# Channel network

Model parties, locations, supply edges and per-relationship price books, then give each partner a scoped login.

## The network is the configuration

Everything in Trade OS hangs off a channel graph: parties, the locations they operate from, and the supply edges that connect them. Adding a super-stockist, a sub-distributor or a direct-to-retailer route is a configuration change on that graph, not a new product.

| Object | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Party | A brand, C&F agent, super-stockist, distributor, sub-distributor, retailer, HORECA or institutional buyer |
| Location | A warehouse, depot, branch or delivery point belonging to a party |
| Supply edge | A permitted seller-to-buyer relationship, with its own terms |
| Price book | The prices and lines that apply to one relationship |

A party can hold more than one role. The same business can buy from a brand and sell to retailers, and each edge carries its own terms.

## Scoped partner logins

Each partner signs in to its own workspace view. A distributor sees its buyers, stock, orders and collections. It does not see another distributor's business, and a brand does not automatically see a distributor's private commercial detail.

Grant a login by inviting the party against its node in the network. Scope follows the graph, so revoking an edge revokes what that login could reach.

## Relationship pricing

Prices are defined per relationship rather than per product alone. The same SKU can carry one price to a distributor, another to a sub-distributor and another to a retailer buying direct, without duplicating the catalog.

Price evaluation is deterministic and explainable. When a buyer sees a price, that number can be traced to the price book line and the edge it came from, which is what makes disputes resolvable.

## Design guidance

Model the real trade route before entering data. A common mistake is to create a separate catalog or a separate customer list per tier; in Trade OS that produces duplicate SKUs and prices that drift apart. One catalog plus per-relationship price books keeps the network correct as it grows.

Next: [Orders and inventory](/trade-os/orders-and-inventory).

Canonical: https://docs.boni.one/trade-os/channel-network
Version: 1
Updated: 2026-08-19T04:55:39.331Z