> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.dingtalk.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cross-Organization Connectivity > Learn how DingTalk upstream-downstream organizations resolve inter-organization coordination pain points and enable efficient collaboration, plus the YiDA cross-organization connectivity solution built on this framework. Available exclusively for the Dedicated edition. | **Feature** | **Free plan** | **Basic edition** | **Professional edition** | **Dedicated edition** | | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------- | | Upstream-downstream connectivity | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Supported | | [Parent-child connectivity](/yida/platform-admin/ampson) | Not supported | Not supported | Supported | Supported | For mid-to-large customers, YiDA integrates deeply with the DingTalk organization connectivity framework and delivers a cross-organization solution for business digitalization. Key highlights include support for DingTalk affiliated organizations (now renamed parent-child organizations) and DingTalk upstream-downstream organizations. The parent-child model fits top-down functional structures such as education and county-level entities, while the upstream-downstream model is better suited for **cross-organization connectivity scenarios** between enterprises. ## What Is a DingTalk Upstream-Downstream Organization ### Use Cases | **Scenario** | **Customer pain points** | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Inter-organization business coordination and internal-external collaboration | Before working with an external organization, you must first find the right contact, run through a series of inquiries, exchange contact information, add them as contacts, and create a group chat before any real work can begin.
• After two weeks of unanswered messages and calls, you finally reach the contact only to hear "I've left the company..."
• Who takes over the departing contact's work? Another round of inquiries begins.
• Is the contact still an employee of Company A? Unexpected "order poaching" incidents occur.
• What is the contact's seniority? Are they the decision maker for the project? Can they resolve the issue?
• What type and level is the partner? Which cooperation policies and terms apply? Partner information must be looked up every time.
• Every time a new supplier is onboarded, the "supplier management system" link must be resent and permissions reconfigured.
• Where does the internal-external collaboration process stand right now? You must sign in to the system to check. Many processes lack system support, leaving the process opaque and requiring constant follow-up.
• Untimely communication and broken collaboration lead to slow payments, prolonged issue investigations, and delayed business launches. | Solution: upstream-downstream organizations. **Primary scenario**: efficient collaboration for business exchanges with partners. * Target audience: organizations with stable business relationships, especially in enterprise-centric upstream-downstream supply chain scenarios that need an authentic, trustworthy platform for communication and collaboration. * Solution: the enterprise creates an upstream-downstream organization and invites partners to join, enabling authentic and trusted communication and collaboration inside it. **High-frequency inter-organization business collaboration** * Typical use cases: upstream-downstream partnerships such as suppliers, distributors, service providers, and external ecosystem employees. * A communication and collaboration framework of "enterprise — upstream-downstream supply chain partners" built on the primary organization. * Ensures long-term cooperation and business continuity. ### Core Capabilities ● Upstream-downstream Contacts ● Upstream-downstream workbench ## Upstream-Downstream Scenario Support | Core supported scenarios | Preview | Release version | Release date | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Forms, workflows, and To-Do items | Downstream users can submit workflows and forms, using business collaboration from the upstream primary app. | V1-2022.12.28 | [https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida\_updates/wvh80a0nh19lkl4l#jrVSw](https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida_updates/wvh80a0nh19lkl4l#jrVSw) | | Reports | Downstream users can view analytics reports of the primary app. | V2-2023.05.30 | [https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida\_updates/hz3mfltpdu5z0mgn#IKYCl](https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida_updates/hz3mfltpdu5z0mgn#IKYCl) | | Minor optimization: downstream Attachment and Image Upload | Downstream organizations using apps distributed from upstream can normally submit images, files, and other attachments within forms. | v2.1-2023.10.12 | [https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida\_updates/zz0gly218tifghop#G6HJm](https://docs.aliwork.com/docs/yida_updates/zz0gly218tifghop#G6HJm) | | Integration & automation and Cool Apps | YiDA Cool Apps from the primary organization can be distributed to downstream internal groups. | V3-2023.12.12 | December 12, 2023 release notes — YiDA Dedicated upgrade | ### Core Benefits * Verified identity — prevents dealings with external contacts who have already left their company. * Uninterrupted collaboration — you are notified immediately when a contact departs, and handover happens right away. * Isolated permissions — suppliers see supplier-related systems, and distributors see distributor-related systems. ### Access the App (Available Only for Verified Organizations) Admins can go to **DingTalk mobile app** → **Contacts** → find the target organization → tap **Manage** → **Connectivity Platform** → **Upstream-downstream organizations**, or open the upstream-downstream organization app directly from the workbench. ([How to grant Admin permissions](https://alidocs.dingtalk.com/i/p/Y7kmbokZp3pgGLq2/docs/Y7kmbo23p8rZgGLq)) Users already added to an upstream-downstream organization can access it via **DingTalk mobile app** → **Contacts** → **Upstream-downstream organizations**, or open the upstream-downstream organization app directly from the workbench. ## Cross-Organization Connectivity Powered by YiDA Upstream-Downstream Publish YiDA apps to DingTalk upstream-downstream organizations. ### 1. Publish Apps to the Downstream Workbench with One Click Apps built by the upstream organization can be published to the downstream workbench with a single click. ### 2. Centralized Upstream Management for Reliable and Secure Operations Business permissions, approval rules, and authorization lists are managed centrally by the upstream organization, resolving management difficulties and information leakage risks for the primary enterprise. #### 1. Centralized License Management Licenses are purchased and allocated centrally by the **primary organization**. | **Automatic account tallying**
