Create a customer

Where: Customers → Create customer. Who: customer.create, party.view and partner.view. Creating a new identity also needs party.create; creating a new Partner needs partner.create.

Creating a customer has three steps. Each step saves on its own, so if something fails you can keep the page open and carry on: what was already saved is reused, not created again.

Step 1: choose the Party (identity)

Always search first, so the same organisation is never entered twice.

1. Under 1. Select an existing active Party, type the name and select Search for duplicate identities.
2. Look at the results, for example #310 · Café Aroma Ltd · Active. "These names are suggestions, not proof of identity." Check the legal name and registration number with the customer.
3. If it is the right identity, select Use this Party, then Use selected Party.
4. If nobody matches, select Create a new identity after searching, tick I reviewed the search and need a separate new identity., and fill in:

Field	Required	Example
Identity type	Yes	Organization (or Person)
Display name	Yes, up to 150 characters	Green Leaf Deli
Legal name	No	Green Leaf Deli Limited
Registration number	No	09876543
Tax number	No	GB 123 4567 89

5. Select Save Party identity. The step shows 1. Party saved or selected with Party #322 · Green Leaf Deli · Active.

Step 2: the Partner relationship

1. Under 2. Partner relationship, select Check existing Partner.
2. What you see next:

Result	What to do
A Partner of type Customer, or Customer and supplier, and Active	Carry on to step 3
No Partner	Enter Partner code and Default currency, then Create Customer Partner
A Partner that can't hold a customer (e.g. supplier-only, or inactive)	Stop. An authorised person must change the Partner first.

Field	Rule	Example
Partner code	Required, up to 100 characters	P-GREENLEAF
Default currency	Three letters	GBP

Step 3: the customer account

1. Under 3. Customer account, select Check or reconcile existing Customer. If the Partner already has a customer you see "Customer CUST-0042 already occupies this Partner link (ACTIVE)." Select Open customer instead of creating another.
2. Otherwise fill in:

Field	Rule	Example
Customer code	Required, unique, up to 50 characters	CUST-0051
Account type	Retail, Wholesale, Distributor, Marketplace, Corporate, Government, Charity, Internal, Other	WHOLESALE
Currency	Three letters	GBP

3. Select Create customer account. "The new account starts ACTIVE." The customer opens on its details page.

What is refused

Message	Meaning	What to do
Customer code already exists	Codes are unique	Choose another code
Customer already exists for Partner	This Partner already has a customer	Open the existing customer
Partner does not support customer capability	The Partner is supplier-only or not active	Ask an authorised person to update the Partner
Select an active Party.	The chosen Party is inactive	Choose an active identity
The write outcome is uncertain. Reconcile current records before attempting another create.	The connection dropped while saving	Select Reconcile Partner or Check or reconcile existing Customer before trying again

Don't create a second identity to get past an error

If a step fails, reconcile first. A second Party for the same organisation splits its history and addresses across two records.

Next: Find customers.