DataFlow — full text > Complete text of every indexable page on https://www.dataflow.co.uk, one section per page. > Generated at build time. Map of the same site: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/llms.txt > Last generated: 2026-08-25T12:56:49.158Z ## Company - Name: DataFlow - Email: sales@dataflow.co.uk - Office: 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, IP28 7DE, GB - Office: A3, Business Center Dubai, World Central, P.O. Box 390667, Dubai, AE - Serves: United Kingdom - Profiles: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataflow-uk-limited/ --- # DataFlow | Integrated Accounting & ERP for UK Business URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/ Accounts · Trade Ledgers · Stock · Orders · VAT · One database ## One platform for accounting & distribution. DataFlow unifies your sales and purchase ledgers, nominal accounts, stock, order processing and VAT on a single database — so the trading side and the accounting side are always in step. No imports, no re-keying. - Trading and accounting on one database - Any number of companies on one installation - HMRC Making Tax Digital built in The problem ### Where the numbers fall out of step. Four patterns turn up in almost every distribution, accountancy and trading business that hasn’t consolidated yet. At least one of them is probably yours. #### Trading and accounts in separate systems Orders and invoices in one tool, the ledger in another. Month-end becomes a reconciliation exercise, and someone is always re-keying figures between the two. #### Paper piling up Supplier invoices, signed delivery notes, customer POs and contracts filed in a dozen places. When an auditor or a customer asks, finding the document takes longer than the query. #### No single view of stock and margin Stock valued in one system, costs and revenue in another. True margin per product, per job or per customer is a spreadsheet exercise nobody trusts. #### VAT and compliance stress Making Tax Digital submissions, EC Sales Lists, payment-practices reporting and a full audit trail — stitched together by hand every period instead of falling out of the system. Modules ### Pick the entry point. Grow into the rest. Every DataFlow module posts to the same integrated database — start with the ledgers or the trading engine, and the rest fits in when you’re ready, sharing one set of customers, products and accounts. Accounting #### Nominal Ledger The general ledger everything posts to — chart of accounts, journals, cash book, reconciliation and period close. - Chart of Accounts - Journals - Cash Book - Period Close Trading #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase ledgers in one place — receipts, payments, allocations, statements, aged debt and BACS. - Sales Ledger - Purchase Ledger - Credit Control - BACS Trading #### Order Processing The trading engine — quotations, orders, deliveries, invoices, credit notes and works orders, posting as they go. - Quotes & Orders - Deliveries - Invoicing - Quick Order Trading #### Stock Control The physical-goods side — catalogue, movements, layered pricing, kits, bins, batch and serial tracking, valuation. - Catalogue - Layered Pricing - Batch & Serial - Valuation Trading #### Bill of Materials & Kitting Define the components that make up an assembled product, then build works orders that keep stock valuation right on both sides. - Bill of Materials - Works Orders - Kits - Assembly Accounting #### VAT & Making Tax Digital VAT periods, the VAT journal, EC Sales and Intrastats, and the nine-box return filed straight to HMRC. - VAT Journal - MTD to HMRC - EC Sales - Period Close Accounting #### Audit Trail Read-only audit reports — financial, customer, supplier, user movement and authorisation history. - Financial Trail - User Movement Log - Authorisation History - Payment Practices Operations #### Job Costing Cost and revenue per job, tagged on documents and timesheets and carried through to the ledger. - Job Tagging - Profitability - Cost Rollup - Budget vs Actual Operations #### Timesheets Time by resource against departments and jobs, approved for the payroll and job-cost feed. - Weekly Grid - Resources - Approval - Client & Job Reports Operations #### Document Store Scanned paperwork linked to the account, ledger or document it belongs to — recalled in one click. - Scanned Docs - Linked to Records - One-Click Recall - Web Viewer Insight #### Dashboard Your own canvas of live chart panes from the ledgers and stock, waiting for you at log-in. - Chart Panes - Per User - Analysis Groups - Export Insight #### Reports One reporting layer across every module — preview, print, email or export, plus bespoke layouts. - Every Module - Four Outputs - Custom Reports - Document Layouts Why DataFlow ### One system, not five bolted together. The trading side and the accounting side share the same database, so the postings happen as you work — not as an overnight import you have to reconcile. #### Order to cash on one database Quote, order, deliver, invoice and receipt — every step posts to stock and the ledger in one action, on the same database. No import from another system, no re-keying. Explore capability #### Multi-company on one installation One DataFlow installation can run any number of companies, with consolidation and inter-company processing supported out of the box. Explore capability #### Trade in any currency Buy, sell and hold accounts in any currency, with allocation, period-end revaluation and multi-currency bank reconciliation — while you still report in your base currency. Explore capability #### Authority-limit approvals Approval chains configurable per user, per group and per module, with a monetary limit beyond which a document escalates — including a remote web portal to approve from a laptop or tablet. Explore capability #### Customisable per customer Per-customer user-defined fields on documents, customer-specific EDI variants and even customer-specific installer builds — the system bends to how you actually trade. Explore capability #### VAT & Making Tax Digital built in VAT periods and the VAT journal reconcile against the ledger, then the nine-box return files straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital — no bridging spreadsheet. Explore capability Customers ### Trusted by UK businesses that trade and account in one system. We reduced a sprawling chart of accounts to around 150 nominal headings, and our management reporting is far clearer for it. The Chamber of Shipping Trade association Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month. JCB Finance Financial services The system grew with us. Over the years we ran it, our turnover roughly doubled. AAP Manufacturing & distribution Integrations ### Plugs into the systems you already run. EDI and cXML PunchOut for B2B order exchange, Open Banking for bank-feed reconciliation, SagePay for card payments, HMRC Making Tax Digital for VAT, an Excel add-in for power users and an Android companion app. & many more Need something else? We build custom integrations tailored to your stack. Frequently asked ### The questions we get on every first call. Is DataFlow the same as Clarity? Yes. DataFlow and Clarity are two names for one product — the same software, the same modules, the same database. If you have seen it called Clarity, that is exactly what DataFlow is. What is DataFlow? DataFlow is an integrated accounting and ERP system for UK distribution, accountancy and trading businesses. Nominal ledger, trade ledgers, order processing, stock control, VAT and the rest all run on one database, so the trading side and the accounting side are always in step. Does it handle Making Tax Digital? Yes. DataFlow prepares the nine-box VAT return and files it straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. MTD covers VAT only; EC Sales lists and Intrastat declarations are handled separately. Can it run more than one company? Yes. You can run any number of companies on one installation, with consolidation across them and inter-company processing where you need it. Which modules are there? Nominal ledger, trade ledgers, order processing, stock control, VAT, audit trail, job costing, timesheets, document store, dashboard and reports — each built for its job, all on the same database. Does it do stock and order processing, or just accounts? Both, natively, in the same database. Order processing and stock control are part of DataFlow rather than a separate system bolted on — so quotes, orders, deliveries, invoices and stock movements post to the ledgers as they happen. What does it integrate with? B2B order exchange via EDI and cXML PunchOut, bank feeds via Open Banking, card payments via SagePay, VAT filing via HMRC Making Tax Digital, an Excel add-in, an Android companion app and postcode lookup. Is there a mobile app? There is a lightweight Android companion app for a subset of tasks. There is no iOS version, and the app works online only — it is a companion to DataFlow, not a replacement for it. How is it licensed? DataFlow is licensed per seat and per company. The licence enables the modules you actually use, so you start with what you need and add others as you grow. How much does it cost? Pricing is quote-based, because it depends on your seats, companies and the modules you use. Talk to us and we will put together a quote for your setup. How do we get started? Book a demo so we can show you DataFlow against your own way of working. Rollouts are then configured to your setup rather than dropped in off the shelf. --- # Capabilities | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/ Capabilities ## What DataFlow does. From the everyday trading and accounting flows to the advanced controls bigger businesses need — every capability runs on the same integrated database, so nothing is bolted on and nothing is re-keyed. #### Order to Cash Quotation to order to delivery to invoice to receipt — every posting written in one action. #### Period Close The ordered month-end: Order Processing, Stock, Trade Ledgers, Nominal, then VAT. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital Reconcile the VAT journal, then file the nine-box return straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. #### Bank Reconciliation Match the statement against your postings, with Open Banking pre-matching — you stay in control. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Any number of companies on one installation, with consolidation and inter-company processing. #### Multi-Currency Accounts in any currency, with allocation, period-end revaluation and multi-currency bank rec. #### Document Authorisation Authority-limit approval chains per user, group and module, with a remote approval portal. #### Customisation User-defined fields, customer-specific EDI variants and per-customer installer builds. --- # Bank Reconciliation | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/bank-reconciliation/ Capability ## Bank reconciliation, step by step and in your control. Reconciliation in DataFlow is a review, not an investigation. Receipts, payments, charges and card takings all reach the ledger through the Cash Book or a journal, then the Reconcile Accounts page sets the bank statement against what DataFlow has posted so you can match, resolve and close. The problem ### When reconciliation becomes an investigation. If the bank statement and the ledger are kept apart, the monthly reconciliation turns into guesswork about which side is right. #### Re-keying the bank statement Every receipt and payment gets typed in a second time to make the books agree with the bank — slow, and a fresh chance to introduce an error. #### The cash book and bank never agree The two sides drift apart over the month, and nobody is sure which entry is missing or duplicated until someone works back through both. #### An afternoon of guesswork each month Reconciliation slips to a month-end chore that swallows an afternoon, because the matching is done by eye across two disconnected lists. #### Bank errors surface too late A duplicated charge or a payment taken at the wrong value only comes to light months later, once the statement trail has gone cold and the money is hard to recover. Overview ### One page, both sides of the account. Postings go in through the Cash Book or a journal, then you reconcile against the bank. - Get every bank posting in posted - Open the Reconcile Accounts page side by side - Match the entries matched - Resolve and close closed #### Get every bank posting into the ledger Customer receipts and supplier payments via the Cash Book, with allocations. Charges, interest and transfers posted by journal. - Cash Book receipts and payments with allocations - Auto SagePay card receipts posted #### Open the Reconcile Accounts page — both sides in view The bank-statement view of what cleared the account. The DataFlow-posted view of what the ledger holds. - Two grids bank statement and posted entries - One page both sides of the account #### Match — automatic first, then manual Matched pairs reconcile against each other. With Open Banking, auto-match runs first and the rest drop to manual. - Auto-match runs first with Open Banking - Manual for the entries left over #### Resolve the differences and close the reconciliation Post any bank-only entry the ledger has not yet recorded. Leave DataFlow-only entries as reconciling items to investigate. - Bank-only entries posted before close - Per currency multi-currency accounts reconcile In their words Order processing, stock and accounts sit on one system, so the whole team works from the same picture. Matcon Manufacturing & engineering Explore more ### More capabilities. Bank reconciliation is one of the capabilities that keep the cash position honest — explore the others it works alongside. #### Order to Cash The customer receipts you reconcile against the bank carry their allocations from the sales ledger through the Cash Book. #### Period Close A reconciled bank account is part of the ordered month-end, closed in sequence before the ledger shuts on the period. #### Multi-Currency Foreign-currency bank accounts reconcile in their own currency, on the same Reconcile Accounts page as your base-currency accounts. #### Filing a VAT Return The HMRC payment lands in the Cash Book like any other, ready to reconcile against the bank once it settles. Frequently asked ### Bank reconciliation questions. How do bank postings reach the ledger? Customer receipts and supplier payments post through the Cash Book with their allocations, charges, interest and transfers post via journals, and SagePay card receipts are posted automatically. Every posting goes through the Cash Book or a journal. Does the Open Banking integration post entries for me? No. Open Banking pre-matches your statement so auto-match can run first, but it never auto-posts. Every entry still reaches the ledger through the Cash Book or a journal, so you stay in control. What happens to entries that do not match? With Open Banking, auto-match runs first and unmatched entries drop to manual matching. You then post any bank-only entry the ledger has not recorded, and leave DataFlow-only entries as reconciling items to investigate. Can it reconcile accounts held in other currencies? Yes. Multi-currency accounts reconcile in their own currency on the Reconcile Accounts page, alongside the bank-statement view and the DataFlow-posted view. --- # Customisation | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/customisation/ Capability ## The software that bends to how you trade not the other way round. Most businesses have a handful of things they do their own way. DataFlow accommodates them with user-defined fields, branded installer builds, bespoke report layouts and customer-specific EDI variants — so the system fits your trade without forking the product. The problem ### When the software will not bend. Every business has a few things it does its own way. Standard software either ignores them or forces an expensive fork. #### The data you need has nowhere to go Your documents carry details the standard fields never anticipated, so they end up in a notes box, a spreadsheet or somebody’s memory. #### Reports never quite match the house style The standard layouts are close but not right, and there is no supported way to produce the document your customers actually expect. #### A big partner speaks their own dialect One large trading partner wants EDI their way, and a generic feed cannot meet the exact fields, codes and sequencing they insist on. #### Starting from an empty system Moving in means the chart of accounts, customers, suppliers, stock and opening balances all have to be re-keyed by hand, so the first weeks go on data entry instead of trading. Overview ### The same product, shaped to fit. Customisation without a fork you have to maintain forever. - User-defined fields no core change - Customer-specific builds branded - Bespoke report layouts commissioned - Customer-specific EDI variants partner-specific #### User-defined fields that add data without a core change Extra fields added to documents without touching the core code. Delivered as a pluggable DLL, so upgrades stay clean. - No core change to add the fields you need - Extra tabs on the document edit windows #### Customer-specific installer builds, branded and configured Branded installer with default settings and a licence association. Custom code paths where the standard product needs to flex. - Same product branded and pre-configured - Scoped as a sales-and-engineering decision #### Bespoke report layouts loaded alongside the standard set Layouts commissioned to your house style and requirements. Loaded alongside the standard reports, not in place of them. - Bespoke layouts to your requirements - Alongside the standard reports #### EDI variants for a large partner’s own dialect Variants that meet a large partner’s specific EDI dialect. The fields, codes and sequencing that partner requires. - Partner dialect handled as a specific variant - Exact fields, codes and sequencing In their words The system grew with us. Over the years we ran it, our turnover roughly doubled. AAP Manufacturing & distribution Explore more ### More capabilities. Customisation is one of the ways DataFlow shapes to your business — explore the other capabilities that flex around how you trade. #### Document Authorisation Configure authority limits per user, group and document type, so over-limit documents are held for approval rather than posted. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Run any number of companies from one installation, each user given the companies they need and the group rolled up for reporting. #### Multi-Currency Denominate accounts in any currency you trade in, with exchange rates held once and revaluation built into the ledger. #### Order to Cash See how a sale flows from quotation to allocated receipt, with customer-specific EDI variants trading to a major partner’s dialect. Frequently asked ### Customisation questions. Can I add my own fields to documents? Yes. User-defined fields add extra data to documents without a core code change. They are delivered as a pluggable DLL that surfaces as additional tabs and fields on the document edit windows. What is a customer-specific installer build? It is the same product, branded, with default settings, a licence association and custom code paths. It is a sales-and-engineering decision rather than a self-service option, so it is scoped deliberately for the customer that needs it. Can DataFlow produce our own report layouts? Yes. Bespoke report layouts are commissioned to your requirements and loaded alongside the standard reports, so you keep the standard set and add the documents your customers expect. How does DataFlow handle a partner’s specific EDI format? Customer-specific EDI variants handle a large partner’s own dialect, meeting the exact fields, codes and sequencing that partner requires without changing the core feed. --- # Document Authorisation | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/document-authorisation/ Capability ## Approvals that hold the line on authority before anything posts. DataFlow holds any document above a user’s authority limit for approval by a higher-authority user, rather than posting it. Over-limit documents wait in an approver’s queue, and every approval, rejection, escalation and re-route is logged — so control is built in, not bolted on. The problem ### When sign-off lives outside the system. If approvals happen over email and a nod in the corridor, the wrong values slip through and nobody can prove who agreed to what. #### Over-limit values slip through Without a hard authority limit, a high-value invoice or credit note can be posted by whoever happens to key it in, past the point of any review. #### Approvals lost in email Sign-off scattered across inboxes and messages means no single queue to work through and no reliable record that an approval ever happened. #### Approvers away, work stuck When the approver is out of office and there is no cover, documents sit and stall — or get released without the review they needed. #### The same person keys and approves With nothing separating who raises a document from who signs it off, one person can enter and authorise the same high-value invoice, and the control exists only on paper. Overview ### Authority limits, enforced by the system. Set the limit once, and DataFlow holds anything above it. - Authority limits enforced - Held documents held back - Approve, reject & cover reviewed - History & remote portal logged #### Authority limits per user, group and document type Limits held per user, per group and per document type. Applies to any document type you configure. - Per type limits by document type - User & group authority held both ways #### Over-limit documents held for approval Documents above the limit are held, not posted. Escalated to a higher-authority user for approval. - Above limit held every time - Higher authority escalation to approve #### Approver queue, feedback and out-of-office cover Approve or reject, with a feedback note on rejection. Out-of-office flag re-routes to a nominated cover user. - One queue documents to review - Cover out-of-office re-routing #### Transaction Authorisation History and the remote portal Every approval, rejection, escalation and re-route logged. Remote web Authorisation Portal for laptop or tablet. - Full history of every decision - Laptop or tablet clear the queue anywhere Explore more ### More capabilities. Authorisation is one of the controls DataFlow builds in — explore the other capabilities that keep the accounts accurate and defensible. #### Order to Cash Follow a sale from quotation to allocated receipt, with over-limit invoices and credit notes held against authority limits before they post. #### Period Close See the ordered month-end sequence that squares every module, so nothing posts into a period once it is shut. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Give each user the companies they can log into, the same per-user control that governs who approves which document. #### Customisation Shape the system to how you trade, from user-defined fields to the document types authority limits apply to. Frequently asked ### Document Authorisation questions. What is an authority limit? An authority limit is the maximum monetary value a user or group can post for a given document type without escalation. DataFlow holds these limits per user, per group and per document type. What happens to a document above the limit? It is held rather than posted, and escalated to a higher-authority user. It waits in that approver’s queue, where it can be approved to release it or rejected — a rejection carries a feedback note back to whoever raised it. What happens when an approver is out of office? An out-of-office flag with a date range re-routes documents to a nominated cover user, so approvals keep moving while the approver is away. Can approvers work remotely? Yes. A remote web Authorisation Portal lets finance directors and senior approvers clear their queue from a laptop or tablet, typically for purchase orders, with password confirmation before an approval is recorded. --- # Multi-Company & Consolidation | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/multi-company/ Capability ## Every company in the group, one installation. A single DataFlow installation runs any number of companies on one database, with every transaction tagged to the company it belongs to. Give each user the companies they need, post between companies automatically, and roll the group up into a consolidated view. The problem ### When each company is its own island. Running separate systems per company means separate logins, separate reconciliations and a group picture nobody can see without a spreadsheet. #### A separate system per company Every company kept in its own installation means duplicated setup, duplicated maintenance and no single place to see the whole group. #### Inter-company entries done twice A charge raised in one company has to be re-keyed as the matching entry in the other, so the two sides drift apart and reconciliation eats the month-end. #### The group view is a spreadsheet Consolidated reporting waits on someone exporting each company and stitching the numbers together by hand, long after the period has closed. #### A separate login for every company Staff who work across two or three companies keep a different login for each and close one system to open the next, so simply moving between them wastes time all day. Overview ### One installation, every company. All your companies on a single database, tagged and separated as they trade. - One installation, many companies company-tagged - Per-user company access controlled - Inter-company processing automatic - Consolidation grouped #### Any number of companies on a single database Any number of companies on one database. Every transaction tagged to the company it belongs to. - One database for the whole group - Per company transaction tagging #### A configurable list of companies for each user Each user has a configurable list of companies they can log into. People only see the companies that are theirs to work in. - Per user company access list - Configurable log-in permissions #### Automatic opposite-side postings between company pairs A transaction in one company generates the matching entry in a second. Configured per company pair, so the two sides stay in step. - Auto opposite-side posting - Per pair inter-company setup #### A consolidated group view for reporting Roll companies into a group view for reporting. The group picture without an export-and-merge afterwards. - Group consolidated view - Roll-up across companies In their words One system across a large retail operation gave us consistent numbers to work from. British Heart Foundation Charity & retail Explore more ### More capabilities. Multi-company is one of the capabilities that scale DataFlow to a group — explore the others that keep the whole picture accurate. #### Multi-Currency Denominate accounts in any currency and revalue foreign balances, so overseas entities in the group sit in the ledger, not a spreadsheet. #### Period Close The ordered month-end that runs inter-company postings and FX before the ledger shuts, leaving the group ready to consolidate. #### Document Authorisation The same per-user control that decides which companies someone logs into also governs which documents they are allowed to approve. #### Customisation Shape the shared installation to how each company trades, from user-defined fields to branded builds and bespoke reports. Frequently asked ### Multi-company questions. How many companies can one installation run? A single DataFlow installation runs any number of companies on one database, with every transaction tagged to the company it belongs to. The number of companies the installation runs is set by your licence. Can I control which companies a user sees? Yes. Each user has a configurable list of the companies they can log into, so people only work in the companies that are theirs and log into the one they need from their own list. How does inter-company posting work? A transaction in one company automatically generates the matching opposite-side posting in a second company. The relationship is configured per company pair, so the two sides stay in step without re-keying. Can I report across the whole group? Yes. Consolidation rolls the companies together into a group view for reporting, so you can see the group from one place rather than exporting each company and merging by hand. --- # Multi-Currency | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/multi-currency/ Capability ## Trade in any currency, report in one. DataFlow lets you denominate accounts in any currency and keeps exchange rates in Common Setup. Allocation, period-end revaluation and bank reconciliation all understand foreign currency, so your reporting currency stays true without the manual conversions. The problem ### When foreign currency lives in a spreadsheet. If currency conversion happens outside the ledger, the reported position is only ever an estimate. #### Rates re-keyed everywhere Exchange rates get typed into invoices, journals and spreadsheets separately, so the same transaction converts differently depending on who touched it. #### Revaluation done by hand Foreign-currency balances are revalued in a spreadsheet at period end, then journalled back manually, and the working is hard to trace afterwards. #### Unrealised gains stay hidden Open foreign-currency balances move with the rate, but nobody can see the unrealised gain or loss until the account is finally settled. #### Foreign bank accounts fight reconciliation A statement that arrives in euros or dollars has to be converted line by line before it will match a ledger kept in your base currency, so foreign accounts are the slowest to reconcile. Overview ### Currency handled in the ledger, not around it. Set the currency once and DataFlow carries it through every posting. - Currency & exchange rates one source - Accounts in any currency denominated - Allocation across currencies matched - Revaluation & FX reporting revalued #### Currencies and exchange rates held in Common Setup Currency Setup defines the currencies you trade in. Exchange Rate Edit keeps rates current for every module. - One source for every rate - Any currency you trade in #### Accounts denominated in any currency Denominate an account in any currency you trade in. Reporting currency stays constant underneath. - Any account, any currency - One reporting currency underneath #### Allocation across currencies The Allocation Equivalent Window handles cross-currency matches. Allocate confidently without re-keying converted amounts. - Cross currency allocation - Clear matched position #### Period-end revaluation and FX gain or loss reporting The Revaluable Accounts window revalues on the exchange rate. Potential Currency Gains and Losses shows unrealised FX at a chosen date. - Period-end revaluation on the rate - Unrealised gain or loss visible Explore more ### More capabilities. Multi-currency is one of the capabilities that carry foreign trade through the ledger — explore the others it works alongside. #### Bank Reconciliation Foreign-currency bank accounts reconcile in their own currency, on the same Reconcile Accounts page as your base-currency accounts. #### Period Close Period-end revaluation of foreign-currency accounts runs as part of the ordered month-end close across every module. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Run overseas entities from one installation and roll them into a group view, with each account denominated in its own currency. #### Order to Cash Invoice and allocate receipts across currencies, matching a foreign receipt to its invoice through the Allocation Equivalent Window. Frequently asked ### Multi-currency questions. Can accounts be held in a currency other than my base currency? Yes. Accounts can be denominated in any currency you trade in, while your reporting currency stays constant underneath. Where are currencies and exchange rates maintained? Currencies and their exchange rates are held in Common Setup, through Currency Setup and Exchange Rate Edit, so every module converts from the same source. How does period-end revaluation work? The Revaluable Accounts window revalues foreign-currency accounts using the exchange rate, and the Potential Currency Gains and Losses report shows the unrealised gain or loss on open foreign-currency balances at a date you choose. Does bank reconciliation support foreign currency? Yes. Bank reconciliation supports multi-currency, so foreign-currency accounts reconcile in their own currency. --- # Order to Cash | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/order-to-cash/ Capability ## From quotation to cash in one connected flow. Order to cash is the path a sale takes through DataFlow: a quotation converts to a sales order that reserves stock, a despatch note decrements it, the invoice posts to the sales ledger and nominal, and the receipt is allocated against the invoice. Each step writes the ledgers, stock, VAT and audit trail in one action — no re-keying between an order system and the accounts. The problem ### When the order and the accounts live apart. If the order system and the accounts are two separate places, someone has to keep them in step by hand — and something always slips. #### Re-keying between systems Orders live in one place and the accounts in another, so the same figures get typed twice — once to trade, once to post — with a chance to differ each time. #### Invoices raised late When invoicing is a separate job done after the deliveries, invoices go out days later than they should, and the cash comes in later still. #### No stock reservation Without a sales order that commits stock, two orders can claim the same goods, so you promise what you cannot ship and oversell the shelf. #### Receipts sit unallocated Money lands in the bank but is never matched to the invoices it pays, so statements show the wrong balance and you chase customers who have already settled. Overview ### One flow, posted as it happens. Every document in the sale posts the moment you process it. - Quotation & order reserved - Delivery despatched - Invoice posted - Receipt & allocation allocated #### A quotation converts to a sales order that reserves stock Quotation is non-binding and commits no stock. On acceptance it converts to a sales order that reserves stock. - Non-binding quote, no stock committed - Reserved stock once the order is raised #### A despatch note decrements stock as the goods leave Despatch is raised against the reserved sales order. Stock decrements as the goods leave, keeping the figure true. - Against order despatch draws on the reservation - Live stock decremented on despatch #### The sales invoice posts to the sales ledger and nominal in one action The sales invoice posts to the sales ledger and the nominal. Debtors, sales and VAT are all posted in one action. - One action sales ledger and nominal posted - Debtors · Sales · VAT posted together #### The customer receipt is allocated against the invoice and shown on the statement The customer receipt is allocated against the invoice. The statement reflects the allocation, so the balance is right. - Allocated receipt matched to the invoice - On statement balance reflects the receipt In their words Order processing, stock and accounts sit on one system, so the whole team works from the same picture. Matcon Manufacturing & engineering Explore more ### More capabilities. Order to cash is one of the workflows DataFlow posts as it happens — explore the other capabilities that carry a sale onward. #### Bank Reconciliation The customer receipt you allocate against the invoice reaches the ledger through the Cash Book, ready to reconcile against the bank. #### Filing a VAT Return The VAT the sales invoice posts flows straight into the VAT control accounts and the nine-box VAT 100 you file under MTD. #### Period Close Order Processing and the trade ledgers close in the ordered month-end sequence, so every sale lands in the right period. #### Document Authorisation High-value invoices and credit notes are checked against authority limits as they are raised, and held for approval before they post. Frequently asked ### Order-to-cash questions. Does a quotation reserve stock? No. A quotation is non-binding and commits no stock. Stock is reserved only when the quotation converts to a sales order, so a quote costs you nothing until it is accepted. When does stock actually decrement? The sales order reserves the stock, and the despatch note decrements it as the goods leave. The reservation stops the same stock being promised twice; the despatch moves the figure when it ships. What does the sales invoice post? The sales invoice posts to the sales ledger and the nominal in one action — debtors, sales and VAT together — with a full audit trail, so there is nothing to re-key into the accounts afterwards. How does the customer statement stay right? The customer receipt is allocated against the outstanding invoice, and the statement reflects the allocation. What the customer owes and what you have shipped always agree. --- # Period Close | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/period-close/ Capability ## Month-end that closes in order the first time. DataFlow closes each period in a fixed sequence — Order Processing, then Stock Control, then the Trade Ledgers, then the Nominal Ledger, then VAT. Every module is squared before the next one shuts, so postings land where they belong and the trial balance is trustworthy on the day. The problem ### When month-end is a scramble. If the close has no fixed order, postings slip between modules and the numbers only settle days later. #### Month-end is a scramble Everyone closes their own corner at once, chasing stragglers by email, and nobody can say whether the period is actually finished. #### Closing out of order loses postings Shut the Nominal Ledger before stock or the trade ledgers have finished and their late entries have nowhere to go — cost of sales and allocations fall into the wrong period. #### The trial balance is trusted late Because the trading figures are re-keyed after the fact, the trial balance is only reliable days after the period was meant to close. #### Closed periods get reopened A late correction reopens a month that was already reported, quietly shifting figures the board has signed off, so last period’s numbers no longer match what was filed. Overview ### One sequence, run in order. Each module closes only once the one before it is squared. - Order Processing documents cleared - Stock Control movements finalised - Trade Ledgers reconciled - Nominal Ledger closes last - VAT MTD ready #### Post every outstanding document first Post every outstanding sales and purchase document for the period. Hold anything incomplete so it cannot slip through half-recorded. - First stage of the close - All outstanding documents posted or held #### Finalise stock movements and cost of sales The stock period close finalises movement totals for the period. Closing stock triggers the cost-of-sales postings into the Nominal Ledger. - Finalised stock movement totals - Auto cost-of-sales postings to the nominal #### Close the sales ledger, then the purchase ledger Close the sales ledger first, then the purchase ledger. Reconcile the control totals to the nominal control accounts. - Sales ledger closes before purchase - Reconciled to the nominal control accounts #### Close the ledger last, once everything has posted Run the trial balance, P&L, balance sheet, recurring, inter-company and FX first. After the close, no further postings can land in the period. - Last stage before VAT - Locked no postings after close #### Close the VAT period for Making Tax Digital Close the VAT period once the ledgers are settled. Leave the period ready for a Making Tax Digital submission. - Final stage of the close - MTD ready to submit In their words Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month. JCB Finance Financial services Explore more ### More capabilities. Period close is one of the workflows that keep the accounts trustworthy — explore the other capabilities it draws together. #### Filing a VAT Return VAT closes at the end of the sequence, leaving the reconciled period ready to submit the nine-box VAT 100 under Making Tax Digital. #### Bank Reconciliation A reconciled bank account is squared as part of the close, so the cash position is right before the ledger shuts. #### Multi-Currency Period-end revaluation of foreign-currency accounts runs as part of the ordered close, before the Nominal Ledger shuts. