Merge similar suppliers together
The first thing you want to do before you start categorising suppliers is to normalise them. Normalising in this context means merging several suppliers that should be regarded as one but still have non-identical data in the system. For example, it could be suppliers with the same organisation number but with different names.
In the illustration below, the merging arrow to the right of the supplier’s name indicates that another supplier has the same organisation number but a different name. If you press the arrow in the upper right corner, only suppliers with normalisation suggestions are displayed. Press the merge arrow next to the supplier to filter on that specific supplier.
Out of the different supplier names shown, choose which one you want to use as your display name and drag-and-drop the other suppliers on that name. In the illustration below, the name “Clarion Hotel” has been identified as the best one, and thus the other ones will be dragged and dropped on it. Press the information symbol in the upper right corner to display the suppliers that have been normalised under the displayed supplier.
Normalise uncategorised suppliers with an already categorised supplier
It is also possible to normalise directly on a categorised supplier. For example, Clarion Hotels is already categorised under the category Hotels. E.g. another subsidiary to Clarion Hotel has been uploaded, the Clarion Collection Hotels. When you press the merge arrow, it will suggest a normalisation with Clarion Hotels, which is already categorised. Drag and drop the supplier to the categorised supplier, and they will now get the same rules. When the normalisation is complete, it is time to categorise the supplier.
Normalise with supplier name
Using the merging arrow will only filter suppliers with the same organisation number. Sometimes the data does not contain the organisation number as it is not always specified. They will not be displayed when using the merging arrow. There is a function called “Find similar suppliers”, by pressing this, you will filter all suppliers with similar names.
Remove normalisation rule
If you want to undo a normalisation, press the information button and then Description. Press the X-button to delete the normalisation rule.
