Shippers, Shipper Teams, and Shipper Users

Overview

In Orbit, shippers are organised in a hierarchical structure consisting of Shippers (companies), ShipperTeams (organisational units), and ShipperUsers (individual users). This structure enables efficient organisation and precise control over access rights and operational capabilities.

Shippers

A Shipper represents a company or business entity that needs to send goods via road transport. Shippers are the top-level entity and contain core company information such as:

• Company name and legal information (tax ID, VAT ID)

• Primary business address

• Company-wide settings and configurations

• Pricing models and tariff assignments

ShipperTeams

ShipperTeams are organisational units within a Shipper entity. Teams help organise users and manage access within the Shipper's organization. Common uses for teams include:

• Departmental organization (e.g., logistics, procurement)

• Regional divisions

• Functional groups

ShipperUsers

ShipperUsers are individual users who belong to a Shipper organization and can be assigned to specific ShipperTeams. Each user has:

• Personal information (name, contact details)

• Individual access rights and permissions

• Specific roles defining their capabilities within the system

• Personal notification preferences

Partial Data Inheritance

Orbit implements a partial data inheritance concept between these entities. This means that certain data automatically flows from parent entities to their children, while allowing for customization at each level.

How Inheritance Works

• ShipperTeams inherit base company information from their parent Shipper, such as company address and general settings

• Teams can override certain inherited settings with team-specific configurations

• ShipperUsers inherit settings from both their Shipper and assigned ShipperTeam

• Properties and configurations can be set at any level, allowing for flexible customization

Benefits of Partial Inheritance

• Reduces redundant data entry

• Maintains consistency across the organization

• Enables local customisation when needed

• Simplifies management of shared settings

For example, while a Shipper might set company-wide pricing models, individual teams can have specific rate adjustments, and users within those teams might have personalized notification preferences.

API Access

All these entities can be managed through Orbit's REST API, which provides endpoints for:

• Creating and updating Shippers, Teams, and Users

• Managing relationships between entities

• Configuring settings and properties at each level

• Retrieving entity information and hierarchical relationships