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Inter-company postings settle during the close, leaving every company squared and ready to roll into the group view. Frequently asked ### Period close questions. What order does the close run in? Order Processing first, then Stock Control, then the Trade Ledgers — the sales ledger before the purchase ledger — then the Nominal Ledger, and finally VAT. Each module is squared before the next one closes. Why does the Nominal Ledger close last? Because every other module posts into it. Once stock, the trade ledgers and their reconciliations have landed, the ledger closes and no further postings can enter the period, so the trial balance, P&L and balance sheet are final. What happens if I close out of order? Postings are lost to the wrong period. If the ledger shuts before stock or the trade ledgers finish, their late entries — cost of sales, allocations — have nowhere correct to go and the accounts no longer reconcile. When is VAT closed? At the end of the sequence, once the ledgers are settled. Closing the VAT period leaves the return ready for a Making Tax Digital submission. --- # Filing a VAT Return | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/capabilities/vat-return/ Capability ## Filing a VAT return, start to finish under Making Tax Digital. A VAT return in DataFlow follows one path: reconcile the VAT journal, check EC Sales and Intrastats where they apply, submit the nine-box VAT 100 to HMRC under Making Tax Digital, then store the receipt and record the payment. Each step squares against the ledger before you move on. The problem ### When the return is stitched together by hand. If the VAT figures live outside the ledger, every quarter turns into a rebuild — and a risk. #### Spreadsheet bridging Figures copied out of the accounts into a spreadsheet, then bridged into HMRC — every manual hop is a chance for the return to drift from the ledger. #### Reconciling VAT by hand Tallying the VAT control accounts against the return by hand is slow, and it is never quite clear whether the numbers agree until the afternoon is gone. #### Missing the deadline Without the obligations in front of you, a period slips — and a late or missed submission is exactly the kind of avoidable exposure MTD was meant to close. #### No trace of what you filed When HMRC queries a return months later, there is no stored copy of the exact figures or the submission receipt, so you rebuild the whole quarter from memory to answer them. Overview ### One path from the ledger to HMRC. The return is a review of the ledger, not a reconstruction of it. - Reconcile the VAT Journal reconciled - Check EC Sales & Intrastats where applicable - Submit under Making Tax Digital filed - Receipt & record payment recorded #### Reconcile the VAT journal for the period VAT control accounts reconciled to the VAT due for the period. The return is built from ledger figures, not a spreadsheet. - Ledger figures behind the return - Squared control accounts before filing #### Check EC Sales Lists and Intrastat declarations where applicable EC Sales Lists and Intrastat declarations are separate submissions. They are not part of the Making Tax Digital return. - Separate from the MTD return - Where applicable to you #### Submit the nine-box VAT 100 under Making Tax Digital Open HMRC obligations loaded and matched to your closed DataFlow VAT period. The nine-box VAT 100 shown for review, then submitted. - Nine-box VAT 100 to HMRC - MTD submission, VAT-only #### Store the HMRC receipt and record the payment HMRC receipt number stored against the period for audit. HMRC payment recorded in the Cash Book when the bank settles. - Receipt retained for audit - Cash Book payment recorded In their words Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month. JCB Finance Financial services Explore more ### More capabilities. Filing a VAT return is one of the workflows built straight from the ledger — explore the other capabilities that lead into it. #### Period Close The VAT period closes at the end of the ordered month-end sequence, leaving the return ready to reconcile and file. #### Order to Cash Every sales invoice posts debtors, sales and VAT together, so the VAT behind the return is already in the control accounts. #### Bank Reconciliation The HMRC payment you record in the Cash Book reconciles against the bank like any other, once it settles. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Each company files its own VAT return from its own ledger, while the group still runs on one shared installation. Frequently asked ### Filing a VAT return questions. Does Making Tax Digital cover more than VAT? No. In this workflow Making Tax Digital covers the VAT return only. EC Sales Lists and Intrastat declarations are separate submissions handled on their own, where they apply to you — they are not part of the MTD return. What is submitted to HMRC? The nine-box VAT 100. The MTD Submission window loads your open HMRC obligations, matches your closed DataFlow VAT period and shows the nine-box VAT 100 for you to review before you Submit. How do I know the return agrees with my accounts? You reconcile the VAT journal for the period first, so the VAT control accounts agree with the VAT due before you file. The return is built from ledger figures rather than a spreadsheet. What happens after I submit? HMRC returns a receipt number that is stored against the period for audit. When the bank settles the HMRC payment, you record it in the Cash Book. --- # About DataFlow | Integrated Accounting & ERP Software URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/company/about/ About DataFlow ## Helping businesses dream big , scale faster, and operate smarter. We’ve spent years making accounting and ERP simpler for distribution, accountancy and trading businesses. How It All Started ### Our Story and Mission #### Simple, affordable and built to support your business, so you can focus on what you do best while we look after the rest. #### It Started with A Simple Idea Running a business should be about passion, not endless detail. B2C tech simplified life with a tap, but B2B had been left behind. #### The Need for Change DataFlow set out to bring the same simplicity, speed and efficiency to distribution, accountancy and trading businesses running their finances and operations on ageing systems. #### Whatever Your Need, We Can Help Our platform is built to be easy to adopt and flexible to fit your needs. We can help you go live in 4–6 weeks, with no hidden fees and no lengthy setups. #### One Platform for Every Trading Business From Food & Beverage to FMCG, Construction and Healthcare, DataFlow ties ledgers, order processing, stock and VAT into one database, so teams spend less time on daily tasks. Our heritage ### Four decades of UK trading software. DataFlow first shipped in 1981 as one of the earliest accounting packages built for how British businesses actually trade. Over four decades of continuous development — shaped by distributors, traders and accountancy practices up and down the country — it grew into the integrated ledgers, stock and order-processing platform it is today. DataFlow is now part of DataInsights. We have taken that pedigree into our care and we are investing in its next chapter, bringing modern engineering and support to a product that UK businesses have trusted for a generation. - 1981 First released - 40+ yrs Continuous development - UK-built For UK trading businesses Trusted since 1981 ### Numbers we’re quietly proud of. We’d rather show the work than talk about it. Here’s the shape of what we’ve been building. - 90+ Customers - -30% Operational Costs - +40% Increase in Efficiency What we stand for ### Four values, applied on every release. They’re only worth writing down if they actually shape the decisions we make. Here’s how each one shows up in the work. #### People first Customers and team come first. We listen, we prioritise the work that moves their day, not the work that’s easiest for us to ship. #### Innovative thinking A culture where ideas are allowed to grow. Everyone is encouraged to push the edge, prototype quickly, and prove or kill an idea on its merits. #### True ownership When there’s a problem on a live system, we step up. We take pride in our work and stay with it until the customer’s books look the way they should. #### Work-life balance Work should inspire, not exhaust. A team that has space to recover does the best, most thoughtful work, and stays around to keep doing it. Meet the team ### The people behind the platform. A small, senior team of operators and engineers. Most have run, sold to, or supported trading businesses before. We know the books. #### Vaibhav Mittal CEO “Tech geek” with a flair for B2B product management. Private-equity industry veteran. LinkedIn #### Darius Product Director Go-to-market specialist. Seasoned accounting and ERP industry veteran. LinkedIn #### Prachi Bhardwaj Head of Marketing Brand, product marketing, demand generation and data driven growth. LinkedIn #### Adele Sergeant Head of Sales Experienced technology sales leader, driving business growth through strategic solutions. LinkedIn Our modules ### One platform, one database, every module. The same nominal ledger, trade ledgers and stock records, surfaced as a set of modules that map to the way trading businesses actually run their week. #### Modules - Nominal Ledger Your general ledger and management accounts. - Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase ledgers in one place. - Order Processing Quotes, sales orders and invoicing. - Stock Control Live stock across every location. - VAT & Making Tax Digital File VAT returns straight to HMRC. #### Explore More - Integrations Connect DataFlow to the tools you run on. --- # DataFlow vs Sage (+ separate stock) URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/compare/dataflow-vs-sage/ Compare ## One database, not Sage plus a separate stock system. Sage 50 and Sage 200 handle the ledgers well, but order processing and stock usually sit in a separate system you integrate. DataFlow keeps trading and accounting in a single database. The core difference ### Sage plus a stock system, or one database. This is not a claim that Sage cannot do accounting or VAT — it can. The difference is integration. A Sage setup that trades usually runs a separate order-and-stock system alongside the ledger and keeps the two in sync. DataFlow keeps trading and accounting in the same database. Side by side ### Sage plus separate stock vs DataFlow Both cover accounting and stock. The honest difference is whether the two are joined by a sync or share one database where postings are automatic. | Capability | Sage + separate stock | DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Accounting & VAT | Yes — Sage handles the ledgers and VAT | Yes — from the same database, including VAT and MTD to HMRC | | Order processing & stock | A separate stock system alongside Sage, integrated | Native — orders and stock live in one database | | One source of truth | Two systems kept in sync between Sage and stock | One database — postings happen automatically | | Multi-company on one install | Companies split across Sage 50 or Sage 200 setups | Any number of companies on one installation | | B2B order exchange (EDI/cXML) | Middleware mapped into Sage and the stock system | Built in — EDI and cXML PunchOut into the same orders | | Bank reconciliation (Open Banking) | In Sage, apart from the stock and order side | Open Banking feeds reconcile against live ledgers | | Authority-limit approvals | Per system, if supported at all | Checked before every posting, across the whole platform | Where DataFlow fits ### An honest read on when one database wins. #### Where Sage stays a fine choice Sage 50 and Sage 200 are capable accounts systems, and if your trading is light — few stock lines, low order volumes, no B2B exchange — a stock add-on alongside Sage can be perfectly workable. #### The cost of two systems When order processing and stock sit in a separate system to Sage, you keep the two aligned — the integration, the re-keying and the month-end reconciliation between the ledger and the stock figures. #### What DataFlow changes DataFlow puts order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in one database. Every document posts trade-ledger, nominal, stock, VAT and audit entries in one action. FAQ ### Questions about Sage and DataFlow Does Sage do accounting and VAT? Yes. Sage 50 and Sage 200 are established accounts systems with full ledgers, VAT and Making Tax Digital filing. This comparison is not about whether Sage can do accounting — it can — but about integration when you also need order processing and stock. How is DataFlow different from Sage plus a stock system? The common Sage setup runs a separate order-and-stock system alongside the ledger and integrates the two. DataFlow keeps order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in one database, so there is no import step between the trading side and the books. Do I give up accounting depth by moving from Sage to DataFlow? DataFlow includes a full nominal ledger, sales and purchase ledgers, VAT and MTD to HMRC and audit reporting. The difference is that these share a database with order processing and stock, rather than being a separate system joined to Sage by a sync. Can DataFlow run multiple companies like a Sage setup? DataFlow runs any number of companies on one installation. Where a Sage estate can mean separate company files or setups, DataFlow keeps them on the same platform and database. --- # DataFlow vs Xero & QuickBooks (+ separate stock) URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/compare/dataflow-vs-xero-quickbooks/ Compare ## One database, not the books plus a separate stock app. Xero and QuickBooks keep the books well, but order processing and stock usually sit in a separate app you connect. DataFlow keeps trading and accounting in a single database. The core difference ### The books plus a stock app, or one database. This is not a claim that Xero or QuickBooks cannot do accounting or VAT — they can. The difference is integration. A cloud-accounts setup that trades usually connects a separate order-and-stock app and syncs the two. DataFlow keeps trading and accounting in the same database. Side by side ### Xero or QuickBooks plus stock vs DataFlow Both cover accounting and stock. The honest difference is whether the two are joined by a sync or share one database where postings are automatic. | Capability | Xero/QuickBooks + separate stock | DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Accounting & VAT | Yes — Xero or QuickBooks handles the books and VAT | Yes — from the same database, including VAT and MTD to HMRC | | Order processing & stock | A separate stock system alongside the books, integrated | Native — orders and stock live in one database | | One source of truth | Two systems kept in sync between the books and stock | One database — postings happen automatically | | Multi-company on one install | Usually one organisation per subscription | Any number of companies on one installation | | B2B order exchange (EDI/cXML) | A connector or app mapped to each system | Built in — EDI and cXML PunchOut into the same orders | | Bank reconciliation (Open Banking) | In the books, apart from the stock and order side | Open Banking feeds reconcile against live ledgers | | Authority-limit approvals | Per system, if supported at all | Checked before every posting, across the whole platform | Where DataFlow fits ### An honest read on when one database wins. #### Where Xero and QuickBooks fit well Xero and QuickBooks are strong cloud accounts systems, and for a business with light stock and simple ordering, an inventory app connected to the books can be all you need. #### The cost of two systems When order processing and stock live in a separate app to the books, you keep the two aligned — the connector, the re-keying and the reconciliation between the ledger and the stock figures at period end. #### What DataFlow changes DataFlow puts order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in one database. Every document posts trade-ledger, nominal, stock, VAT and audit entries in one action. FAQ ### Questions about Xero, QuickBooks and DataFlow Do Xero and QuickBooks handle accounting and VAT? Yes. Both are capable cloud accounts systems with full VAT and Making Tax Digital filing to HMRC. This comparison is not about whether they can do accounting — they can — but about integration once you also need order processing and stock. How is DataFlow different from Xero or QuickBooks plus a stock app? The usual setup connects a separate inventory or order app to the books and syncs the two. DataFlow keeps order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in one database, so there is no import step between trading and the books. When is Xero or QuickBooks with a stock app the better fit? If your stock is light and ordering is simple, a connected inventory app on top of the books can be enough, and the simplicity of a cloud subscription may suit you. The case for one database grows with order volume, stock complexity and B2B exchange. --- # DataFlow vs a Bolt-on Stock System URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/compare/vs-bolt-on-stock-system/ Compare ## One database, not a ledger with a bolt-on stock system. A common setup runs accounts in one system and bolts a separate order-and-stock system alongside it. DataFlow puts order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in a single database. The core difference ### Two systems joined by a sync, or one database. A bolt-on stack keeps your accounts in a ledger and adds a separate order-and-stock system next to it, integrated so figures pass across. DataFlow keeps trading and accounting in the same database, so the postings happen once and the numbers never drift apart. Side by side ### A bolt-on stack vs DataFlow Both approaches cover accounting and stock. The honest difference is integration — two systems kept in step, or one database where postings are automatic. | Capability | A bolt-on stack | DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Accounting & VAT | Yes — handled in the accounts system | Yes — from the same database, including VAT and MTD to HMRC | | Order processing & stock | A separate system you buy and integrate | Native — orders and stock live in one database | | One source of truth | Two systems kept in sync by imports | One database — postings happen automatically | | Multi-company on one install | Usually one company per system, or extra licences | Any number of companies on one installation | | B2B order exchange (EDI/cXML) | A bolt-on or middleware, mapped to each system | Built in — EDI and cXML PunchOut into the same orders | | Bank reconciliation (Open Banking) | In the accounts system, apart from trading | Open Banking feeds reconcile against live ledgers | | Authority-limit approvals | Per system, if supported at all | Checked before every posting, across the whole platform | Where DataFlow fits ### An honest read on when one database wins. #### When a bolt-on stack makes sense If your accounts and your trading rarely touch — low order volumes, few stock lines, no B2B exchange — a ledger with a light stock add-on can be enough, and switching may not be worth it. #### Where the two-system cost shows up Once orders, stock and the ledger all need the same numbers, you pay to keep two systems aligned — the sync, the re-keying and the month-end reconciliation between them. #### What DataFlow changes DataFlow puts order processing, stock control, the trade ledgers and accounting in one database. Every document posts trade-ledger, nominal, stock, VAT and audit entries in one action. FAQ ### Questions about bolt-on stock systems What is a bolt-on stock system? It is the common pattern of running your accounts in a ledger system and buying a separate order-and-stock system to sit alongside it, then integrating the two so numbers pass between them. It works, but you own two systems and the sync between them. How is DataFlow different? DataFlow is one platform on one database. Order processing, stock control, the sales and purchase ledgers and the accounting all read and write the same data, so there is no import step between the trading side and the books. Do I lose accounting features by moving to DataFlow? No. DataFlow includes a full nominal ledger, trade ledgers, VAT and Making Tax Digital filing to HMRC and audit reporting. The difference is that these share a database with order processing and stock, rather than being a separate system you integrate. When is a bolt-on stack still the right choice? If your order and stock volumes are low and rarely interact with the ledger, a light stock add-on to your accounts can be enough. The case for one database grows as trading volume, stock complexity and B2B order exchange increase. --- # UK Compliance & Controls | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/compliance/ Compliance ## The controls behind every number you file. VAT returns, EC Sales, Intrastats, direct debits and the Payment Practices Report all come out of the ledgers you already keep in DataFlow. Every posting is captured in a read-only audit trail, and approvals run against authority limits — so what you file is what actually happened. - The nine-box VAT 100 filed straight to HMRC under MTD - A full read-only audit trail across every ledger and user - Authority-limit approval chains before anything is committed The problem ### When compliance lives in spreadsheets. If VAT, statutory reporting and the audit trail are assembled by hand after the fact, every deadline is a scramble and every figure is a leap of faith. #### VAT and MTD stress The nine-box return is stitched together from exports and manual adjustments, then re-keyed to file — and Making Tax Digital means it has to reach HMRC digitally, not on paper. #### Audit preparation eats days When the auditor asks who changed what and when, the answer is spread across people, emails and memory, so pulling the trail together takes days you do not have. #### Weak spend controls Without authority limits, payments and orders go through on trust, and nobody can show that the right person approved a figure before it was committed. #### Statutory returns done by hand Beyond VAT there are EC Sales, Intrastats and the Payment Practices Report, each pulled together from exports by hand, so a return is filed late or missed because nothing ties it to the trading data. Overview ### Compliance that falls out of the ledgers. File from the same figures you trade on — with the trail to prove them. - VAT & HMRC Making Tax Digital filed digitally - EC Sales & Intrastats declared separately - Payments & statutory reporting statutory - Audit & controls read-only #### VAT periods, the VAT journal and Making Tax Digital filing VAT periods and the VAT journal built from your ledger postings. The nine-box VAT 100 filed digitally, with the receipt retained for audit. - VAT 100 nine-box return filed to HMRC - MTD digital filing (VAT-only) #### EC Sales List and Intrastats declarations EC Sales List built from the same trading data as the VAT return. Intrastats declarations prepared as separate submissions to HMRC. - EC Sales list prepared for HMRC - Intrastats declared as a separate submission #### BACS/AUDDIS direct debit and the Payment Practices Report BACS/AUDDIS direct debit for collecting from customers. The UK statutory Payment Practices Report produced from your data. - BACS AUDDIS direct debit collection - Statutory Payment Practices Report #### The read-only audit trail and authority-limit approvals A full read-only audit trail across financial, customer, supplier and user movement. Authority-limit approval chains and authorisation history on the postings that matter. - Read-only audit trail that cannot be edited - Authority limit approval chains Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Compliance draws on the ledgers and modules you already run. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital VAT periods and the VAT journal build the nine-box VAT 100 and file it digitally to HMRC. #### Audit Trail The read-only trail of financial, customer, supplier and user movement, with authorisation history. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase ledgers post the trading data that every return and declaration is built from. #### Document Authorisation Authority-limit approval chains that sign off the postings and payments before anything is committed, with a full authorisation history. Frequently asked ### Compliance & controls questions. Does DataFlow file VAT under Making Tax Digital? Yes. VAT periods and the VAT journal produce the nine-box VAT 100, which files straight to HMRC digitally under Making Tax Digital, and the receipt is retained for audit. Making Tax Digital applies to VAT. Are EC Sales and Intrastats part of the VAT return? No. The EC Sales List and Intrastats declarations are prepared as their own separate submissions to HMRC, drawn from the same trading data as the VAT return but filed independently of it. What is the Payment Practices Report? It is a UK statutory reporting duty on payment practices and performance. DataFlow produces it from the payment data in your ledgers, alongside BACS/AUDDIS direct debit for collecting from customers. Can the audit trail be edited? No. The audit trail is read-only. It records financial, customer, supplier and user movement together with authorisation history, so every figure can be traced back to who did what and when, and nothing can be quietly changed. --- # Contact Us | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/contact/ Contact Us ## Let’s Get Started. Fill out the form and our team will come back with tailored insights and solutions for your business. We usually reply within one working day. Or email us ### Straight to the right desk. Two inboxes, both watched by the team who would answer anyway. Use whichever fits. - Sales sales@dataflow.co.uk New enquiries, pricing, demos and migration questions. - Support support@dataflow.co.uk Already running DataFlow? Help with your system, VAT filing or a module. Or drop in ### Visit us in person. Same-day visits welcome with a quick heads-up. We’re always happy to host you for a coffee. #### United Kingdom 82A James Carter Road Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7DE #### United Arab Emirates A3, Business Center Dubai World Central, P.O. Box 390667 Dubai In their words When we have a query we want a quick answer. The DataFlow support team knows us and knows our business and will always get back to us within half an hour. Mohamed Nazarali · De Wolfe Music Media & entertainment --- # Customers | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/ Customers ## Trusted by UK businesses that trade and account in one system. Distributors, manufacturers, trade associations and logistics firms run their ledgers, stock and VAT on DataFlow. Here is what a shared database looks like in their day-to-day work. Trusted by trading and accounting businesses - Bannerman Company Ltd Customer stories ### A closer look at a few of them. Each ran trading and accounting together on DataFlow. The proof point on each card belongs to that business. #### JCB International Financial services 10 days A global card business processing transactions in a wide range of currencies replaced manual foreign-exchange conversion with DataFlow’s multi-base-currency accounting. There wasn’t an equivalent product in the market that offered the multi-currency, multi-base-currency functionality we get with DataFlow. Read the case study #### The Chamber of Shipping Not for profit 2,000 → 150 A member-funded institution operating under Royal Charter left a character-based UNIX accounting system for DataFlow, and rebuilt its chart of accounts around cost centres in the process. DataFlow is an extremely cost-effective system. Other systems, up to three or four times more expensive, do not come close to matching the specification. Read the case study #### Matcon Engineering 6 A lean production specialist with offices in eleven countries replaced a generic accounting system with DataFlow Project Accounting, after finding that few packages could track the expected final cost of a contract. There’s only one good financial accounting system in the market for project-based businesses who want to monitor and control the expected final costs on their projects… that’s DataFlow. Read the case study #### AAP Financial services 2× The UK’s largest buyer of with-profit endowment policies outgrew Viztopia, moved to DataFlow on Microsoft SQL Server, and kept its accounting function in control as volumes climbed. The support was excellent and the implementation process well documented with few surprises as the project progressed. Read the case study #### British Heart Foundation Charity 4 days One of the UK’s largest charities moved its accounts to DataFlow without the luxury of parallel running — and had management reports out three weeks later. DataFlow was the only solution that provided us with the features and flexibility we were used to and could meet all our new requirements. Read the case study #### Core Products Distribution & e-commerce Since 2008 A leading UK supplier of flat-packed furniture, shelving and storage moved off a DOS accounting package and now runs three company accounts, three warehouses and a direct-to-home channel on one system. We are a sales organisation, so we are looking for data all the time. With DataFlow, I can get the management information I need really quickly. Read the case study --- # Customer Case Studies | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/ Case Studies ## The businesses that put their books on one system . Distributors, manufacturers, membership bodies and charities have run their ledgers, stock and order processing on DataFlow for decades. These are their stories, with the figures each business reported at the time. All 11 - Financial services 2 - Not for profit 1 - Engineering 1 - Charity 1 - Distribution & e-commerce 1 - Food & drink distribution 1 - B2B e-commerce 1 - Media & entertainment 1 - Membership body 1 - Distribution 1 Financial services ### JCB International How JCB International saved 10 days a month on currency work - Ten days a month saved: manual currency conversion eradicated. - Reporting in any base currency: no costly or time-consuming conversions. - Eight years of reliable monthly reporting: automatic management reports, month in, month out. Not for profit ### The Chamber of Shipping How the Chamber of Shipping went from 2,000 nominal headings to 150 - Chart of accounts rationalised: over 2,000 nominal headings reduced to 150. - Management reports in a fraction of the time: cost centres replaced heading sprawl. - Data transfer in under a day: the upload itself took a click. Engineering ### Matcon How Matcon holds gross margin on fixed-price contracts - Margins protected: cost and gross margin always in view on fixed-price contracts. - No double entry: project costs captured once, not re-keyed into a separate cost ledger. - Committed costs counted: spend included before it reaches the financial ledgers. Financial services ### AAP How AAP doubled turnover without losing control of the books - Turnover doubled in two years: the accounts function kept pace with the workload. - Audit trail to transaction level: every entry stamped with user, date and time. - Bespoke systems integrated: an in-house Access valuation system feeding the ledgers. Charity ### British Heart Foundation How the British Heart Foundation switched systems in four days - Four-day switchover: data converted, tested and trained with no parallel running. - Charity accounting kept intact: the software fitted their practices, not the reverse. - Accruals in minutes: 120 items imported from Excel by drag and drop. Distribution & e-commerce How Core Products put DataFlow at the centre of e-commerce and distribution - Orders straight to the warehouse: web orders flow into pick, pack and stock control. - Carriers integrated: package weights, volumes, pallet numbers and destinations passed automatically. - Three companies, one system: inter-company purchases handled without friction. Food & drink distribution How Anjoman Foods went from four software suppliers to one - Four suppliers down to one: a single point of contact for support. - Reporting time recovered: the accounts team stopped fighting the month. - Stock under control: warehouse teams recording deliveries and shipments on mobile devices. B2B e-commerce ### Parsia International How Parsia answered a competitor’s web shop in eight weeks - Live in eight weeks: start to finish, across finance, operations and sales. - Orders straight through: picked and packed within minutes of being placed. - Per-customer catalogues: user profiles control which products and prices each buyer sees. Media & entertainment How De Wolfe Music integrated its royalty system in three days - Royalty system integrated in three days: sales, purchase and nominal transactions post instantly. - Eight companies on one system: the businesses that make up De Wolfe Music. - Support inside half an hour: the response time that mattered most to them. Membership body ### BCS How BCS migrated its ledgers in four weeks - Live in four weeks: hit the start of the new financial year. - On budget: the installation came in within it. - Four nominal ledgers: Society, branches, specialist groups and subsidiary. Distribution ### Architectural Ceramics How Architectural Ceramics built the systems for a three-year growth plan - Invoices out faster: exported directly to the third-party factoring company. - CRM joined up: DataFlow integrated with Maximizer. - Quotes through to invoice: a bespoke Job File Manager feeding sales order processing. No case studies in that sector yet. --- # AAP Case Study | Scaling Accounting on DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/aap/ Case Study · Financial Services AAP ## How AAP doubled turnover without losing control of the books The UK’s largest buyer of with-profit endowment policies outgrew Viztopia, moved to DataFlow on Microsoft SQL Server, and kept its accounting function in control as volumes climbed. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 2× turnover in two years post-implementation - 250,000 policies handled in a single year - 18 staff using or trained on the system - £1bn+ of policies purchased to date Company profile ### Inside AAP. Part of TIS Group Plc and operating solely in the UK, Absolute Assigned Policies Limited (AAP) was formed in 1968 and is the largest market-maker specialising in the buying and selling of with-profit endowment policies. AAP has been involved in the purchase of over £1 billion of policies and has grown to become the largest buyer of endowments in the UK. Its associated companies manage assets in excess of £750 million. Sector Financial services Formed 1968 Group TIS Group Plc Associated assets Over £750 million The challenge ### A system sized for a smaller business. Rapid growth to 250,000 policies a year, and a move to Microsoft SQL Server the accounts system could not follow. Two factors prompted AAP to revisit its financial system. First, rapid growth meant the company was handling 250,000 policies in a single year. Financial Director Simon Goldsmith felt the existing accounting system, Viztopia, “was not substantial enough for the size of business that we had grown to.” Second, the company had switched its IT systems to run on Microsoft SQL Server and wanted an accounts system compatible with it. AAP needed something flexible enough to expand with the business, while still allowing accurate control of credit and payments and providing clear audit trails. - Volume growth to a quarter of a million policies in one year. - A move to Microsoft SQL Server the incumbent could not match. - A need for accurate control of credit and payments as volumes rose. - Clear audit trails, drillable to individual transaction level. - An existing bespoke Microsoft Access system that had to keep working. The solution ### SQL-based accounting that integrates with what is already there. AAP assessed Sun Accounts and Access Accounts, and chose DataFlow for its ability to adapt. DataFlow was the first UK accounting software compatible with Microsoft’s SQL Server, and uses industry-standard SQL databases that give direct access to all tables subject to local security constraints. Every transaction is stamped with the user’s date and time of entry, and it is possible to drill down to individual transaction level to see who performed a task. Of particular importance was integration with AAP’s existing bespoke Access system, which handles endowment policy valuations, manages the legal workflow and produces accounting transactions. An interface program written in-house at AAP meshes it with DataFlow. - Industry-standard SQL database with direct access to all tables. - Transactions stamped with user, date and time for a clear audit trail. - Drill-down from summary to individual transaction level. - Interface to a bespoke Access valuation and workflow system. - New features made available to users immediately, at no additional cost. The results ### The business doubled. The accounts function held. Scalability proved to be the asset, letting a nine-strong department absorb the extra workload. Since DataFlow was put in place, AAP has enjoyed substantial growth, and scalability proved a key asset in enabling the accounts department to keep pace with the additional workload. In Simon Goldsmith’s words: “The company’s turnover has doubled in the two years since implementation. We have been able to manage this and keep control within the accounting function.” There are currently nine users of the software in the accounts department and a further nine trained on the system. According to Simon, “they all adapted to, or learnt the system quickly and easily.” Export features are used to output data to spreadsheets, with routine reports generated from there. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | System capacity | Sized for a smaller business | Absorbed a doubling of turnover | | Database | Incompatible with the new SQL platform | Industry-standard SQL Server | | Audit trail | Limited visibility of who did what | User, date and time on every transaction | | Bespoke valuation system | Standing apart from the ledgers | Interfaced and posting through | In their words The support was excellent and the implementation process well documented with few surprises as the project progressed. Simon Goldsmith Financial Director · AAP Modules used ### What AAP run. Ledgers on SQL, a full audit trail, and an interface to the systems around them. - Nominal Ledger - Trade Ledgers - Audit Trail - Reports - Excel add-in - Customisation More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### JCB International Ten days a month saved by ending manual currency conversion. #### Architectural Ceramics Building the systems platform behind a plan to treble turnover in three years. #### De Wolfe Music Eight companies, a bespoke royalty system and three days to integrate it. --- # Anjoman Foods Case Study | Replacing Sage with DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/anjoman-foods/ Case Study · Food & Drink Distribution ## How Anjoman Foods went from four software suppliers to one One of the largest suppliers of Mediterranean foods replaced Sage and three bolt-on systems with a single DataFlow platform covering accounts, stock, mobile sales and e-commerce. