# About Accounts

Accounts are the endpoints of an account hierarchy. Accounts accumulate usage, pay for other accounts, and may own folders. In a hierarchy, folders can nest within other folders, but accounts cannot contain other accounts or folders. There are three types of accounts: Subscriber Accounts (referred to simply as Accounts), Corporate Accounts and Independent Accounts.

## Account Characteristics

Accounts contain:

- Contact Information (including address, phone number, email address, and so on)

- Default Rates

Accounts can have:

- Individual Subscriptions and/or Group Subscriptions

- Account States

- Roles and Capabilities, including logon capability for MetraView and MetraCare.

Accounts can also be:

- Folder Owners

- Folder Members

- Generating Account (incurs the usage or charge) and/or Paying Account (pays for usage and charges); see Payment Redirection for details

## Managing Accounts

Just like with a Windows directory, an Account Administrator can move folders, individual accounts, as well as groups of accounts throughout the hierarchy. If a folder is moved, all the accounts within it will move as well.

| Note | There is no direct method to delete an account once it has been created. To remove the account from the hierarchy tree, change its status to Closed, and it will no longer appear as of the effective date of its closure.

## Example

Alvin Bradshaw has been promoted to an Executive position. To make the change, the account administrator can simply drag and drop the account into the Boston Executive folder and enter the effective date of the move: