When onboarding a new partner, the first task is to configure the onboarding form that will be presented to the partner. The onboarding form functions as a dynamic, customizable questionnaire. You decide which fields and options the partner should see. Certain basic fields—such as partner name and contact information—are always included, while additional fields are optional and can be tailored to the specific partner.
Basic Information
Begin by entering the partner’s company name and the email address of the contact person responsible for the onboarding. These values will prepopulate the onboarding form and can be updated later by the partner.
You must also provide your own email address, which is used for sending notification emails throughout the onboarding process.
Identifiers
Many integrations require a unique identifier for each partner. In Link, multiple identification types can be configured, such as AS2 identifiers or more general identifiers like GLNs. When setting up the onboarding form, select the identification types that the partner can provide.
Document Types
A key part of onboarding is determining which document types will be exchanged between you and the partner. While a typical Link installation may support many document types, it is possible to select only a subset of those to be offered to the partner.
For example, if the partner is a customer, you might allow them to send orders and receive invoices and despatch advices. For each document type, choose the formats the partner is allowed to select from.
The formats available depend on the document configurations set up in Link.
Transport connections
When you have decided which documents to exchange, the next step is to specify how these documents can be transported between you and the partner. The onboarding flow supports the following transport types:
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SFTP
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FTP
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AS2
All three connection types can be configured for document exchange in either direction: sending documents to the partner, receiving documents from the partner, or both.
For SFTP and FTP connections, the server location can also be specified:
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Hosted by the partner – The partner is asked to provide the required connection details.
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Hosted by you – You can provide your own connection details or use Link Integrated FTP.
For AS2 connections, both you and the partner must provide your respective AS2 identifiers and public certificates. The AS2 endpoint address must also be provided based on the direction of the document exchange:
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Documents sent to the partner – The partner provides their AS2 endpoint address.
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Documents received from the partner – You must provide your AS2 endpoint address.
For bidirectional document exchange, both parties must provide an AS2 endpoint address.
Select and configure the types you want to make available for the partner.
Presets
If you regularly onboard similar types of partners, you can save your configuration as a Preset. Presets streamline future onboardings by providing reusable templates—for example, one preset for customers and another for suppliers.
Once the onboarding form is fully configured, an invitation email containing a unique link will be sent to the partner, granting access to the Partner Onboarding Portal.