Core Module

1. Module Overview

The Core Module is the foundation of the entire BigLedger ecosystem. It contains the master data applets that every other module depends on — from organizational structure and chart of accounts to customer/supplier records, employee data, pricing, and tax configuration.

No other module can function without Core. It must be the first module implemented in any BigLedger deployment.

Business Value:

Single source of truth for all master data across the organization
Centralized configuration eliminates data duplication and inconsistency
Role-based access through the Tenant Admin Applet ensures security from day one
Workflow design capabilities enable custom approval chains for any business process

2. Key Concepts & Terminology

Term	Definition
Tenant	A self-contained BigLedger account representing one business entity or organization.
Organisation	The hierarchical structure defining the company, its branches, and locations.
Chart of Accounts (COA)	The master list of all financial accounts used for recording transactions.
Cashbook	A register representing a bank account, cash drawer, or payment method used for recording monetary inflows and outflows.
Pricebook	A curated list of item prices assigned to specific customer groups, tiers, or channels.
Inventory Item	A product or service record in the item master, including SKU, pricing, tax codes, and stock settings.
Doc Item	A document-level item configuration defining how items behave within transactional documents (e.g., invoices, purchase orders).
Workflow Design	A visual rule builder that defines multi-step approval or automation chains triggered by document events.

3. Included Applets

Organisation & Structure

Applet	Purpose
Organisation Applet	Define and manage the full company hierarchy — company, branches, locations, and departments.

Financial Foundation

Applet	Purpose
Chart of Accounts Applet	Create and manage the hierarchical account structure for all financial transactions.
Cashbook Applet	Set up and maintain bank accounts, petty cash, and payment method registers.
Tax Configuration Applet	Define tax codes, rates, and rules for sales and purchase transactions.

People & Partners

Applet	Purpose
Customer Maintenance Applet	Create and manage customer master records with credit terms, addresses, and contact details.
Supplier Maintenance Applet	Create and manage supplier/vendor master records with payment terms and banking details.
Employee Maintenance Applet	Manage employee profiles, department assignments, and HR-related data.

Products & Pricing

Applet	Purpose
Inventory Item Maintenance Applet	Maintain the item master catalogue — SKUs, descriptions, classifications, and stock settings.
Doc Item Maintenance Applet	Configure document-level item behaviors including pricing rules, tax mapping, and UOM settings.
Pricebook Applet	Create segmented price lists for different customer tiers, channels, or promotional periods.
Shipping Pricebook Applet	Define shipping and delivery rate cards based on weight, destination, or service type.

System Administration

Applet	Purpose
Tenant Admin Applet	Manage users, roles, permissions, and system-wide configurations.
Workflow Design Applet	Build visual approval workflows and automation rules for transactional documents.
Group Maintenance Applet	Manage user groups and permission sets for role-based access control.

4. Standard Business Workflows

Workflow 1: New Company Setup (Day One)

Company Setup ──▶ Branch Setup ──▶ Location Setup ──▶ COA Import ──▶ Tax Setup ──▶ Cashbook Setup

Steps:

System Admin creates the company entity in the Organisation Applet.
Add branches (e.g., HQ, Penang Office) within the Organisation Applet.
Add locations (e.g., Main Warehouse, Retail Outlet) within the Organisation Applet.
Import the Chart of Accounts using a standard industry template.
Configure Tax Codes (e.g., SST @ 6%, Service Tax @ 8%) in the Tax Configuration Applet.
Create Cashbooks for each bank account and petty cash fund.

Workflow 2: New Customer Onboarding

Customer Creation ──▶ Credit Terms ──▶ Pricebook Assignment ──▶ Ready for Sales

Steps:

Sales Admin creates the customer record in Customer Maintenance Applet with contact details and addresses.
Finance sets the customer’s credit limit and payment terms (e.g., Net 30).
Sales Manager assigns the customer to the appropriate Pricebook tier.
The customer is now ready for quotations and orders in the Sales module.

Workflow 3: New Product Launch

Item Creation ──▶ Doc Item Config ──▶ Pricing Setup ──▶ Tax Mapping ──▶ Stock Locations

Steps:

Product team creates the item in Inventory Item Maintenance with SKU, description, and classification.
Doc Item Maintenance is configured to set how the item behaves on invoices (tax category, UOM, discount rules).
Prices are set in the relevant Pricebook entries.
Tax codes are mapped in the Tax Configuration Applet.
Stock locations are assigned in the Inventory module.

5. Roles & Permissions

Role	Primary Applets	Key Responsibilities
System Administrator	Tenant Admin, Workflow Design, Group Maintenance	User management, permissions, system configuration, workflow setup
Finance Controller	Chart of Accounts, Cashbook, Tax Configuration	Account structure, banking setup, tax compliance
Sales Administrator	Customer Maintenance, Pricebook	Customer records, pricing tiers, credit terms
Purchasing Administrator	Supplier Maintenance	Vendor records, payment terms, supplier qualifications
HR Administrator	Employee Maintenance	Employee records, department assignments
Product Manager	Inv Item Maintenance, Doc Item Maintenance, Shipping Pricebook	Product catalogue, pricing rules, shipping rates

6. Prerequisites / Initial Setup

The Core Module is the first module to be implemented. It has no external prerequisites.

Setup Sequence

Recommended configuration order:

Organization Setup (Company details, branches, departments)
Financial Foundation (Chart of Accounts, Tax Configuration, Cashbooks)
Master Data (Customers, Suppliers, Employees, Items catalogue)
System Configuration (Tenant Admin settings, user permissions, workflow rules)

Implementation Checklist:

Create the company entity in the Organisation Applet
Define at least one branch and one location
Import or create the Chart of Accounts
Configure all applicable tax codes
Create at least one Cashbook (bank account)
Set up the System Administrator user in Tenant Admin
Create initial user roles and permission groups
Import or create customer master records
Import or create supplier master records
Import or create the item catalogue
Set up at least one Pricebook

Configuration Best Practices & Naming Conventions

Naming Conventions:

Accounts (COA): Use structured numbering (e.g., 1000-1999 for Assets, 2000-2999 for Liabilities, 3000-3999 for Equity).
Items: Use category-based codes (e.g., ELEC-001 for Electronics, FURN-001 for Furniture).
Customers/Suppliers: Use systematic codes (e.g., CUS-001, SUP-001).
Employees: Use department-based prefixes (e.g., HR-001, FIN-001).

Data Integrity:

Enable Audit Trails in the Tenant Admin Applet from the start.
Set Up Approval Workflows for critical master data changes (like customer credit limits or new supplier onboarding).
Plan naming schemes before configuring the system to ensure scalability.

7. FAQs & Troubleshooting

Q: Can I change the Chart of Accounts structure after going live? A: Yes, you can add new accounts at any time. However, renaming or deleting accounts that have transactions posted against them is restricted. Plan your COA carefully during initial setup.

Q: How many branches and locations can I have? A: There is no hard limit. BigLedger supports multi-branch, multi-location setups of any scale.

Q: A new employee was added but they can’t log in. What’s wrong? A: Employee records in Employee Maintenance are HR data. Login access is managed separately in the Tenant Admin Applet. Ensure the user has been created there with the correct role assignments.

Q: How do I set different prices for different customer groups? A: Create multiple Pricebooks (e.g., Retail, Wholesale, VIP) and assign customers to the appropriate pricebook in their customer record.

Q: Can one item have different tax treatments in different branches? A: Yes. Tax codes are configurable at the document item level and can be overridden per branch or location through the Doc Item Maintenance Applet.