GUIDES
Connecting Bexio or Abacus: what needs to be clarified first?
Ben Schmidt, Owner of Flowrenix · Updated:
Short answer
Whether Bexio, Abacus or other accounting software can be connected to your website or system depends on the interface the program provides and on which data should flow in which direction. I check the specific feasibility in the first call against the provider's documentation before I commit to anything.
The better question: which data, and what for?
I often hear the question "Does it work with Bexio?" or "Does it work with Abacus?". Without context it cannot be answered seriously. More meaningful is the question of which task should disappear: should invoices from your booking system end up in the accounts? Should paid invoices be reported back? Should your accountant have everything together at the end of the month?
Only once that is settled can I check whether the program's interface supports exactly this path. I mention Bexio and Abacus here as examples because they are frequently asked about in Switzerland. The same questions apply to any other accounting software.
Five points to clarify before a connection
I go through these points with you before I name a capped price. Each of them can change the answer.
Is there an interface?
A connection needs a documented interface through which other programs are allowed to read or write data. I check whether it exists for your case, whether access can be enabled in your edition of the program and whether the documentation covers the data needed.
Which data?
Customers, invoices, payments, products or bookings: the more precisely it is defined which fields are transferred, the more reliable the connection becomes. Often less is needed than you first think.
In which direction?
Does the data flow in one direction only, for example from the booking system to the accounts, or in both? What matters is which program is the leading one for which piece of information. Otherwise two systems overwrite each other.
With which permissions?
Access to the interface should only be allowed to do as much as the workflow needs. We define who manages the access, where it is stored and how it can be revoked.
How is it tested?
Before real data flows, the connection runs with test data or in parallel with the existing manual work until the result is correct over several cases. Your accountant should see the result once before it goes into everyday use.
When there is no open interface
Not every program offers an interface for every purpose. In that case an agreed export is sometimes enough: the system produces the data in a format that your accounting software or your accountant can import, for example as a monthly export on the first of the month.
That is less elegant than a direct connection, but often sufficient and considerably easier to run. If even an export is not sensibly possible, I tell you so instead of building something that does not hold up in everyday use.
What I commit to and what I do not
I do not commit to a connection before I have checked the provider's documentation for your specific case. Interfaces differ in which data they expose, and they are developed further by the provider. A commitment from memory would therefore not be serious.
What I do commit to: an honest check before the quote, a capped price if the connection is feasible, and a clear no if it is not. How the workflows around invoices and payments look with me is described in the article Automating Swiss QR-bills.
How a connection comes about with me
In the first call we clarify the five points above. Then I check the provider's documentation and tell you whether and how the connection is possible. If it is feasible, you receive a capped price, in writing, before I start.
The connection runs in test mode first. In operation it logs what it has transferred and reports errors, so you do not only notice a failure at the end of the month. If it fails, for example because the provider has changed its interface, I look into the fault as part of support and tell you what the adjustment requires. More about my approach is on the page Automation.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
That depends on your program's interface and on which data should flow. In the first call I check against the provider's documentation whether and how your accounting software can be connected before I commit to anything.
That depends on which data flows in which direction and what the interface allows. I name the amount as a capped price after I have checked the documentation: a written upper limit, and you do not pay more.
The connection reports errors instead of failing silently. I look into the fault as part of support and tell you what adapting to the changed interface requires before I implement it.
Yes, often an agreed export in a format that your accounting software or your accountant can import, for example as a monthly export on the first of the month. It is easier to run and is enough in many cases.