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 4 → 1 software suppliers to support the business - 5 steps in the risk-free migration from Sage - Unlimited currencies supported for sales and purchases - Live stock and supply-chain reporting Company profile ### Inside Anjoman Foods. Having begun life as a major exporter of saffron, Anjoman Foods has grown to become one of the largest suppliers of Mediterranean foods — from dates and spices to rose water and fruit juices. European operations are managed from its North London offices, and its products are now sold in several countries. Sector Food and drink distribution Origins Saffron export Base North London Reach Sold in several countries The challenge ### Four suppliers, and nobody clearly responsible. Sage was creaking under transaction volume, and support meant working out whose problem it was. Like many growing businesses, Anjoman had used Sage for years to track cash flows and stock movements. A third-party system let salesmen take orders on the road, with order information downloaded into Sage afterwards. They also wanted to add warehouse management with barcode recognition to streamline order processing and improve the shipping cycle, plus e-commerce so customers could order directly. That meant dealing with four different software suppliers. Getting vital support was difficult, with it often unclear exactly where responsibility lay. Meanwhile Sage had started to creak under the strain of high transaction volumes: standard financial reports had become time-consuming, and reliable reporting and forecasting increasingly hard to produce. - Four software suppliers between the business and a working system. - Support requests falling between vendors. - Sage struggling with high transaction volumes. - Standard financial reports slow; forecasting unreliable. - Multi-currency profitability hard to see across geographies. The solution ### One platform, and a migration that could not lose data. Anjoman came to DataFlow on a recommendation from their accountants. DataFlow’s ERP system, developed for Microsoft SQL, gave Anjoman the entire functionality in one comprehensive platform — removing the need for multiple suppliers and, more importantly, ensuring a single point of contact for any support need. Multi-currency runs deep: DataFlow supports an unlimited number of currencies, automatically tracks exchange-rate differences, and offsets invoices in one currency with payments in another, whether Euros, Sterling or Rial. Accurately understanding the profitability of each part of the business, wherever it sits, matters for a business as diverse as Anjoman’s. Migration from Sage ran in five deliberate steps: a full data audit; transfer to a test environment; users continuing on the existing systems throughout; testing and training in the test environment; and live migration only once the test system was fully approved. - Accounts, stock, warehouse, mobile sales and e-commerce from one supplier. - Unlimited currencies with automatic exchange-difference tracking. - Salesmen taking orders and adding customers on Android tablets. - Customers ordering through the website, plus a branded ordering app. - Warehouse teams recording deliveries and shipments on mobile devices. - Five-step migration with no cut-over until the test system was signed off. The results ### Order restored to the supply chain. Real time savings in reporting, and operational overheads low enough that the system pays for itself. Anjoman’s accounts team made real time savings in reporting, freeing them to concentrate on growing the profitability of the business. CEO Mehrdad Salimi is direct about the operational effect: “DataFlow has brought order back to our supply chain and stock management. With our warehouse teams able to record deliveries and shipments and keep track of stock levels via mobile devices, we’re able to operate at a level of efficiency we’ve not enjoyed before. The related savings to operational overheads mean DataFlow is paying for itself.” The knock-on runs in both directions: fewer stock issues mean happier customers, while better financial visibility means happier suppliers and smoother cash flows. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Software suppliers | Four, with unclear responsibility | One, with a single support contact | | Financial reporting | Time-consuming under volume | Real time savings for the accounts team | | Field sales orders | Third-party system, downloaded later | Taken on Android tablets into the same system | | Customer ordering | Phone and rep only | Website plus a branded ordering app | | Stock movements | Recorded after the fact | Captured in the warehouse on mobile devices | In their words We have been truly impressed by DataFlow’s software and their team. They have implemented a system which enables us to view all the information we need from across the business with ease. DataFlow’s support desk have always been willing to provide advice and be the first port of call. Mehrdad Salimi Director · Anjoman Foods Modules used ### What Anjoman run. Stock and order processing at the centre, with mobile sales and e-commerce feeding them. - Stock Control - Order Processing - Multi-currency - Mobile sales - E-commerce - Android app More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Core Products Three companies, three warehouses and an e-commerce channel on one accounts package. #### Parsia A B2B web shop live in eight weeks, feeding straight into the back office. #### JCB International Ten days a month saved by ending manual currency conversion. --- # Architectural Ceramics Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/architectural-ceramics/ Case Study · Distribution Architectural Ceramics ## How Architectural Ceramics built the systems for a three-year growth plan A leading supplier of ceramic tiles to architectural practices and corporate clients reviewed how it was using DataFlow, and found headroom it had not been using. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 3 yrs growth plan the systems had to carry - 2× workforce targeted over that period - 3× turnover targeted over that period - 40,000 sq ft distribution warehouse in Birmingham Company profile ### Inside Architectural Ceramics. Architectural Ceramics (UK) Limited is a leading supplier of ceramic tiles and associated products to architectural and design practices and corporate clients across the private and public sectors. Established in 1988, the company operates out of a 40,000 sq ft distribution warehouse in Birmingham and employs 35 staff. It had been using DataFlow successfully to manage accounting, sales order processing and stock control for four years when Operations Director Tim Venner was appointed. Sector Distribution — ceramic tiles Established 1988 Staff 35 Site 40,000 sq ft, Birmingham The challenge ### An ambitious plan, and systems to match it. Aggressive expansion set the company on course to double its workforce and treble turnover in three years. On his arrival, Tim Venner was tasked with reviewing the company’s existing systems and making recommendations — not only to improve efficiency, but to provide a platform for future expansion. “We have a very ambitious growth strategy and unless we have robust business systems in place we won’t be able to meet our targets,” he said. With expansion plans on that scale, it was vital that the systems in place could handle the predicted increase in workload. Architectural Ceramics were committed to an operating system that ran the business, rather than employees who ran a system, as that mitigated the risk of human error. Reviewing how DataFlow was being used, it became apparent there was additional value still to be had. - A workforce and turnover plan the existing setup had to be proven against. - Invoice turnaround dependent on a third-party factoring company. - Reporting capability in the system that was not being fully used. - Quotations produced outside the flow into sales order processing. The solution ### Use more of what was already there. An upgrade, a CRM integration and a bespoke quotation system designed by DataFlow. One change has already paid dividends: an upgrade to the latest version of DataFlow allows invoices to be exported directly to the third-party factoring company that handles customer accounts. According to Tim, this had a significant impact on the speed at which invoices are turned around. DataFlow also integrates with Maximizer, the CRM software Architectural Ceramics use. The company already generates reports on orders by salesman, area, architect and contractor. To go further, they invested in a bespoke quote system designed by DataFlow: quotations are generated by a new Job File Manager directly into DataFlow, flowing through Sales Order Processing into the Sales Ledger, with contractor details picked up from the sales account records and invoices flowing automatically from sales orders via quotations. - Invoices exported directly to the factoring company. - Integration with Maximizer CRM. - A bespoke Job File Manager generating quotations into DataFlow. - Quotation → sales order → sales ledger → invoice, as one flow. - Sales analysis by stock item and product group. The results ### Faster invoicing, and a reporting base for the plan. Scalability was the reason it mattered: DataFlow handles organisations of any size or structure. The direct export of invoices to the factoring company measurably improved invoice turnaround. The new quotation system adds a reporting facility with sales analysis by stock item and product group — the information the company needs to support its growth plans. Architectural Ceramics plan to expand the number of DataFlow users so the system is accessible to every employee. As Tim Venner puts it: “The way I see it, DataFlow will be a fully integrated part of Architectural Ceramics moving forward.” | Outcome | Before the review | After the review | | --- | --- | --- | | Invoice turnaround | Handled outside the system | Exported directly to the factoring company | | CRM | Maximizer standing alone | Integrated with DataFlow | | Quotations | Produced outside the order flow | Job File Manager into sales order processing | | Sales analysis | By salesman, area, architect, contractor | Plus stock item and product group | | Access | A subset of the team | Planned for every employee | In their words The system is quite capable of processing customer orders, ledgers and stock control and I want to be making the most of the flexibility and power that DataFlow has to offer. Tim Venner Operations Director · Architectural Ceramics Modules used ### What Architectural Ceramics run. Order processing and stock joined to the ledgers, with CRM alongside. - Order Processing - Stock Control - Trade Ledgers - Reports - CRM integration - Customisation More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Core Products Three companies, three warehouses and an e-commerce channel on one accounts package. #### Anjoman Foods Four software suppliers replaced by one integrated platform. #### Parsia A B2B web shop live in eight weeks, feeding straight into the back office. --- # BCS Case Study | Membership Body Accounting on DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/bcs/ Case Study · Membership Body BCS ## How BCS migrated its ledgers in four weeks A registered charity with over 38,000 members ran a rigorous selection process, stayed with DataFlow, and used the migration advantage to hit the start of its financial year. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 4 weeks from decision to go-live - 38,000 individual and corporate members - 4 nominal ledgers across the group - On budget installation cost Company profile ### Inside BCS. The British Computer Society is a registered charity with over 38,000 individual and corporate members worldwide. It offers qualifications, examinations, technical and professional publications, training and an extensive programme of live events. The Society has over 40 branches nationwide and a further 50 specialist groups, and its accounts system handles the sales and purchases related to all of that activity. Sector Membership body and registered charity Members Over 38,000 Branches Over 40, plus 50 specialist groups Entities Society, branches, groups, BISL subsidiary The challenge ### Outgrown software, and a four-week window. Increasing volumes and a growing need for functionality, against a fixed financial-year deadline. Increasing volumes of business and a growing need for more systems functionality led BCS to conclude it had outgrown its existing accounting software. The search for a replacement began in earnest when new Finance Manager Wendy Franklin joined the Society. Although BCS had worked successfully with DataFlow in the past, they were committed to a thorough review of the options and a rigorous selection process. As Wendy explained, it was not a foregone conclusion that the Society would stay with its existing provider. The Society had also set itself a hard deadline: go live with the new system at the start of its new financial year, in just four weeks’ time, with all its financial data migrated. - Transaction volumes the incumbent system could no longer carry comfortably. - A four-week window tied to the start of the financial year. - All financial data to migrate from the legacy dBFLEX system. - A group structure spanning the Society, its branches, specialist groups and a subsidiary. The solution ### Four ledgers, one system. Sales, Purchasing and Nominal, with the management accounts run from the nominal ledger. DataFlow now supports the work of the Society through three main ledgers — Sales, Purchasing and Nominal — from which the management accounts are run. The system is run with four separate nominal ledgers: three for the same company, split into the divisions of the British Computer Society, Branches and Specialist Groups, and a fourth for British Informatics Society Limited, a subsidiary. Staying with DataFlow carried an immediate practical advantage on the deadline. “Data migration from the old dBFLEX system to DataFlow went very smoothly and the process was completed to demanding timescales,” Wendy comments. “This would have been much more difficult and risky if we’d had to move all our data to another vendor’s system.” - Sales, Purchase and Nominal ledgers on one system. - Four nominal ledgers covering the Society’s divisions and its subsidiary. - Management accounts run directly from the nominal ledger. - A migration path from dBFLEX that did not cross vendors. - A future goal to link the accounts to the Society’s membership system. The results ### The go-live date held, and so did the budget. Higher performance and flexibility from a true Windows product. The Society hit its financial-year deadline and the installation came in within budget. Wendy Franklin’s summary of the implementation is short: “During implementation the support provided by DataFlow was excellent. They hit the ‘go live’ date and the installation came within budget.” Managing Director Dariush Mogtader added: “We are delighted that we are continuing to fulfil the needs of the British Computer Society with a powerful, yet user-friendly finance system.” | Outcome | Before the upgrade | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Systems fit | Outgrown by transaction volume | Headroom for growing activity | | Group structure | Handled around the software | Four nominal ledgers, one system | | Migration | Cross-vendor move, higher risk | Completed to a four-week timescale | | Go-live | Financial-year deadline at risk | Date hit, budget held | In their words We quickly concluded that only DataFlow would give us the ease of use and flexibility of a true Windows product. Wendy Franklin Finance Manager · BCS Modules used ### What BCS run. Three ledgers, four nominal structures, and the management accounts on top. - Nominal Ledger - Trade Ledgers - Multi-company - Reports - Period close More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### British Heart Foundation A 20-user switchover completed in four days, with no parallel running. #### The Chamber of Shipping A chart of accounts cut from over 2,000 nominal headings to 150. #### Matcon Gross margin held on fixed-price contracts with project accounting. --- # British Heart Foundation Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/british-heart-foundation/ Case Study · Charity British Heart Foundation ## How the British Heart Foundation switched systems in four days One of the UK’s largest charities moved its accounts to DataFlow without the luxury of parallel running — and had management reports out three weeks later. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 4 days to convert, test and train - 20 users live from day one - 0 days of parallel running - £69m annual income under management Company profile ### Inside the British Heart Foundation. Founded in 1961, the British Heart Foundation is one of the UK’s top charities, with an income of £69 million in the year of this project. Nearly half comes from legacies, the rest from fundraising including the London to Brighton Bike Ride and the sale of donated goods in over 400 BHF shops. More than 77% of the money raised supports medical research, with the remainder going to education and patient care. Managing a charity on this scale presents challenges similar to a multi-site corporation — the 11-strong accounts team is headed by Chief Accountant David Reynolds, who joined when the charity’s income was just £1.5 million. Sector Charity and retail Founded 1961 Income £69 million Shops Over 400 The challenge ### Charity accounting the software would not bend to. A shortlist of three, two of which asked the BHF to change how it accounts. As the new millennium arrived and the organisation continued to expand, it was time to move to a more integrated business solution — the previous upgrade had been overseen in 1990. Reviewing true 32-bit Windows solutions, the BHF was surprised by the lack of alternatives, eventually shortlisting three: Access, Dynamics and DataFlow. The BHF was reluctant to implement Dynamics, having experienced US software vendors unable to respond to requests for UK-specific modifications. Access expected the BHF to change its accounting practices to suit the software, rather than the other way around. - Recurring debits and credits to post, as most charities need. - VAT charged to cost centres rather than the VAT account. - Expenses reimbursed without going through the purchase ledger. - Nominal ledger cheque writing. - No capacity for parallel running: a small team under pressure to deliver reports. The solution ### An instant switchover, supported on site. On 13 July the BHF stopped using its old software. On 17 July, 20 users went live on DataFlow. Most new packages are run alongside the existing system for a period, but parallel testing was not a luxury the BHF could afford. DataFlow had four days to convert all the data, test the system and provide initial training. Training is central to user acceptance, so DataFlow provided full-time on-site support for the first week to make sure users were fully conversant with the new system. Three weeks after installation, David Reynolds ran the management reports he needed before a booked holiday — and took it. - All data converted and tested inside a four-day window. - Twenty-user system live on the planned date. - Full-time on-site support through the first week. - Charity-specific posting, VAT and expense handling supported as standard. - Import and export by drag and drop between Excel and the ledgers. The results ### Accruals in minutes, apportionment in a fraction of the time. The switchover held, and the day-to-day work got quicker. The ability to import and export data with simple drag-and-drop commands proved a major benefit. Accruals data on 120 different items can be imported from Microsoft Excel within minutes, and apportioning costs between departments and cost centres takes a fraction of the time it used to. With DataFlow established, the BHF extended its use: the more powerful Analyzer solution for management reporting, integrated fixed asset management from Assetware, and plans to link the accounts system to the bank and let staff key in their own purchase orders. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Accruals import | Keyed item by item | 120 items from Excel in minutes | | Cost apportionment | A long manual exercise | A fraction of the time | | Charity-specific posting | Practices bent to fit the software | Supported as standard | | Changeover | Parallel running assumed | Four days, straight over | | Management reporting | Existing system only | Analyzer, plus integrated fixed assets | In their words DataFlow was the only solution that provided us with the features and flexibility we were used to and could meet all our new requirements. David Reynolds Chief Accountant · British Heart Foundation Modules used ### What the BHF run. Ledgers, month-end and reporting, with Excel either side of them. - Nominal Ledger - Trade Ledgers - Period close - Reports - Excel add-in - Bank reconciliation More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### BCS Four nominal ledgers live at the start of the financial year, four weeks after the decision. #### The Chamber of Shipping A chart of accounts cut from over 2,000 nominal headings to 150. #### AAP Turnover doubled in two years without losing control of the accounting function. --- # Chamber of Shipping Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/chamber-of-shipping/ Case Study · Not for Profit The Chamber of Shipping ## How the Chamber of Shipping went from 2,000 nominal headings to 150 A member-funded institution operating under Royal Charter left a character-based UNIX accounting system for DataFlow, and rebuilt its chart of accounts around cost centres in the process. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 2,000 → 150 nominal headings after the rebuild - < 1 day to transfer data from the old system - 3 currencies reportable at the same time - 3–4× the price of rival systems that matched less Company profile ### Inside the Chamber of Shipping. Since the issue of a Royal Charter in the 19th century, the Chamber of Shipping has provided firms with advice on the developments that affect the shipping industry, and promoted the industry’s interests to Government and commercial bodies in Britain and abroad. As a member-funded institution , it needs an accounting system that provides flexibility, accuracy and transparency at all times — and it is responsible for the statutory year-end and management accounts of a number of maritime organisations, not only its own. Sector Trade association Founded Royal Charter, 19th century Funding Member-funded Scope Accounts for several maritime bodies The challenge ### A command line where the accounts should be. Tetra on UNIX was character-based, inflexible, and putting restrictions on the Chamber’s accounting processes. As membership grew and new technologies entered the market, the Chamber concluded that its existing accounting system was no longer fit for purpose. Tetra, the incumbent, ran on a UNIX platform: a character-based system with a command line structure that was inflexible and constrained how the Chamber could work. Replacing it formed part of a wider three-year programme to upgrade the Chamber’s business IT, hardware and software alike. The restrictions the old system placed on the business moved it up that list until it became the priority. - A character-based, command-line system restricting day-to-day accounting. - Multiple currencies to handle for an organisation operating internationally. - A need for powerful reporting and analytics the incumbent could not provide. - A chart of accounts that had grown to more than 2,000 nominal headings. The solution ### Cost centres, consolidation and multiple base currencies. The criteria were simple: Windows-based, multi-currency, and strong on reporting. Chief Accountant Jeffrey Smith was surprised by how few genuine alternatives there were. “I was surprised by the lack of genuine alternatives from the big players when it came to 32-bit Windows-based accounting packages. When I discovered DataFlow it had the ideal mix of value-add features and robustness that we were looking for.” Using DataFlow cost centres, the Chamber reduced the number of nominal headings from over 2,000 to just 150. As a true multi-company system, DataFlow lets the Chamber move between group companies at the click of a mouse and consolidate several — or all — of them without a separate exercise. Multiple base currencies allow the Chamber to view its financial position in GBP, EUR and USD at the same time. - Cost-centre structure replacing a sprawling chart of accounts. - Multi-company consolidation across group entities from one system. - Multiple base currencies reported simultaneously, not converted per report. - Sort and search on any field, with quick navigation throughout. - OLE and drag-and-drop integration with Microsoft desktop applications. The results ### Better reports, in a fraction of the time. A simpler ledger structure, faster reporting and a changeover measured in hours. Reducing the chart of accounts from over 2,000 headings to 150 did more than tidy the ledger: it made the process manageable and produced better management reports in a fraction of the time they used to take. The move itself was quick. Transferring data from the old system was completed in less than a day — once the manual process of checking the old data was complete, the upload took place at the click of a button. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Platform | Character-based UNIX, command line | Windows, navigable throughout | | Nominal headings | Over 2,000 | 150, with cost centres | | Management reporting | Slow to produce | A fraction of the time | | Group companies | Handled separately | Consolidated at a click | | Currency reporting | One view at a time | GBP, EUR and USD together | In their words DataFlow is an extremely cost-effective system. Other systems, up to three or four times more expensive, do not come close to matching the specification. Jeffrey Smith Chief Accountant · The Chamber of Shipping Modules used ### What the Chamber run. A cost-centre ledger, group consolidation and reporting over both. - Nominal Ledger - Multi-company - Multi-currency - Reports - Period close - Excel add-in More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### British Heart Foundation A 20-user switchover completed in four days, with no parallel running. #### BCS Four nominal ledgers live at the start of the financial year, four weeks after the decision. #### JCB International Ten days a month saved by ending manual currency conversion. --- # Core Products Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/core-products/ Case Study · Distribution & E-commerce ## How Core Products put DataFlow at the centre of e-commerce and distribution A leading UK supplier of flat-packed furniture, shelving and storage moved off a DOS accounting package and now runs three company accounts, three warehouses and a direct-to-home channel on one system. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - Since 2008 working with DataFlow - 100,000+ items held across three warehouses - 3 company accounts on one system - Minutes from web order to pick and pack Company profile ### Inside Core Products. Over the past three decades Core Products has grown into one of the UK’s leading suppliers of flat-packed furniture, shelving and storage products, designed and developed specifically for the demanding UK consumer. As a foremost supplier to UK retail and contractor markets, they offer both bulk trade and direct-to-home delivery from an extensive stockholding. Customer service is provided from the national administrative centre in Perth, Scotland , with a national distribution centre in Fife. At any one time Core Products houses over 100,000 items across three warehouses, with a similar number in transit. Sector Distribution — flat-packed furniture With DataFlow since 2008 Admin centre Perth, Scotland Distribution National centre in Fife The challenge ### A DOS package, and everything by hand. Manual import-export made sales accounting a slow job for a business that lives on data. Core Products had been working from a DOS-based accounting package for many years. Life under the legacy system was becoming painful: many of the data import and export functions were manual, which made sales accounting a time-consuming process. The operational picture was demanding too. Multi-site warehousing makes stock management a challenge, because any delay in releasing stock can lead to inaccuracies — an item is either a sales value or a stock value, not both. Three separate company accounts, multiple suppliers on the purchase ledger and multiple bar codes for commoditised products all had to be handled at once. - Manual data import and export slowing sales accounting. - Stock accuracy at risk across three warehouses when releases lag. - Three company accounts with inter-company purchases between them. - Delivery details for retail partners being re-entered into a separate system. The solution ### Customised where it counts. Flexibility, not compromise: Core Products scope and dictate changes to the system. Core Products has been working with DataFlow since 2008, and flexibility has been the key component of that relationship. As the business has grown and evolved, DataFlow has provided custom enhancements to the standard accounting package — rather than compromising the way they do business, Core Products scope and dictate changes that let them integrate a broad range of processes and workflows. Customised modules include EDI, e-commerce, sales ledger and real-time stock management. The e-commerce modules transform the order process: cash-with-order sales are streamlined with secure credit and debit card payments, while account sales apply the back-office credit control workflow. Promotional codes apply time-limited discounts automatically, ensuring accurate invoicing. DataFlow is also integrated with national logistics companies, providing accurate package weights, volumes, pallet numbers and destinations. - EDI and e-commerce modules customised to Core Products’ workflows. - Card payments for cash-with-order sales; credit control workflow for account sales. - Promotional codes applied automatically for accurate invoicing. - Distribution workflows automated — no manual re-entry of delivery details. - Carrier integration passing weights, volumes, pallet numbers and destinations. - An online catalogue of parts and accessories linked to the accounts package. The results ### Information straight through to the warehouse. A sales organisation that gets the management information it needs, quickly. Finance Director Mary Wallace is clear about the value: “IT expenses can be high, but the value-add components of DataFlow have more than paid for themselves.” On the e-commerce work specifically: “The e-commerce solution has been phenomenal. Information goes straight through to the warehouse, making the pick and pack and stock control processes much more efficient.” Core Products are expert users, leveraging almost every component of the solution, and continue to scope and integrate new functionality as requirements emerge — 3D product images and dynamic content for the online catalogue, and mobile e-commerce delivered from an iPad. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Sales accounting | Manual import and export | Automated through the order flow | | Web orders | Handled separately | Straight through to the warehouse | | Carrier data | Liaison with third parties | Weights, volumes and pallets passed automatically | | Discounts | Applied by hand at invoicing | Promotional codes applied automatically | | Group companies | Three sets of books | Inter-company purchases handled seamlessly | In their words We are a sales organisation, so we are looking for data all the time. With DataFlow, I can get the management information I need really quickly. Mary Wallace Finance Director · Core Products Modules used ### What Core Products run. Order processing and stock at the centre, with e-commerce and EDI feeding them. - Order Processing - Stock Control - Trade Ledgers - E-commerce - EDI - Multi-company More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Parsia A B2B web shop live in eight weeks, feeding straight into the back office. #### Anjoman Foods Four software suppliers replaced by one integrated platform. #### Architectural Ceramics Building the systems platform behind a plan to treble turnover in three years. --- # De Wolfe Music Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/dewolfe-music/ Case Study · Media & Entertainment ## How De Wolfe Music integrated its royalty system in three days A family-run music library spanning three generations wrote its own accounting package, ran it for over a decade, and then replaced it with DataFlow — without giving up the bespoke software at the core of the business. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 3 days to integrate the bespoke royalty package - 8 businesses running on one system - 250,000 titles in the music library - 30 min typical support response Company profile ### Inside De Wolfe Music. De Wolfe Music may not be a household name, but there can’t be many people in the UK who don’t instantly recognise the Coronation Street theme tune. The rights to it, along with a quarter of a million other titles by over 600 composers, are owned by De Wolfe. The London-based company provides music and sound effects for TV, radio, media, commercial, web and live productions all over the world. Founded in 1908 , it remains a family-run business spanning three generations, composing and recording original music at its own London studio. Sector Media and entertainment Founded 1908 Library 250,000 titles, 600+ composers Sites Three London sites on leased lines The challenge ### Replacing software they had written themselves. 40,000 lines of in-house accounting code had run the finance department for more than a decade. De Wolfe has always done IT its own way. After poor equipment support from PC vendors in the mid-eighties, the company decided to build and support its own systems: today all desktops and servers are assembled by the in-house IT department, and all three London sites are linked by leased lines and managed from head office. Software followed the same philosophy — they wrote their own accounting package, some 40,000 lines of code. When it came time to upgrade that package to something Windows-based, company secretary Mohamed Nazarali looked closely at the market. As someone who knew a thing or two about software, he recognised the limitations of many of the accounting solutions available: a lot of packages were still essentially DOS-based systems with a Windows front-end bolted on. - A decade of in-house accounting code to replace without losing capability. - A bespoke royalty package — the core of the business — that had to keep running. - Eight separate businesses making up the group. - Multi-currency transactions and consolidation across them. - A hard-won scepticism about vendor support. The solution ### A Windows product that other software can plug into. Not a DOS system with a front-end bolted on. “It didn’t take long to see that DataFlow had been designed from the ground up to make the most of the Windows environment,” says Nazarali. “It was apparent from the beginning that DataFlow was going to be easy to use. It was a simple process to customise it to suit our specific business needs.” DataFlow was soon running the accounts for the eight businesses that make up De Wolfe Music. The deciding factor was how easily other software integrates. Every time a piece of music or sound effect is played, De Wolfe earns revenue for itself and the composer — from a nominal £100 fee for a school production to £40,000 for a major commercial one, across more than 30,000 titles used every year. Royalties are collected by the Performing Rights Society and passed to De Wolfe, who then pay the composer. “Having written the royalty package, integration with DataFlow took less than three days. Now, sales, purchase and nominal transactions are posted from the royalty software to DataFlow instantly.” - Accounts for eight group businesses on one system. - Bespoke royalty software posting sales, purchase and nominal transactions instantly. - Bank reconciliation, job sheets, exchange rates and the music catalogue linked in too. - Standard and custom reports tailored to individuals across the organisation. - Multi-currency transactions with simultaneous base-currency accounting. - Consolidation of results from a range of local currencies into a chosen currency. The results ### The bespoke systems stayed. The accounting got easier. For a company that built its own computers because of bad support, support was the test. Support was always going to be the sticking point for De Wolfe — poor vendor support is the reason they started building their own machines. “We run a number of third-party software packages from different vendors. DataFlow provides by far the best support,” says Nazarali. “When we have a query we want a quick answer. The DataFlow support team knows us and knows our business and will always get back to us within half an hour. I don’t ask for more than that and simply don’t understand why other companies tolerate poor support.” His verdict on the software itself is shorter: “For an accounting package, DataFlow is fun to use and the more we play with it, the more we like it.” | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Accounting software | 40,000 lines written in-house | A true Windows product, customised to fit | | Royalty system | Standing alone | Posting to the ledgers instantly | | Group companies | Eight sets of books | Eight businesses, one system | | Currency | Handled per transaction | Simultaneous base-currency accounting | | Support | The reason they built their own | A response inside half an hour | In their words We run a number of third-party software packages from different vendors. DataFlow provides by far the best support. Mohamed Nazarali Company Secretary · De Wolfe Music Modules used ### What De Wolfe run. Ledgers across eight companies, with bespoke software posting into them. - Customisation - Nominal Ledger - Trade Ledgers - Multi-company - Multi-currency - Bank reconciliation More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Matcon Gross margin held on fixed-price contracts with project accounting. #### AAP Turnover doubled in two years without losing control of the accounting function. #### JCB International Ten days a month saved by ending manual currency conversion. --- # JCB International Case Study | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/jcb-international/ Case Study · Financial Services JCB International ## How JCB International saved 10 days a month on currency work A global card business processing transactions in a wide range of currencies replaced manual foreign-exchange conversion with DataFlow’s multi-base-currency accounting. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 10 days saved every month - 2 days a week freed from currency conversion - 8 yrs of automatic monthly management reports - 189 countries where JCB cards are accepted Company profile ### Inside JCB International. Established in 1961, JCB International is a leader in the Japanese credit card industry, with more than 50 million cardholders worldwide and a reputation for superior customer service. The company employs 2,350 staff across 52 offices and 8 service centres. JCB cards are accepted at over 11 billion locations in 189 countries, accounting for annual sales of $52 billion. As a global financial operation, staff process transactions in a wide range of currencies, so the accounting function has to handle complex foreign exchange manipulation. Sector Financial services Established 1961 Staff 2,350 across 52 offices Reach 50m cardholders, 189 countries The challenge ### Currency conversion done by hand. A global card operation needed parallel records across currencies, without an accounts team converting figures manually. Processing transactions in many currencies meant the accounting operation had to handle complex foreign exchange manipulation. Every reporting cycle carried manual conversion work, both through the month and again at month-end closure. Company Secretary Devadas Vassanth was one of the key decision makers on a new financial accounts solution. “We spent time reviewing the options available and the only alternative to DataFlow was Sun Accounts, which we felt was too expensive.” - Manual currency conversion consuming accounts time every week. - Additional conversion effort concentrated at month-end closure. - A bespoke production package generating all sales invoices that any new system had to work with. - A shortlist where the only alternative was judged too expensive. The solution ### Multi-base-currency accounting, not just multi-currency. Unlimited base currencies, with parallel records of transactions and balances across all of them. DataFlow supports sales and purchase accounts in any currency, offsets invoices in one currency with payments in another, and handles exchange differences automatically. Crucially for JCB, it supports an unlimited number of base currencies and maintains parallel records of transactions and balances across all of them. Reports can be produced on demand in any number of base currencies, so there are no costly or time-consuming conversions left for the accounts team to make. Data generated in DataFlow can also be transferred to Excel or Word to meet the company’s year-end legislative requirements. - Sales and purchase accounts in any currency, with automatic exchange differences. - Unlimited base currencies with parallel balances maintained across all of them. - On-demand reporting in any base currency, without a conversion step. - Integration with the bespoke production package that generates JCB’s sales invoices. - Standard P&L, balance sheet and monthly expense schedules. The results ### Ten days a month, back. On one process alone: two working days a week, plus two days at month-end closure. Devadas Vassanth is precise about the saving: “By installing DataFlow we were able to eradicate the manual currency conversion processes and that has enabled the company, just on this one process alone, to save two working days per week in man hours and an additional two days of time during the month end closure.” The system has kept pace as the business changed. “We have added a substantial number of nominal accounts and currency information over the years and found it to be coping extremely well. DataFlow has definitely proven to be a sound investment.” Having produced automatic management reports reliably for eight years, JCB International went on to implement the Analyzer module to push reporting efficiency further. