Relation Types are how MC Trade helps define the connections between Profile records. Each Relation Type contains both the initial relation and its inverse. For example, the most common Relation type is Employee & Employer. You can also have Relation Types of Former Employee & Former Employer, Business Owner & Business, Board Member & Organization, or any other relation type you choose, as relationship types are customizable.
By tracking Relation Types between Profiles, MC Trade allows you to keep one record for each individual or business within your membership. If a Profile is related to more than one other Profile Record within the database, simply create more Relationships to those other Profiles.
When you assign a Relation Type to one Profile in a relationship, the Inverse Relation Type is assigned to the other Profile. Follow these steps to create Relation Types.
When creating a new Relationship Type, ensure that both sides of the relationship have not been used in any other existing ones. Two different Relationship Types cannot have the same inverse of "Parent", even if the relationship has different counterparts, such as "Subsidiary" and "Division". Check all existing Relationship Types before creating a new one to avoid duplicates.
Steps
1. Go to Admin > Manage Codes, then click Profile Codes > Relation Types.
2. Click Add a Relation Type.
3. Enter the name of the relationship, such as "Branch Location". You can also enter a description.
4. Enter the inverse Relation Type, for the profile who will be related back to profiles you set up with this Relation Type. For example, "Parent Location". Enter a description for this inverse as well.
Every relationship type must always have an inverse; relationships are between two profiles, and without an inverse, there is no title to apply to the second profile.
5. If the Relation Type is to be a Primary Relation (the equivalent of an 'employee' Relation Type), click the Primary Relationship box. You need to check this if you want profiles related to Members with this Relation Type to get access to member pricing, display in directory searches, and other options that you can configure throughout your system.
6. The Public checkbox will allow this relationship (and its inverse) to be visible in the Profile Update form in the Members Only Portal. At least one Relation Type should be marked as Public if you have related profile editing enabled in Members Only.
8. Click Save. The Relation Type and its inverse will both appear in the grid, and you can now use them to edit relationships throughout the database.