> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kernel.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kernel.ai/data/entity-data/entity-categories.md). # Entity categories Kernel classifies each resolved entity with two fields: | Dimension | What it answers | Examples | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | Entity category | What kind of organization is this? | Company, Government, Education | | Entity sub-category | What specific role does it play? | Operating, HoldCo, Business unit, Establishment | These classifications are determined through Kernel's [entity resolution](/concepts/entity-resolution.md) process. They are not static labels copied from a vendor table. ## Categories and sub-categories {% tabs %} {% tab title="Company" %} Used for commercial businesses, non-profits, and trade associations. Includes corporations, partnerships, startups, NGOs, charities, unions, and state-owned enterprises operating as commercial entities. | Sub-category | Definition | Examples | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | Operating | Companies that sell goods or services directly to external customers under their own brand. | Salesforce, Frito-Lay, Heineken | | HoldCo / Investment | Entities that primarily exist to own or control other companies or assets. They rarely sell products directly. | Berkshire Hathaway, Alphabet Inc., KKR & Co. | | Business unit | A unit, brand, portfolio, line, or division inside a company that is not a separate legal entity. | Jell-O under Kraft Heinz; Amazon Music under Amazon | | Establishment | A specific physical site tied to a company, not a separate corporation and not independently legally responsible. | McDonald's Store #1234; Lloyds London Bridge branch | | {% endtab %} | | | {% tab title="Government" %} Used for public administration bodies. Includes national, regional, and local government bodies, ministries, departments, agencies, regulators, and armed forces. | Sub-category | Definition | | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Agency / Department | Executive bodies, ministries, regulators, and authorities. | | National Government | The central or federal government of a sovereign state. | | Subnational Government | First administrative level below the country, such as states, provinces, regions, or cantons. | | Local Government | Municipal tiers such as cities, towns, councils, and boroughs. | | Intergovernmental Organization | Polities formed by sovereign states, such as the EU, ASEAN, or UN. | | Judiciary | Courts and judicial councils at any level. | | {% endtab %} | | {% tab title="Education" %} Used for teaching and academic research institutions. Includes universities, colleges, business schools, K-12 schools, and research institutes. | Sub-category | Definition | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Higher-Education Institution | Degree-awarding tertiary providers, such as universities, colleges, and polytechnics. | | Academic Unit | A department, faculty, or school inside a higher-education institution. | | Pre-tertiary school | K-12, high schools, primary schools, and international schools. | | Education System | A governing body that controls multiple schools or institutions. | | Research Institute | Organizations focused on research or vocational training that do not award degrees. | | {% endtab %} | | | {% endtabs %} | | {% hint style="info" %} A corporate tree can span multiple entity categories. For example, a government body may own a holding company, which owns an operating company. {% endhint %} ## Operating vs HoldCo / Investment Within the Company category, the split that drives corporate-tree behavior is **Operating** vs **HoldCo / Investment**. | | Operating | HoldCo / Investment | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Primary function | Sells goods or services to external customers and runs its own P\&L. | Owns or controls other companies or financial assets. Revenue comes from what it owns, not from direct operations. | | Typical signals | An independently established business trading under its own brand. | Name often contains "Group", "Holdings", or "Partners"; owns subsidiaries or portfolio companies; appears as a parent/holding entity in filings; funds, trusts, and investment vehicles. | | Examples | Salesforce, Heineken | Berkshire Hathaway, Alphabet Inc., KKR | Operating is the default. Kernel classifies an entity as HoldCo / Investment only when the evidence shows its main role is ownership rather than operations. ### Why this split matters
Berkshire Hathaway, a HoldCo / Investment owner, sits above three unrelated operating businesses - GEICO, See's Candies, and Duracell. Berkshire is the top parent for all three, but each operating company is its own top operating parent because the investment owner is skipped.

Berkshire Hathaway is the top parent for GEICO, See's Candies, and Duracell alike - but each operating business is its own top operating parent. Ownership federates down to the operating company, not up to the investment owner.

This is the classification Kernel uses to separate the [top parent from the top operating parent](/data/hierarchies/parent-relationships.md): * **Top parent** is the ultimate owner at the very top of the tree - even if that owner is a holding company or an equity investor. * **Top operating parent** is the highest **Operating** company. Kernel climbs the tree and skips every HoldCo / Investment entity, stopping at the highest operating business. The main use is **federating ownership down to the operating business.** For most GTM, routing, and reporting workflows you do not want an account to roll up to a passive holding company or a private-equity / investment owner - you want the operating company that actually runs the business. Top operating parent gives you that operating anchor, while top parent still records the full legal top of the tree. Kernel also exposes a **Skip holdco parents** cleaning rule, so hierarchy actions attach a child to its operating parent instead of a holding-company parent. See [Kernel Account object reference](/integrations/salesforce-integration/kernel-account-object-reference.md) for the full field list.