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Currency conversion | Manual, every week | Eradicated | | Weekly accounts time | Two days absorbed by conversion | Two days returned | | Month-end closure | Two extra days of conversion | Closed without it | | Base currencies | Converted for each report | Unlimited, reported on demand | | Management reporting | Assembled per cycle | Automatic, eight years running | In their words There wasn’t an equivalent product in the market that offered the multi-currency, multi-base-currency functionality we get with DataFlow. Devadas Vassanth Company Secretary · JCB International Modules used ### What JCB International run. Multi-currency accounting joined to the ledgers and the reporting on top of them. - Multi-currency - Nominal Ledger - Trade Ledgers - Reports - Excel add-in - Period close More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### The Chamber of Shipping A chart of accounts cut from over 2,000 nominal headings to 150. #### AAP Turnover doubled in two years without losing control of the accounting function. #### De Wolfe Music Eight companies, a bespoke royalty system and three days to integrate it. --- # Matcon Case Study | Project Accounting on DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/matcon/ Case Study · Engineering Matcon ## How Matcon holds gross margin on fixed-price contracts A lean production specialist with offices in eleven countries replaced a generic accounting system with DataFlow Project Accounting, after finding that few packages could track the expected final cost of a contract. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 6 systems evaluated before choosing DataFlow - 11 countries with Matcon offices - 1980 trading and profitable since - Once data entered — never re-keyed Company profile ### Inside Matcon. Matcon specialise in ‘lean’ production solutions for process industry customers who handle powders or granules — food processing, pharmaceuticals, plastics, chemicals and detergents. Their systems run for high-profile customers across the globe, including Heinz, Nestlé, Pfizer and Unilever . With more than 25 years’ experience, Matcon are a genuinely international company, with offices in the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Netherlands, China, Spain and France. Sector Process engineering Trading since 1980 Offices Eleven countries Work type Sizeable one-off, fixed-price projects The challenge ### Generic accounting could not see a contract. Matcon needed to manage the life-cycle of contracts across the business and hold tight gross-margin control. Matcon had seen growth in business and profitability since they started trading in 1980. To manage planned growth in an increasingly competitive global market, they reviewed their business systems, with the objective of streamlining processes so that contracts could be managed across their whole life-cycle. This was not simply a case of updating an old financial accounting system. Matcon needed an integrated solution that replicated the project-specific functionality of the in-house job costing system they had built to manage large one-off projects. A wide-ranging evaluation found that very few packages offered it. As Chairman John Aird put it: “We knew that a generic accounting system would not meet our project-specific needs. As we evaluated the options, we found that the few project account systems available were focused on service-based organisations, where time-recording and billing were a priority.” - Project cost control needed a different view of transactions already sitting in the financial ledgers. - Committed costs — spend the business had incurred but not yet posted — had to be included in the picture. - Re-entering transactions into a separate cost ledger was not acceptable. - Every stage from enquiry to invoicing involved different stakeholders needing time-critical information. The solution ### Project Accounting, plus the Customizer module. Matcon reviewed Access, Exchequer, Sage, SAP, Deltek and Epicor. They chose DataFlow. DataFlow won on two counts. First, the breadth of functionality needed to manage Matcon’s complex business processes — from initial enquiry, quotation and order through to production, delivery and invoicing. Second, the power of the Customizer module, which allows the solution to be tailored without altering the underlying source code. With DataFlow in place, Matcon monitor projects in detail from first enquiry to completion while keeping control of gross margins. The Web Reporting Tool gives both in-house and remote users a streamlined way to analyse and present management information in the format each stakeholder needs. - Project costs captured once and viewed through a project lens, not re-keyed into a second ledger. - Committed costs included, so projections reflect what the business has actually taken on. - Flexible project structure covering simple and complex contract processes. - Flexible cost and revenue recognition, with cost and gross margin figures always in view. - Integrated CRM, CAD, Bill of Materials and Timesheets feeding the same records. The results ### Cost over-runs spotted while there is still time. Faster, better-quality management information at both summary and detail level. John Aird is direct about what the system prevents: “Taking profit too soon on a project and being hit by a cost over-run at the end is a disaster. Not only do you lose the profit you were expecting to make, you also end up writing back some of the profit you’ve already taken. DataFlow helps us to avoid this.” The business now sees all project costs in one place, with the accuracy needed for reliable projections, and duplication of processing has been eliminated because data is entered only once. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Project cost view | Separate in-house job costing system | Project lens over the financial ledgers | | Committed costs | Outside the reported position | Included in projections | | Data entry | Re-keyed into a separate cost ledger | Entered once only | | Margin visibility | Late — often after the over-run | Cost and gross margin always in view | | Management reporting | Assembled by hand | Web Reporting Tool, in-house and remote | In their words There’s only one good financial accounting system in the market for project-based businesses who want to monitor and control the expected final costs on their projects… that’s DataFlow. John Aird Chairman · Matcon Modules used ### What Matcon run. Project accounting joined to the ledgers, the bill of materials and the timesheets behind it. - Job Costing - Nominal Ledger - Bill of Materials & Kitting - Timesheets - Reports - CRM integration More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Architectural Ceramics Building the systems platform behind a plan to treble turnover in three years. #### Core Products Three companies, three warehouses and an e-commerce channel on one accounts package. #### JCB International Ten days a month saved by ending manual currency conversion. --- # Parsia Case Study | B2B E-commerce on DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/customers/case-studies/parsia/ Case Study · B2B E-commerce Parsia International ## How Parsia answered a competitor’s web shop in eight weeks A B2B aftermarket supplier of photocopier toner and consumables was losing sales to an online competitor, and needed a store that would not mean re-entering every order. Last updated: 25 August 2026 - 8 weeks from start to finish - 24/7 ordering for customers - Minutes from order to picked and packed - 1986 supplying photocopier engineers since Company profile ### Inside Parsia International. Parsia International is a business-to-business aftermarket supplier of photocopier toner, consumables and cleaning products. Established in 1986 , they have built a strong customer base offering generic toners and parts to photocopier service engineers across the UK. Sector B2B aftermarket supply Established 1986 Customers Photocopier service engineers, UK-wide Market Price-sensitive, convenience-driven The challenge ### A competitor went online, and sales moved. Phone and fax ordering was being replaced by the web, and customers expect the same service at any hour. In a competitive marketplace where price sensitivity is matched by the need for convenience and flexibility, traditional phone or fax ordering was being replaced by online orders. A key competitor had recently invested in an online shop, and Parsia was beginning to see the impact on sales. The photocopier aftermarket is dominated by several large firms but also has many small business owners looking for the convenience of a one-stop shop — and for vendors who provide the same level of service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. - A competitor’s online shop already taking share. - Customers expecting to order outside office hours. - A product range that is hard to search without good filters. - No appetite for a store that meant re-entering orders into the back office. The solution ### A store wired into the back office. Eight weeks, with finance, operations and sales all in the room. Financial Director Mark Cody sets out the requirement plainly: “The DataFlow solution was simply the best option for us. We wanted a solution that integrated with the rest of our systems and wouldn’t require us to re-enter order information.” To simplify product search, DataFlow created filters allowing users to search by manufacturer, product type, product code and description. Customer pricing matrices were included, automatic carriage costs were integrated based on package weight, and accounts with no credit facility were connected automatically into SagePay for card payments. “The entire project took just 8 weeks from start to finish, which included engagement with a range of stakeholders — finance, operations and sales — to ensure the solution added value across the organisation,” says Mark. “Throughout the process, DataFlow made pro-active recommendations and delivered some functions that we hadn’t even thought of.” - Search filters by manufacturer, product type, product code and description. - Customer pricing matrices applied per account. - Automatic carriage costs calculated on package weight. - SagePay card payments for accounts without a credit facility. - Order history retained, so repeat orders are duplicated at a click. - User profiles giving each customer their own catalogue and pricing. The results ### Order processing that runs itself. Orders placed online pass to the back office, and stock updates without anyone touching it. “Order processing has become much more efficient,” says Mark Cody. “Customers place an order online and all the data is passed seamlessly to the back office. Stock levels are updated automatically and orders are picked, packed and ready for delivery within minutes.” The single set of master data underneath matters as much as the shop front: stock control, order processing and sales and purchase invoicing all read from it, and management reports can be run against any of it. Because the site reads live stock, items removed or placed on hold in the warehouse stop appearing as available — and special-packaging items can be excluded from the catalogue entirely. | Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow | | --- | --- | --- | | Ordering channel | Phone and fax, office hours | Online, 24/7 | | Order entry | Re-keyed into the back office | Passed through automatically | | Stock on the website | Risk of selling held stock | Live levels, holds respected | | Repeat orders | Rebuilt each time | Duplicated from order history at a click | | Carriage and pricing | Applied manually | Weight-based carriage and per-customer matrices | In their words The team at DataFlow are outstanding. Their support team is very responsive; not only are they technically excellent but they also have a lot of commercial awareness. Mark Cody Financial Director · Parsia International Modules used ### What Parsia run. A web shop reading the same master data as the ledgers behind it. - E-commerce - Order Processing - Stock Control - Trade Ledgers - SagePay - Order to cash More customer stories ### Other businesses running on DataFlow. Different sectors, same pattern: trading and accounting on one database. #### Core Products Three companies, three warehouses and an e-commerce channel on one accounts package. #### Anjoman Foods Four software suppliers replaced by one integrated platform. #### Architectural Ceramics Building the systems platform behind a plan to treble turnover in three years. --- # Book a Demo | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/demo/ Book a Demo ## Experience DataFlow in Action . Fill out the form and our team will guide you through a tailored demo, showing how DataFlow can optimise your operations and drive efficiency. --- # How It Works | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/how-it-works/ How it works ## From first conversation to fully supported. Moving accounting and trading onto one system is a project, not a download. We run it as one — a consultative evaluation, a staged implementation with a dedicated project manager, and on-site training backed by support that stays with you. Evaluation Implementation Training & Support Stage one · Evaluation ### A considered evaluation, not a self-serve trial. The DataFlow team gets to know your business in detail — both your technical requirements and the way you actually work — so we can map a migration path that is pain-free. A dedicated project manager is assigned from the outset, and our advice on hardware and network stays impartial. - We get to know your business in detail - A pain-free migration path, mapped up front - A dedicated project manager from the outset - Vendor-neutral advice on hardware and network - 01 #### A consultative approach Start with a conversation, not a login and a sandbox — so any recommendation is grounded in how you work. - 02 #### Your requirements understood Your technical requirements and your day-to-day workflows are captured together, not one without the other. - 03 #### A pain-free migration path We map how you would move across to DataFlow before you commit, planned to keep disruption low. - 04 #### Ownership from the outset A dedicated project manager owns the evaluation through to a decision, with impartial advice on hardware and network. Stage two · Implementation ### A staged rollout, planned around your business. DataFlow is implemented in clear stages, each signed off before the next begins. A dedicated project manager is assigned from the outset, an implementation consultant handles your setup and data migration, and both are on hand through your first days live. - A dedicated project manager from day one - A managed live conversion of your data - Per-module training scheduled around your calendar - Go-live support with the project manager on hand - 01 #### Configuration & installation The system is configured and installed for you to test in a controlled environment before you sign off. - 02 #### Setup & data migration Company details, users, custom documents and reports are set up, and your static data is brought across through a managed live conversion. - 03 #### Fine-tuning & training An implementation consultant fine-tunes the system and trains your team module by module, scheduled to suit you. - 04 #### Go-live support You go live once, tested with real data, with the project manager and consultants on hand through the first days. Stage three · Training & Support ### Training that fits you, support that stays with you. Training is delivered at your premises and tailored to your requirements, so it keeps cost and disruption down. Once you are live, an annual Support & Maintenance agreement keeps your team backed by friendly, responsive UK support, with upgrades for life. - On-site training, tailored to your requirements - Ongoing training for new users and new modules - A train the trainer option to build in-house expertise - An annual agreement with upgrades for life - 01 #### On-site training Delivered at your premises and shaped to the workflows your team actually uses, not a generic syllabus. - 02 #### Ongoing training New users are brought up to speed and additional modules are covered as you adopt them. - 03 #### Train the trainer Equip a key team member to teach new starters, keeping training capability in-house between sessions. - 04 #### Support & Maintenance An annual agreement with help-desk, telephone and online support, plus upgrades for life — backed by UK support. Frequently asked ### Questions about working with us. How evaluation, implementation, training and support actually run. Is the evaluation a free trial I can sign up for? No. A DataFlow evaluation is consultative rather than self-serve. The team gets to know your business in detail so any recommendation reflects how you actually work, rather than leaving you to assess an empty system alone. Do we get a dedicated project manager? Yes. A dedicated project manager is assigned from the outset and oversees every stage — from the evaluation through configuration and go-live — so there is a single point of ownership throughout. How is our existing data brought across? A DataFlow consultant imports your static data — customers, suppliers, chart of accounts and transaction history — through a managed live data conversion, so the figures reconcile rather than needing to be corrected afterwards. How is training organised? Training is delivered at your premises and tailored to your requirements. It runs module by module during implementation, and ongoing training keeps new users and new modules covered as your business grows. What does the Support & Maintenance agreement include? The annual agreement includes help-desk support, telephone support and online support, along with upgrades for life, all backed by friendly, responsive UK support. What happens when we go live? The system is first tested with real and representative data. You then go live with the project manager and consultants on hand through the first days, so questions are answered as they arise. --- # Integrations | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/ Integrations ## Connected to the systems you already run DataFlow’s integrations are built into the platform, not bolted on. B2B order exchange, bank feeds, card payments and HMRC filing all run as first-class services against the same database. Integrations catalogue ### Everything DataFlow plugs into. B2B order exchange, banking and payments, tax and compliance, and productivity add-ons — most of them first-class integrations rather than third-party bridges. All B2B & Order Exchange Banking & Payments Tax & Compliance Productivity & Mobile B2B & Order Exchange #### EDI Automated B2B order ingestion over HTTP, sockets and file drops — trading-partner orders land straight in Order Processing, with customer-specific EDI variants supported. B2B & Order Exchange #### cXML PunchOut Publish your catalogue into enterprise buyer portals and receive their orders via cXML PunchOut, ready to process like any other order. B2B & Order Exchange #### B2B Ecommerce Portal A trade webshop where your customers browse the catalogue, see their own contract prices and place orders that drop straight into Order Processing. Banking & Payments #### Open Banking Connect UK bank feeds for reconciliation — DataFlow acts as a registered Third Party Provider, pulling statements straight into bank reconciliation. Banking & Payments #### SagePay Take card payments through the SagePay gateway and reconcile them against the sales ledger without leaving DataFlow. Tax & Compliance #### HMRC Making Tax Digital Submit VAT returns directly to HMRC under Making Tax Digital — the nine-box return is built from the VAT module and filed through the HMRC API. Productivity & Mobile #### Excel Add-in A spreadsheet add-in for power users: pull DataFlow data into Excel for ad-hoc analysis and reporting against live figures. Productivity & Mobile #### Postcode Lookup Address auto-complete on customer, supplier and delivery records — type a postcode, pick the address, no re-keying. Productivity & Mobile #### Android Companion A mobile companion app that puts key DataFlow tasks on an Android device for staff working away from their desk. Productivity & Mobile #### Mobile Sales App A field-sales companion for reps on customer visits: look up the catalogue and contract prices, check stock and capture orders that return to Order Processing. Productivity & Mobile #### CRM Integration Share the trading and account history held in DataFlow with the CRM your sales team already use — live orders, invoices and balances against each account. No integrations in this category yet. Tell us what you need . --- # Android Companion App | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/android/ Integration ## A slice of DataFlow in your hand on an Android phone or tablet. The Android companion is a lightweight app that puts a subset of DataFlow on an Android device — order processing, stock lookup, trade-ledger reads and SagePay card payments. It runs on your existing DataFlow licence, so it is a companion to DataFlow rather than a replacement for it. The problem ### When the office is the only place DataFlow lives. If DataFlow only runs at a desk, the people away from one are working blind or writing things down to key in later. #### Away from the desk, out of touch Someone on the shop floor or at a customer needs a price, a stock figure or an order raised, and it all has to wait until they are back at a machine. #### Stock questions answered from memory Without a live look at stock on a phone, quantities get quoted from memory or a printout, and the answer is out of date the moment it is given. #### Payments taken separately A card payment gets handled on a standalone terminal, away from the order, so matching the takings back to the ledger becomes another job for later. #### Notes jotted down to key in later Away from a machine, details get written on a pad and re-entered into DataFlow back at the desk, so the same job is done twice and the record lags behind the day. Overview ### A companion, not the whole system. A focused subset of DataFlow on Android, working on the same live data. - Order processing on the move - Stock lookup live figures - Trade-ledger reads read access - SagePay payments card payments #### Raise and process orders from the device Raise and process orders on an Android phone or tablet. Orders go into the same DataFlow as everything else. - On device orders raised away from a desk - One database same DataFlow behind the app #### Look up stock without going back to a desk Look up stock detail from the device. Figures come from DataFlow live, not a printout. - Live stock read straight from DataFlow - In hand answers without returning to a desk #### Read customer and supplier trade-ledger detail Read customer and supplier trade-ledger detail on the device. Login and session run against your DataFlow account. - Read trade-ledger detail on the device - Signed in session against your DataFlow account #### Take SagePay card payments from the app Take SagePay card payments from the Android app. Online-only over a secure connection — the app needs a connection. - SagePay card payments from the device - Secure online-only, over a secure connection Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow reaches the devices, tools and services your team already uses. #### Mobile Sales Another field companion — reps look up the catalogue and contract prices and capture orders on a visit. #### SagePay The card payments the app takes are handled by DataFlow SagePay, posting against the sale and marking the document Paid. #### eCommerce Let trade customers place their own orders online, drawn from the same DataFlow catalogue, prices and stock. #### CRM Put the account history on the device too, so orders, balances and credit position show against the customer. Frequently asked ### Android companion questions. What can the Android app actually do? It covers a subset of DataFlow: order processing, stock lookup, reading customer and supplier trade-ledger detail, login and session, and taking SagePay card payments. It is a companion to the full DataFlow application, not a replacement — the deeper accounting, reporting and administration stay in DataFlow. Do I need a separate licence for it? No. The app runs on your existing DataFlow licence, so there is no separate licence to buy. Is there an iOS version? No. There is an Android app only — there is no iOS app. Does it work offline? No. The app is online-only. It connects securely to DataFlow and needs a connection to work; there is no offline mode. --- # CRM Integration | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/crm/ Integrations ## Give the sales team live account data. Connect DataFlow to the CRM your salespeople already use, so the trading and account history that lives in DataFlow — orders, invoices, balances and credit position — shows against the customer record. New accounts flow through without double entry. The problem ### When the sales team is the last to know. If the trading history lives in one system and the customer record in another, the two are always out of step. #### No trading history in the CRM The salesperson opens the customer record and sees contacts and notes, but not the orders, invoices or balance that tell them how the account is really doing. #### Accounts entered twice A new customer is set up in the CRM and then set up again in the back office, so the two records start their life already out of step. #### Credit blind spots Someone promises an order to a customer who is over their limit or overdue, because the credit position was never visible where the conversation happened. #### Ringing the office for answers A customer asks where their last order or invoice stands, and the salesperson has to phone the back office and wait, because none of it shows on the record in front of them. Overview ### The account history, where the sales team works. DataFlow holds the trading record; the CRM is where the conversation happens. - Trading history on the record shared - Balances & credit live - New accounts no double entry - One shared view in step #### Orders and invoices against the customer record Orders and invoices from DataFlow against the customer record. The trading history without switching systems to find it. - Orders and invoices on the record - One customer record to read #### Balances and credit position in view Balance and credit position against the account. Seen before a promise is made, not after. - Balance on the account record - Credit position in view #### New accounts without double entry New accounts flow through between the systems. No setting the same customer up twice. - Once not twice - Flow through, not re-keyed #### A shared view of the account The account history shared with the CRM you already use. The two systems kept in step. - Shared account view - In step across systems Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the sales tools and channels your team already uses. #### Mobile Sales Reps in the field see the same live account context, so the CRM history reaches them on the road too. #### eCommerce Give trade customers a self-service webshop alongside the account record your sales team works from. #### Android App Read customer and supplier trade-ledger detail on an Android device, wherever the conversation happens. #### Postcode Lookup Keep customer addresses clean and consistent, so accounts are not set up twice under slightly different details. Frequently asked ### CRM integration questions. What account data does the CRM see? The trading and account history that lives in DataFlow — orders, invoices, balances and credit position — shown against the customer record in the CRM. Do I have to enter new customers twice? No. New accounts flow through between the systems, so a customer is set up once and the two records stay in step. Which CRM does it work with? The integration shares DataFlow account history with the CRM your salespeople already use. Talk to us about how it fits with the CRM you have in place. Can the sales team see credit position? Yes. The balance and credit position from DataFlow show against the account record, so the sales team can see how an account stands before making a promise. --- # cXML PunchOut | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/cxml-punchout/ Integration ## A catalogue built for the buyer, inside their procurement portal. cXML PunchOut lets an enterprise buyer shop from their own procurement portal into a DataFlow catalogue tailored to them — their negotiated prices, their allowed items, your branding. They build a basket, send it back, and confirm a cXML Order Request that creates a sales order. They never log into DataFlow directly. The problem ### When enterprise buyers cannot buy your way. Large buyers purchase through their own procurement portals. If you cannot meet them there, their orders arrive by hand and their catalogue is never quite right. #### Buyers will not leave their portal Enterprise purchasing runs through procurement systems such as Ariba and BravoSolution. Asking a buyer to log into a separate supplier site is a non-starter, so their orders come in some slower way instead. #### One catalogue does not fit everyone Each buyer has their own negotiated prices and their own list of allowed items. A single public catalogue shows the wrong prices to the wrong people and lists things they are not meant to order. #### Re-keying the confirmed order Even when a buyer sends an order, someone has to read it and type it into your system as a sales order — a delay on every order, and a chance to get a line wrong. #### No record when an order is queried When a buyer disputes what they submitted, there is nothing kept of the exact message their procurement system sent, so settling the query comes down to whose email to trust. How it works ### A dedicated service that meets the buyer where they buy. The portal punches out; DataFlow serves the catalogue and takes the order. - PunchOut session in-portal - Buyer-tailored catalogue tailored - Basket to sales order automatic - Portals and audit auditable #### The PunchOut Setup Request and session The buyer punches out from their procurement portal to start a session. A PunchOut Setup Request opens the session without a separate login. - No login buyers never sign into DataFlow - In-portal shopping stays in their system #### A catalogue tailored to each buyer Their negotiated prices and their allowed items, not a public list. Presented with your branding so it reads as your catalogue. - Negotiated each buyer sees their prices - Allowed items only what they may order #### From PunchOut Order Message to a sales order The basket returns to the portal as a PunchOut Order Message. A final cXML Order Request creates the sales order in DataFlow. - Order Request creates a sales order - No re-keying straight from the basket #### Enterprise portals and an audit record Built for enterprise procurement portals such as Ariba and BravoSolution. The original cXML payload is retained for audit. - Ariba and BravoSolution and the like - Retained original cXML kept for audit Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow takes orders in and connects to your customers automatically. #### EDI Another route for automated B2B orders — trading-partner purchase orders ingested over HTTP and TCP. #### eCommerce Give trade customers a self-service webshop alongside the enterprise portals that punch out. #### Mobile Sales Capture orders in the field too, so both portal and rep orders land in Order Processing. #### CRM Share the trading and account history with your sales team as enterprise orders flow in. Frequently asked ### cXML PunchOut questions. What is cXML PunchOut? It lets an enterprise buyer shop from their own procurement portal into a DataFlow catalogue tailored to them. The buyer punches out, builds a basket, and their procurement system sends a cXML Order Request that creates a sales order in DataFlow — all without the buyer logging into DataFlow directly. How does the flow work? The buyer’s portal sends a PunchOut Setup Request; DataFlow serves a catalogue with the buyer’s negotiated prices, allowed items and your branding; the buyer returns their basket as a PunchOut Order Message; and a final cXML Order Request creates the sales order. Do buyers need a DataFlow login? No. Buyers never log into DataFlow directly. They stay in their own procurement portal — such as Ariba or BravoSolution — and punch out to a catalogue that is tailored to them. Is there an audit record of what was ordered? Yes. cXML PunchOut runs as a dedicated background service and retains the original cXML payload, so there is a record of exactly what the buyer sent. --- # B2B Ecommerce & Customer Portal | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/ecommerce/ Integrations ## Let trade customers order themselves. A B2B trade webshop and customer portal that lets your trade customers browse the catalogue, see their own contract prices and place orders online. The catalogue, prices and stock come from the same DataFlow data, and orders drop straight into Order Processing to be picked and invoiced like any other order. The problem ### When the shop and the back office disagree. A webshop that runs on its own copy of the catalogue is a second set of records to keep in step. #### Two catalogues to maintain The shop has its own product list and its own prices, so every change has to be made twice and the two drift apart between edits. #### Orders re-keyed by hand Web orders arrive as an email or an export, and someone types them back into the system, which is slow and a source of mistakes. #### Wrong prices online The shop shows list price when a customer has a contract price, so either they order at the wrong figure or they phone in instead. #### Orders for stock that has gone The shop has no live view of stock, so customers order items that have already sold out, and someone has to ring them back to cut or cancel the line after the fact. Overview ### One catalogue, online and in the office. The shop and the back office read from the same DataFlow data. - Browse the catalogue shared - Contract prices account-specific - Order online no re-keying - Self-service accounts self-service #### One catalogue, drawn from DataFlow Products and descriptions from the same DataFlow data. Stock shown against the catalogue as customers browse. - One catalogue, not two - Live stock as they browse #### Each customer sees their own prices Contract prices shown against the signed-in account. The same prices the office would quote, online. - Contract prices per account - Signed in to see their prices #### Orders that drop straight into Order Processing Orders drop straight into Order Processing. Picked and invoiced like any other order. - Straight into Order Processing - No re-keying #### Customers help themselves to their own account Customers order online outside office hours. One signed-in account for catalogue, prices and ordering. - Their own signed-in account - Any time to place an order Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow takes orders in, from enterprise portals to reps in the field. #### cXML PunchOut Meet enterprise buyers on their procurement portal, an automated ordering route alongside your trade webshop. #### EDI Ingest trading-partner purchase orders automatically, complementing the self-service orders from the shop. #### Mobile Sales Reps capture orders in the field, so online and visit orders reach the same Order Processing queue. #### CRM Give the sales team the account history and credit position behind every customer ordering online. Frequently asked ### Customer portal questions. Where do the catalogue and prices come from? From the same DataFlow data your office works with. The shop reads the catalogue, prices and stock directly, so there is no second product list to keep in step. Do customers see their own contract prices? Yes. A trade customer signs in and sees the contract prices that apply to their account, the same prices the office would quote. What happens to an order placed online? It drops straight into Order Processing and is picked and invoiced like any other order. Nothing is re-keyed between the shop and the back office. Is the stock shown live? The stock shown in the shop comes from the same DataFlow records the warehouse picks from, so customers browse against your actual stock. --- # EDI Integration | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/edi/ Integration ## Trading-partner orders, in DataFlow as if typed. EDI is automated B2B order ingestion. Purchase orders from your trading partners arrive automatically, map to your stock items, customer and pricing, and land in DataFlow as if a person had keyed them — then follow the normal validation, allocation and authorisation path. The problem ### When partner orders arrive by hand. If a trading partner sends a purchase order and someone has to re-key it before it can be processed, every order carries a delay and a chance of error. #### Re-keying every purchase order Orders arrive by email or portal and get typed into DataFlow by hand — slow at volume, and a soft spot for transposition errors. #### Codes that do not match The partner uses their own product and account references, so each line has to be translated to your stock item, customer and price before it means anything. #### Large customers, bespoke rules A big trading partner sends orders in their own dialect, and a general-purpose importer cannot honour the quirks without someone intervening on every batch. #### Partners left guessing it arrived With no acknowledgement sent back, a trading partner cannot tell whether their order was received, so they chase by phone or send it again and you get the same order twice. How it works ### A background service that brings orders in. Partners send; DataFlow receives, maps and posts. - Transports inbound - Mapping translated - Partner variants bespoke - Normal order path as if typed #### HTTP, TCP and file transports HTTP endpoint the partner POSTs to, with an acknowledgement returned. Long-lived TCP socket listener for a persistent connection. - HTTP + TCP two live transports - Acknowledged partner gets a response #### Mapping to your stock, customer and pricing Partner product references mapped to your stock items. The partner resolved to a customer, with your pricing applied. - Mapped to your stock items - Your pricing applied on the way in #### Per-trading-partner code paths Per-trading-partner code paths for customer-specific dialects. Some large customers get their own EDI variant, handled first-class. - Per-partner code paths - First-class not a bolt-on #### Into the normal validation and allocation path Orders appear in DataFlow as if a person had typed them. They follow the normal validation, allocation and authorisation path. - As if typed partner orders land automatically - Same path validation, allocation, authorisation Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow brings orders in and connects to your trading partners. #### cXML PunchOut Another automated route for enterprise orders — buyers punch out from their procurement portal into a tailored catalogue. #### eCommerce Give trade customers a self-service webshop alongside automated partner ordering. #### Mobile Sales Capture field orders on the move, so partner and rep orders