NetSuite Structure

Understand how NetSuite organizes your business.

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The Big Picture

NetSuite organizes your business using these building blocks:

NETSUITE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
===============================================================================

COMPANY (Top Level)
│
├── SUBSIDIARIES (Legal entities - OneWorld only)
│   ├── ABC Company US
│   ├── ABC Company UK
│   └── ABC Company Canada
│
├── DEPARTMENTS (Organizational units)
│   ├── Sales
│   ├── Marketing
│   ├── Finance
│   └── Operations
│
├── LOCATIONS (Physical places)
│   ├── Headquarters
│   ├── West Warehouse
│   └── East Office
│
└── CLASSES (Business segments)
    ├── Product Line A
    ├── Product Line B
    └── Services

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What Each One Means

Building Block	What It Is	Example
Subsidiary	A legal entity (separate company)	"ABC Company USA Inc."
Department	An organizational team	"Sales", "Finance"
Location	A physical place	"Main Warehouse", "NYC Office"
Class	A business category	"Product Line", "Project"

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When to Use Each

Subsidiary (OneWorld Only)

Use when you have separate legal entities:

USE SUBSIDIARY WHEN:
├── Separate tax filings
├── Different currencies
├── Different countries
├── Separate bank accounts
└── Need consolidated reporting

Department

Use to organize by team or function:

DEPARTMENT EXAMPLES:
├── Sales
├── Marketing
├── Finance
├── Operations
├── Human Resources
└── Information Technology

Location

Use for physical places:

LOCATION EXAMPLES:
├── Main Office
├── Manufacturing Plant
├── Warehouse - East
├── Warehouse - West
├── Retail Store #1
└── Remote Office - London

Class

Use for anything else you want to track:

CLASS EXAMPLES:
├── Product Line (Widgets, Gadgets)
├── Project (Project Alpha, Project Beta)
├── Channel (Online, Retail, Wholesale)
├── Region (if not using Location)
└── Cost Center

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How They Appear on Transactions

When users create transactions, they select these segments:

SALES ORDER FORM
===============================================================================

Customer:     ABC Corporation
Date:         03/15/2024

Classification Fields:
├── Subsidiary:  ABC Company US        ← Which legal entity
├── Department:  Sales                 ← Which team
├── Location:    East Warehouse        ← Where from
└── Class:       Product Line A        ← Business segment

Items:
├── Widget Pro (10 units)
└── Widget Basic (5 units)

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Setting Up Segments

Creating a Department

HOW TO CREATE A DEPARTMENT
===============================================================================

Step 1: Navigate
Setup > Company > Departments > New

Step 2: Fill in details
├── Name: "Customer Success"
├── Parent: (optional - for hierarchy)
└── Inactive: unchecked

Step 3: Save

Now: Department appears in dropdown lists on transactions

Creating a Location

HOW TO CREATE A LOCATION
===============================================================================

Step 1: Navigate
Setup > Company > Locations > New

Step 2: Fill in details
├── Name: "West Distribution Center"
├── Address: (physical address)
├── Make Inventory Available: ✓ (if warehouse)
└── Parent: (optional)

Step 3: Save

Now: Location appears in dropdowns and can hold inventory

Creating a Class

HOW TO CREATE A CLASS
===============================================================================

Step 1: Navigate
Setup > Company > Classes > New

Step 2: Fill in details
├── Name: "Enterprise Products"
├── Parent: (optional)
└── Inactive: unchecked

Step 3: Save

Now: Class appears in dropdowns on transactions

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Hierarchies

You can create parent-child relationships:

DEPARTMENT HIERARCHY EXAMPLE
===============================================================================

Operations (Parent)
├── Manufacturing
├── Quality Control
└── Warehouse
    ├── Warehouse - Receiving
    └── Warehouse - Shipping

Why use hierarchies?

• Roll-up reporting (see parent + children together)
• Organized dropdown lists
• Easier restriction setup

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Using Segments for Security

You can restrict users to see only certain segments:

ROLE RESTRICTION EXAMPLE
===============================================================================

Role: Sales Manager - East

Restrictions:
├── Location: East Region
└── Department: Sales

Result:
├── User only sees East Region transactions
├── User only sees Sales department data
└── Other regions and departments are hidden

See Role Restrictions for details.

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Quick Reference

I want to...	Go to
Create a department	Setup > Company > Departments > New
Create a location	Setup > Company > Locations > New
Create a class	Setup > Company > Classes > New
Create a subsidiary	Setup > Company > Subsidiaries > New
Make segment required	Customization > Forms > [Form]

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Common Questions

Question	Answer
Do I need all four segments?	No, use what makes sense for your business
Can I rename them?	Yes, go to Setup > Company > General Preferences
Can I add more segments?	Yes, enable "Custom Segments" feature
Are they required?	You choose - make required on forms if needed

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Key Takeaways

1. Subsidiary = Legal entity (country, tax filing)
2. Department = Team or function (Sales, Finance)
3. Location = Physical place (warehouse, office)
4. Class = Anything else (product line, project)
5. Use hierarchies for organized reporting
6. Use for restrictions to control data access

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Related Topics

• Role Restrictions - Limit access by segment
• Custom Roles - Create roles with restrictions
• Data Migration - Import segment data