Viindoo basics: modules, apps, menus, records and accounts¶

A Viindoo database is built from modules; the biggest ones are applications such as Sales or Accounting. Each application has menus that open lists of records (a quotation, a contact, an opportunity), and each record is made of fields. People log in with user accounts, every user is also a contact, and HR data is kept on employee records, which do not need a user account.

Who	New users and administrators.
App	All apps

Before you start

Have a Viindoo database: see How to sign up and create your Viindoo instance.
The examples use the Sales, CRM and Employees apps: install them to see the same screens.

What is the difference between a module and an application?¶

A module is a package of features that can be installed on its own. Every feature of Viindoo comes from a module, and the Apps menu lists them all.

An application is a large module that covers a whole business area, such as Sales, Accounting or Contracts, and has its own icon on the home screen. In Apps, the Apps filter shows only applications; remove it to see every module.

Apps menu filtered to show only applications

To install modules, see How to install, upgrade and uninstall apps and modules.

What are menus and sub-menus?¶

The main menu is the bar at the top of an application. In Sales, it shows Orders, To Invoice, Products, Reporting and Configuration.

A sub-menu opens from a main menu item. Sales ‣ Orders contains Quotations, Orders, Sales Teams and Customers. In this documentation, menu paths are written as Sales ‣ Orders ‣ Quotations.

Sub-menus under Orders in the Sales application

What are records and fields?¶

A record is one item of data: an opportunity, a quotation, a contact, a product. A menu opens the list of its records, which you can show as cards, a list or a chart (see Views and reports: which view should I use?). In CRM, each card of the pipeline is one opportunity record.

Opportunity records shown as cards in the CRM pipeline

A field is one piece of information on a record, with a type: text (Customer), phone number (Phone), date (Expected Closing), number, yes/no, a link to another record…

What is the administrator account?¶

The administrator account is created with the database. It has every right: it installs apps, creates users and gives them access rights.

What is a user?¶

A user is a person who logs in to Viindoo to work in one or more applications. The administrator creates users and decides what each one can see and do.

See How to create and manage user accounts and How to set user access rights with groups.

What is a contact?¶

A contact stores the details of a person or company you deal with: customers, prospects, vendors, authorities, employees. Every user is linked to a contact, which represents them in messages and discussions.

See How to create a new contact.

What is an employee record?¶

An employee record, in the Employees app, holds HR information about a person working for the company. Private details are kept in the Private Information tab.

An employee does not need a user account: you can manage staff who never log in. Link an employee to a user only for people who work in Viindoo.

Record	Logs in?	Used for
User	Yes	Access to the applications and their rights.
Contact	No	Addresses, emails and messages; every user has one.
Employee	Only if linked to a user	HR data: job, department, contract, private information.

Next steps¶

How to install, upgrade and uninstall apps and modules: install the applications you need.
How to create and manage user accounts: create your users.