Whether you run a franchise or have multiple businesses, multi-tenancy allows you to establish a main head office account, plus tenant or “franchise” accounts. The value of multi-tenancy is that you can have different accounts share the same customization. Furthermore, you can customize multi-tenancy to aggregate data from all tenants.
Even though the franchises have new company account names and separate QuickBooks databases, in reality they are all syncing to the same back-end as the head office and all other franchisees.
NOTE: Tenant accounts must use the same online or desktop version of QuickBooks as the main head office account. Thus, if the main head is on QuickBooks Online, the tenants must also be on a QuickBooks Online account.
In this article, we will cover:
Currently, multi-tenancy is not available out-of-the-box, and requires advanced customization. This may include, but is not limited to:
Updating Print Templates to support Multiple Franchises
Updating Email Templates to support Multiple Franchises
Reviewing Shared or Existing Dropdowns
Reviewing Shared Resources & Users
Updating Email Settings and business logic for Emailing transactions
This article will cover the basics of multi-tenancy, but does not detail how to customize your account.
What is Multi-tenancy?
Multi-tenancy allows more than one QuickBooks database to sync to the same Method company account. The company account gets divided into the Main "head office" company account, and the "franchisee" tenant company accounts.
Even though the franchises have new company account names, in reality they are all syncing to the same back-end as the head office and all other franchisees.
In this document, "franchisee" and "tenant" can be used interchangeably.
Who is Multi-tenancy for?
Franchisors who have many franchisees, each with their own QuickBooks database. In this scenario,
Franchisor can design screens that are instantly and universally available to all of their franchisees, without the need to copy screens individually into each franchisees account.
Each franchisee syncs their QuickBooks database to Method and can only see their own work.
Franchisors can create screens to search, insert, and update records in multiple franchisee accounts, without the need to sign out and back in.
Franchisors are able to create consolidated reports.
Companies who have more than one QuickBooks database.
If you have multiple businesses, you can share data and screens across those businesses.
NOTE: While an existing company account can be converted to be the main "head office" of a multi-tenancy environment, there is no way to transfer an existing company account to be a "franchisee".
Furthermore, a "franchisee" cannot be removed from the "head office", nor can it be transferred to its own account.
How to get set up
Please contact us to enable multi-tenancy on your account. We'll convert your existing company account to a multi-tenancy environment.
How to add your first franchisee
Login as the admin of the main, "Head office" Method account.
Go to Account Settings ⇨ Multi-tenancy.
Click the Get started button.
In the Tenant name field, type out of the name of the new franchisee and click Create button. The franchisee name must consist of letters and numbers only, no spaces.
A popup will inform you the new tenant as been created. To complete the account setup process, you must log into your new tenant, complete the setup process, and connect your QuickBooks account. Click the Go to tenant button to access that new account.
Follow the steps on the screen to connect your tenant account with its corresponding QuickBooks file. In the below example image, we are prompted to connect our QuickBooks Online account.
Back in your main "Head office" Method account, you should now see a list of all your tenants and the new account you just created.
By selecting a tenant in the table, (and not the Go to tenant button), you can view a list of users in that account, if that account is set up.
Congratulations! You have created your first tenant account. Creating a second is similar, to the above steps, you will need to click the New button which you can see in step 7 above.
How do I assign a user to more than one franchise?
In order to assign a user to other franchises, you will need to access their user profile.
To access a user's profile if they are a user of the main account, go to Account Settings ⇨ Users, and select a user from the list.
To access a user's profile if they are a user in a tenant account, go to Account Settings ⇨ Multi-tenancy, click the tenant account the user is currently in, and then select a user from the list.
When editing a user, you will notice an additional section dealing with multi-tenancy called Tenant settings.
Within Tenant settings, you can add in all the tenant accounts you want the user to have access to.
Hit the Save all changes button when you've finished.
How does Pricing work?
Multi-tenancy is available at any subscription level.
There is no trial period on franchisees, you will be billed the same day a franchisee is added.
Each franchisee account will be billed a Multi-tenancy price of $40/month.
Although a user can be added to multiple franchisee accounts, each user will only be billed once per month for each pack they are using. So if a user is in Tenant Account A and uses the Content Management Pack, and they are also in Tenant Account B using the Content Management Pack, they only get charged once.
How can I revert back to a normal Method Account?
Once multi-tenancy is enabled on an account you cannot revert back to a non-tenant account.
The best move would be to manually remove the tenants and all tenant-related customization, then use the Head Office as the main account for all users. There is no harm in having a multi-tenant database vs. a single tenant one — the multi-tenant one just has more muscle!
What happens if I cancel a franchisee/tenant?
If you cancel a tenant, you will no longer be able to log into that tenant, or have data sync to that tenant.
However, the data recorded for that tenant stays in the database, and can be viewed or modified. Unlike a non-multi-tenant database, the data is not deleted.
You can cancel franchises in the My Account portal, just like any non-multi-tenant account. To cancel an account:
Log into the main "Head office" Method account.
Go to Account Settings ⇨ Multi-tenancy.
By the tenant you wish to cancel, click the Go to tenant button.
While in that tenant, go to Account Settings ⇨ Subscription.
Click the Cancel Account at the bottom to cancel this tenant.
Multi-tenancy and Method:Classic
Multi-tenancy is available on our older, classic version of Method. If you are still using this version, or wish to find out more information, please see our article "Multi-tenancy for Franchises".