join the same queue. #### CRM Share the trading and account history with your sales team as partner orders flow in. Frequently asked ### EDI questions. What does DataFlow EDI actually do? It is automated B2B order ingestion. Trading-partner purchase orders arrive automatically, map to your stock items, customer and pricing, and appear in DataFlow as if typed — then follow the normal validation, allocation and authorisation path. How do partners send orders in? Over two transports. An HTTP endpoint, where the partner POSTs an order to a configured URL and receives an acknowledgement, and a long-lived TCP socket listener. CSV file drops are also supported. Does it run inside DataFlow? It runs as a separate background service called TheEdge, alongside DataFlow. It receives orders, maps them and posts them into DataFlow as orders. Can it handle a large customer’s own format? Yes. EDI supports per-trading-partner code paths, so some large customers get their own EDI variant — a customer-specific dialect — handled as a first-class integration rather than a bolt-on. --- # Excel Add-in (Spreadsheet Live) | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/excel-add-in/ Integration ## DataFlow data in Excel, edited in place and pushed back. The Excel Add-in, licensed as Spreadsheet Live, is a Microsoft Excel extension that talks to DataFlow over the same secure connection and permissions as DataFlow. Power users pull DataFlow data into a worksheet, edit it in place and push it back with row-by-row validation — then refresh. The problem ### When Excel and DataFlow live apart. If the spreadsheet people actually work in has no live link to DataFlow, every bulk change is a round of exports, edits and re-keying that nobody can fully trust. #### Export, edit, re-key Data comes out of DataFlow as a file, gets worked on in Excel, then someone types the changes back in by hand — slow at volume, and a soft spot for mistakes. #### Errors found too late A bulk edit is pasted back in one go, so a bad value is only caught after it has posted, when unpicking it costs far more than checking it would have. #### A back door around permissions A generic spreadsheet tool that reaches into the database can show and change more than a user is meant to, sitting outside the access controls DataFlow enforces. #### Working from a stale export The downloaded file is out of date the moment it is taken, so edits are worked out against figures that have since moved on, and the numbers pushed back no longer fit. How it works ### A live link between Excel and DataFlow. Pull data into the sheet, edit it, push it back — validated. - Live connection connected - Pull data in in the sheet - Push back, validated validated - Same access controls permission-aware #### A live connection over the same interface as DataFlow Talks to DataFlow over the same interface and access controls as DataFlow. No separate export step — the sheet reads and writes the live system. - Same access as DataFlow - Live no intermediate file #### Pull orders, stock, accounts and journals into Excel Pull orders, stock items, nominal accounts and journals into the sheet. Work on them with the full range of Excel tools. - Orders + stock accounts and journals - In Excel the tool people already use #### Push edits back with row-by-row validation Edits push back to DataFlow with row-by-row validation. A refresh brings the current DataFlow position back into the sheet. - Row-by-row validation on the way back - Refresh current position returned #### The same access controls as DataFlow Respects the same access controls as DataFlow. No back door — the sheet cannot reach past a user’s permissions. - Same controls as DataFlow - Permission-bound sees only what is allowed Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the finance tools and services you rely on. #### Open Banking Feed bank balances and transactions into reconciliation, another way DataFlow keeps the ledger current. #### Making Tax Digital The nominal accounts and journals you edit in Excel feed the VAT return filed straight to HMRC. #### SagePay Card payments post to the same ledger you can pull into a worksheet and work in bulk. #### EDI Bring trading-partner orders in automatically, then work them in bulk from a worksheet. Frequently asked ### Excel Add-in questions. What is the Excel Add-in? It is a Microsoft Excel extension, licensed as Spreadsheet Live, that talks to DataFlow over the same secure connection and permissions as DataFlow. Power users pull DataFlow data into a worksheet, edit it in place and push it back with row-by-row validation, then refresh. What data can I pull into Excel? Orders, stock items, nominal accounts and journals. You work on them with the full range of Excel tools, then push the edits back to DataFlow. How are bad edits caught? Edits push back with row-by-row validation, so each row is checked as it goes rather than the whole batch landing blind. A refresh then brings the current DataFlow position back into the sheet. Can it see more than a user is allowed to? No. Because it uses the same interface and access controls as DataFlow, the Add-in respects the same access controls — a user can only see and change what their DataFlow permissions allow. --- # HMRC Making Tax Digital | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/making-tax-digital/ Integration ## File your VAT return straight to HMRC. DataFlow submits VAT returns directly to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. The nine-box VAT 100 is built from the VAT module and filed through the HMRC API, so the figures you review are the figures HMRC receives. Making Tax Digital here covers VAT only. The problem ### When filing VAT means leaving your accounts. Making Tax Digital requires a direct link to HMRC. Re-keying the return into a separate portal breaks that link and puts the numbers at risk. #### Re-keying into a separate portal The nine boxes get copied from the accounts into an HMRC screen by hand, so a transcription slip can put the wrong figure on a filed return. #### No proof of what was sent Once the return is filed elsewhere, the request and response live outside the accounts, so there is nothing against the VAT period to show what HMRC received. #### Guessing which period to file Without the HMRC obligation in view, it is easy to file against the wrong period or miss a due date that only HMRC actually holds. #### Filing figures nobody reconciled The nine boxes are filed from a spreadsheet total that the VAT control accounts were never checked against, so a mistake in the return only comes to light once HMRC already has it. Overview ### From VAT Journal to filed return. The return you file is built from the ledger, not typed a second time. - MTD credentials authorised - VAT Journal reconciliation reconciled - MTD submission filed - Receipt & audit trail retained #### Per-company HMRC credentials you can test OAuth-style credentials held per company under Manage MTD Credentials. Test MTD Connectivity checks them against HMRC’s live and test services. - Per company credentials held separately - Live & test connectivity verified before you file #### The VAT Journal reconciles the period first The VAT Journal reconciles the VAT control accounts for the period. A closed DataFlow VAT period is the basis for the return. - Reconciled VAT control accounts for the period - Closed period is what the return is built from #### Match the obligation and file the nine-box VAT 100 The MTD Submission window loads your open HMRC obligations. Your closed DataFlow VAT period is matched to the obligation before you submit. - Nine-box filed straight to HMRC - Obligation matched to your closed period #### The receipt and payload kept against the period On acceptance HMRC returns a receipt number. The full request and response payload and the submitting user are retained against the VAT period. - Receipt number returned on acceptance - Full payload retained against the period Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the banks, payment and finance services around the ledger. #### Open Banking Bank feeds match receipts and payments, so the cash book is reconciled before the VAT period closes. #### Excel Add-in Pull nominal accounts and journals into Excel to review and adjust the figures behind the return. #### SagePay Card payments post straight to the ledger the VAT return is built from. #### EDI Trading-partner orders flow in electronically, so the transactions behind the return are captured as you trade. Frequently asked ### Making Tax Digital questions. Does DataFlow file VAT returns directly to HMRC? Yes. The nine-box VAT 100 is built from the VAT module and submitted directly to HMRC through the HMRC API under Making Tax Digital. You review the nine-box summary in the MTD Submission window and submit from there. Does Making Tax Digital cover more than VAT? No. Making Tax Digital here is VAT only. Income tax and corporation tax are out of scope, and EC Sales List and Intrastats remain separate submissions outside MTDfB. How does DataFlow know which period to file? The MTD Submission window loads your open HMRC obligations and matches them to your closed DataFlow VAT period, so the return goes against the obligation HMRC is expecting. What do I keep once a return is filed? On acceptance HMRC returns a receipt number. The full request and response payload and the submitting user are retained against the VAT period for audit. --- # Mobile Sales App | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/mobile-sales/ Integrations ## Capture orders on the road not back at the desk. A field-sales companion for reps visiting customers. Look up the catalogue and contract prices, check stock, and capture orders on the move — orders come back into Order Processing to be picked and invoiced like any other. It is a companion for order capture and account look-up, not the full system. The problem ### When the order waits for the rep to get back. If a rep can only place an order once they are back at a desk, the day between visit and order is time nobody gets back. #### Orders written on paper A rep takes an order on a pad at the customer, then re-keys it that evening or the next morning, so the order is a day late and copied twice. #### Guessing at price and stock Standing in front of the customer, the rep does not know the contract price or whether an item is in stock, so they promise and hope. #### No account context on the visit The rep cannot see what the customer usually orders or how the account stands, so the visit runs on memory rather than the record. #### New accounts wait for the rep’s return A rep wins a new customer on a visit but cannot set the account up or take a first order until they are back at a desk, so the momentum from the meeting is lost by then. Overview ### The catalogue and the account, in the rep’s hand. A companion that carries the look-up and the order back to Order Processing. - Catalogue look-up on hand - Contract prices & stock accurate - Capture the order on the move - Back into Order Processing joined up #### The catalogue on a mobile device Browse the catalogue on a mobile device. The same products the office works with. - Catalogue on a mobile device - Same products as the office #### Contract prices and a stock check on the visit The customer’s contract prices on the device. A stock check while still with the customer. - Contract prices to hand - Stock checked on the visit #### Orders captured on the move Capture the order while with the customer. No re-keying it back at the desk. - On the move order capture - No re-keying later #### Orders that come back into Order Processing Orders come back into Order Processing. Picked and invoiced like any other order. - Into Order Processing - Picked like any other order Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow reaches your customers and the devices your reps carry. #### Android App The Android companion runs a slice of DataFlow on a device, from stock lookup to card payments. #### eCommerce Let trade customers place their own orders online, drawn from the same catalogue, prices and stock the rep uses. #### CRM Give reps the account history too, so orders, balances and credit position show against the customer on a visit. #### SagePay Take a card payment against the order, posting to the ledger and marking the document Paid. Frequently asked ### Mobile sales questions. What does the mobile sales companion do? It is a companion for reps in the field to look up the catalogue and contract prices, check stock, and capture orders on the move. It covers order capture and account look-up, not the full system. What happens to an order captured on a visit? It comes back into Order Processing and is picked and invoiced like any other order, so there is nothing to re-key back at the desk. Can the rep see contract prices and stock? Yes. The rep can see the customer’s contract prices and check stock on the device while they are still with the customer. What device does it run on? It runs on a mobile device, so a rep can carry the catalogue, prices and order capture with them on a visit. --- # Open Banking | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/open-banking/ Integration ## Your bank feed, straight into reconciliation not a re-keyed statement. DataFlow is a registered Open Banking Third Party Provider. Connect any UK bank on the standard through a single OAuth consent flow, and DataFlow pulls your balances and statement transactions into Bank Reconciliation as pre-matched suggestions — with nothing posted until you say so. The problem ### When the statement lives outside the ledger. If bank transactions only reach DataFlow when someone types them in, reconciliation is always waiting on the re-keying. #### Re-keying the bank statement Balances and transactions copied by hand from online banking into the cash book — slow, repetitive, and a soft spot for typing errors. #### Month-end reconciliation drags Without a live feed, matching the bank to the ledger is a manual line-by-line exercise that holds up the whole period close. #### Foreign-currency accounts left to one side Multi-currency bank accounts get reconciled last, or in a spreadsheet, because bringing the right currency into the ledger by hand is fiddly. #### A cash position you cannot trust Between one manual statement entry and the next, the ledger balance lags what is really in the bank, so cash-flow calls get made on figures that are already days out of date. Overview ### How the connection works. One consent, then balances and transactions flow into reconciliation. - Connect any UK bank registered - OAuth consent flow consented - Balances & transaction feed pre-matched - You stay in control controlled #### A registered TPP that connects to any UK bank on the standard DataFlow is a registered Open Banking Third Party Provider. Works with any UK bank on the standard — in practice every retail bank. - Any UK bank on the Open Banking standard - Registered TPP no separate aggregator to set up #### Consent through the auth window in the Nominal Ledger Consent granted through the Open Banking auth window in the Nominal Ledger. A standard OAuth flow handled by your own bank. - OAuth consent through your bank - In-ledger auth window in the Nominal Ledger #### Balances and statement transactions into Bank Reconciliation DataFlow pulls balances and statement transactions from the bank. Auto-match runs first; anything unmatched drops to manual matching. - Pre-matched suggestions before you start - No re-keying transactions arrive from the bank #### No auto-posting, plus multi-currency reconciliation The feed never auto-posts — every entry goes through the Cash Book or a journal. Multi-currency accounts reconcile in their own currency. - Pre-matched you stay in control of every posting - Multi-currency each account in its own currency Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the payment and finance services around the ledger. #### Making Tax Digital File VAT to HMRC from the ledger the bank feed helps you keep reconciled. #### SagePay Card payments post straight to the ledger, ready to match against the bank feed in reconciliation. #### Excel Add-in Pull nominal accounts and journals into Excel to review the ledger the feed reconciles. #### EDI Bring trading-partner orders in automatically, so the transactions behind the cash flow are captured as you trade. Frequently asked ### Open Banking questions. Which banks can DataFlow connect to? DataFlow is a registered Open Banking Third Party Provider, so it can connect to any UK bank that has signed up to the Open Banking standard — in practice, every UK retail bank. How do I set up the connection? You start from the Open Banking auth window in the Nominal Ledger and give consent through your bank in a standard OAuth flow. Once that is done, DataFlow pulls your balances and statement transactions. Does the feed post to the ledger automatically? No. The integration does not auto-post. It brings the transactions into Bank Reconciliation as pre-matched suggestions, but every posting still goes through the Cash Book or a journal, so you stay in control. Can it handle foreign-currency accounts? Yes. Multi-currency reconciliation is supported, and foreign-currency accounts reconcile in their own currency. --- # Postcode Lookup | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/postcode-lookup/ Integration ## Type a postcode, pick the address. Postcode Lookup adds address auto-complete to DataFlow through PostcodeAnywhere. Start with a postcode, choose the matching address and every address field fills itself — no re-keying, and address data stays clean and consistent across the system. The problem ### When every address is typed by hand. If addresses are keyed from scratch each time, small mistakes creep in and the same place ends up recorded three different ways. #### Re-keying every address Customer, supplier and delivery addresses are typed out in full each time, which is slow and easy to fat-finger. #### Inconsistent records The same address is spelt and abbreviated differently across records, so the data never quite lines up when you search or report. #### Deliveries to the wrong place A mistyped postcode or a missing line sends a delivery astray, and the correction lands after the vehicle has already gone. #### One customer, several records Because the same address is keyed a little differently each time, a customer gets set up more than once, and their orders and history end up split across the duplicate accounts. Overview ### Address auto-complete, everywhere you enter an address. One lookup keeps every address field clean. - Address auto-complete no re-keying - Powered by PostcodeAnywhere proven service - Across every address field system-wide - Deployment-level control one switch #### Type a postcode, pick the address Start with a postcode and choose from the matching addresses. Every field fills itself once the address is picked. - Postcode in, full address out - No re-keying by hand #### A thin wrapper around PostcodeAnywhere Lookups run against the PostcodeAnywhere address service. A thin wrapper, so the lookup sits right inside your workflow. - PostcodeAnywhere address service - In-app lookup, no context switch #### Customer, supplier and delivery addresses Customer, supplier and delivery addresses all supported. The same picker behaves the same way in every place. - All address fields covered - One consistent lookup #### Enabled at deployment level, no lookups stored Enabled or disabled at deployment level for everyone, not per user. Lookups are not cached or stored. - Deployment level on or off - No lookups stored Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the ordering channels and records clean addresses feed. #### CRM Clean, consistent customer addresses stop the same account being set up twice in the CRM and back office. #### eCommerce Delivery addresses fill from a postcode as customers order online, so orders reach the right place. #### Mobile Sales Reps set up new accounts on a visit with clean addresses from the very first order. #### EDI Trading-partner orders carry delivery addresses that stay clean and consistent across the system. Frequently asked ### Postcode Lookup questions. What does Postcode Lookup do? It provides address auto-complete. You type a postcode, pick the matching address and DataFlow fills the address fields for you, so there is no re-keying. Which address service does it use? It uses PostcodeAnywhere. Postcode Lookup is a thin wrapper around the PostcodeAnywhere address service, so the lookup sits inside the address field you are working in. Where can I use it? On every address field in the system — customer, supplier and delivery — so addresses stay clean and consistent wherever they are entered. How is it turned on, and are lookups stored? It is enabled or disabled at the deployment level for everyone, rather than per user. Lookups are not cached or stored. --- # SagePay Card Payments | DataFlow Integrations URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/integrations/sagepay/ Integration ## Take the card payment and let the ledger post itself. SagePay is DataFlow’s UK card-payment gateway for sales invoices and counter sales. When the payment authorises, DataFlow posts it — debtor down, bank up — and flips the document to Paid, whether the customer pays from an email link or a member of staff takes the card inside DataFlow. The problem ### When taking the card and posting it are two jobs. If the card is taken on a separate terminal and the ledger is updated afterwards, the payment and the document drift apart. #### The payment posted by hand The card is authorised on a standalone terminal, then someone re-keys the receipt into the ledger later — slow, and a soft spot for mismatched figures. #### Chasing invoices with no easy way to pay Customers are asked to pay by bank transfer or to phone through a card, so invoices sit unpaid longer than they need to while the document stays open. #### Refunds that lose the thread A refund is put through as a fresh transaction with no link back to the original payment, so matching it to the right sale becomes an afternoon of detective work. #### Card numbers taken over the phone Staff read out and key card details given down the phone, which is slow, easy to mishear, and puts you on the wrong side of the card-security rules you are meant to keep. Overview ### How the card payment reaches the ledger. One authorisation, and the document and the ledger move together. - Card payments in DataFlow authorised - Authorise, post and mark Paid posted - Dataflow.Pay payment portal customer-facing - Callback, refunds and setup settled #### SagePay card payments on invoices and counter sales SagePay is the UK card-payment gateway for sales invoices and counter sales. Authorisation happens against the document you are working on. - Invoices and counter sales take card payments - SagePay UK card-payment gateway #### Authorisation posts the payment and flips the document to Paid On authorisation the debtor comes down and the bank goes up. Merchant fees are configurable, and the document is marked Paid. - On authorisation the payment posts to the ledger - Marked Paid the document updates in the same step #### Email payment request through the Dataflow.Pay portal An "Email payment request" link opens the Dataflow.Pay portal on the document. A hosted web page for customers, or an embedded control for staff. - Email link customers pay from the document - Two modes hosted web page or embedded in DataFlow #### Server-to-server callback, refunds and merchant setup A secure callback confirms the payment and flips the document to Paid. Refunds go back through the original transaction reference. - Server-to-server callback confirms the payment - Original reference refunds tied back to the sale Explore more ### More integrations. Other ways DataFlow connects to the payment, banking and finance services around the ledger. #### Open Banking Bring bank balances and statement transactions into reconciliation, so the payments you take are matched against the ledger. #### Android App Staff can take the same SagePay card payments from the Android companion app, against the order on the device. #### eCommerce Let trade customers order and pay online, with card payments posting straight to the ledger. #### Making Tax Digital Payments post to the ledger the VAT return is built from and filed straight to HMRC. Frequently asked ### SagePay questions. Where can I take SagePay card payments? On sales invoices and counter sales. When the payment authorises, DataFlow posts it — the debtor comes down and the bank goes up, with merchant fees configurable — and the document is marked Paid in the same step. How do customers pay from an invoice? An "Email payment request" link on the document opens the Dataflow.Pay portal, a small hosted site. It shows the document detail, captures billing details, and redirects the customer to SagePay's hosted card page. A secure callback then flips the document to Paid. Can staff take a card payment inside DataFlow? Yes. The Dataflow.Pay portal runs in two modes — a hosted web page for customers, and an embedded control so a member of staff can take a card payment inside DataFlow. How are refunds handled? Refunds are sent back through the original transaction reference, so the credit stays tied to the sale it came from. --- # Cookie Policy | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/legal/cookies/ ← Back to home ## Cookie Policy As is common practice with almost all professional websites this website uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to help improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how we use it and why we sometimes need to store these cookies. We will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored however this may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of the sites functionality. For more general information on cookies see the Wikipedia article on HTTP Cookies… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie ### How We Use Cookies We use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site. It is recommended that you leave on all cookies if you are not sure whether you need them or not in case they are used to provide a service that you use. #### The Cookies We Set When you submit data through a form such as those found on contact pages or comment forms cookies may be set to remember your user details for future correspondence. #### Third Party Cookies In some special cases we also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site. This site uses Google Analytics which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solutions on the web for helping us to understand how you use the site and ways that we can improve your experience. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site and the pages that you visit so we can continue to produce engaging content. For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page. https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/cookie-usage Third party analytics are used to track and measure usage of this site so that we can continue to produce engaging content. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site or pages you visit which helps us to understand how we can improve the site for you. As we sell products it’s important for us to understand statistics about how many of the visitors to our site actually make contact or complete a form and as such this is the kind of data that these cookies will track. This is important to you as it means that we can accurately make business predictions that allow us to monitor our advertising and product costs to ensure the best possible price. We also use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use the site through metrics such as heatmaps and session replays, and Factors.ai to measure marketing performance and identify the organisations visiting us. These set their own cookies and may capture usage interactions in a masked, aggregated form. For more information see the Microsoft Privacy Statement and the Factors.ai Privacy Policy . #### Online Advertising We Use We use Google AdWords Remarketing to advertise our products across the Internet. AdWords remarketing will display relevant ads tailored to you based on what parts of the DataFlow website you have viewed by placing a cookie on your machine. THIS COOKIE DOES NOT IN ANYWAY IDENTIFY YOU OR GIVE ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER The cookie is used to say “This person visited this page, so show them ads relating to that page.” Google AdWords Remarketing helps us to tailor our marketing to better suit your needs and only display ads that are relevant to you. #### How to Opt Out of Remarketing and Advertising If you do not wish to participate in our Google AdWords Remarketing, you can opt out by visiting Google’s Ads Preferences Manager https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated You can also opt out of any third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ #### Disabling Cookies You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of this site. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies. #### More Information Hopefully that has clarified things for you and as was previously mentioned if there is something that you aren’t sure whether you need or not it’s usually safer to leave cookies enabled in case it does interact with one of the features you use on our site. However if you are still looking for more information then please can contact us. --- # Data Protection & GDPR | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/legal/gdpr/ ← Back to home ## Data Protection & GDPR ### Data Protection When the UK left the EU at the end of 2020 a ‘frozen’ version of the EU GDPR became part of UK law on 1st January 2021. DataFlow will continue to have appropriate safeguards in place to ensure data is held and used in accordance with this notice and be compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Information we hold in relation to the Data Protection Act 2018 Information that falls under the Data Protection Act 2018 is “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person”. This precludes most information we process, but given the broad definition could include the following data items which we hold: - Client software usage - Email addresses which through we operate in a B2B environment may include personal accounts - Individuals names - Individuals regional location (Country – no full addresses) - Customer and supplier addresses held in your ledgers which, though we operate in a B2B environment, could include personal addresses This information comes from our sign-up process, where the user is explained the information we will hold and its usage. Secondary data sources (e.g. customer and supplier records), are provided by our clients to whom we clearly indicate how we process any data provided. ### Sales & Marketing We process individual details for the purposes of securing corporate information and restricting access to materials provided by our clients. We make an individual’s details available to a client where the individual has requested information specifically belonging to that client. We do not make names and emails generally available to our clients or any other 3rd party. Where information is supplied directly by one of our clients it is used solely for the purposes of order capture and fulfilment and other directly related activities. We may process your personal information for carefully considered and specific purposes which are in our interest and enable us to enhance the services we provide, but believe also benefit our clients. Click here to review our privacy policy. We process personal information for certain legitimate business purposes, which include some or all the following: - Where the processing enables us to enhance, modify, personalise or otherwise improve our services / communications for the benefit of our customers - To identify and prevent fraud - To enhance the security of our network and information systems - To better understand how people interact with our websites - To provide postal and electronic communications which we think will be of interest to you - To determine the effectiveness of promotional campaigns and advertising Whenever we process data for these purposes we will ensure that we always keep your Personal Data rights in high regard and take account of these rights. You have the right to object to this processing if you wish, and if you wish to do so please contact sales.dataflow.co.uk. Please bear in mind that if you object this may affect our ability to carry out tasks above for your benefit. Your personal data will not be retained for longer than is necessary for the purpose it was obtained for. We regularly review the data we hold and if it is no longer necessary it will be securely deleted. In addition to the above, information can also include: - Individuals job titles - Individuals phone number which, through we operate in a B2B environment, could include personal phone numbers This additional information can come from sign-up forms on our website or from data freely available on the internet, for example from websites like LinkedIn. Given the very limited scope of the data we process outlined above in relation to the Data Protection Act 2018 we consider the information we carry to be low risk whether you are a client or potential client. #### Communicating privacy information We communicate our privacy information, the data we hold and how we process it in this full document which is made available to clients, is published on our website and via summary to our direct users at point of software registration. For all Sales & Marketing emails we also provide a link to our Data Protection, Privacy & Cookie policies. #### Individuals rights Every individual has a right to know what information we hold on them. We can provide a plain text formatted electronic document identifying information held on an individual subject to a proper request by the individual concerned or authoritative body with sufficient legal authority. We will remove an individual’s information from our systems within 30 days subject to a proper request by the individual concerned or authoritative body with sufficient legal authority. We do not profile individuals. We will also comply with any other request covered by an individual’s rights as identified by the Data Protection Act 2018 systems within 30 days subject to a proper request by the individual concerned or authoritative body with sufficient legal authority. #### Subject access requests Any request for information, or deletion of data held on an individual should be made in writing to Dataflow (U.K.) Limited, 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE, U.K. It should state clearly your request, who you are and how we can contact you. We will process requests within 30 days of receipt. Lawful basis for processing personal data #### Client Software usage We process individual details for the purposes of securing corporate information and restricting access to materials provided by our clients. We make an individual’s details available to a client where the individual has requested information specifically belonging to that client. We do not make names and emails generally available to our clients or any other 3rd party. Where information is supplied directly by one of our clients it is used solely for the purposes of order capture and fulfilment and other directly related activities. #### Children We do not specifically deal in any age restricted materials. Our client data is restricted and access is limited to individuals authorised by our clients. We do not operate social media or forum based activity targeted at children. Data Breaches We log inbound requests to our systems and have processes in place to react to suspicious activity. In the unlikely event that we discover a data breach, we will take steps to notify relevant clients and individuals as soon as practical. The data we hold we consider low risk, as it does not represent a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals and as such we are not duty bound to report any such breaches to the ICO (Information Commissionaires Offic #### Data Protection by Design We take the security of our systems for both our client business data and the limited amount of individual data we hold seriously. Our systems are designed from the ground up with security and privacy in mind. #### Data Protection Officers The company does not have a dedicated DPO due its size and small amount of low risk information held by its systems. Please send any enquiries regarding Data Protection Act 2018 compliance in writing to the company address: Dataflow (U.K.) Limited, 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE, U.K. #### Website Accessibility At DataFlow we understand the importance of internet accessibility. Because of this, we have endeavored to make our website meet all the requirements necessary to make the information it contains readable by all. #### Suggestions In the event that we inadvertently break any of the standards through the upload of new material, or should you have suggestions on how we might make our content more accessible we would be happy to listen. Simply contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. --- # Privacy Policy | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/legal/privacy/ ← Back to home ## Privacy Policy This site is owned and operated by Dataflow (U.K.) Limited, 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE, United Kingdom, a limited company registered in England and Wales and part of the DataInsights group. We do not record or process any personal information about individuals who visit this website, except when you choose to send us information by a website contact form, e-mail, conventional mail, telephone, or other means. DataFlow considers internet user privacy and data protection to be of high importance. DataFlow complies with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in relation to all processing of data supplied to us by users and other personal data in our possession for any reason. ### Personal Information Please note that all the information you provide to DataFlow will be stored and processed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. We do not sell, trade, lease, loan, or rent any personal information to outside organisations or individuals, unless we have requested and received your consent to share information, or when we have to share information for a product or service you have requested, or we are required by law to disclose details in the form of court orders or legal processes. ### Cookies This website has recently started to use Cookies, for more details please read our Cookie Policy . ### Links to Other Sites www.dataflow.co.uk may contain various links to other sites. These sites have their own policies and practices with respect to online privacy, and DataFlow cannot be responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these sites. ### Information Automatically Logged Your IP address may be used to gather broad demographic information, and for other purposes such as monitoring visitor frequency to our website, this data is not shared. The information we hold will be accurate and up to date. You can check the information that we hold about you by emailing us. If you find any inaccuracies we will delete or correct it promptly. Contact us here. The personal information that we hold will be held securely in accordance with our internal security and the law. ### Social Media Policy & Usage We adopt a Social Media Policy to ensure our business and our staff conduct themselves accordingly online. While we may have official profiles on social media platforms users are advised to verify authenticity of such profiles before engaging with, or sharing information with such profiles. We will never ask for user passwords or personal details on social media platforms. Users are advised to conduct themselves appropriately when engaging with us on social media. There may be instances where our website features social sharing buttons, which help share web content directly from web pages to the respective social media platforms. You use social sharing buttons at your own discretion and accept that doing so may publish content to your social media profile feed or page. If you have any questions about privacy please contact us at: sales@dataflow.co.uk ### Location Data This website does not collect location data. DataFlow is an accounting and ERP platform: the web application and the desktop client work from the data you