Understanding Ottimate Terminology

In the Accounts Payable world, there is a lot of terminology that differs from software to software. In this sheet, we will review some key Ottimate references. 

During your Kickoff meeting, you'll be asked about Locations, Companies, and Groups. It's a good idea to get familiar with what these mean beforehand, so you've got time to think about how your business is set up and ensure that you're ready for the call. 

Basically, think of Companies, Locations, and Groups like folders on your computer or in a filing cabinet.

• Companies: Think of Companies as the separate data sets in your ERP system. Each one has its own chart of accounts, vendor lists, and coding rules. Companies can contain multiple locations or groups, and have more to do with back-end setup than what you see in the app. If your locations share COAs and mapping rules, they should be in the same company. If things differ from location to location, they should be in separate companies. 

• Locations: These are like distinct "folders" within Ottimate where you manage invoices. Access can be limited, and you work on invoices specific to that location. Frequently, each Location represents a physical business site or a department within a larger location. 

• Groups: Groups are collections of Locations organized as you see fit. You can handle invoices at the group level and control access. Groups can have an email for uploading invoices, which are then sorted into the Locations within the group. Groups are also important for statement reconciliation, as statements are matched against all invoices in a group.

In this image, you’ll see all the groups listed on the left, with all locations listed on the right. You can work within All Groups and All Locations, or select a specific location from the list. 

Or you can select a group, where you’ll see the locations in the group, and be able to work within all of them or one of them.