Published at: 2026-10-12
Initialize Group Edition and multi-level ordering
Before you begin
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Applicable scope: ShareOrder Group Edition.
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Role and permission: Use an admin account with ShareOrder management permission.
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Prerequisites: Prepare test accounts, products, and price data.
Steps
Multi-level ordering
System initialization notes
Group Edition initialization
After you purchase ShareOrder Group Edition, Order Management guides industry initialization.
Like single-level ordering, follow the industry selection step by step. After initialization, single-level ordering initialization is complete.
NOTE: Group Edition initialization prerequisites:
- Price Book must be enabled
- SharePartner is not purchased (multi-level ordering and SharePartner are mutually exclusive)
NOTE: Both inventory management modes (Self-management mode and ERP integration) support the channel inventory plugin.
Enable the multi-level ordering plugin
After initialization, open the system configuration page. Enable multi-level ordering if needed. Select Enable. The system checks whether the current enterprise has inventory enabled. If it does, multi-level ordering is initialized. Otherwise, a dialog prompts you to initialize inventory.
Initialization content
After multi-level ordering initialization, the Channel Distribution External Apps item is added. Related initialization includes:
- Adds the Channel Distribution External Apps item, with preset web and Mobile Client page templates
- Adds multi-level ordering menu groups in Order Management, including channel center, channel data, and channel settings, plus channel merchant and channel trading relationship objects
- Upgrades ShareOrder logic to support multi-level ordering. Accounts can choose a supplier and place an order.
- Presets an indirect-channel page template in ShareOrder. The applicable role is Channel ordering clerk, so direct and indirect channels can be used separately.
- Presets Channel Distribution navigation templates
NOTE: Channel Distribution is a new External Apps item built on partner basics. It is the core app for channel merchants. ShareOrder remains the channel ordering app and supports multi-level channel ordering. When there are multiple merchants, users can choose a merchant and order.
Plugin-based in-process trading changes
After multi-level ordering is enabled, both direct accounts and channel accounts create trading relationships. In-process trading management is based on trading relationships. For example, when an order selects an account, it can only select an Associated Account of the current organization. When a channel merchant creates an order, it can only select accounts under its trading relationship. Shipment, Payment, invoicing, contract, quote, and related documents work the same way.
| Object | Operation | Change | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account object | Create | Creating a direct account prompts the system to create an Organization direct supply trading relationship. Creating a channel account automatically creates a Channel supply trading relationship. | |
| List | Data is filtered by data permission plus trading relationship. Channel data has an independent menu and is isolated from direct data. | Important change | |
| Account, contact | List | Adds a Channel Type Record Type. Channel data has an independent menu and is isolated from direct data. | |
| Order, shipment, Payment, invoicing, refund, return, and more | List | Adds a Channel Type Record Type and Details Page Layout. Channel data has an independent menu and is isolated from direct data. | |
| Create | When the create page selects an account, it is filtered by trading relationship. Users or internal staff placing an order on behalf of a customer can select only accounts in Organization direct supply. Channel merchants can select only accounts they supply. | Important change | |
| Inventory, inbound order, outbound order, and other inventory objects | List | Adds a Channel Type Record Type and Details Page Layout. Channel data has an independent menu and is isolated from direct data. | Enable the Channel inventory plugin |
System configuration flow
In the standard channel merchant flow, after the brand owner enables a merchant account, the channel merchant can operate independently, including creating accounts, saleable scope, Price Books, and promotions, then placing orders and managing inventory.
For a strong-control brand owner, the brand owner configures channel saleable scope, channel pricing, and channel promotions uniformly. Then the channel can create accounts and place orders directly.
Expected results
Use a test account to confirm the saved settings take effect on the related pages and records.
Undo or roll back
Return to the configuration entry, restore the previous switch, layout, or rule values, and re-verify with a test account.