enter, and neither tracks the location of a device or a user. Where you use the DataFlow Android companion app or the mobile sales companion, any device permission the app requests is used only for the feature you are using at the time, and can be granted or withdrawn in your device settings. We do not use location data for tracking, profiling or advertising, and we do not sell or share it with third parties for those purposes. --- # Terms & Conditions | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/legal/terms/ ← Back to home ## Terms & Conditions These terms and conditions (“the Terms”) govern your use of this DataFlow website (the “website”). Please read through the Terms. If you do not agree with the Terms, do not use this website. If you do use the web site, your conduct indicates that you agree to be bound by the Terms. ### Copyright Notices Unless otherwise specified the copyright in the contents of all the pages in this website are owned or licensed to DataFlow. Conditions of your use of this web site; Except as stated below, the contents of this web site may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior express written permission of DataFlow. You may not distribute, display or copy any of the contents of the pages contained in this web site to third parties including, but not limited to “caching” any material on this web site for access by third parties and “mirroring” any material on this web site. You may provide a link to this web site from any other web site without first obtaining DataFlow’s prior consent where the link references the home page only (i.e. “https://DataFlow.co.uk”). You may not provide a link or reference to any subpage within the site without DataFlow’s prior written consent. You may print or download to disk the contents of an individual page of this web site for the purpose of private and personal non-commercial use. You may also permit your computer to make an electronically stored, transient copy of the content in this web site for the purpose of viewing it while connected to the Internet only. However, you may only make one copy of any content. #### Exclusion of DataFlow’s Liability The information contained in the material in this web site is only for information purposes. The material on this web site does not constitute advice and you should not rely on any material in this web site to make (or refrain from making) any decision or take (or refrain from taking) any action. DataFlow does not make any warranty or representation as to the accuracy or fitness for purpose of any material on this web site or the reliability of the access to this web site. In no event do we accept liability of any description, including liability for negligence (except for personal injury or death), for any damages or losses (including, without limitation, loss of business, revenue, profits, or consequential loss) whatsoever resulting from use of or inability to use this web site. DataFlow makes no warranty that this web site (or websites which are linked to this web site) is free from computer viruses or any other malicious or impairing computer program. The pages contained in this web site may contain technical inaccuracies and typographical errors. The information in these pages may be updated from time to time and may at times be out of date. We accept no responsibility for keeping the information in these pages up to date or liability for any failure to do so. #### Third Party Material This web site may contain links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by DataFlow. DataFlow is not responsible for the content of those sites. DataFlow provides these links for your convenience only but does not necessarily endorse the material on these sites. #### Data Protection and Privacy Any details which you provide to us from which we can identify you are held and processed in accordance with our Data Protection Registration. Further details are set out in our Privacy Policy . #### Validity If any term, condition, or provision of these terms and conditions is determined to be unlawful, invalid, void, or for any reason unenforceable, the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms, conditions and provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. #### Law Governing the Terms Use of this Website and these Terms shall be subject only to the laws of England and Wales which shall exclusively govern the interpretation, application and effect of all the above permissions, exclusions, licenses and conditions of use. #### Jurisdiction The Courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all claims or disputes arising in relation to, out of or in connection with this Website and its use and these Terms. This Website is aimed at users in the United Kingdom. Where UK regulatory authorities have jurisdiction over the contents of this Website, DataFlow has attempted to ensure compliance with the requirements of such a regulatory body. However, some of the information in the pages contained in this Website is not to be accessed from certain jurisdictions and no representation or warranty is made as to whether the information available in this Website complies with the regulatory regime of countries other than the United Kingdom. #### Entire Agreement These terms and conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and DataFlow relating to the subject matter herein. #### Queries If you have any questions or queries regarding any of the content of this website please send an email to sales@dataflow.co.uk #### Company Information Dataflow (U.K.) Limited, 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE, United Kingdom. VAT Number: 362209961. Dataflow (U.K.) Limited is part of the DataInsights group. --- # Making Tax Digital Software for VAT URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/making-tax-digital-software/ Making Tax Digital ## Making Tax Digital software for VAT. DataFlow is Making Tax Digital software for VAT. The nine-box VAT 100 is built from your VAT records and filed straight to HMRC through the MTD API — no bridging spreadsheet, no re-keying, and a receipt kept for audit. - The nine-box VAT 100 filed straight to HMRC - Digital records kept end to end, no bridging spreadsheet - Submission receipt retained for your audit trail The problem ### When filing VAT means fighting a spreadsheet. Making Tax Digital asks for an unbroken digital trail. A spreadsheet in the middle breaks that trail and adds work every quarter. #### Bridging spreadsheets in the way Figures are copied into a spreadsheet and pushed to HMRC through a bridging tool, so the digital link is only as reliable as the last manual step. #### Reconciling VAT by hand The nine boxes are totalled from separate reports and checked line by line, so a single miskeyed figure can carry through to the return. #### Deadline pressure every quarter The return is rebuilt from scratch each period against a fixed HMRC deadline, so the days before filing are the busiest and the most error-prone. #### The HMRC link fails at filing Authorisation to HMRC quietly lapses or a bridging tool loses its connection, and you only discover the digital link is broken in the last hour before the deadline. Overview ### One VAT record, filed to HMRC. Your VAT is kept digitally as you trade, then submitted through the MTD API. - File the VAT 100 filed - Built from the VAT module no bridging - Connect to HMRC authorised - Part of the accounting system one database #### The nine-box VAT 100 filed straight to HMRC Nine boxes totalled from your posted VAT records. Filed through the Making Tax Digital API with a stored receipt. - Nine-box VAT 100 from your records - HMRC filed through the MTD API #### Built from the VAT module, not a bridging spreadsheet VAT captured as documents are posted, not re-keyed later. No spreadsheet sitting between your books and HMRC. - Digital records kept end to end - No bridging spreadsheet #### OAuth credentials, connectivity test and retained receipt OAuth credentials authorise DataFlow to file on your behalf. A connectivity test confirms the link before the deadline. - OAuth authorised with HMRC - Tested connectivity before filing #### Part of a full accounting system on one database VAT, ledgers and order processing share one database. The VAT return reconciles against the nominal before you file. - One database behind the return - Reconciled against the nominal ledger Explore more ### Where to look next. The detail behind Making Tax Digital in DataFlow. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital module How the VAT module keeps your records and builds the nine-box return. #### Making Tax Digital integration The HMRC connection: OAuth authorisation, the connectivity test and the retained receipt. #### How a VAT return works A step-by-step look at building and filing a VAT return in DataFlow. #### Compliance Making Tax Digital is one strand of the compliance and audit trail DataFlow keeps across the whole accounting system. Frequently asked ### Making Tax Digital questions. Is DataFlow Making Tax Digital software for VAT? Yes. DataFlow keeps your VAT records digitally and files the nine-box VAT 100 straight to HMRC through the Making Tax Digital API, with the submission receipt retained for audit. Do I need a bridging spreadsheet? No. The VAT return is built from the VAT module inside DataFlow, so there is no spreadsheet between your books and HMRC and the digital record stays unbroken from posting to filing. Does this cover income tax or corporation tax? No. Making Tax Digital in DataFlow is VAT-only. Income tax and corporation tax are out of scope, and EC Sales Lists and Intrastat, where they apply, are separate submissions from the VAT 100. How does DataFlow connect to HMRC? You authorise DataFlow with HMRC using OAuth credentials and run a connectivity test to confirm the link before you file. The submission receipt is then stored against the period. --- # Audit Trail | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/audit-trail/ Accounting ## Who did what, when, to which account or document. The Audit Trail is a set of read-only reports for accountants, auditors and compliance officers. Nothing is entered here — every report reads straight from the postings made across the modules, so an auditor sees the same figures the business runs on. - Read-only reports — nothing can be altered here - Financial, customer, supplier and user trails - Preview, Print, Email or Export PDF from the viewer The problem ### When the audit is a scavenger hunt. If the trail lives in spreadsheets, exports and someone’s memory, fieldwork turns into a search for evidence that should already be sitting in the ledger. #### The trail is stitched together by hand Postings, corrections and approvals are pulled from different places and reconciled by hand, so nobody is quite sure the picture is complete. #### No clear record of who did what When a balance moves or a master record changes, there is no by-user log to show who made the change, when, or whether it was authorised. #### Approvals cannot be evidenced An approval happened in an inbox or a conversation, so the authorisation chain behind a payment or a posting cannot be reconstructed for the reviewer. #### The statutory payment return is a chore The UK payment-practices return is pieced together by hand from invoice and payment dates each half-year, when the figures it needs are already sitting in the ledger. Overview ### One database, one trail. Every report reads from the postings the business already made. - Financial audit trail chronological - Customer & supplier trails reconciles - User movement log by user - Authorisation history evidenced #### A chronological listing of every posting in a period Chronological listing grouped by source module. Built for period-end review and audit fieldwork. - Read-only nothing can be altered - By source postings grouped where they came from #### Every movement for a customer or supplier in the period Invoices, credit notes, receipts, allocations and journal corrections. Closing balance reconciles from the opening balance. - Read-only nothing can be altered - Opening → closing the balance reconciles in full #### A by-user log of significant actions Log-ins, posting events, authorisation actions and master-record changes. Grouped by user for internal control reviews. - Read-only nothing can be altered - By user actions attributed to a person #### Every authorisation event behind a document Approvals, rejections, escalations and out-of-office re-routes. Read straight from the Document Authorisation chain. - Read-only nothing can be altered - Every event from the authorisation chain In their words Order processing, stock and accounts sit on one system, so the whole team works from the same picture. Matcon Manufacturing & engineering Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. The Audit Trail reads from the modules that do the posting. #### Nominal Ledger The general ledger every posting lands in — the source the financial audit trail reads from. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase movements that the customer and supplier audit trails walk through in the period. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital VAT periods and postings that appear in the financial audit trail before you file to HMRC. #### Reports The report viewer the audit trails run through — Preview, Print, Email or Export PDF, the same way across the system. Frequently asked ### Audit Trail questions. Can anything be entered or changed on these reports? No. The Audit Trail is a set of read-only reports. Nothing is entered here — every report reads from the postings made across the modules, so what an auditor sees is the same data the business runs on. How do the customer and supplier trails reconcile a balance? They list every movement for the account in the period — invoices, credit notes, receipts, allocations and journal corrections — so the closing balance reconciles from the opening balance without a separate calculation. Can I evidence who authorised a payment or posting? Yes. The transaction authorisation history shows every authorisation event from the Document Authorisation chain — approvals, rejections, escalations and out-of-office re-routes — so the chain behind a document can be reconstructed. How do I get a report out for the audit file? Every report runs through the report viewer with four outputs: Preview, Print, Email and Export PDF. There is also a Payment Practices Report for the UK statutory payment-times return. --- # Bill of Materials & Kitting | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/bill-of-materials/ Module ## Build kits and assemblies without losing track of stock. A bill of materials lists the component items and quantities that make up a finished or assembled product. A works order draws the components out of stock and books the assembled item in, so your stock valuation stays correct on both sides — components down, finished goods up. - Define the components that make up each product - Works orders keep both sides of stock correct - Build to order or pre-assemble kits The problem ### When a kit is just a note on the side. If assembled products live outside your stock records, the components and the finished goods never quite reconcile. #### Components and kits drift apart You sell a bundle but the parts are never drawn down, so the component stock on the system is higher than what is actually on the shelf. #### Assembly done by hand Someone re-keys a build in a spreadsheet each time, so the make-up of a product is only as reliable as the last person who edited the sheet. #### No view of shortfalls You take an order for a kit and only discover on the pick that one component is short, because nothing checked availability against the bill of materials. #### The build cost is a guess Each component has a cost, but nothing rolls them up into the finished item, so the price and margin on an assembled product are set on a hunch. Overview ### One product, made of many. The bill of materials ties the finished item to the parts it is built from. - Define the bill of materials structured - Works orders balanced - Kitting to order flexible - Availability & shortfalls visible #### Define the components that make up a product Component items and quantities held against the finished product. One definition everyone builds from, not a spreadsheet on the side. - Per product bill of materials - Components and quantities defined once #### Works orders that keep both sides of stock correct Components come out of stock as the build is recorded. The assembled item is booked in against the same works order. - Both sides of stock stay correct - Works order per build #### Build to order or pre-assemble kits Kits built to order against a sales order as it is picked. Pre-assembled kits held as finished stock ready to go. - To order or pre-assembled - On the sales order #### Component availability and shortfalls in view Component availability checked against the bill of materials. Shortfalls visible before you commit to a build. - Availability against the bill of materials - Shortfalls seen before you build In their words Order processing, stock and accounts sit on one system, so the whole team works from the same picture. Matcon Manufacturing & engineering Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Kitting and assembly sit alongside stock and order handling. #### Stock Control Component and finished stock live in the same records the works order moves. #### Order Processing Kits built to order flow through picking and invoicing like any other order line. #### Job Costing Track the cost of a build against the components and work it draws in. #### Trade Ledgers Component purchases sit on the purchase ledger, so buying in the parts a bill of materials needs stays in step with your accounts. Frequently asked ### Bill of Materials questions. What is a bill of materials in DataFlow? It is the list of component items and quantities that make up a finished or assembled product. You define it once against the product, and every build works from the same definition. How does a works order affect stock? A works order draws the components out of stock and books the assembled item in, so both sides move together and the stock valuation stays correct — components down, finished goods up. Can I build kits to order? Yes. Kits can be built to order against a sales order as it is picked, or pre-assembled and held as finished stock ready to pick. Will I know if a component is short? Yes. Component availability and shortfalls are visible against the bill of materials, so you can see before you commit whether you can build what has been ordered. --- # Dashboard | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/dashboard/ Insight ## The view you build yourself the moment you log in. The Dashboard is the page DataFlow opens to when you log in — a canvas of chart panes you build and arrange yourself, drawing live figures from the Nominal Ledger, Stock Control and the Trade Ledgers. It is per user, so the layout is yours to keep. - Your own canvas, ready on log-in - Charts drawn live from the ledgers and stock - Filter, group and export in a few clicks The problem ### When the numbers live somewhere else. If the figures you check every morning sit behind a report someone has to run, the day starts slower than it should. #### A report for every question Sales, purchases, nominal and stock each live behind their own report, so a quick glance at the business means running several and stitching them together. #### One view for everyone A single fixed screen tries to serve the whole company, so nobody sees quite the figures that matter to their own role. #### Figures stuck on screen When you want a chart in a board pack or a table in a spreadsheet, there is no quick way out — so the numbers get re-keyed by hand. #### Yesterday’s numbers, today The figures are copied into a spreadsheet dashboard once a week, so the picture you glance at each morning is already several days behind the business. Overview ### One canvas, drawn from your live data. Build the view once and it opens with you every time. - Your own canvas per user - Chart panes live - Filters & analysis focused - Export shareable #### A per-user canvas that opens on log-in The default page on log-in, arranged the way you like it. Per user, not per company, so the layout stays yours. - Per user your own live view on log-in - On log-in the first page you see #### Chart panes drawn from ledgers and stock Sources across the Nominal Ledger, Stock Control and Trade Ledgers. Five chart types with a configurable legend on each pane. - Five types bar, column, line, area and pie - Four sources sales, purchase, nominal and stock #### Filters, analysis groups, period and aggregation Filter by accounts, stock items or locations and three-level analysis groups. Choose the period and aggregate by sum, count or average. - Three levels of analysis groups per chart - Sum · count · average aggregation you choose #### Export chart data and visuals Export a chart's data to Excel for further work. Export a chart's visual to PDF for sharing. - To Excel the chart data behind a pane - To PDF the chart visual for sharing In their words One system across a large retail operation gave us consistent numbers to work from. British Heart Foundation Charity & retail Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. The Dashboard draws its charts from the modules you already run. #### Reports Where the detail lives: run and drill into the underlying figures behind the charts. #### Nominal Ledger The general ledger your Nominal charts are drawn from, always current as you trade. #### Stock Control The stock figures and locations behind your Stock charts and filters. #### Trade Ledgers The sales and purchase movements your Sales and Purchase chart panes are drawn from. Frequently asked ### Dashboard questions. What do I see when I log in? The Dashboard is the default page each user sees on log-in — a configurable canvas of chart panes drawn from the Nominal Ledger, Stock Control and the Trade Ledgers. Is the Dashboard shared across the company? No. It is per user, not per company. Each user builds and refines their own layout, so the view suits your role rather than a single fixed screen for everyone. How do I add a chart? Right-click the canvas to add a Sales, Purchase, Nominal or Stock chart, then modify, copy, remove or export it. Each pane can be a bar, column, line, area or pie chart with a configurable legend. Can I filter and export the charts? Yes. Filter each chart by accounts, stock items or locations and by three-level analysis groups, choose the period and aggregate by sum, count or average. You can export a chart's data to Excel or its visual to PDF. --- # Document Store | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/document-store/ Operations ## Every scanned document, attached to the record it belongs to. The Document Store is the central repository for the paperwork the business runs on — supplier invoices, signed delivery notes, customer purchase orders, contracts and expense receipts. Each one is linked to the account or document it relates to, so it is one click away from wherever you are working. - Scanned paperwork linked to the account or document - Recalled in one click from any browse - Held in its own dedicated database The problem ### When the paperwork lives somewhere else. If scanned documents sit in shared folders and inboxes, finding the one you need means a search that has nothing to do with the account it belongs to. #### Filed by hand, found by luck Invoices and delivery notes scanned into folders named by date or initials — quick to save, slow to find, and easy to misfile. #### Binary data in the trading store Scanned images kept alongside live transactions swell the database that runs the business, and back-ups grow heavier with every file. #### Proof that is hard to produce When a customer queries a delivery or a supplier disputes an invoice, the signed copy is somewhere on the network and nobody can put a hand on it quickly. #### Paperwork trapped in personal inboxes Scans saved to individual mailboxes and desktops go with the person — when they are on leave or move on, the only copy of a document can walk out with them. Overview ### One repository, linked to your records. Scan the paperwork once, attach it where it belongs. - Capture & upload guided - Linking connected - One-click recall instant - Web-rendered viewer in-browser #### Capture scanned paperwork through a guided wizard A wizard walks from file picker to metadata to link target to save. Supplier invoices, delivery notes, purchase orders, contracts and receipts all handled the same way. - Wizard from file to filed - One store for every document type #### Link each document to the record it belongs to Link to a customer or supplier account, a nominal account, or an Order Processing document. The link is set at upload, so the document is filed against its record from the start. - Account or document as the link - Filed against the right record #### Recall the paperwork from the record in one click "View scanned documents" and "Attach scanned document" sit on every browse. Open the paperwork behind an account or a document without leaving the record. - One click from any account or document - On every browse view or attach #### Open documents in a browser through the web viewer A web-rendered viewer opens documents straight in a browser. Used by the customer payment portal and the purchase-order authorisation portal. - In-browser document viewer - Two portals payment and authorisation In their words Running our trading and our accounts together on one platform keeps day-to-day work simple. DeWolfe Music Media & music Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. The Document Store attaches the paperwork behind the records other modules create. #### Trade Ledgers Attach supplier invoices and remittances to the account they belong to, one click from the ledger browse. #### Order Processing Link signed delivery notes and customer purchase orders to the specific document they relate to. #### Nominal Ledger Hold the paperwork behind a posting against the nominal account, ready to recall when a figure is queried. #### Audit Trail Keep the scanned proof behind a posting on file, ready to produce when an auditor works through the read-only trails. Frequently asked ### Document Store questions. What can I store in it? Scanned paperwork the business runs on — supplier invoices, signed delivery notes, customer purchase orders, contracts and expense receipts — all held centrally in one repository. How do I find a document again? Each document is linked to a customer or supplier account, a nominal account, or a specific Order Processing document. You recall it in one click from the linked record using "View scanned documents" or "Attach scanned document", which sit on every browse. Where are the scanned files kept? In a dedicated store of their own, so the scanned files stay out of the day-to-day transactional data. Does it delete old documents automatically? No. Retention is customer-managed — there is no automatic enforcement, so you decide what to keep and for how long. --- # Job Costing | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/job-costing/ Operations ## Margin per job not just per invoice. Job Costing tracks cost and revenue against a job — a customer project, contract or internal initiative. Tag document lines, timesheets and stock issues to a job, and the job dimension carries through to the Nominal Ledger so every report can slice by project. - Job codes on every Order Processing line - The job dimension carried through to the Nominal Ledger - Job Profitability: budgeted versus actual per job The problem ### When you bill per invoice but manage per project. If cost and revenue are never brought together against the job, margin per project is a spreadsheet guess made after the fact. #### No margin per project Invoices, purchases and labour all post to accounts, but nothing pulls them back together against the job — so nobody knows which projects actually made money. #### Costs split across jobs by hand A purchase or an overhead that serves several jobs gets apportioned in a spreadsheet, if at all, and the split never reaches the ledger. #### Labour cost is invisible The biggest cost on most projects is time, but hours sit in a separate timesheet and never land against the job they were worked on. #### Overruns surface too late With no budget against actual while the work is live, an overspend only becomes clear once the job is finished and invoiced — when the margin has already gone. Overview ### Job costing woven through the modules. Not a separate menu — a job dimension on the documents you already raise. - Job setup structured - Line tagging & allocation distributed - Job Profitability measured - Cost rollup & ledger carried through #### Job records, categories and cost centres Job records with code, description, customer, budget, dates and status. Job-cost categories for labour, materials and overhead. - Per job budget and target-end date - Labour · materials · overhead cost categories #### Job codes on document lines with allocation Job code, Job Line code and Job Cost description on every Order Processing line. Allocation percentage splits a single cost across several jobs. - Per line job code and description - Allocation % to split across jobs #### Budgeted versus actual, margin and percent-complete Budgeted versus actual per job, with margin and percent-complete. A Job Costing pane in Trade Ledgers and on the Timesheets dashboard. - Budget vs actual per job - Margin & % complete on the Job Profitability report #### Cost rollup and the job dimension in the ledger Cost rollup by customer and project across every tagged posting. Timesheet cost by job, resource group, department and cost centre. - By customer & project cost rollup - In the ledger job dimension for financial reports In their words The system paid for itself inside the first year, which made the case for it straightforward. Lenham Storage Logistics & 3PL Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Job Costing draws its figures from the modules around it. #### Timesheets The primary labour-cost source: hours are tagged by job and land on the Job Costing pane. #### Order Processing Document lines carry the job code, line code and allocation that tag cost and revenue to a job. #### Nominal Ledger The job dimension is carried through, so financial reports can slice by job. #### Trade Ledgers The View job costing pane sits on the trade ledger account, showing budgeted versus actual per job. Frequently asked ### Job Costing questions. Is Job Costing a separate module? No. It is a distributed capability rather than a standalone menu. A Job code, Job Line code and Job Cost description sit on every Order Processing document line, and a Job Costing pane appears in Trade Ledgers and on the Timesheets dashboard. How do you split a cost across several jobs? Each tagged posting captures an allocation percentage alongside the Job ID, cost centre, amount, resource and department, so a cost that serves more than one job can be split across them. Where does labour cost come from? Timesheets is the primary labour-cost source. Hours are tagged by job and appear on the Job Costing pane, and timesheet cost can be reported by job, resource group, department and cost centre. Can financial reports break down by job? Yes. The job dimension is carried through to the Nominal Ledger, so financial reports slice by job without a separate reconciliation. Job Profitability shows budgeted versus actual, margin and percent-complete per job. --- # Nominal Ledger | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/nominal-ledger/ Accounting ## The general ledger at the centre of everything. The Nominal Ledger is the account DataFlow posts everything to. Sales, purchases, stock and VAT all land here automatically, so your trial balance, P&L and balance sheet are always current — not a month-end reconstruction. - Postings happen automatically as you trade - Recurring journals and a full cash book - Ordered period close across every module The problem ### When the ledger is the last to know. If the general ledger only updates after someone re-keys the trading figures, the numbers are always a step behind. #### Month-end is a reconstruction Journals are batched up and posted late, so the trial balance is only trustworthy days after the period actually closed. #### Recurring entries done by hand Depreciation, accruals, prepayments and standing journals re-typed every period — slow, and a soft spot for errors. #### Reconciliation drift The cash book and the bank never quite agree, and nobody is sure which side is right until someone spends an afternoon on it. #### No view below the top line Without cost centres and analysis codes, the P&L is one lump — you cannot see which branch, department or activity is making money and which is quietly losing it. Overview ### One ledger, always current. Everything DataFlow does posts here — as it happens. - Chart of accounts structured - Journals & recurring postings automated - Cash book & reconciliation reconciled - Period close in order #### A chart of accounts built for management reporting Cost centres and analysis codes for real segmentation. Account types that drive the trial balance, P&L and balance sheet. - P&L and balance sheet from one structure - Multi cost centre and analysis #### Journals, recurring postings and reversals Recurring journals for depreciation, accruals and prepayments. Reversing journals handled without manual clean-up. - Recurring postings run to schedule - Auto reversals next period #### Cash book and bank reconciliation Cash book postings straight into the ledger. Manual or Open Banking-driven statement matching. - Open Banking feeds for reconciliation - Live cash position #### Ordered period close and management accounts Ordered close across ledgers, stock and VAT. Management accounts straight from the closed period. - Ordered close across modules - On close management accounts ready In their words We reduced a sprawling chart of accounts to around 150 nominal headings, and our management reporting is far clearer for it. The Chamber of Shipping Trade association Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. The Nominal Ledger is where every other module posts. #### What is a nominal ledger? The plain-English definition, with a worked double-entry example and how it reconciles to the trade ledgers. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase ledgers post receipts, payments and allocations straight to the nominal. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital VAT periods and the VAT journal reconcile against the ledger before you file to HMRC. #### Order Processing Invoices and credit notes post to the ledger automatically as documents are processed. #### Stock Control Stock valuation and cost of sales post to the general ledger at the period close. Frequently asked ### Nominal Ledger questions. Does the ledger update automatically from trading? Yes. Order Processing, Trade Ledgers, Stock Control and VAT all post to the Nominal Ledger automatically, so the trial balance reflects the real position rather than a batch posted later. Can it handle recurring and reversing journals? Yes. Recurring postings cover the entries you make every period — depreciation, accruals, prepayments — and reversing journals are handled without manual clean-up the following period. How does bank reconciliation work? The cash book posts straight to the ledger, and you reconcile against the bank statement either manually or through an Open Banking feed. Does it support cost centres and analysis? Yes. The chart of accounts supports cost centres and analysis groups, so you can report by account, cost centre or analysis code. --- # Order Processing | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/order-processing/ Trading ## The trading engine at the heart of the business. Order Processing handles every trading document — quotations, orders, proformas, deliveries, invoices, credit notes and works orders — across both sales and purchase. Each one posts automatically to the trade ledgers, the stock ledger and the nominal ledger, so nothing is re-keyed and nothing is left behind. - Every trading document in one flow - Posts automatically to stock and the ledgers - Quick Order for keyboard-fast entry The problem ### When the paperwork outruns the ledger. If each document is entered once for the order and again for stock and the accounts, the numbers are always chasing the trade. #### The same order, keyed three times An order becomes a delivery becomes an invoice, and each step is re-typed into stock and the ledgers — slow, and every re-key is a chance to get it wrong. #### Sales and purchase kept apart Quotes and sales orders live in one place, supplier orders and works orders in another, so nobody has a single view of what is committed to buy and sell. #### Fast counters, slow entry Trade-counter and repeat orders need to be taken at speed, but a mouse-driven screen turns every line into a wait while the customer stands there. #### No idea what is still outstanding When a customer asks where their order is, finding whether it is picked, part-delivered or waiting to be invoiced means opening documents one at a time. Overview ### One flow, from quote to invoice. Every trading document, sales and purchase, in a single connected process. - Every trading document end to end - Sales processing sell side - Purchase processing buy side - Quick Order keyboard-fast #### Every trading document in one connected flow Quotations, orders, proformas, deliveries, invoices and credit notes. Works orders sit alongside the buy and sell documents. - One flow from quote to invoice - Full document set, sales and purchase #### The sales half, from quotation to invoice Quotations and sales orders that convert straight to deliveries. Scheduled invoices for regular and staged billing. - Quote to order to invoice - Auto posts to sales & stock ledgers #### The purchase half, from order to receipt Purchase orders that match to receipts and invoices. Works orders to build and replenish stock. - Order to receipt to invoice - Auto posts to purchase & stock ledgers #### Quick Order keyboard-driven fast entry Keyboard-driven entry with no reach for the mouse. Built for high-volume counter and repeat business. - Keyboard driven, no mouse needed - Fast entry for high volumes In their words Order processing, stock and accounts sit on one system, so the whole team works from the same picture. Matcon Manufacturing & engineering Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Order Processing posts straight through to stock and the ledgers. #### Stock Control Every delivery, receipt and works order moves the stock ledger as the document is processed. