Relationship Types Reference

Relationships connect entities together. The system supports two categories: Family Relationships and Business Relationships.

Family Relationships

Family relationships define connections between individuals. These are used in the Family Tree View to visualize family structures.

Spouse

Between: Individual ↔ Individual
Description: Married or de facto partners
Bidirectional: Yes (automatically creates reciprocal relationship)
Example: John Smith is spouse of Sarah Johnson

Parent

Between: Individual → Individual
Description: Parent-child relationship
Reciprocal: Child (automatically created)
Example: John Smith is parent of Michael Smith

Child

Between: Individual → Individual
Description: Child-parent relationship
Reciprocal: Parent (automatically created)
Example: Michael Smith is child of John Smith

Business Relationships

Business relationships define ownership, control, and roles. These are used in the Ownership View to visualize corporate and trust structures.

Shareholder

Between: Individual/Company/Trust → Company
Description: Ownership of shares in a company
Percentage: Optional ownership percentage (0-100%)
Example: John Smith is shareholder of Smith Holdings Pty Ltd (100%)

Director

Between: Individual → Company
Description: Company director role
Example: Sarah Johnson is director of Investment Co Pty Ltd

Unitholder

Between: Individual/Company/Trust → Trust (Unit type)
Description: Ownership of units in a unit trust
Percentage: Optional ownership percentage (0-100%)
Example: Smith Family Trust is unitholder of Property Unit Trust (50%)

Trustee

Between: Individual/Company → Trust
Description: Trustee of a trust (manages trust assets)
Example: John Smith is trustee of Smith Family Trust
Note: A company can also be a trustee (corporate trustee)

Appointor

Between: Individual → Trust
Description: Appointor of a trust (can appoint/remove trustees)
Example: Sarah Johnson is appointor of Smith Family Trust

Beneficiary

Between: Individual/Company/Trust → Trust
Description: Beneficiary of a trust (can receive distributions)
Example: Michael Smith is beneficiary of Smith Family Trust

Relationship Rules and Validation

General Rules

An entity cannot have a relationship with itself
Duplicate relationships between the same entities are not allowed
Some relationships are bidirectional (spouse) while others are directional (parent, shareholder)
Percentages for ownership relationships must be between 0 and 100

Entity Type Restrictions

Relationship	Valid Sources	Valid Targets
Spouse, Parent, Child	Individuals only	Individuals only
Director	Individuals only	Companies only
Appointor	Individuals only	Trusts only
Trustee	Individuals or Companies	Trusts only
Shareholder	Any entity type	Companies only
Unitholder	Any entity type	Unit/Hybrid Trusts only
Beneficiary	Any entity type	Trusts only

Trust Type Restrictions

Unitholder: Only valid for Unit or Hybrid trusts
Beneficiary: Valid for all trust types

Examples of Complex Structures

Example 1: Family Business

John Smith (Individual) is spouse of Sarah Johnson (Individual)
John Smith is shareholder of Smith Holdings Pty Ltd (50%)
Sarah Johnson is shareholder of Smith Holdings Pty Ltd (50%)
John Smith is director of Smith Holdings Pty Ltd

Example 2: Trust Structure

Smith Family Trust (Discretionary Trust) - trustee: Smith Trustee Co Pty Ltd
Smith Trustee Co Pty Ltd (Company) is trustee of Smith Family Trust
John Smith is director of Smith Trustee Co Pty Ltd
Sarah Johnson is appointor of Smith Family Trust
Michael Smith is beneficiary of Smith Family Trust
Smith Family Trust is shareholder of Operating Co Pty Ltd (100%)

Example 3: Multi-Generational Structure

Robert Williams is parent of John Smith
John Smith is parent of Michael Smith
Estate of Robert Williams (Testamentary Trust) - created from will
John Smith is trustee of Estate of Robert Williams
Michael Smith is beneficiary of Estate of Robert Williams

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