Relationships are how iPaaS.com models the account-centric (B2B) structure that a flat customer list can't express - which contacts belong to which account, which contact or account is primary, and how companies nest into parent and subsidiary trees. There are two distinct relationship types.
The Two Relationship Types
Type | Connects |
Customer Relationship | A customer to a company - a contact attached to an account. |
Company Relationship | A company to another company - hierarchy or association (parent/subsidiary). |
Both types carry a relationship type, an optional start and end date, a primary flag, and the other party being linked to.
The Primary Flag
The primary flag designates the primary contact on an account, or the primary account in a company structure. Set it deliberately to reflect the true primary rather than copying it blindly from the source system.
B2B vs. B2C
In B2C flows, where you're syncing individual shoppers, relationships are usually unused. In B2B flows they're central: companies come in as accounts (with company relationships expressing the parent/subsidiary structure) and customers come in as the contacts attached to them (with customer relationships, and the primary contact flagged).
Integration Coverage Varies
Relationships are directional and typed, and not every integration implements them - and an integration may support one direction but not the other. Whether relationships sync for your subscription, and in which direction, depends on the specific integration in use. If you're relying on relationship data for a build, confirm coverage for that integration first.