How to migrate from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ
To migrate a client from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's Sage 50 company, and give superglue access to the client's AccountsIQ account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
This guide covers Sage 50 Accounts, the UK and Ireland edition.
What are the steps to migrate from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ?
Migrating from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Sage 50 UK and AccountsIQ
Connect the client's Sage 50 company read-only through the Sage 50 ODBC driver on a computer with Sage 50 installed. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to AccountsIQ.
- 02
Assess the Sage 50 UK data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Sage 50 UK specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads a test copy of the AccountsIQ entity and compares it with Sage 50 UK: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Sage 50 UK?
- The superglue gateway runs on a computer with Sage 50 installed, because the ODBC driver comes with Sage 50 and must match its version. The client adds a Sage 50 user for superglue, and the ODBC driver only reads data.
- Ask whether the client ever ran Clear Audit Trail. It replaces older paid and reconciled transactions with an opening balance journal, so their detail cannot move.
- Sage 50 keeps each company in its own data folder, so ask for every company in scope.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in AccountsIQ?
An AccountsIQ admin creates an integration application with access to the client's entities, and superglue signs in through the AccountsIQ API. superglue configures AccountsIQ and loads the data through that access, in a test copy of the AccountsIQ entity first, in this order:
- 01
The entity with its base currency, financial year and locale, and a group consolidation entity when the client has several companies.
- 02
The chart of accounts with its categories, system accounts and system defaults.
- 03
Dimensions and dimension tags, set up in the group consolidation entity first.
- 04
Tax codes, bank accounts, customers, suppliers and stock items, and an intercompany pair for each pair of trading entities.
- 05
The trial balance per period, then the opening financial position with open items and unreconciled bank items.
What moves from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ?
| In Sage 50 UK | In AccountsIQ |
|---|---|
| Nominal codes | GL accounts in categories and sub-categories |
| Departments | Dimensions and dimension tags |
| Customers | Customers |
| Projects (Professional) | A project dimension |
| Suppliers | Suppliers |
| Products | Stock items |
| Bank accounts | Bank accounts |
Open items
Outstanding sales and purchase invoices and credit notes, unallocated payments on account, open sales and purchase orders (Professional), and stock on hand.
Open items load as the opening financial position, with outstanding sales and purchase items and unreconciled bank items in the account currency and the base currency.
History
Sage 50 keeps every transaction that Clear Audit Trail has not removed, and superglue reads all of them.
History loads as a trial balance per period, one financial year at a time.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ?
- 01
Where do Sage 50 departments and projects go?
In AccountsIQ, departments and projects become dimensions, and each department becomes a dimension code.
superglue maps Sage 50 departments to one dimension and projects to another, and creates a dimension tag for each combination the client posted.
- 02
How do Sage 50 nominal codes map to AccountsIQ?
Sage 50 nominal codes follow fixed ranges, such as 4000 to 4999 for sales, and AccountsIQ groups GL accounts into categories and sub-categories.
superglue maps each nominal code range to an AccountsIQ category, and keeps the account codes the client already knows.
- 03
How many entities does the client need?
An entity in AccountsIQ is one company with its own base currency and books, and a group consolidation entity combines them.
superglue recommends one entity for each legal company in Sage 50 UK, under one consolidation entity when the client reports as a group.
- 04
How many dimensions does the client need?
AccountsIQ allows two, four or six dimensions, depending on the plan, and a dimension tag combines one code from each.
superglue proposes dimensions from the reporting values the client actually uses in Sage 50 UK, and checks that they fit the dimensions of the client's plan.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in AccountsIQ, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ?
Clear Audit Trail removes detail
Clear Audit Trail replaces paid, allocated and reconciled transactions from earlier years with an opening balance journal. Check the date of the last clear before you promise the client any history.
Suspense and Mispostings must be empty
Opening balances post their other side to Suspense (9998), and corrections often end up in Mispostings (9999). Ask the client's accountant to clear both before the trial load, so the new system opens with a clean trial balance.
Department slots get renamed
Sage 50 offers a fixed list of department slots that clients rename instead of adding new ones, so old transactions can carry a department that now means something else. Agree the meaning of each department before it becomes a dimension.
Account references are short and fixed
Customer and supplier references have up to 8 characters and cannot change after they are created, so many clients live with codes nobody remembers. The move is the moment to agree a new reference scheme.
Design the dimensions before the trial balance
Dimension tags must exist before any balance that uses them loads, and reloading the dimension structure deletes all transactions. Agree the dimensions with the finance lead before the first trial load.
Map VAT codes by their treatment
AccountsIQ handles UK and Irish VAT returns with one set of codes, and each code carries flags such as reverse charge, postponed import VAT and EU trade. Map each old VAT code by how it is treated on the return, because two codes with the same rate can belong in different boxes.
Build the group first
With several entities, the consolidation entity and its dimensions come first, then the subsidiaries, then one intercompany pair for each pair of trading entities. Agree the group structure before any entity is set up.
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in AccountsIQ.
Does superglue write to AccountsIQ without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Sage 50 UK. Before any write to AccountsIQ, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Sage 50 UK: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Sage 50 UK to AccountsIQ migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.