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase invoices land on the customer and supplier accounts automatically. #### Nominal Ledger Invoices and credit notes post to the general ledger as the trade happens, not after. #### Bill of Materials & Kitting Works orders raised in the flow draw components out of stock and book the assembled item in. Frequently asked ### Order Processing questions. Which trading documents does it handle? All of them — quotations, orders, proformas, scheduled invoices, deliveries, invoices, credit notes and works orders — across both the sales and the purchase side of the trade. How are sales and purchase organised? Order Processing is split into a sales half and a purchase half, so each side of the trade has its own natural workflow while sharing the same documents and posting behaviour. Does it update stock and the accounts automatically? Yes. Every document posts automatically to the trade ledgers, the stock ledger and the nominal ledger, so the stock position and the accounts move as the trade happens rather than after a re-key. What is Quick Order? Quick Order is keyboard-driven fast entry for high-volume order-taking, such as the trade counter and repeat business. Orders keyed through it post through exactly like any other order. --- # Reports | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/reports/ Insight ## One viewer for every report you run. DataFlow puts a single reporting layer behind every module, built on Microsoft ReportViewer. Preview, Print, Email or Export to PDF — the same four outputs, the same viewer, whether the report ships with the module, was written for you, or is the document you are about to send. - One viewer across every module - Preview, Print, Email or Export PDF everywhere - Custom reports run alongside the standard ones The problem ### When every report works a little differently. If each screen has its own way of printing, mailing and saving, people learn the software one report at a time. #### A different viewer on every screen One module prints, another only exports, a third mails from somewhere else entirely — so nobody is quite sure what any given report can do. #### Bespoke layouts live outside the system The report a customer had written sits in a separate tool, run by hand, disconnected from the data it is meant to describe. #### Documents that never match the brand Invoices and despatch notes carry the wrong logo, address or footer, and changing them means a call to someone rather than a setting. #### Print settings that never stick Printer, tray and number of copies are chosen again on every run, because there is no way to save the settings a report should use each time. Overview ### One reporting layer, three kinds of report. The same viewer runs everything you print, mail or file. - One unified viewer consistent - Four standard outputs four ways out - Standard & custom reports your layouts - Document layouts branded #### A single reporting layer on Microsoft ReportViewer The same Microsoft ReportViewer behind every module. No relearning as you move between screens. - One viewer every module, four outputs - ReportViewer the same layer throughout #### Preview, Print, Email and Export to PDF, everywhere Preview on screen before anything leaves. Print, Email or Export to PDF from the same view. - Four outputs on every report - Preview first then print, mail or file #### Bespoke layouts running alongside the standard ones Standard module reports ship with each module. Custom reports load alongside them, run from the same viewer. - Alongside custom next to standard - Same viewer bespoke and shipped alike #### Business documents, customisable per installation Invoices, despatch notes, statements, remittances and more from the edit window. Logo, colour, address block, terms and footer per installation. - Per install logo, colour, address, terms - From the doc run at the edit window In their words Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month. JCB Finance Financial services Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Every module reports through the same layer. #### Dashboard The live view of the business, with the detail a click away in the reporting layer. #### Nominal Ledger Trial balance, P&L and balance sheet run through the same viewer as every other report. #### Trade Ledgers Statements, remittances and aged debt print, mail and export from the reporting layer. #### Audit Trail The read-only audit reports run through the same viewer, with Preview, Print, Email and Export PDF. Frequently asked ### Reports questions. What can I do with a report once it is open? Every report offers the same four outputs: Preview on screen, Print, Email, or Export to PDF. They are the same on every module because the whole reporting layer is built on one Microsoft ReportViewer. Can I have reports written to our own layout? Yes. Custom reports are bespoke layouts you commission. They load alongside the standard module reports and run from the same viewer, so there is no separate tool to open. How do invoices and despatch notes get our branding? Document layouts — invoices, despatch notes, statements, remittances, purchase orders and credit notes — are customisable per installation, covering the logo, colour, address block, terms and footer. They run from the document edit window. Can print settings be saved so I do not set them each time? Yes. Print profiles can be saved per report, per user or per company, so the settings you use are there the next time you run it. --- # Stock Control | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/stock-control/ Trading ## Know what you hold, where it is, and what it cost. Stock Control is the physical-goods side of DataFlow. Every receipt, pick, transfer and despatch moves stock in real time, so quantities, bin locations and valuation stay current — and cost of sales is right when the period closes. - Goods movements update stock as they happen - Batch and serial traceability with barcodes - Valuation and cost of sales at period close The problem ### When the stock figure is a guess. If quantities and locations are only updated after the fact, everyone downstream is trading on numbers they cannot trust. #### The system says one thing, the shelf says another Receipts and despatches recorded late leave on-hand quantities drifting away from what is actually in the building. #### No idea which batch or bin When a batch or serial number matters, tracing it back means paperwork and memory rather than a record you can pull up. #### Valuation only true at year end Stock value and cost of sales are reconstructed at the period close, so the margin you report is always a step behind the trading. #### Reordering is guesswork With no reorder levels tied to live quantities, fast movers run out and lose the sale, while cash sits tied up in stock that barely turns. Overview ### One stock record, always current. Every movement posts as it happens — quantity, location and value together. - Product catalogue structured - Goods movements real-time - Warehouse & tracking traceable - Valuation & close grounded #### A product catalogue with layered pricing and kits Layered pricing so the right price applies to the right customer. Kits and works-order assembly for products built from components. - Layered pricing across products - Kits and works-order assembly #### Receive, pick, transfer and despatch Receipts, picks, transfers and despatches recorded as they happen. Quantities and locations update in step with the physical goods. - Live on-hand quantities - Every movement recorded #### Bin-level layout, batch and serial tracking, barcodes Bin-level warehouse layout so stock has a known location. Batch and serial tracking with barcodes for full traceability. - Bin level warehouse layout - Batch and serial traceability #### Stock valuation and cost-of-sales period close Stock valuation grounded in the movements you actually recorded. Cost of sales settled as part of an ordered period close. - Valued from real movements - On close cost of sales settled In their words The system grew with us. Over the years we ran it, our turnover roughly doubled. AAP Manufacturing & distribution Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Stock Control sits between the orders that move goods and the ledgers that value them. #### Order Processing Orders draw down stock as they are picked and despatched, and prices come from the catalogue. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchases of stock flow through the customer and supplier ledgers. #### Nominal Ledger Stock valuation and cost of sales post to the nominal ledger at the period close. #### Bill of Materials & Kitting Kits and works-order assembly build finished stock from components, keeping both sides of stock correct. Frequently asked ### Stock Control questions. Do stock figures update as goods move? Yes. Receipts, picks, transfers and despatches update on-hand quantities and bin locations in real time, so the figure on screen matches what is on the shelf. Can it track batches and serial numbers? Yes. Batch and serial tracking, supported by barcodes, gives you traceability down to the individual item so you can trace a batch or serial number back through its history. Does it handle kits and assembly? Yes. The catalogue supports kits and works-order assembly, so products built from component stock are handled alongside the products you buy and sell directly. How is stock valued? Stock is valued from the movements you actually recorded, and cost of sales is settled as part of an ordered period close before the figures carry through to the nominal ledger. --- # Timesheets | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/timesheets/ Operations ## Time recorded once, costed everywhere. Timesheets records the hours your resources spend against departments, jobs and entry types on a weekly grid. Approve each row and it feeds job costing and, where configured, payroll — without re-keying a single figure. - A weekly grid in quarter-hour increments - Resources cover people, machines, vehicles and rooms - Approved rows feed job costing and payroll The problem ### When hours never reach the job. If time is captured on paper or a spreadsheet, it rarely lines up with the jobs and departments the business reports on. #### Hours recorded away from the job Time is logged on a spreadsheet that no one connects back to a job or department, so cost against work stays a guess. #### Re-keyed into payroll and costing The same hours are typed twice — once for the job cost, once for payroll — which is slow and a soft spot for errors. #### No sign-off before the feed Nobody approves the week before it flows on, so corrections land after payroll has run and after the job has been costed. #### Chasing the ones who never file A week cannot be totalled until everyone has submitted, so payroll and job costs wait on the stragglers while someone spends the deadline sending reminders. Overview ### One grid, from hours to cost. Record the week, approve it, and let the figures flow. - Timesheet entry quarter-hour - Resources & classification generic - Approval signed off - Dashboard & reports nine variants #### A weekly grid for recording time Monday-to-Sunday grid with hours in quarter-hour increments. Daily-total column footers and a weekly-total row. - Mon–Sun weekly grid - Quarter-hour increments #### Resources, departments and entry types Resources carry a rate type — hourly or daily — and a rate. Departments and entry types classify productive, non-productive and billable time. - Per resource people, machines, vehicles, rooms - Hourly / daily rate type and rate #### Row-level approval before the feed Per-row actions to add, remove, re-open, complete and approve. Approving a row signs it off for the payroll and job-cost feed. - Per row complete, re-open, approve - Before feed sign-off gates the numbers #### The Timesheets dashboard and report families Dashboard charts hours by department, resource group and job. Nine report variants across Summary, Daily and Weekly families. - Dashboard hours by department, group, job - Nine Summary / Daily / Weekly variants In their words Running our trading and our accounts together on one platform keeps day-to-day work simple. DeWolfe Music Media & music Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. Approved hours flow on to costing and the ledger. #### Job Costing Rate times hours becomes cost against the job as each approved row feeds through. #### Nominal Ledger The timesheet feed posts to the ledger alongside every other module. #### Trade Ledgers Client timesheet evidence supports the invoices raised on the sales ledger. #### Reports The nine timesheet report variants run through the same reporting layer as every other module. Frequently asked ### Timesheets questions. What can be recorded as a resource? Resources are typically people, but the model is generic and also covers machines, vehicles and rooms. Each resource carries a rate type — hourly or daily — and a rate, and time is recorded against departments, jobs or entry types. How is time entered? On a weekly grid running Monday to Sunday, with hours in quarter-hour increments. Column footers show the daily totals and a weekly-total row sums the week. Per-row actions add, remove, re-open, complete and approve each row. What does approval do? Approving a row signs it off for the payroll and job-cost feed. Rate times hours becomes cost in Job Costing, hours pass to payroll where configured, and the entries post to the Nominal Ledger. Can it produce evidence for client billing? Yes. The Timesheets dashboard charts hours by department, resource group and job, and there are nine report variants — Summary, Daily and Weekly, each in Standard, Client and Job families — so billing teams can produce timesheet evidence for client invoicing. --- # Trade Ledgers | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/trade-ledgers/ Accounting ## Your receivables and payables, squared every day. The Trade Ledgers are the sales and purchase ledgers behind your cash position. Customer and supplier records, receipts, payments and allocations sit in one place, and every entry posts to the Nominal Ledger automatically — so aged debtors and creditors are current, not a month-end catch-up. - Sales and purchase ledgers in one place - Debt-chasing letters across five Band thresholds - BACS direct debit and aged debtors and creditors The problem ### When you never quite know who owes what. If receipts, payments and allocations are done by hand, the aged debtors report is out of date the moment you run it. #### Chasing done from memory Overdue accounts get chased when someone remembers, not when they cross a threshold, so slow payers slip through and cash comes in late. #### Allocations left unmatched Receipts and payments sit against the account but never against the invoice, so the balance is right in total and wrong in detail. #### Ledger and nominal disagree The sales ledger control account and the nominal drift apart because postings are batched and re-keyed instead of flowing through as you trade. #### No check on credit exposure Without a live view of what a customer already owes against their limit, orders keep going out to accounts that are quietly turning into bad debt. Overview ### Two ledgers, one clear position. Sales and purchases, receipts and payments — all reconciled to the nominal. - Sales ledger receivables - Purchase ledger payables - Aged debtors & creditors reconciled - Credit control & BACS chased #### A sales ledger built around the customer account Customer master records with statements on demand. Receipts and allocations matched straight to the invoice. - Statements on demand per customer - Matched receipts against invoices #### A purchase ledger that keeps suppliers in order Supplier master records with payments and allocations. Scheduled invoices raised on the dates you set. - Scheduled invoices raise themselves - Allocated payments against supplier invoices #### Aged debtors, aged creditors and control totals Aged debtors and creditors from live ledger balances. Control totals reconcile each ledger to its nominal account. - Aged debtors and creditors, live - Control totals tie to the nominal #### Debt chasing across five Bands and BACS direct debit Debt-chasing letters stepped across five Band thresholds. BACS direct-debit processing to collect from customers. - 5 Bands debt-chasing thresholds - BACS direct debit built in Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. The Trade Ledgers post everything they do to the Nominal Ledger. #### What is a sales ledger? The definition, why allocation decides whether your ageing is accurate, and how it differs from the purchase ledger. #### Nominal Ledger Receipts, payments and allocations post straight to the general ledger, so control totals always tie out. #### Order Processing Invoices and credit notes raised in Order Processing land on the customer and supplier accounts automatically. #### VAT & Making Tax Digital Trading through the ledgers feeds the VAT return, reconciled before you file to HMRC. #### Document Store Attach supplier invoices and remittances to the account they belong to, one click from the ledger browse. Frequently asked ### Trade Ledgers questions. Do the Trade Ledgers post to the Nominal Ledger? Yes. Every receipt, payment and allocation, along with the invoices and credit notes raised against customers and suppliers, posts to the Nominal Ledger automatically, so the ledger control accounts stay tied to the nominal. How does debt chasing work? Debt-chasing letters step overdue accounts through five Band thresholds you define, so accounts are chased by rule as they age rather than when someone remembers. Can DataFlow collect payments by direct debit? Yes. BACS direct-debit processing collects due amounts from customers, and scheduled invoices raise themselves on the dates you set. Does it handle foreign-currency balances? Yes. Foreign-currency balances are revalued at period end, and aged debtors and creditors and control totals keep each ledger reconciled to its nominal account. --- # VAT & Making Tax Digital | DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/modules/vat-mtd/ Accounting ## VAT that files straight to HMRC. The VAT module manages your VAT periods, the VAT journal, the EC Sales List and EC Intrastats — then files the nine-box return straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. Figures reconcile against the Nominal Ledger before anything is submitted. - VAT periods, VAT journal, EC Sales List and Intrastats - Nine-box return filed straight to HMRC via the HMRC API - VAT figures reconcile against the Nominal Ledger before filing The problem ### When VAT is a quarter-end scramble. If the VAT return is rebuilt from spreadsheets each quarter, the numbers are hard to trust and harder to file. #### Return rebuilt by hand The nine boxes are re-keyed from exported figures every quarter, so the return is only as good as the last copy-and-paste. #### Filing outside the system The return leaves the ledger to be typed into a separate portal, which breaks the audit trail Making Tax Digital expects. #### VAT and the ledger disagree Nobody is sure the VAT journal matches the control account until the return is already prepared and the quarter is closing. #### Deadlines that creep up on you With no view of when each VAT period falls due, a return can slip past its date and into HMRC’s points-based penalties before anyone notices the clock. Overview ### VAT, from period to submission. The return is built from the ledger and filed to HMRC in one place. - VAT periods controlled - VAT journal reconciled - EC Sales & Intrastats covered - Making Tax Digital filed to HMRC #### VAT periods and the VAT period close VAT periods that match your HMRC filing schedule. A period close that fixes the figures once the quarter is done. - Per period figures fixed at close - Ordered VAT period close #### The VAT journal and control account A VAT journal that captures the tax on every posting. VAT figures reconciled against the Nominal Ledger before filing. - Reconciled against the Nominal Ledger - Live VAT position through the period #### EC Sales List and EC Intrastats EC Sales List built from the same trading figures. EC Intrastats produced without a separate re-keying step. - EC Sales built from trading figures - Intrastats produced in the same place #### Making Tax Digital submission to HMRC The nine-box return filed straight to HMRC via the HMRC API. The HMRC credential flow handled for you at submission. - MTD filed straight to HMRC - Nine-box return via the HMRC API Explore more ### Works with the rest of DataFlow. VAT reconciles against the ledger and draws on the figures the trading modules post. #### Nominal Ledger The VAT journal and return reconcile against the Nominal Ledger before you file to HMRC. #### Trade Ledgers Sales and purchase ledgers carry the VAT on receipts, payments and allocations into the period. #### Order Processing Invoices and credit notes post their VAT to the journal automatically as documents are processed. #### Audit Trail VAT periods and postings appear in the financial audit trail, read-only, for review before you file. Frequently asked ### VAT & Making Tax Digital questions. Does it file the VAT return to HMRC? Yes. The end-to-end nine-box VAT return is filed straight to HMRC via the HMRC API under Making Tax Digital, and the credential flow is handled at submission. How does the return stay in step with the accounts? The VAT figures reconcile against the Nominal Ledger before filing, so the return agrees with the control account rather than a separate export. What does the module manage? It manages your VAT periods, the VAT journal, the EC Sales List and EC Intrastats, all in the same place as the VAT return. When are the VAT figures fixed? At the VAT period close. Trading posts to the period as it happens, and closing the period fixes the figures ready for filing. --- # DataFlow Glossary URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/ ## Glossary Plain-English definitions of the accounting, order-processing and integration terms used across DataFlow. Terms are grouped by area, and link through to the relevant module or integration where one exists. ### Explained in full These terms have a page of their own, with worked examples and the questions that come up most often. - Nominal ledger — also called General ledger, GL - Sales ledger — also called Accounts receivable ledger, Debtors ledger - Purchase ledger — also called Accounts payable ledger, Creditors ledger, Bought ledger - Chart of accounts — also called COA, Nominal structure - Aged debtors and aged creditors — also called Debtor ageing, Creditor ageing, Aged trial balance ### Everything else, in brief ### Nominal Ledger The general ledger that sits at the centre of DataFlow. Every other module posts its transactions here, so the Nominal Ledger holds the complete financial picture of the business. ### Trade Ledgers The collective name for the Sales Ledger and Purchase Ledger, which record what customers owe you and what you owe your suppliers. Both post through to the Nominal Ledger. ### Sales Ledger / Purchase Ledger The Sales Ledger records customer accounts, invoices and receipts; the Purchase Ledger records supplier accounts, invoices and payments. Together they make up the Trade Ledgers. ### Chart of Accounts The structured list of nominal codes used to classify every transaction, such as sales, purchases, assets and liabilities. It defines how figures are organised for reporting. ### Cost Centre A reporting dimension that sits alongside the Chart of Accounts, letting you analyse the same nominal figures by department, branch, project or other unit. ### Analysis Groups User-defined groupings that categorise accounts or transactions for reporting, so you can summarise activity by whatever segments matter to your business. ### Apportionment The splitting of a single posting across several cost centres using a percentage table, for example spreading a shared overhead cost across departments. ### Cash Book The record of money moving in and out of your bank accounts, covering receipts, payments and transfers, and reconciling to the bank statement. ### Journal / Recurring Posting / Reversing Journal A journal is a manual posting between nominal accounts. A recurring posting repeats automatically each period, while a reversing journal is automatically reversed in the following period, which is useful for accruals and prepayments. ### Period Close The ordered end-of-period routine that finalises the ledgers for a month or year, ensuring all transactions are posted and balanced before the next period opens. ### Control Totals Running totals used to check that batches of transactions balance and that the ledgers agree, helping to catch data-entry errors before they are posted. ### Aged Debtors / Aged Creditors Reports that show outstanding customer balances (debtors) and supplier balances (creditors) grouped by how long they have been overdue, such as current, 30, 60 and 90 days. ### BACS / AUDDIS BACS is the UK bank-to-bank payment scheme used for direct debits and credits. AUDDIS (Automated Direct Debit Instruction Service) is the process for lodging and managing direct debit instructions electronically. ### VAT Journal The record of VAT amounts arising from transactions, used to build the VAT return and reconcile the tax owed to or reclaimable from HMRC. ### MTDfB (Making Tax Digital for Business) HMRC's programme requiring businesses to keep digital records and submit VAT returns through compatible software. DataFlow files returns directly to HMRC under these rules. ### EC Sales List / Intrastats Returns covering trade with other countries: the EC Sales List reports goods and services supplied to VAT-registered businesses abroad, while Intrastat records the movement of goods across borders. ### Nine-box VAT return (VAT 100) The standard UK VAT return, laid out in nine boxes covering output tax, input tax and the net position, submitted to HMRC as the VAT 100. ### Order Processing The module that handles the sales cycle from quotation through to invoice, keeping the Sales Ledger and Stock Control updated as orders move through each stage. ### Quotation / Sales Order / Delivery (Despatch) / Sales Invoice / Credit Note The documents in the sales cycle: a quotation offers goods to a customer, which becomes a sales order when accepted, a delivery (or despatch) when goods are sent, a sales invoice when charged, and a credit note when value is refunded or corrected. ### Works Order An instruction to assemble or manufacture stock, drawing components from inventory and building them into a finished item such as a kit. ### Quick Order A streamlined entry screen for capturing an order rapidly, suited to high-volume or counter-style sales where speed of entry matters. ### Stock Control The module that tracks inventory levels, movements and valuation across warehouses and bins, feeding order processing and the Nominal Ledger. ### Kit A stock item made up of a bill of components, so that assembling or selling the kit draws down the individual parts it is built from. ### Bin A specific location within a warehouse where stock is held, allowing items to be tracked down to a precise shelf or area. ### Batch / Serial Tracking Methods of tracing individual stock items: batch tracking follows groups that share a batch number, while serial tracking records each unit by its unique serial number. ### Layered pricing A pricing structure with default prices that can be overridden by per-customer price lists, so the correct price is applied automatically at order entry. ### Stock valuation The method used to value inventory, such as average cost, standard cost or FIFO (first in, first out), which determines the cost carried against each item. ### Job Costing The module that gathers costs and revenues against individual jobs or projects, so you can see the profitability of each piece of work. ### Timesheets The recording of time worked by staff against jobs or activities, feeding labour costs into job costing and payroll. ### Document Store A central repository for attaching and retrieving documents such as invoices, delivery notes and correspondence against the relevant records. ### Dashboard A configurable summary screen that presents key figures and indicators at a glance, giving an overview of business performance. ### Audit Trail A record of who changed what and when, providing a traceable history of transactions and amendments for control and compliance. ### Authority Limit / Document Authorisation Controls that require documents such as purchase orders to be approved by a user with sufficient authority, with limits setting the value each person can sign off. ### Inter-Company Processing The handling of transactions between separate companies within the same group, so that dealings between them are recorded consistently on both sides. ### Consolidation The combining of figures from several companies into a single set of accounts, giving a group-wide view of financial performance. ### Multi-company The ability to run more than one company within DataFlow, each with its own ledgers, while sharing common setup and reporting where useful. ### User-Defined Fields (UDFs) Extra fields you can add to records to capture information specific to your business, beyond the standard fields provided. ### EDI Electronic Data Interchange, the exchange of business documents such as orders and invoices in a standard electronic format directly between trading partners. ### cXML PunchOut A method that lets a buyer shop from your catalogue through their own procurement system, using the cXML standard to pass the basket back as an order. ### Open Banking / TPP (Third Party Provider) Open Banking allows secure, authorised access to bank account data and payments. A TPP (Third Party Provider) is the regulated service that connects to the bank on your behalf. ### SagePay / Dataflow.Pay Payment integrations that let customers pay against invoices by card, with SagePay (Opayo) and Dataflow.Pay handling the card processing and reconciliation. ### Spreadsheet Live The Excel add-in that pulls live figures from DataFlow into spreadsheets, so reports and models stay up to date without re-keying data. ### Payment Practices Report A report on how promptly a business pays its suppliers, supporting the UK duty for larger companies to report their payment practices and performance. --- # Aged Debtors & Aged Creditors: UK Definition and Use URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/aged-debtors-and-creditors/ Accounting glossary ## Aged debtors and aged creditors An aged debtors report lists what every customer owes, split by how long it has been outstanding — typically current, 30, 60, 90 and older. An aged creditors report does the same for what you owe suppliers. Both turn a list of balances into a list of actions: who to chase, and what has to be paid next. Also called Debtor ageing, Creditor ageing, Aged trial balance ### How the ageing bands work Each unpaid item is placed in a band by its age, which is counted either from the invoice date or from the due date. Which of the two is used changes the report materially, and it is worth knowing which your system does: ageing by invoice date on 60-day terms will show everything as a month overdue when nothing is. Ageing is per item, not per customer. A customer can have an invoice in the current band and another at 90 days at the same time, and the report has to show both rather than netting them to an average. ### Why allocation decides accuracy Ageing is only as good as the allocation behind it. If receipts and payments are posted but not matched to specific invoices, balances stay correct while the ageing quietly becomes fiction — old invoices sit in the 90-day band although they were settled, and the chasing list is wrong. ### What each report is used for - Aged debtors drives credit control — the chasing sequence, the decision to put an account on stop, and the provision for doubtful debts at year end. - Aged creditors drives the payment run — what falls due, what can wait, and whether early-settlement discounts are worth taking. - Together they are the working-capital picture: what is coming in, what is going out, and the gap between the two. In a real system ### What this looks like in an accounting system Ageing is only useful if something acts on it. On the debtor side that usually means banded chasing: several age bands, each with its own letter template, so the first is a reminder and the last is a pre-legal warning, and accounts move between bands as the debt ages rather than being chased by hand. On the creditor side the ageing feeds the payment run directly — select what is due, produce the BACS file, and post the payments back against the invoices they settle in the same operation, so the ageing is correct the moment the run finishes rather than after someone remembers to allocate. Frequently asked ### Aged debtors and aged creditors questions. What is the difference between aged debtors and aged creditors? Aged debtors is what customers owe you, aged by how overdue it is. Aged creditors is what you owe suppliers, aged the same way. One drives collection, the other drives payment. What is an aged debtors report used for? Deciding who to chase and in what order, whether to stop supplying an account, and how much to provide for debts unlikely to be collected. It is also one of the first things a lender or auditor asks to see. Should ageing run from the invoice date or the due date? Either is valid, but they answer different questions. Ageing from the due date shows what is genuinely overdue and is the more useful basis for credit control; ageing from the invoice date shows how long the money has been tied up regardless of terms. What is an aged trial balance? Another name for an aged debtors or aged creditors report — the ledger balances broken down by age rather than shown as a single figure per account. Related terms ### Next in the glossary. #### What is a sales ledger? A sales ledger is the record of everything each customer has been invoiced and everything they have paid, kept account by account. #### What is a purchase ledger? A purchase ledger is the record of everything each supplier has invoiced you and everything you have paid them, kept account by account. #### What is a nominal ledger? A nominal ledger is the central accounting record that holds every financial transaction a business makes, summarised by account. --- # What Is a Chart of Accounts? Structure & UK Examples URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/chart-of-accounts/ Accounting glossary ## What is a chart of accounts? A chart of accounts is the complete list of accounts a business can post transactions to, each with its own code. It sets out the structure of the nominal ledger — which accounts exist, what each is for, and how they roll up into the profit and loss account and balance sheet. Every posting has to name one, so the chart decides what the accounts can later report on. Also called COA, Nominal structure ### How codes are usually structured Most UK charts group accounts into numbered ranges, so the code itself says what kind of account it is. A common shape: - 0000–0999 fixed assets — property, plant, vehicles, accumulated depreciation. - 1000–1999 current assets — bank, debtors control, stock, prepayments. - 2000–2999 liabilities — creditors control, VAT control, loans, accruals. - 3000–3999 capital and reserves — share capital, retained profit. - 4000–4999 income — sales, by product group or region. - 5000–9999 costs — cost of sales, then overheads by category. ### Cost centres and analysis, not more codes The usual mistake is to build the analysis into the code list: separate sales accounts for every product, every region and every salesperson, and a chart that runs to thousands of lines. The alternative is to keep one sales account and carry the analysis alongside it, as a cost centre or department against the posting. The account says what happened, the cost centre says where. That keeps the profit and loss readable while still letting you report by branch, and it means adding a new depot does not mean adding thirty accounts. ### Getting it right at the start A chart of accounts is easy to extend and painful to restructure, because the comparatives are already posted against the old codes. It is worth deciding three things before the first transaction: how granular the profit and loss needs to be, what has to be reportable separately, and which of those are better handled as cost centres than as accounts. In a real system ### What this looks like in an accounting system The chart is configured per company, which matters in a group: each company can carry its own structure while still consolidating, so a newly acquired business does not have to be forced onto the parent's codes on day one. The cost-centre design is the part worth copying. Rather than multiplying accounts, a cost centre sits underneath the chart as a separate reporting dimension, letting the profit and loss be sliced by department, project or location without a single extra nominal code. One sales account, analysed many ways — which is why a well-built chart of accounts is usually shorter than people expect. Frequently asked ### Chart of accounts questions. What is a nominal code? The reference number identifying one account in the chart of accounts — 4000 for sales, 7000 for wages. Posting to a nominal code is how a transaction is filed to the right account. How many accounts should a chart of accounts have? Fewer than most businesses build. If an account has not been posted to in a year, or exists only to split something you could analyse by cost centre, it is adding maintenance without adding information. Can you change a chart of accounts later? You can add to it freely. Restructuring is harder, because prior-year comparatives sit against the old codes and either have to be re-mapped or reported separately. Most software supports merging or renumbering, but it is a controlled exercise rather than a routine change. What is the difference between a chart of accounts and a nominal ledger? The chart of accounts is the list of accounts; the nominal ledger is the record of what has been posted to them. The chart defines the structure, the ledger holds the values. Related terms ### Next in the glossary. #### What is a nominal ledger? A nominal ledger is the central accounting record that holds every financial transaction a business makes, summarised by account. #### What is a sales ledger? A sales ledger is the record of everything each customer has been invoiced and everything they have paid, kept account by account. #### What is a purchase ledger? A purchase ledger is the record of everything each supplier has invoiced you and everything you have paid them, kept account by account. --- # What Is a Nominal Ledger? UK Definition & Examples URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/nominal-ledger/ Accounting glossary ## What is a nominal ledger? A nominal ledger is the central accounting record that holds every financial transaction a business makes, summarised by account. Sales, purchases, cash, payroll and stock all post into it, and the balances on those accounts are what produce the trial balance, profit and loss account and balance sheet. In UK practice “nominal ledger” and “general ledger” mean the same thing. Also called General ledger, GL ### What sits in a nominal ledger The nominal ledger is organised by account rather than by customer or supplier. Each account holds one kind of value — sales, rent, wages, bank, VAT — and every transaction posts a debit to one account and a matching credit to another. The list of those accounts is the chart of accounts. Accounts fall into two families, and the split is what makes the ledger produce two different reports from one set of entries: - Balance sheet accounts — assets, liabilities and equity. These carry their balance forward from one year to the next: the bank account, debtors, creditors, fixed assets, share capital. - Profit and loss accounts — income and expenses. These are cleared to zero at year end, which is what "nominal" originally referred to: accounts that exist in name only across periods. ### A worked example Suppose you invoice a customer £1,000 plus £200 VAT. Three accounts in the nominal ledger move at once: - Debtors (balance sheet) is debited £1,200 — the customer now owes you that. - Sales (profit and loss) is credited £1,000 — the revenue you have earned. - VAT control (balance sheet) is credited £200 — money you are holding for HMRC. ### How it relates to the sales and purchase ledgers The sales and purchase ledgers hold the detail: which customer owes what, which supplier invoice is unpaid, when each falls due. The nominal ledger holds the totals. Post a sales invoice and the sales ledger records it against that customer while the nominal ledger records it against Debtors and Sales. That is why the two must agree. The total of the sales ledger balances should equal the Debtors control account in the nominal ledger. When they do not, something has been posted to the control account directly instead of through the ledger, and the difference has to be found before the accounts can be trusted. ### Nominal ledger and trial balance They are not the same thing. The nominal ledger is the record; the trial balance is a snapshot of it. A trial balance lists every nominal account and its balance at a point in time, with debits in one column and credits in the other. If the two columns agree, the double entry is arithmetically consistent — though that alone does not prove the entries were posted to the right accounts. In a real system ### What this looks like in an accounting system In a working system the nominal ledger is not something anyone posts to by hand very often. Every other module posts into it automatically — a sales invoice, a supplier payment, a stock movement — and the ledger itself is where the exceptions are handled: journals, corrections, accruals and prepayments, and anything that falls outside the trading flow. Around that sit the jobs that only make sense at ledger level: - Recurring postings — rent, depreciation, standing journals — generated automatically on a schedule rather than keyed monthly. - Bank reconciliation, increasingly fed by an Open Banking connection rather than a manually imported