Each contact in the firm list is sourced in one folder and can be linked into or included in many other folders. This allows you to store a single contact in the database, but include that contact on many different lists.
In the example shown below, the contact John Doe is sourced in the Firm Contacts - People folder and is linked into the Client Personnel and Alumni contact types.
Folders and Contacts in InterAction
Most contacts are sourced in either the Firm Contacts - People folder or Firm Contacts - Companies folder. Depending on the stage of the Initial Data Load and Cleansing process, contacts may also be sourced in one of the Data Management folders (Data Review, New Contact Review - People, etc.).
These folders are classified as Administrative Folders. They are not presented to Web Client end users as lists – instead, they work behind the scenes to manage the overall collection of firm contacts. For example, when a user adds a new contact in the Web Client and selects to include it in the Firm List, the contact is automatically sourced in the appropriate folder.
Note that it is possible to source contacts in other folders. In this case, they are not true firm contacts. For example, you could create a working list-only contact. In the Web Client, these contacts have certain restrictions discussed in more detail in Overview of Working Lists.
The source folder for a contact is very important in that it determines the access rights for the contact. Each InterAction folder is assigned access rights. These rights control information sourced in the folder.