Licenses granted to users in the primary organization and downstream organizations (up to 3) are shown at a glance. | • **Automatic partner onboarding**: designate specific departments in downstream organizations to receive automatic license assignment upon onboarding, freeing Admins from manual maintenance.
• **Automatic partner offboarding**: when a downstream user leaves, the license is automatically revoked. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | #### 2. Share Business Apps and Stay on Top of Business Trends Data changes are reflected in real time on the primary organization's reports and dashboards. | **Upstream organization:**
• Use apps just like regular ones, with support for selecting users across upstream and downstream organizations.
• When filtering by Submitter, the user's organization is automatically displayed.
• View data holistically, including data management, ETL, reports, and dashboards. | **Downstream organization:**
Supports the data management page (runtime). Within the granted permission scope, users can view basic details (viewing report analytics is not supported in this release).

**Primary organization Contacts: joining collaboration organizations**
If User A in the primary organization needs to collaborate with users in an upstream-downstream organization, A must be added to that organization.
In the downstream organization, all users in the current upstream-downstream organization can be selected during business user selection. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | #### 3. Timely Notifications for Key Events | **App publishing:**
When an app is published to the downstream, the Admin is notified. | **Account count alerts:**
• Downstream organizations consume YiDA licenses purchased by the upstream organization.
• When usage reaches 80%, the Super Admin is automatically alerted to prevent impact on the primary organization. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ### 3. Downstream Users Use the App to Submit Data and Participate in Approvals | Downstream organization workbench and YiDA App workbench | • Apps published by the upstream organization appear in the downstream organization's App Center.
• Downstream users can quickly submit data and take part in approval collaboration. | | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ## FAQs A: See the example below. The image shows the license usage of the primary organization: 2,000+200=2,200 seats are consumed, with 800 seats remaining. If the downstream organization purchases YiDA independently, it is used as a Standard organization. | Primary organization (main organization) | Downstream organization (formerly collaboration Space, now upstream-downstream organization) | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Total users: 10,000 in Contacts (purchased Dedicated edition for 3,000 users) | Total users: 1,000 (as a partner, 200 are authorized by upstream) | | Primary organization workbench: 2,000 users in the organization can use YiDA apps | Downstream organization workbench: 200 users can use YiDA apps from upstream | Downstream users can currently submit forms, participate in workflow approvals (as single regular submissions, not batch submissions), view reports, and trigger integration & automation and Cool App message cards after submission. Other features are not yet individually adapted. For the latest updates, follow the product release notes. Downstream organizations can see apps published by the upstream organization and initiate workflows. However, during workflow instance transitions (such as transfers and sign requests), only users within the initiator's own organization can be selected. For example: upstream organization A and downstream organization B, with upstream App X published to the downstream organization. * Scenario 1: User a belongs to downstream organization B. They can only initiate workflows within organization B, and during workflow routing, only users in organization B's Contacts can be selected. * Scenario 2: User b belongs to both the upstream and downstream organizations. An upstream-downstream organization is an \[external communication and collaboration platform] that connects enterprises with their partners. It enables cross-organization user discovery, automatic exit upon offboarding, information sharing, and app connectivity, delivering efficient and secure collaboration within the upstream-downstream organization. They fit upstream-downstream partnerships such as suppliers, distributors, franchisees, HR outsourcing management, and external ecosystem employees. Different organizations can configure shared Contacts and use shared apps within the upstream-downstream organization. Verification is not required, but the number of organizations that can be created and the user capacity differ for unverified organizations compared to verified ones. A **verified organization** can create up to **10** free upstream-downstream organizations by default, with a maximum of **3,000 users** per Space. **To expand capacity, contact our support team.** Up to 5. Up to 800. The Super Admin of a verified organization, or a Sub Admin with the upstream-downstream organization permission scope, can create one in the DingTalk app under Organization Management - Connectivity Platform - Upstream-downstream organizations. For detailed steps, see the screenshots in the user guide.
