Customer story

Bringing warehouse operations and accounting into one flexible ERP.

Principal Accounting managing director Ovace Modaber has known DataFlow for nearly two decades and has introduced it to clients whose trading requirements had outgrown basic accounting packages. His view is based on seeing the software tested in real warehouse, international trading and finance environments.

“DataFlow’s multi-currency handling is amazing, and the software can be implemented around a client’s specific needs.”

Ovace Modaber Managing Director

Industry

Accountancy practice

Established

2003

DataFlow perspective

15+ years

Professional verdict

10/10

About Principal Accounting

Accountancy advice built around the business.

Founded in 2003 by Ovace Modaber, Principal Accounting is a London accountancy practice serving small businesses and professionals. Its services include accounts, bookkeeping, corporation and personal tax, VAT, payroll, business planning and accounting software training.

The firm works across sectors including medical and dental practices, property, food distribution, IT and other owner-managed businesses. That breadth gives its team a practical view of where a basic accounting package stops meeting a client’s wider operational needs.

Professional scrutiny

Understanding the product before recommending it.

Before introducing DataFlow to a client, Ovace wanted to understand the software in detail and test it against the kinds of operational and accounting requirements his clients faced. As an accounting professional, he was careful about the systems he put forward and wanted to understand the product’s limitations as thoroughly as its capabilities.

DataFlow demonstrations and demo access gave him the opportunity to test the product directly. His focus was not only on what the software could do, but where its limits might appear once a client began using it in day-to-day work.

Direct product access

Demonstrations and demo access allowed a detailed review before any referral.

Questions first

Limitations were tested as carefully as the product’s advertised capabilities.

Professional judgement

Ovace began introducing DataFlow once he was satisfied it could meet real client requirements in practice.

Real-world proof

The first implementation became a practical test before further clients were introduced.

“I like to know what software does not do. I started asking Darius the questions other software companies had failed to answer. To my surprise, DataFlow was able to address all of them.”

Ovace Modaber

The first client test

Multi-currency solved a very specific problem.

The first client Ovace introduced had relatively few transactions, but those transactions were high value and involved several currencies. The requirement was too specialised for many entry-level packages, while larger enterprise systems would have been disproportionate to the size of the operation.

DataFlow provided the multi-currency capability the business needed without forcing it into an oversized system. Ovace was particularly impressed by the way the software could manage the same trading relationship across sterling, euros, US dollars and dirhams, including situations where settlement happened in another currency.

International trading

Buying and selling across several currencies

Flexible settlement

Handling payments that do not match the invoice currency

Exchange-rate control

Supporting rate changes and period-end adjustments

Right-sized ERP

Complex capability without an enterprise-scale implementation

“The multi-currency handling was fantastic. The software did exactly what that client needed.”

Ovace Modaber

Why DataFlow fits

Trading and finance stay in the same system.

Ovace has mainly introduced DataFlow to businesses that hold stock, manage a warehouse or trade products internationally. In those organisations, the operational team may focus on stock, orders and sales performance while the accountant focuses on the ledgers and financial control.

His reason for recommending DataFlow is that it can support both sides together. The accounting records, purchase and sales orders, warehouse requirements and commercial reporting can be designed around the same business rather than treated as separate problems.

Orders and ledgers

Purchase and sales processing connect with the underlying accounting records.

Warehouse visibility

Product and stock requirements sit alongside the finance workflow.

Commercial reporting

Reporting can extend to sales performance by person and product.

Data integrity

Ovace values the way the system protects and maintains financial data.

“It feels like wax in your hand. You can shape it around the business, then adapt it again when the requirements change.”

Ovace Modaber

Implementation and support

Smooth rollout. Reliable support.

The first implementation also gave Ovace a clear view of how DataFlow handled onboarding and support in practice. He wanted clients to be able to work with a capable support team without having to escalate routine questions to senior management.

He recalls the implementation as smooth and the support team as patient and accommodating while users learned the system. As clients’ requirements changed, the team also responded to new requests. One business, for example, wanted more detailed commission analysis by salesperson and product, and DataFlow agreed a route to develop it.

Structured implementation

The project moved from introduction to delivery through the DataFlow team.

Patient training

Users received practical help as they learned an unfamiliar system.

Responsive support

Questions and early snagging issues were handled without unnecessary escalation.

Requirements-led change

New reporting and performance needs were reviewed as client businesses evolved.

“It was a company I was dealing with, not just Darius. The support team were great and very accommodating.”

Ovace Modaber

DataFlow and Clarity

Do not let the technology gap become too wide.

From what Ovace has seen, Clarity represents a faster and more modern experience, with a redesigned interface and cloud-based access while retaining the accounting foundation users already understand.

He recognises why finance teams can be cautious about changing a familiar system. His advice, however, is not to delay so long that the move becomes harder. As infrastructure, working habits and user expectations change, a smaller step taken earlier is easier than a much larger technology jump later.

“The later you move, the harder it becomes. You have to go with the flow and make changes before the gap becomes too wide.”

Ovace Modaber

Best-fit businesses

Complexity matters more than company size.

Ovace does not see DataFlow as a solution only for large organisations. A smaller business can have demanding requirements if it carries multiple products, buys internationally, manages stock and needs sales and purchasing information to remain aligned with the accounts.

The clearest warning sign is a rigid package that can no longer support purchase-order processing, warehouse control, meaningful sales reporting or genuine multi-currency accounting. At that point, the limitation is not the size of the business. It is the gap between how the business trades and what its software can represent.

Warehouse operations

The business holds products and needs reliable stock and order control.

International purchasing

Suppliers, customers and payments span more than one currency.

Disconnected reporting

Sales, purchases and warehouse information no longer reconcile easily.

Rigid software

The existing package cannot be adapted as the business changes.

The verdict

A professional recommendation grounded in client experience.

After more than 15 years of product exposure, client introductions and ongoing accounting work with businesses using DataFlow, Ovace’s recommendation remains unambiguous.

10/10 professional recommendation