Currencies & Locales

Configure multi-currency support and regional formatting options for your organization.

Overview

The Currencies & Locales module allows you to:

• Add and manage multiple currencies
• Configure exchange rates
• Set up regional locales
• Configure currency symbols and formatting
• Manage currency-specific settings

Currencies

Adding a Currency

1. Navigate to Currencies

   • Go to Settings > Currencies & Locales
   • Click "Add Currency"

2. Currency Details

   • Currency Code: ISO 4217 code (e.g., USD, GHS, EUR)
   • Currency Name: Full currency name (e.g., US Dollar, Ghana Cedi)
   • Symbol: Currency symbol (e.g., $, ₵, €)
   • Locale ID: Associated locale (foreign key to locales table)
   • Exchange Rate: Rate relative to base currency
   • Decimals: Number of decimal places (usually 2)
   • Is Default: Mark as organization default currency
   • Is Active: Enable/disable currency

3. Save Currency

   • Click "Save" to create the currency
   • Currency appears in currency list

Currency Fields

Currency Code

• Format: 3-letter ISO 4217 code
• Examples: USD, GHS, EUR, GBP, JPY
• Required: Yes
• Unique: Yes

Currency Name

• Format: Full name of currency
• Examples: US Dollar, Ghana Cedi, Euro
• Required: Yes
• Display: Shown in dropdowns and reports

Symbol

• Format: Currency symbol
• Examples: $, ₵, €, £, ¥
• Required: Yes
• Display: Shown before amounts

Locale ID

• Type: Foreign key to locales table
• Purpose: Associates currency with regional locale
• Required: No (can be null)
• Impact: Affects number and date formatting

Exchange Rate

• Format: Decimal number
• Base: Relative to organization's base currency
• Example: If base is USD and GHS rate is 12.5, then 1 USD = 12.5 GHS
• Auto-Update: Can be configured for automatic updates
• Manual Override: Can set manually

Decimals

• Format: Integer (0-4)
• Default: 2
• Purpose: Number of decimal places for amounts
• Examples: 2 for $10.50, 0 for ¥1000

Is Default

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Mark as organization's primary currency
• Limit: Only one currency can be default
• Impact: Used for reporting and base calculations

Is Active

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Enable/disable currency
• Impact: Inactive currencies not shown in dropdowns
• Data Preservation: Historical data preserved even if inactive

Managing Currencies

Editing a Currency

1. Navigate to currency list
2. Click on currency to edit
3. Modify fields as needed
4. Click "Save Changes"
5. Changes take effect immediately

Deleting a Currency

1. Navigate to currency list
2. Click on currency to delete
3. Click "Delete"
4. Confirm deletion
5. Currency removed from system

Restrictions:

• Cannot delete default currency
• Cannot delete currency with transactions
• Cannot delete currency with inventory
• Set as inactive instead of deleting

Exchange Rates

Manual Exchange Rate Update

1. Navigate to Currencies

   • Go to Settings > Currencies & Locales
   • Click on currency to edit

2. Update Exchange Rate

   • Enter new exchange rate
   • Set effective date
   • Click "Save"

3. Rate History

   • System maintains rate history
   • Can view historical rates
   • Used for historical transactions

Automatic Exchange Rate Updates

Configure automatic rate updates:

1. Navigate to Exchange Rate Settings

   • Go to Settings > Currencies & Locales
   • Click "Exchange Rate Settings"

2. Configure Auto-Update

   • Enable: Enable automatic updates
   • Source: Select rate source (e.g., Central Bank)
   • Frequency: Update frequency (daily, weekly)
   • Time: Update time

3. Save Settings

   • Click "Save"
   • System updates rates automatically

Rate Sources

• Central Bank: Official central bank rates
• Market Rates: Market exchange rates
• Custom API: Custom rate provider API
• Manual: Manual entry only

Locales

Adding a Locale

1. Navigate to Locales

   • Go to Settings > Currencies & Locales
   • Click "Locales" tab
   • Click "Add Locale"

2. Locale Details

   • Locale Code: IETF language tag (e.g., en-US, en-GH, fr-FR)
   • Locale Name: Human-readable name (e.g., English (United States))
   • Language: Language (e.g., English, French)
   • Country: Country (e.g., United States, Ghana)
   • Is Active: Enable/disable locale

