Managing complex business relationships—such as parent companies with subsidiaries, regional offices, or reseller networks—requires more than a simple list of accounts. Horilla CRM’s Account Hierarchy feature allows you to organize accounts in a parent-child structure, giving your team a clear view of how organizations are connected.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create account hierarchies, view the hierarchy tree, navigate between related accounts, and manage account relationships over time.

What Is an Account Hierarchy?

An account hierarchy is a parent-child relationship between accounts. A parent account represents the main organization (such as a headquarters or holding company), while child accounts represent subsidiaries, branches, regional offices, or related business units.

Key Points

  • An account can have only one parent account.
  • A parent account can have multiple child accounts.
  • Hierarchies can contain multiple levels (Parent → Child → Grandchild).
  • Deleting a parent account does not delete child accounts; only the relationship is removed.
  • Circular relationships are automatically prevented.

Step 1: Open the Accounts Module

  1. Log in to Horilla CRM.
  2. Navigate to People → Accounts from the left sidebar.
  3. The Accounts list page will open.

Step 2: Create or Open the Parent Account

Before creating a hierarchy, ensure the parent account exists.

  1. Click Create Account.
  2. Enter the account details such as Account Name, Type, and Industry.
  3. Leave the Parent Account field blank.
  4. Click Save.

Step 3: Assign a Parent Account During Account Creation

To create a child account directly under a parent:

  1. Click Create Account.
  2. Locate the Parent Account field.
  3. Search for and select the parent account.
  4. Complete the remaining account details.
  5. Click Save.

The account is now linked as a child of the selected parent account.

Step 4: Add a Child Account from the Parent Account

If both accounts already exist, you can create the relationship from the parent account’s detail page.

  1. Open the parent account.
  2. Go to the Related Lists tab.
  3. Locate the Child Accounts section.
  1. Click Add Child Account.
  2. Select the account to link.
  3. Click Save.

The account will now appear in the Child Accounts list.

Step 5: View the Account Hierarchy Tree

To visualize the complete account structure:

  1. Open an account that contains child accounts.
  2. Go to Related Lists.
  3. In the Child Accounts section, click View Hierarchy (sitemap icon).

A hierarchy dialog displays the full account tree.

Features of the Hierarchy View

  • Expand or collapse child levels using the arrow icons.
  • View parent, child, and grandchild relationships in one place.
  • Click any account name to open its detail page.

From the Parent Account

  1. Open the parent account.
  2. Go to Related Lists → Child Accounts.
  3. Click a child account name to open its detail page.

From the Child Account

The Parent Account field on the account form displays the linked parent account and can be updated if needed.

Step 7: Remove a Parent-Child Relationship

To unlink a child account without deleting either account:

  1. Open the parent account.
  2. Navigate to Related Lists → Child Accounts.
  3. Locate the child account.
  4. Click the Delete (trash) icon beside the relationship.

The relationship is removed, but both account records remain in the system.

Best Practices

  • Use clear account names that include regions or divisions when applicable.
  • Assign parent accounts during creation whenever possible.
  • Review the hierarchy before adding a child account to avoid incorrect relationships.
  • Keep hierarchies simple and meaningful; two or three levels are sufficient in most cases.

Account Hierarchies in Horilla CRM help teams represent complex organizational structures in a clear and manageable way. By linking accounts through parent-child relationships, users can easily understand business relationships, navigate between related accounts, and maintain organized account data across the CRM.

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