Single vs. Multi Company setup
Prerequisite: Make sure you're familiar with SCAYLE’s shop structures to better understand this topic.
Introduction
Many large businesses own multiple brands, which often act as separate legal entities. Recognizing this, SCAYLE offers the capability to represent these entities as separate "companies" within one unified system account. This tutorial will explain how it works, what data stays separate, and how to set up multiple companies.
Use cases
Imagine a business that operates as separate parts. Maybe they need to keep some information separate from each other, like customer details and orders. This could be because they deal with other businesses (B2B) and regular customers (B2C), have different brand needs, or have to follow certain legal rules. By allowing businesses to create individual "companies" for each entity, SCAYLE ensures that each entity's data remains distinct and secure.
What is a “company” in SCAYLE?
A “company” in SCAYLE represents a legal entity within your business system. Each shop you create is linked to a company.
By default, your SCAYLE account starts with just one company. But, if needed, you can add more. While our core PIM system doesn't have any company-specific logic, the SCAYLE Panel uses companies in two main ways:
User access: Companies help determine who can see and do what within the SCAYLE Panel.
Data separation: Each company can have its own checkout database, keeping customer data separate.
Implications of creating a company
When you set up a company, you're essentially creating a space for a separate legal entity within your SCAYLE system. However, not everything is kept separate:
Shared data: some data, like product details and their attributes, are common across companies.
Unique data: other types of data, especially customer and order details, stay separate to each company.
For a detailed breakdown of what's shared and what's kept separate, refer to the following overview below:
| Topic | Shared? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Master Categories | YES | Master categories are used to organize products. Even with different legal entities, master categories tend to remain consistent. For instance, multiple fashion brands might all have categories like "shirts" or "trousers." |
| Shop Categories | NO | While all shop categories are stored in the same database, they aren't accessible between companies because they use distinct shop category trees. |
| Product data | YES | Products can be shared across brands or between B2B & B2C shops. If you wish to differentiate product data for specific shops, adjust the assortment accordingly. |
| Attributes (Groups) | YES | Attributes, which provide detailed information about products, are consistent across companies |
| Storefront API | YES | The storefront API operates independently of individual companies or shops. |
| Checkout (including Frontend, configuration, etc.) | NO | Every company gets its own checkout instance, complete with a unique database. This ensures customer and order data remain separated. Checkout configurations, being shop-specific, are also distinct. |
| Customer data | NO | Customer data is not shared. This means the same customer ID could technically exist in multiple companies. |
| Order data | NO | Like customer data, order data is unique to each company. While the same order ID can be generated in different companies, you can differentiate them using a reference key or set a specific ID range for each company. |
Creating a new company
To set up a new company, you'll need to use the SCAYLE Admin API. Here's how to do it:
API Request
Method: POST
Endpoint: {{baseUrl}}/companies
{
"name": "Fashion Store (B2B)"
}
Remember, while the SCAYLE Panel offers a multitude of functionalities, the creation of a new company is currently only facilitated through the Admin API.
Creating a shop for a company
To create a shop under a specific company, follow our shop setup guide here. The only difference is you can now select which company the shop should belong to.
