How to migrate from Xero to Business Central
To migrate a client from Xero to Business Central with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's Xero organisation, and give superglue access to the client's Business Central 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.
What are the steps to migrate from Xero to Business Central?
Migrating from Xero to Business Central 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 Xero and Business Central
Connect the client's Xero organisation with one sign-in. superglue reads it through the Xero API and writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to Business Central.
- 02
Assess the Xero 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 Xero 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 Business Central sandbox environment and compares it with Xero: 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 Xero?
- Have a user with the Adviser or Standard role sign in once. superglue reads the whole organisation through the API and writes nothing.
- Xero allows each app 5,000 API calls a day for each connected organisation, so superglue spreads a large history read over several days. Start the assessment early.
- The Xero Accounting API does not return unreconciled bank statement lines. Have the client reconcile the bank accounts up to cutover, or export the statement lines.
What needs to be configured in Business Central?
The client signs in to Business Central with superglue's Microsoft app. superglue configures Business Central and loads the data through that access, in a Business Central sandbox environment first, in this order:
- 01
The chart of accounts, then the posting groups and the setup that links them to the accounts.
- 02
Dimensions, with the two global dimensions.
- 03
Number series, VAT or sales tax, payment terms and the allowed posting dates.
- 04
Customers, vendors and items with their posting groups.
- 05
The opening balances and the open items, posted through journals.
What moves from Xero to Business Central?
| In Xero | In Business Central |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | G/L accounts |
| Tracking categories | Dimensions |
| Contacts you sell to | Customers |
| Projects | Projects |
| Contacts you buy from | Vendors |
| Items | Items |
| Bank accounts | Bank accounts |
Open items
Open invoices and credit notes, unallocated overpayments and prepayments, open bills, and open quotes and purchase orders.
Open items load as open customer and vendor ledger entries with their original document numbers and due dates, so the aging in Business Central matches on day one.
History
superglue reads every transaction through the Xero API, and plans a large history read around Xero's daily API limit.
History loads as general journal lines per month, account and dimension.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Xero to Business Central?
- 01
Where do Xero tracking categories go?
Business Central dimensions have no practical limit on their number, so each meaning can get its own dimension.
superglue proposes a dimension for each meaning, and splits tracking categories that carry two meanings.
- 02
How do Xero tax rates become Business Central tax setup?
Business Central uses VAT posting groups for VAT and for GST in countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It uses tax areas, tax groups and tax jurisdictions for US sales tax and for Canadian GST, HST and PST.
superglue builds the tax setup from the Xero tax rates in use, in the form the client's country needs.
- 03
Which posting groups does the client need?
General business, general product, customer, vendor and inventory posting groups decide which G/L accounts sales, purchase and inventory documents post to.
superglue derives the posting groups from the accounts that each customer, vendor and item used in Xero, so postings stay the same.
- 04
Which two dimensions become global dimensions?
Business Central shows two global dimensions on every entry and offers six more shortcut dimensions on documents.
superglue recommends the two dimensions the client filters on most, measured from how often each one is used in Xero.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in Business Central, 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 Xero to Business Central?
One contact can be a customer and a supplier
Xero keeps customers and suppliers in one contact list. superglue sorts each contact by its transactions, and keeps one name for a company that is both.
Two tracking categories carry too much
Xero allows two active tracking categories, so clients pack several meanings into one list, such as region and product line. superglue separates the meanings before the mapping starts.
Conversion balances start the history
Many Xero organisations started from conversion balances, so the earliest period is a summary. superglue reports the conversion date and the first period with full detail.
Overpayments and prepayments stay open until allocated
An overpayment or prepayment that was never allocated is an open item. superglue moves each unallocated amount as an open credit, so the aged balances match.
Plan the time for the financial setup
The chart of accounts, dimensions and posting groups are the slow part of a Business Central setup. The standard API cannot create them, so consultants usually build configuration packages by hand. superglue builds this setup from the signed mapping and reads every value back before the first trial load.
Check posting groups on every new customer and vendor
Customers and vendors created by an integration start without posting groups unless a template sets them, and their first invoice fails to post. superglue fills the posting groups as each record is created, so the trial load posts cleanly.
superglue also runs the rest of the Business Central project. See the Business Central implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Xero to Business Central?
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 Business Central.
Does superglue write to Business Central without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Xero. Before any write to Business Central, 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 Xero: 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 Xero to Business Central 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.