3. Save Locale

   • Click "Save"
   • Locale appears in locale list

Locale Fields

Locale Code

• Format: IETF BCP 47 language tag
• Examples: en-US, en-GH, fr-FR, es-ES
• Required: Yes
• Unique: Yes

Locale Name

• Format: Human-readable name
• Examples: English (United States), English (Ghana)
• Required: Yes
• Display: Shown in dropdowns

Language

• Format: Language name
• Examples: English, French, Spanish
• Required: Yes
• Purpose: Language identification

Country

• Format: Country name
• Examples: United States, Ghana, France
• Required: Yes
• Purpose: Regional identification

Is Active

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Enable/disable locale
• Impact: Inactive locales not shown in dropdowns

Locale Impact

Locales affect:

• Number Formatting: Decimal separators, thousand separators
• Date Formatting: Date order, separators
• Time Formatting: 12-hour vs 24-hour, AM/PM
• Currency Formatting: Symbol position, spacing
• First Day of Week: Sunday or Monday

Currency-Locale Relationship

Foreign Key Relationship

Currencies are linked to locales via the locale_id foreign key:

• Database: currencies.locale_id references locales.id
• Purpose: Associates currency with regional formatting
• Flexibility: Can be null for global currencies
• Display: Shows locale name and code in UI

Benefits

• Normalized Data: Locale data stored centrally
• Easy Updates: Update locale in one place
• Consistency: Consistent formatting across system
• Flexibility: Multiple currencies can share locale

Multi-Currency Transactions

Transaction Currency Selection

When creating transactions:

1. Select Currency

   • Choose from active currencies
   • Default to organization default
   • Can change per transaction

2. Exchange Rate

   • System uses current exchange rate
   • Can override if needed
   • Rate saved with transaction

3. Base Currency Conversion

   • Amount converted to base currency
   • Both amounts stored
   • Reporting uses base currency

Reporting in Multiple Currencies

• Base Currency: Primary reporting currency
• Multi-Currency: Reports in selected currency
• Conversion: Real-time or historical rates
• Comparison: Compare across currencies

Currency Formatting

Display Formats

Currency amounts are formatted based on:

• Symbol: Currency symbol position
• Decimals: Number of decimal places
• Separators: Thousand and decimal separators
• Spacing: Space between symbol and amount

Examples

Best Practices

Currency Management

• Add all currencies you'll use
• Keep exchange rates updated
• Set appropriate decimal places
• Use correct currency codes
• Mark appropriate currency as default

Locale Management

• Add locales for all regions you operate in
• Use correct IETF locale codes
• Keep locale names descriptive
• Activate only needed locales
• Regularly review locale settings

Exchange Rate Management

• Update rates regularly
• Use reliable rate sources
• Maintain rate history
• Document rate sources
• Test automatic updates

Multi-Currency Setup

• Plan currency needs before setup
• Configure base currency first
• Set up exchange rate updates
• Test currency conversion
• Train users on multi-currency

Troubleshooting

Currency Not Showing in Dropdown

• Verify currency is active
• Check if currency is deleted
• Refresh the page
• Verify user permissions
• Contact support if needed

Exchange Rate Not Updating

• Check auto-update settings
• Verify rate source is accessible
• Check API credentials
• Test manual update
• Contact support if issue persists

Incorrect Currency Formatting

• Verify locale is configured correctly
• Check decimal places setting
• Verify symbol is correct
• Test with sample amount
• Contact support if needed

Cannot Delete Currency

• Check if currency is default
• Verify no transactions exist
• Check if inventory uses currency
• Set as inactive instead
• Contact support if needed

Locale Not Working

• Verify locale code is correct
• Check if locale is active
• Verify currency is linked to locale
• Test with sample data
• Contact support if issue persists

Database Schema Reference

Currencies Table

CREATE TABLE currencies (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    organization_id INT,
    code VARCHAR(3) NOT NULL,
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    symbol VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL,
    locale_id INT,
    exchange_rate DECIMAL(20, 6) DEFAULT 1.000000,
    decimals INT DEFAULT 2,
    major_singular VARCHAR(50),
    major_plural VARCHAR(50),
    minor_singular VARCHAR(50),
    minor_plural VARCHAR(50),
    is_default BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0,
    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
    FOREIGN KEY (locale_id) REFERENCES locales(id)
);

Locales Table

CREATE TABLE locales (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    code VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    language VARCHAR(50),
    country VARCHAR(50),
    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1
);