**Upstream-downstream organization** **Apply / Create / Initiate / Manage** **Action path**
1. Any Super Admin
2. Sub Admins with the upstream-downstream organization permission scope		 **Path for organizations initiating an upstream-downstream organization**: DingTalk app - Contacts - Upstream-downstream organizations - specific upstream-downstream organization - Settings in the upper-right corner
**Path for member organizations**: DingTalk app - Contacts - Organization Management - Upstream-downstream organizations - specific upstream-downstream organization - Settings in the upper-right corner
Configuring user sync for an upstream-downstream organization requires access to the entire organization's Contacts. For this reason, neither regular users nor Sub Admins can create or manage upstream-downstream organizations. In addition, upstream-downstream organizations serve as an organization's official external connectivity channel, so approval from the organization's Admin is required to avoid security risks. After creating an upstream-downstream organization, the Admin can send the Space's QR Code or invitation link to the organizations that need to join. The Super Admin of these organizations can scan the QR Code or open the link to apply. Once the upstream-downstream organization's Admin reviews and approves the application, they can join. When applying, you can specify which users or departments in your organization should join, or choose the entire Organization Structure. Whether you are the organization that created the Space or an organization applying to join, both can specify which users or departments should join. When these users or departments experience onboarding, transfer, or offboarding, the related changes are automatically synced to the upstream-downstream organization. In real time. Users of the primary organization that initiated the upstream-downstream organization can, by default, see all member organizations that have joined. Member organizations that join can, by default, only see their own organization. The upstream-downstream organization Admin can go to Associated Organizations and configure visibility for each joined organization. Yes. For large customers, a bulk invitation API is available. Contact your business or operations representative for details. Yes. Sign in to the developer backend as the upstream-downstream organization and create internal apps for it. (As of November 2021: we plan to support data interoperability between custom apps of the primary organization and the upstream-downstream organization.) Go to the DingTalk Developer Backend, scan the QR Code to sign in as the upstream-downstream organization, and follow the process to create an internal app. Once published, the app appears on the upstream-downstream organization's Home, and all users who have joined the organization can use it. If your organization has joined an upstream-downstream organization and you are a member, find it under the Contacts tab - Upstream-downstream organizations. If your organization has not yet joined, go to Organization Management - Connectivity Platform - Upstream-downstream organizations. No. The upstream-downstream organization Admin can only edit the departments or table of contents within the upstream-downstream organization, placing member organizations under different departments or directories. There are two ways to leave: 1. The Admin who created the upstream-downstream organization can cancel the association with a member organization, removing the entire member organization; 2. The Super Admin of a member organization can manage the users linked to the upstream-downstream organization, removing specific users or departments. From the upstream-downstream organization Home, select Initiate Collaboration Chat. In the Group Chat, each user's real identity from their original organization is displayed. If a user leaves their original organization, they are automatically removed from the upstream-downstream organization and the Collaboration Chat. Not currently supported. ## Learn More About DingTalk Upstream-Downstream: