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Vendor Alias

Introduction

The Vendor Alias feature enables a single vendor to be associated with multiple Customer Business Platforms (CBPs) within the BHT platform. Historically, a vendor is tied to a single CBP, but this new feature provides the flexibility for a vendor to have a presence across several CBPs, allowing for better inventory and data accessibility.
This feature introduces a new table called vendor_alias, which will store additional CBP relationships for vendors beyond their original CBP assignment.

Use Case Overview

Original Vendor Assignment:

  • CBP 18 (ProTrainerDirect)
  • Vendor ID: 1054

Additional CBP Access:

  • CBP 21 (ecomnowteams)
  • CBP 3 (storenil)

Resulting vendor_alias Table Entries:

  • CBP 21, Vendor 1054
  • CBP 3, Vendor 1054

These entries ensure that Vendor 1054’s inventory and data are accessible across the listed CBPs while maintaining its original assignment to CBP 18.

Workflow and Process

Vendor Alias Creation: Assign Original Vendor to CBP:

When a new vendor is created, it is assigned to a specific CBP.
Example: Vendor 1054 is initially assigned to CBP 18 (ProTrainerDirect).

Add Alias for Additional CBPs:
When a vendor needs to be made accessible to other CBPs, a new alias is created in the vendor_alias table.
Example: Vendor 1054 is added as an alias to CBP 21 (ecomnowteams) and CBP 3 (storenil).
Multiple CBP Assignments:

Vendors can have multiple CBP assignments stored in the vendor_alias table.
Each entry links the vendor to a specific CBP, creating an alias relationship.

Data and Inventory Access: Vendors can have different pricing, stock, or inventory values for each CBP they are associated with, but the core vendor details remain the same.
The alias table ensures that when users or systems query for vendor data, the system checks the original CBP assignment first and then looks up any additional CBP relationships via the vendor_alias table.

Admin Panel UI Changes

Managing Vendor Aliases in the Admin Panel:

Vendor Aliases Dashboard:

A new section will be introduced in the Admin Panel called "Vendor Aliases" under the Manage Entities tab.
This section allows admins to see all the CBPs a particular vendor is associated with, including both the original and additional CBP assignments.

Add Vendor Alias:

Admins will have the ability to add new aliases for vendors to different CBPs.
There will be a dropdown to select an existing vendor and another dropdown to select the target CBP.
After saving, the new alias will appear in the vendor’s alias list.

Edit/Remove Vendor Aliases:

Vendors can have multiple aliases, and the admin can edit or remove any alias from the list.
Removing an alias will dissociate the vendor from the target CBP without affecting the vendor’s original CBP assignment.

Search and Filter:
The admin panel will allow for searching and filtering of vendor aliases based on CBP and vendor IDs.

Permissions and Access Control:

Only users with the appropriate permissions (e.g., CBP Admin) will be able to modify the vendor alias settings.

Different user roles can have varying levels of access to view or modify vendor aliases depending on the CBP access control structure.

Conclusion

The Vendor Alias feature enhances the flexibility of vendor assignments across the platform. By enabling vendors to be accessible across multiple CBPs while maintaining a single source of truth for vendor data, the system will better support multi-platform operations and improve overall user experience. However, careful attention is required to handle data consistency, permissions, and the overall flow of vendor-related information across platforms.