# Usage

The items found under the [Party] main menu item allow you to see and manage the parties on your system in a variety of different ways.

Tip

A Party <model-party.party> is often referred to from documents generated in other parts of your Tryton system, from a party you can Open related records to quickly find documents related to that party.

## Categorising parties

It can be a good idea to organise the Parties <model-party.party> on Tryton into groups. This is especially important if you have a lot of parties on your system, as it helps you find and manage them effectively.

To do this you use party Categories <model-party.category>. You can create categories with any name you like, and then add the appropriate categories to each party. These categories can also be organised into a structure, with each category containing one or more subcategories. This can help you classify the parties more finely.

For example:

    Haulier
       Local
       National
       International

In this example hauliers that only deliver goods locally are added to the `Haulier / Local` category. A haulier that delivers to anywhere in the country is added to both the `Haulier / Local` and `Haulier / National` categories.

Tip

Opening a category from the tree view will show a list of the parties that are a member of that category, or any of its subcategories.

## Manually assigning party codes

Each Party <model-party.party> that gets entered onto the system needs a unique code. By default Tryton will automatically generate a code for each new party using the Sequence <trytond:model-ir.sequence> defined in the party Configuration <model-party.configuration>.

There are times when you want to manually allocate codes to parties. Perhaps you have a policy of coding parties based on part of their name, or maybe you have some other reason for needing to give each party a specific code. In these cases you need to clear out the Party Sequence defined in the party Configuration. Once you have done this, as you create the parties, you must fill in the party code manually.

## Setting a default party language

When a new Party <model-party.party> is created the default language for the party is taken from the party Configuration <model-party.configuration>. Providing a default language for parties can help reduce data entry, and ensure that new parties are given a language. This, in turn, can be important as Tryton will automatically generate reports, such as invoices and delivery notes, in the correct language for each party.

## Checking VAT numbers are valid

If the Party <model-party.party> is in the European Union you can use the Check VIES <wizard-party.check_vies> on it to check whether its VAT number is valid or not.

## Merging duplicate parties together

Even when you have checks in place to try and avoid creating duplicate Parties <model-party.party> it is quite common to find this has accidentally happened.

If you do find some duplicates you will first need to decide which of them you want to use from now on.

Then, with the list of parties open, you should select all of the duplicates, apart from the one you want to keep, and then run the Replace <wizard-party.replace> party wizard. Here, you will be able to enter which party you want to keep and get Tryton to replace the duplicates with it.

## Erasing a party’s personal data

In order to help you comply with privacy legislation, personal data about a person or business can be erased from the system by using the Erase <wizard-party.erase> party wizard.

Tip

Tryton will stop you from accidental erasing a party that has pending operations.