.
AC.1.TR.GBP.1001.2800.32.GB.........GB0010101
AC.1.TR.GBP.1001.2800.32.GB.........GB0010201
The above example from CONSOLIDATE.ASST.LIAB shows the same type of customer
current accounts in 2 different branches.
PL.53001.20000..10.........GB0010101
PL.53001.20000..10.........GB0010201
PL.53001.20000..10.........GB0010202
The above example from CONSOLIDATE.PRFT.LOSS shows interest accruals in three
different branches.
The CRF reporting data files where necessary include the company code in the key.
The CRF reporting is restricted to reporting at the company (branch) level unless the standard
method of consolidating company reports is used, i.e. via RE.CONSOL.REQUEST.
SMS
All SMS checks take place at the company level. In a multi branch environment the company
code of the record being process will indicate the company for which SMS checks take place.
The following conditions apply on the USER application: -
COMPANY.CODE indicates the companies the user can sign in to.
OTHER.BOOK.ACCESS, OTHER.BOOK.BLOCK these mutually exclusive fields
indicate the companies the user can access for inter company accounting. The
COMPANY.SMS.GROUP table can be set up to store groups of companies and the
key can be entered in the above fields. This allows new branches to be added / deleted
without having to modify individual user records.
It is possible to determine at version level whether a user can automatically switch to another
branch linked to the same Lead Company when working in an application without having to
exit the application and log in to the other company. An example would be for a teller to close
online a customer’s account in another branch.
Position Management
In a multi branch system it is possible that not all branches will follow the working practices
of the Lead Company, for example the head office may not work at weekends whereas the
branches do.
It is possible to define 3 different holiday tables on the COMPANY application: -
OFFICIAL.HOLIDAY
o The business holiday table for the local country
BRANCH.HOLIDAY
o The business holiday table for this company
BATCH.HOLIDAY
o The holiday table that controls which days the COB processing occurs.
Global Processing
Global Processing allows the COB processing in a Multi Company environment to be run
independently at Lead company or Lead Company group level. If the Lead Companies in a
GLOBUS data base are located in a variety of time zones then the COB processing can take
place at a convenient time for the relevant group, with the other groups in the system online.
The global processing module also provides the following functionality: -
Full transaction management in the end of day process
A resilient fault tolerant end of day process (the system cannot stop due to an error
with a contract)
Use of online backups rather than traditional backup
Global processing functionality is restricted to lead companies, i.e. all branches linked
to a Lead Company are processed together
Ability to post accounting entries to companies that are offline from a company that is
online
This section outlines the steps to be taken in setting up a multi-company environment from
the start. The same steps can be followed when converting a single company to a multi-
company environment.
The description has been divided into two main sections - one covering the actions to be taken
outside GLOBUS the other covering the actions to be taken within GLOBUS.
With both the MC and MB modules installed it is possible to set up a system that combines all
type of company.
A multi branch structure should be set up if many of the companies (or branches) share the
same local currency and customer file, and there is no requirement for separate COB
processing (Global processing) for different groups of companies. This will provide a much
A multi company structure set up is required if for example there is more than 1 local
currency, or if it is required to have more than 1 customer file.
Another example of a combined set up would be where a bank operates in different countries
with different local currencies. Each country could be set up with a separate lead company
each with its own branch structure. It would be possible for each Lead Company to share the
same Customer table but have a separate Currency table.
i) Which digits of the account number are to be used for identify the company to which
the account belongs.
ii) The Category code for Inter Company accounts.
iii) The transaction codes for the Inter Company Transactions.
iv) How the Company group number and sequence number in the Company key are to be
used.
v) How the Company digits in the Account Number are to be allocated for each company.
vi) How the Sub-division code for identifying each company is to be allocated.
i) Add to the applications for the existing company the application code MC and MB if
branch processing is required.
ii) Run the application CREATE.MASTER.COMP.BATCH. This will reverse out all
the Batch records and create new batch records for the existing company with the
company mnemonic at the front. Note- For the batch process DATE.CHANGE the
record will not be changed to have the mnemonic at the front. This is because this
Process must be run only once and will cater for all companies in the system at the
time.
iii) Input and authorise the record INTERCO on the ACCOUNT.CLASS file. This record
contains the category code for the Inter Company Accounts.
iv) Ensure you are the only person on the system.
The second section covers the steps in creating the new company record within GLOBUS.
The third section covers the steps to be taken within GLOBUS after creating the Company
record.
The following information about the new company must be obtain before creating the
company record:
If the company to be created shares the following file type with an existing Lead Company
and is in the same Geographical time zone then it is more efficient to create a Branch:-
INT - Installation
CUS - Customer
CST - Customer table
When creating a new company the minimum amount of information required is input in this
application, i.e. name, address, mnemonic, and sub division code. The FINANCIAL.COM
will determine whether a Lead or a Branch company is being created. If the
FINANCIAL.COM is not the same as the @ID of the company being created then a branch
will be created, otherwise a new Lead company will be created.
The DEFAULT.COM is used to identify the company record that will provide the data to
default values into the new company record being created. When creating a new branch all
field apart from those input into this application will be taken from the lead company. When
creating a new lead company the default company can be used to reduce the amount of data
that is input into the new company record. For example if the new lead company being set up
will have similar applications and have a similar file type structure as an existing company
then the new record will be populated with data from the default and then when control is
passed to the COMPANY application the relevant fields can be modified, rather than having
to fill in all fields.
When creating a new branch the relevant data records will be created in the authorised state, so
the amount of work required is restricted to setting up the users for the new branch.
The following steps are to be performed before letting other users back onto the system: