Department

Overview

Department — Business Overview

Department is a foundational setup record in Dafater that represents how your organization is structured into functional or operational units, such as Finance, Sales, Human Resources, Operations, or IT. It helps the business clearly define responsibility areas, manage people and costs, and produce meaningful management reports.

What the Department is Used For

In daily business operations, Department is used to:

Organize employees and roles by functional area
Track expenses, budgets, and costs by responsibility center
Support internal approvals and accountability
Enable management reporting by department performance
Align operational activities with organizational structure

By defining Departments, Dafater can reflect how your business actually operates rather than treating all activities as one unit.

Prerequisites and Setup Requirements

Before using Department, it is recommended that:

Your company or business entity is already defined in Dafater
You have clarity on your organizational structure and reporting lines
Key functional areas (such as Finance, Sales, Operations, Support) are identified
Department managers or responsible persons are known

Departments should be created early during system setup, as many other business records rely on them.

Typical Workflow and Business Usage

Define Departments
The business creates a list of Departments that reflect its real-world structure.
Assign Responsibility
Each Department is typically linked to a manager or owner responsible for outcomes and approvals.
Use Across Business Processes
Departments are selected in employee records, expense transactions, internal requests, and operational documents.
Monitor and Report
Management uses Department-based reports to review costs, productivity, and performance.
Adjust as Business Evolves
Departments can be added, restructured, or deactivated as the organization grows or changes.

Key Business Scenarios Where Department Is Essential

Employee Management
Assigning employees to the correct Department for reporting, supervision, and evaluations.
Cost and Budget Control
Tracking expenses and budgets by Department to control spending and measure efficiency.
Internal Approvals
Routing requests or decisions to the correct Department head.
Management Reporting
Analyzing profitability, workload, or performance by Department.
Organizational Transparency
Clearly showing who is responsible for what within the business.

Important Considerations for Users

Keep Departments Clear and Meaningful
Avoid creating too many or overlapping Departments, as this reduces clarity.
Align with Real Operations
Departments should match how work is actually done, not just theoretical structures.
Assign Ownership
Every Department should have a clear responsible person to ensure accountability.
Review Periodically
As the business grows, review Departments to ensure they still reflect reality.
Use Consistent Naming
Clear and consistent Department names improve reporting and communication across the organization.

In summary, Department is a core building block in Dafater that supports structure, accountability, and insight across all business activities. Proper setup and thoughtful use of Departments lead to better control, clearer reporting, and more effective decision-making.

Basic Information

Module: Setup
Document Type: Setup

Fields

Field Name	Label	Type	Required	Options	Description
department_name	Department	Data	✓	-	Official name of the organizational department.
parent_department	Parent Department	Link		Department	Parent department for hierarchical reporting structure.
company	Company	Link	✓	Company	Company this department belongs to within Dafater.
is_group	Is Group	Check		-	Indicates if department is a grouping node only.
disabled	Disabled	Check		-	Marks department as inactive and unavailable for transactions.
payrollcostcenter	Payroll Cost Center	Link		Cost Center	Default cost center for department payroll expenses.
leaveblocklist	Leave Block List	Link		Leave Block List	Leave block rules applicable to this department.
shiftrequestapprover	Shift Request Approver	Table		Department Approver	Approvers authorized to approve employee shift requests.
leave_approvers	Leave Approver	Table		Department Approver	Approvers responsible for approving employee leave requests.
expense_approvers	Expense Approver	Table		Department Approver	Approvers responsible for approving department expense claims.
lft	lft	Int		-	System-managed left index for department hierarchy ordering.
rgt	rgt	Int		-	System-managed right index for department hierarchy ordering.
old_parent	Old Parent	Data		-	Previous parent department before hierarchy changes.

Child Tables

Shift Request Approver (Department Approver)

Field Name	Label	Type	Required	Options	Description
approver	Approver	Link	✓	User	User authorized to approve department requests in Dafater.

Leave Approver (Department Approver)

Field Name	Label	Type	Required	Options	Description
approver	Approver	Link	✓	User	User authorized to approve department requests in Dafater

Expense Approver (Department Approver)

Field Name	Label	Type	Required	Options	Description
approver	Approver	Link	✓	User	Dafater user authorized to approve department-related requests.

Permissions

Role	Read	Write	Create	Delete
HR User	✓	✓	✓	✓
HR Manager	✓	✓	✓	✓
Employee
Academics User	✓	✓	✓	✓

DocType	Relationship	Module
Activity Cost	Linked from	Projects
Additional Salary	Linked from	Payroll
Appraisal	Linked from	HR
Appraisal Cycle	Linked from	HR
Asset	Linked from	Assets
Attendance	Linked from	HR
Attendance Request	Linked from	HR
Bulk Salary Structure Assignment	Linked from	Payroll
Compensatory Leave Request	Linked from	HR
Employee	Linked from	Setup
Employee Advance	Linked from	HR
Employee Attendance Tool	Linked from	HR
Employee Benefit Application	Linked from	Payroll
Employee Benefit Claim	Linked from	Payroll
Employee Incentive	Linked from	Payroll
Employee Onboarding	Linked from	HR
Employee Onboarding Template	Linked from	HR
Employee Performance Feedback	Linked from	HR
Employee Promotion	Linked from	HR
Employee Referral	Linked from	HR
Employee Separation	Linked from	HR
Employee Separation Template	Linked from	HR
Employee Tax Exemption Declaration	Linked from	Payroll
Employee Tax Exemption Proof Submission	Linked from	Payroll
Employee Transfer	Linked from	HR
Exit Interview	Linked from	HR
Expense Claim	Linked from	HR
Full and Final Statement	Linked from	HR
Gratuity	Linked from	Payroll
Job Opening	Linked from	HR
Job Requisition	Linked from	HR
Leave Allocation	Linked from	HR
Leave Application	Linked from	HR
Leave Control Panel	Linked from	HR
Leave Encashment	Linked from	HR
Payroll Entry	Linked from	Payroll
Project	Linked from	Projects
Remote Work Application	Linked from	Dafater HR
Retention Bonus	Linked from	Payroll
SMS Center	Linked from	Selling
Salary Slip	Linked from	Payroll
Salary Structure Assignment	Linked from	Payroll
Sales Person	Linked from	Setup
Shift Assignment	Linked from	HR
Shift Assignment Tool	Linked from	HR
Shift Request	Linked from	HR
Staffing Plan	Linked from	HR
Task	Linked from	Projects
Timesheet	Linked from	Projects
Training Feedback	Linked from	HR
Company	Links to	Setup
Cost Center	Links to	Accounts
Department	Links to	Setup
Leave Block List	Links to	HR