statement. - Inter-company processing, where a transaction in one company raises the matching entry in another. - Period close, run in module order so nothing can be posted back into a closed period once the accounts are agreed. Frequently asked ### Nominal ledger questions. Is a nominal ledger the same as a general ledger? Yes. "Nominal ledger" is the common term in UK practice and "general ledger" is the American equivalent, and UK accounting software uses both. They describe the same record. What does "nominal" mean in accounting? It refers to accounts that exist in name only across periods — income and expense accounts, which are cleared to zero at year end rather than carried forward. The name stuck to the whole ledger even though it also holds balance sheet accounts that do carry forward. What are examples of nominal accounts? Sales, purchases, rent, wages, insurance, motor expenses, bank interest and depreciation are all nominal accounts. Each records one category of income or cost, and each is cleared to the profit and loss account at the end of the financial year. Which accounts are not kept in the nominal ledger? Individual customer and supplier accounts are not. Those live in the sales and purchase ledgers, and reach the nominal ledger only as summary totals through the debtors and creditors control accounts. What is a nominal code? A nominal code is the reference number given to each account in the chart of accounts — 4000 for sales, 7000 for wages, and so on. Posting to a nominal code is how a transaction is filed to the right account. Related terms ### Next in the glossary. #### What is a chart of accounts? A chart of accounts is the complete list of accounts a business can post transactions to, each with its own code. #### What is a sales ledger? A sales ledger is the record of everything each customer has been invoiced and everything they have paid, kept account by account. #### What is a purchase ledger? A purchase ledger is the record of everything each supplier has invoiced you and everything you have paid them, kept account by account. --- # What Is a Purchase Ledger? UK Definition & Examples URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/purchase-ledger/ Accounting glossary ## What is a purchase ledger? A purchase ledger is the record of everything each supplier has invoiced you and everything you have paid them, kept account by account. It shows who you owe, how much, and when it falls due. In UK bookkeeping it is also called the creditors ledger, bought ledger or accounts payable ledger, and its total must agree with the creditors control account in the nominal ledger. Also called Accounts payable ledger, Creditors ledger, Bought ledger ### What a purchase ledger account holds One account per supplier, and against it: - Invoices received, with their date, reference, net, VAT and gross. - Credit notes the supplier has raised. - Payments made, and which invoices each payment settled. - The balance outstanding, and when each item is due under that supplier’s terms. ### Three-way matching The control that stops a business paying for goods it never received is matching each supplier invoice against two other documents: the purchase order that authorised the spend, and the goods received note that confirms delivery. Where all three agree on quantity and price, the invoice can be approved for payment. Where they do not, the invoice goes into query rather than into the payment run. A price difference against the order and a short delivery against the note are different problems, and the ledger should be able to tell them apart. ### A worked example A supplier invoices you £2,000 plus £400 VAT for stock: - Creditors (balance sheet) is credited £2,400 — you now owe that. - Purchases or Stock (profit and loss or balance sheet, depending on treatment) is debited £2,000. - VAT control is debited £400 — input VAT you can reclaim on the next return. ### Payment runs and aged creditors The aged creditors report is the purchase ledger sorted by how old each unpaid invoice is. It drives the payment run: select what falls due, generate a BACS file, post the payments back against the invoices they settle. Getting the allocation right matters as much here as on the sales side. An unallocated payment leaves the supplier balance correct but the ageing wrong, which is how businesses end up paying an invoice twice. In a real system ### What this looks like in an accounting system The purchase ledger carries controls the sales ledger does not, because money is leaving. Invoices route through an authorisation flow before they can be paid, with rejection feedback going back to whoever coded it, and authority limits deciding who can approve what. Invoice capture is increasingly automated: a scanned PDF goes through OCR from the document store, the extracted values are reviewed, and a purchase invoice is created pending authorisation rather than posted straight through. The review step is the point — OCR is good, not infallible. Before a payment run goes out, a well-built ledger lets you test it: validate the proposed batch against the supplier accounts as a dry run, and see what it would do, before anything is posted for real. Frequently asked ### Purchase ledger questions. What is the difference between a purchase ledger and a sales ledger? They are mirror images. The purchase ledger records what you owe suppliers and produces creditors; the sales ledger records what customers owe you and produces debtors. Both post their totals into the nominal ledger through control accounts. Is the purchase ledger the same as accounts payable? In practice yes. "Purchase ledger" and "bought ledger" are the usual UK terms; "accounts payable" is the American equivalent. Strictly, accounts payable is the balance owed and the purchase ledger is the record that produces it. What is a purchase ledger control account? The account in the nominal ledger holding the total of every supplier balance. Reconciling it back to the sum of the individual supplier accounts is a standard month-end check, and a difference means something was posted to the control account directly. What does a purchase ledger clerk do? They run the ledger day to day: coding and posting supplier invoices, matching them to orders and delivery notes, resolving queries, preparing payment runs and reconciling supplier statements. Also called an accounts payable clerk. What is a supplier statement reconciliation? Comparing the statement a supplier sends against your purchase ledger account for them, and explaining every difference. It catches invoices you never received, credits you were owed and duplicates, and it is the main control over creditor accuracy. Related terms ### Next in the glossary. #### What is a sales ledger? A sales ledger is the record of everything each customer has been invoiced and everything they have paid, kept account by account. #### What is a nominal ledger? A nominal ledger is the central accounting record that holds every financial transaction a business makes, summarised by account. #### Aged debtors and aged creditors An aged debtors report lists what every customer owes, split by how long it has been outstanding — typically current, 30, 60, 90 and older. --- # What Is a Sales Ledger? UK Definition & Examples URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/resources/glossary/sales-ledger/ Accounting glossary ## What is a sales ledger? A sales ledger is the record of everything each customer has been invoiced and everything they have paid, kept account by account. It shows who owes money, how much, and how long it has been outstanding. In UK bookkeeping it is also called the debtors ledger or accounts receivable ledger, and its total must agree with the debtors control account in the nominal ledger. Also called Accounts receivable ledger, Debtors ledger ### What a sales ledger account holds One account per customer, and against it every document that has affected their balance: - Invoices raised, with date, reference, net, VAT and gross. - Credit notes issued against those invoices. - Receipts, and which invoices each receipt was allocated to. - The resulting balance, and the age of each unpaid item. ### Allocation is the part that matters Recording a receipt is only half the job. It has to be allocated against the specific invoices it settles, otherwise the balance is right but the ageing is wrong — and the ageing is what tells you who to chase. A customer who pays £5,000 against an £8,000 balance has left something unpaid. Until that £5,000 is matched to particular invoices, the ledger cannot say whether what remains is 30 days old or 120, and a debt-chasing letter based on it will be wrong. ### Aged debtors The aged debtors report is the sales ledger sorted by how overdue each item is, usually in 30-day bands: current, 30, 60, 90, older. It is the single most-used report in the ledger, because it converts a list of balances into a list of actions. ### Sales ledger versus purchase ledger They are mirror images. The sales ledger records money owed to you and produces debtors; the purchase ledger records money you owe and produces creditors. Between them they cover the whole trading relationship, and both post their totals into the nominal ledger. In a real system ### What this looks like in an accounting system The screen that matters most on the sales ledger is the allocation screen, not the invoice screen. The pattern is the same in any system worth using: pick the receipt, pick the invoices it pays, set the amount against each — defaulting to the open balance — and save. Saving is what closes the open balances down and posts any settlement discount. Partial payments and foreign currency are where it gets interesting. A receipt that does not match an invoice exactly needs a partial allocation rather than a suspense posting, and a receipt in a different currency from the invoice has to be converted at the right rate before it can be matched at all. Debt chasing then runs off the ageing. A common design is a set of age bands, each with its own letter — a polite reminder at the first, a pre-legal warning at the last — so the tone escalates with the age of the debt instead of every overdue account getting the same letter. Frequently asked ### Sales ledger questions. What is the difference between a sales ledger and a nominal ledger? The sales ledger holds the detail by customer — who owes what and since when. The nominal ledger holds the totals by account. A sales invoice appears in both: against the customer in the sales ledger, and against Debtors and Sales in the nominal ledger. Is the sales ledger the same as accounts receivable? In practice yes. "Sales ledger" is the usual UK term and "accounts receivable" the American one. Strictly, accounts receivable is the balance owed and the sales ledger is the record that produces it. What is a sales ledger control account? It is the account in the nominal ledger that holds the total of every customer balance. It exists so the nominal ledger can show one figure for debtors instead of thousands, and reconciling it to the sales ledger is a standard month-end check. What is a sales ledger clerk? A role responsible for running the sales ledger day to day — raising invoices, posting and allocating receipts, reconciling the control account and chasing overdue accounts. Also called a credit controller or accounts receivable clerk. Related terms ### Next in the glossary. #### What is a purchase ledger? A purchase ledger is the record of everything each supplier has invoiced you and everything you have paid them, kept account by account. #### What is a nominal ledger? A nominal ledger is the central accounting record that holds every financial transaction a business makes, summarised by account. #### Aged debtors and aged creditors An aged debtors report lists what every customer owes, split by how long it has been outstanding — typically current, 30, 60, 90 and older. --- # A Sage Alternative for UK Distributors URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/sage-alternative/ Sage alternative ## Outgrowing Sage plus a separate stock system? Sage 50 and Sage 200 handle the ledgers, VAT and Making Tax Digital well. What distributors tend to outgrow is running that alongside a separate stock and order system. DataFlow keeps stock, order processing, trade ledgers and accounting on one database. - Stock and order processing native, not a bolt-on - One database for trading and the books - VAT and MTD from the same ledger The pattern ### When Sage runs next to a separate stock system. The accounts side is not the problem. The problem is that a growing distributor usually bolts a stock and order system onto Sage, then spends time keeping the two aligned. #### Re-keying between two systems Orders and stock live in one system, the ledgers in Sage, so figures get re-entered or exported and imported to keep both sides telling the same story. #### A sync that has to hold An integration links the stock system to Sage. When it lags or drops a record, the trading numbers and the ledger disagree until someone reconciles them. #### Two systems to reconcile at month-end Closing the period means squaring the stock and order figures against Sage before the accounts can be trusted — an extra reconciliation that exists only because there are two systems. #### No single view of the business A question that spans trading and the books — true margin, or stock value against the accounts — means pulling figures from both systems and reconciling them before you can even answer it. Overview ### One database, not two systems joined by a sync. What you get moving from Sage plus a stock system to DataFlow. - Stock & order processing native built in - One database unified - VAT & Making Tax Digital compliant - Multi-company & B2B controls controlled #### Stock and order processing native, not a separate add-on Order processing and stock control ship in the platform, not bolted on. No export step between the trading side and the ledgers. - Native stock and order processing - One system for trading and accounts #### One database — accounting and trading together Trade-ledger, nominal, stock and VAT postings happen in one action. No integration to maintain between a stock system and Sage. - One database behind everything - Auto postings as you trade #### VAT and Making Tax Digital from the same ledger VAT periods reconcile against the ledger before you file. Making Tax Digital submissions straight to HMRC. - MTD filed direct to HMRC - One ledger behind the VAT return #### Multi-company, authority-limit controls, B2B (EDI/cXML) Any number of companies on one installation. Authority limits checked before postings; EDI and cXML PunchOut built in. - Multi company on one installation - EDI/cXML B2B order exchange built in Explore more ### Look closer before you decide. The detailed comparison, the distributor fit and the platform behind it. #### DataFlow vs Sage The head-to-head: Sage plus a separate stock system against DataFlow on one database. #### Distributors How wholesalers and distributors run stock, orders and accounts together in DataFlow. #### The platform The one-database architecture that puts trading and accounting in a single system. #### Why DataFlow The case for one database over Sage plus a separate stock system, set out across the whole platform. Frequently asked ### Moving from Sage to DataFlow. Is this saying Sage cannot do accounting or VAT? No. Sage 50 and Sage 200 are established accounts systems with full ledgers, VAT and Making Tax Digital. The reason distributors look for an alternative is usually the separate stock and order system they run alongside Sage, not the accounting itself. What actually changes when I move to DataFlow? Stock control and order processing move onto the same database as the ledgers. Instead of a stock system integrated with Sage, one document posts its trade-ledger, nominal, stock and VAT entries in a single action, so there is no sync to maintain. Do I lose accounting depth by switching? DataFlow includes a full nominal ledger, sales and purchase ledgers, VAT and Making Tax Digital to HMRC, and audit reporting. The difference is that these share a database with stock and order processing rather than being a separate system joined by an integration. Can DataFlow run multiple companies like our Sage setup? Yes. DataFlow runs any number of companies on one installation, with authority limits checked before postings and B2B order exchange over EDI and cXML PunchOut on the same platform. --- # DataFlow for Accountants & Bookkeepers URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/solutions/accountants/ Solutions ## Every client company on one installation. DataFlow lets a practice keep any number of client companies on a single installation. Post inter-company entries once, run VAT for each company to HMRC, and give every client a full audit trail — without a separate system per client. - Any number of companies on one installation - Consolidated group reporting and inter-company postings - VAT 100 to HMRC for each company under Making Tax Digital The problem ### A separate system for every client does not scale. When each client sits in its own login, its own file and its own reconciliation, the practice carries the overhead of them all. #### Juggling separate systems per client A different login, licence and layout for every client means the team relearns the software each time it switches company, and no one has a single view across the book. #### Re-keying the same figures twice Inter-company balances, recharges and shared costs get typed into one company and then typed again into another, so the two never quite agree. #### Month-end reconciled client by client Closing the period one client at a time, in one tool after another, turns month-end into a long serial task with no shared trail to lean on. #### Client deadlines all on their own clock Every company runs its own VAT quarters, year-ends and filing dates, so the schedule lives in a spreadsheet on the side and the deadline that matters is the one that quietly slips past. Overview ### One installation, every client company. Run the whole practice from a single place, with the controls to keep each client separate. - Multi-company on one installation one system - Consolidation & inter-company linked - VAT & Making Tax Digital across clients per company - Audit trail & controls defensible #### Any number of companies on a single installation Any number of companies on a single installation. Per-user company lists so each person sees only their clients. - Any number of companies on one installation - Per user company lists #### Inter-company postings and consolidated group reporting A transaction in one company auto-generates the matching entry in another. Consolidated group reporting draws the companies together. - Auto matching inter-company entry - Group consolidated reporting #### Nine-box VAT 100 to HMRC for each company Nine-box VAT 100 produced for each company. Filed to HMRC under Making Tax Digital per company. - VAT 100 nine boxes per company - HMRC filed under Making Tax Digital #### Read-only audit trails, user movement log and authority limits Read-only financial, customer and supplier trails. User movement log and authority limits on who can do what. - Read-only financial and trading trails - Logged user movement and authority limits In their words Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month. JCB Finance Financial services Explore more ### More ways DataFlow fits. Built for businesses like yours — the other setups we shape DataFlow around. #### Distributors & Wholesalers See how DataFlow puts stock, orders and the trade ledgers on one database for the wholesalers you keep the books for. #### Trading Businesses How trading firms run order processing and accounts on one system, with management figures always up to date. #### B2B & EDI Traders Where partner orders arrive by EDI and cXML PunchOut and drop straight onto the same ledgers you reconcile. #### Project & Contract Businesses How contractors track cost and margin per job, with the job dimension carried through to the nominal ledger. Frequently asked ### Questions from practices. How many companies can one installation hold? Any number. Each client is set up as a company on the same installation, and users see the company list they are entitled to, so a bookkeeper works across their own clients while the practice keeps everything in one system. Does DataFlow handle inter-company transactions? Yes. A transaction posted in one company can automatically generate the matching entry in another, and consolidated group reporting draws the companies together when you need the wider view. Can I run VAT for each client separately? Yes. Each company produces its own nine-box VAT 100 and files to HMRC under Making Tax Digital on its own schedule, so VAT is handled client by client from one place. What audit trail is there for review? DataFlow keeps read-only financial, customer and supplier trails, a user movement log and authority limits on who can do what, so who did what is already recorded when review comes round. --- # DataFlow for B2B & EDI Traders URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/solutions/b2b-edi-traders/ Solutions ## Partner orders that arrive ready to pick. When your trading partners send orders electronically, DataFlow reads them, maps them to your stock, customers and pricing, and drops each one into Order Processing as if it had been typed in. EDI and cXML PunchOut both land on the same database as your stock and accounts, so there is nothing to re-key. - Partner purchase orders ingested automatically - Buyer-tailored catalogues into procurement portals - Orders land straight in Order Processing The problem ### When every partner order is re-typed by hand. If electronic orders still have to be read off a portal or an email and keyed into your system, the trading relationship is slower and less accurate than it should be. #### Re-keying partner orders Purchase orders arrive electronically but still get typed into the system by hand, which is slow and introduces mistakes on lines, quantities and pricing. #### Locked out of procurement portals Large buyers expect you to appear inside their procurement system with a catalogue built for them, and without that you are left off the shortlist. #### Different partners, different formats Each large partner sends orders their own way, so the mapping and validation have to be reworked every time rather than following one settled process. #### Nothing flows back to the buyer Large buyers expect acknowledgements, despatch notes and invoices returned electronically, and when you can only send them by email or post you fall short of the trading agreement you signed. Overview ### Electronic trading, straight into your workflow. Partner orders arrive, map to your data, and follow your normal process. - EDI ingestion automatic - Mapping & validation mapped - cXML PunchOut buyer-tailored - Straight into Order Processing one database #### Automatic EDI ingestion with TheEdge TheEdge background service ingests orders over HTTP and TCP sockets. File drops handled alongside the live connections. - HTTP + TCP and file drop ingestion - Auto partner order capture #### Mapping to your stock, customers and pricing Each order mapped to your stock, customer and pricing. Normal validation and authorisation still apply. - Mapped to your stock and pricing - Same validation and authorisation #### Buyer-tailored catalogues into procurement portals A dedicated background service serves a buyer-tailored catalogue. Orders raised in Ariba and BravoSolution come back to you. - Ariba + BravoSolution procurement portals - Per-buyer catalogue tailoring #### Orders on the same database as stock and accounts EDI and PunchOut both drop orders into Order Processing. The same database carries your stock and accounts. - One database for stock and accounts - No re-keying of partner orders In their words From decision to going live took about eight weeks, and the changeover was calmer than we expected. Parsia Food & trading Explore more ### More ways DataFlow fits. Built for businesses like yours — the other setups we shape DataFlow around. #### Distributors & Wholesalers The distribution setup those partner orders feed into, with layered pricing, bins and stock valuation on one database. #### Accountants & Bookkeepers How practices keep any number of client companies on one installation, filing VAT to HMRC for each. #### Trading Businesses How trading firms run order processing and accounts together, with the ledger posted to as they sell. #### Project & Contract Businesses For firms delivering work as jobs, tracking cost and revenue per project across the system. Frequently asked ### B2B and EDI trading questions. How does DataFlow receive orders from my trading partners? EDI is handled by TheEdge, a background service that ingests partner purchase orders automatically over HTTP and TCP sockets, as well as from file drops. Each order is mapped to your stock, customer and pricing and then appears as if it had been typed in. Do ingested orders skip our checks? No. Once an order is mapped it follows your normal validation and authorisation, exactly as a manually entered order would, so nothing bypasses the controls you already rely on. Can we appear inside our buyers procurement portals? Yes. cXML PunchOut runs as a dedicated background service that serves a buyer-tailored catalogue into enterprise procurement portals such as Ariba and BravoSolution, and receives the orders those buyers raise. What happens when a large partner uses their own format? A large partner can have its own EDI variant where their format needs it, and whichever route the order arrives by it still drops straight into Order Processing on the same database as your stock and accounts. --- # DataFlow for Distributors & Wholesalers URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/solutions/distributors/ Solutions ## Stock, orders and accounts on one database. DataFlow is built for businesses that buy, hold and sell stock. Stock control, order processing, trade ledgers and accounts share the same database, so every sale updates stock, margin and the ledger at once — no bolted-on system, no re-keying. - Stock, margin and cash from one system - Quotes through to invoices without re-keying - Nominal ledger and VAT on the same database The problem ### When stock and accounts live in different places. Most distributors end up running a stock package alongside their accounts, and spend the day reconciling the gap between them. #### The bolted-on stock system Stock sits in one package and the accounts in another, joined by exports, spreadsheets and someone re-typing the figures at month-end. #### No single view of stock and margin Nobody can say what a line really made once cost prices, carriage and settlement discounts are in — the margin only appears well after the sale. #### Re-keying between order system and accounts Orders raised in one place are typed again into the ledger, so the same figure is entered twice and the two systems drift apart. #### Buying blind on stock Without live stock levels and sales history in front of them, buyers order too much of what sits and too little of what sells, so cash is tied up in dead stock while the fast lines run out. Overview ### One system for the whole trading cycle. From goods in to invoice out, on the same database. - Stock control traceable - Order processing end to end - Trade ledgers controlled - Accounts & VAT compliant #### Stock control with layered pricing and full traceability Layered price lists for customer, quantity and promotion. Bin locations with batch and serial tracking for traceability. - Layered pricing by customer and quantity - Batch & serial tracked through the warehouse #### Order processing from quote to invoice Quotes convert to orders, deliveries and invoices in one flow. Quick Order entry and PunchOut/EDI inbound orders. - Quote to invoice in one connected flow - EDI & PunchOut inbound orders #### Sales and purchase ledgers with credit control Aged debtors with credit control and account holds. BACS payments and customer statements from the ledger. - Aged debtors live from the sales ledger - BACS payments and statements #### Nominal ledger and VAT/MTD on one database Nominal ledger posts automatically from trading. VAT and Making Tax Digital on the same database. - Auto-posted nominal ledger from trading - MTD VAT on the same database In their words The system grew with us. Over the years we ran it, our turnover roughly doubled. AAP Manufacturing & distribution Explore more ### More ways DataFlow fits. Built for businesses like yours — the other setups we shape DataFlow around. #### Accountants & Bookkeepers For the practice keeping your books, any number of client companies on one installation with VAT filed to HMRC. #### Trading Businesses How trading firms run order processing and accounts on one system, with figures kept up to date as they sell. #### B2B & EDI Traders Bring partner orders in automatically by EDI and cXML PunchOut, mapped to the same stock you pick from. #### Project & Contract Businesses For work delivered as jobs, tracking cost and margin per project with the job dimension in the accounts. Frequently asked ### Distributor and wholesaler questions. Do stock and accounts really share one database? Yes. Stock control, order processing, the trade ledgers and the accounting system all sit on the same database, so a sale updates stock, margin and the nominal ledger at once — there is no export and no second system to reconcile. Can it handle our pricing? Yes. Stock control supports layered price lists, so you can price by customer, by quantity break and by promotion, and the price that applies at order entry is the price that carries through to the invoice. Does it support batch and serial tracking? Yes. Stock can be held in bin locations and tracked by batch and serial number, so you can trace what you received, where it is held and where it was sold. How do inbound orders from customers come in? Orders can be keyed quickly with Quick Order entry, or received electronically through PunchOut and EDI, then flow straight into the same order processing cycle as any other order. --- # DataFlow for Project & Contract Businesses URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/solutions/project-businesses/ Solutions ## Margin per project even when you bill per invoice. DataFlow tags a job code on document lines and time entries, so cost and revenue land against the project that earned them. The job dimension is carried through to the Nominal Ledger, and Job Profitability reports show budgeted against actual per job — margin you can read while the work is still running. - Cost and revenue tracked against every job - Time by resource feeds job cost automatically - Budgeted against actual, with percent-complete The problem ### When the invoice total hides the project margin. If you bill per invoice but work per project, the accounts tell you what you charged — not whether the job actually made money. #### Margin only known at the end Costs are spread across the ledger by nominal code rather than by job, so whether a project made money is a reckoning done long after the work is finished. #### Time never reaches the job Hours worked by people, machines and vehicles sit on paper or in a separate sheet, so the biggest cost on many projects never lands against the job it belongs to. #### Budget drift goes unseen Without budgeted against actual per job, an overrun only shows once it is spent, when there is nothing left to do but absorb it. #### Billable work slips through unbilled Costs, materials and late variations get incurred against a job but never make it onto an invoice, so work you did for the client quietly leaks away as margin you never charged for. Overview ### Every cost and every hour, against the job. Job Costing and Timesheets keep the project margin visible while the work is live. - Job costing by job - Timesheets by resource - Job profitability budget vs actual - Job dimension in the ledger end to end #### Cost and revenue tracked against every job A job code on document lines tags cost and revenue to the job. A job-costing pane sits in Trade Ledgers and Timesheets. - By job cost and revenue - Live job-costing pane #### Time by resource, feeding job cost Time recorded by people, machines, vehicles and rooms. Feeds Job Costing directly: rate times hours becomes cost. - By resource people, machines, vehicles, rooms - Rate × hours straight to job cost #### Budgeted against actual, per job Job Profitability reports show budgeted against actual per job. Percent-complete puts the numbers in context as work runs. - Budget vs actual per job - Percent-complete in context #### The job dimension carried to the Nominal Ledger The job dimension is carried through to the Nominal Ledger. No reconstruction to see where a project stands. - To the ledger job dimension carried - One system jobs and accounts In their words The system paid for itself inside the first year, which made the case for it straightforward. Lenham Storage Logistics & 3PL Explore more ### More ways DataFlow fits. Built for businesses like yours — the other setups we shape DataFlow around. #### Distributors & Wholesalers How wholesalers put stock, orders and the trade ledgers on one database, picking off live levels. #### Accountants & Bookkeepers For the practice keeping your books, every client company on one installation with VAT filed to HMRC. #### Trading Businesses How trading firms run order processing and accounts together, with management figures always current. #### B2B & EDI Traders Where partner orders arrive by EDI and cXML PunchOut and land ready to process on the same system. Frequently asked ### Project business questions. Can DataFlow show margin per project when I bill per invoice? Yes. A job code tagged on document lines tracks cost and revenue against the job, so margin follows the project even where invoicing happens per invoice, and Job Profitability reports show budgeted against actual per job. How does time get onto a job? Timesheets records time by resource — people, machines, vehicles and rooms — against jobs and departments, and feeds Job Costing directly: rate multiplied by hours becomes cost on the job. Where do I see cost and revenue on a job? A job-costing pane sits inside Trade Ledgers and Timesheets, so the picture builds as you work, and the job dimension is carried through to the Nominal Ledger. Can I compare budget against actual while the job is running? Yes. Job Profitability reports show budgeted against actual per job with percent-complete, so you can read the margin during the project rather than after it. --- # DataFlow for Trading Businesses URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/solutions/trading-businesses/ Solutions ## One system for trading and the numbers behind it. DataFlow runs order to cash and your management accounts on the same system. Quotations, orders, deliveries and invoices post straight to the ledger, so your P&L, balance sheet and VAT position stay current as you trade. - Order to cash and the ledger on one system - Management accounts without the month-end rebuild - VAT filed straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital The problem ### When trading and the numbers live apart. If sales and accounts run on separate systems, the figures only meet at month-end — and they rarely agree the first time. #### Management accounts a step behind Trading figures are re-keyed into the accounts after the fact, so the P&L and balance sheet describe last month rather than where the business is now. #### VAT is a stressful scramble Every return means pulling numbers together by hand and hoping the nine boxes reconcile before the deadline, with no clear trail back to the transactions. #### Spend controls are weak Orders and payments go through without a clear approval chain, so overspend is spotted after it happens rather than stopped before it does. #### The cash position is a guess With sales, purchases and the bank sitting in different places, nobody can say what is really owed and owing today, so cash-flow calls are made on a picture that is already out of date. Overview ### Trade and account on one system. Order to cash and management accounts, kept in step as you work. - Order to cash end to end - Management accounts & reporting always current - VAT & Making Tax Digital HMRC-ready - Controls in control #### Quotations, orders, deliveries and invoices on one system Quotations, orders, deliveries and invoices in one flow. Every document posts to the ledger as it is processed. - One flow quote to invoice - Auto ledger postings #### Management accounts and reporting from a live ledger Nominal ledger, trial balance, P&L and balance sheet in step. Dashboards that read straight from the live ledger. - Live trial balance - P&L and balance sheet on demand #### VAT and Making Tax Digital, filed straight to HMRC Nine-box VAT return built from the transactions. Filed straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. - Nine-box return from the ledger - MTD filing to HMRC #### Authority limits, audit trail and period close Authority-limit approval chains on orders and payments. Full audit trail and an ordered period close. - Approval chains by authority limit - Full audit trail In their words Running our trading and our accounts together on one platform keeps day-to-day work simple. DeWolfe Music Media & music Explore more ### More ways DataFlow fits. Built for businesses like yours — the other setups we shape DataFlow around. #### Distributors & Wholesalers How wholesalers put stock, orders and the trade ledgers on one database, with layered pricing and bins. #### Accountants & Bookkeepers For the practice keeping your books, any number of client companies on one installation with VAT filed to HMRC. #### B2B & EDI Traders Bring partner orders in automatically by EDI and cXML PunchOut, onto the same ledgers you trade on. #### Project & Contract Businesses For work delivered as jobs, tracking cost and margin per project across the system. Frequently asked ### Trading business questions. Can DataFlow run order processing and accounts together? Yes. Quotations, orders, deliveries and invoices run on the same system as your accounts, and every document posts to the nominal ledger as it is processed, so trading and the numbers stay in step. Are the management accounts always up to date? Yes. Because trading posts to the ledger automatically, the trial balance, P&L and balance sheet reflect the real position rather than a month-end reconstruction, and dashboards read straight from the same ledger. Does it handle VAT and Making Tax Digital? Yes. VAT posts as documents flow through the system, the VAT period reconciles against the ledger, and the nine-box return is filed straight to HMRC under Making Tax Digital. How does DataFlow keep spend under control? Authority-limit approval chains route orders and payments for sign-off before they commit, a full audit trail records every entry, and an ordered period close takes each module through end-of-month in sequence. --- # Why DataFlow URL: https://www.dataflow.co.uk/why-dataflow/ Why DataFlow ## One system where everything already joins up. DataFlow runs sales, purchases, stock, accounts and VAT in a single database. Postings happen automatically as you process documents, so there is no import step between your trading system and your accounts — and no month-end reconciliation between two systems. - Sales, purchases, stock, accounts and VAT in one database - Multi-company on a single installation - Approvals, customisation and B2B integration built in The problem ### The bolt-on stack that never quite joins up. When an order and stock system is wired to a separate accounts package, the two are only ever as current as the last import. #### Two systems held together by imports An order and stock system pushes figures into Sage or Xero on a schedule, so the accounts are a copy of trading rather than the same record — and every import is a chance for the two to diverge. #### The same data keyed twice Customers, products and prices are set up in one system and re-keyed in the other, so a change in one place has to be remembered in the other, and the two drift apart over time. #### Month-end spent reconciling two systems Before the numbers can be trusted, someone has to reconcile the trading system against the accounts package — an exercise that only exists because the data lives in two places. #### Every new need is another bolt-on Approvals, EDI, multi-company, custom fields — each arrives as a separate add-on with its own licence and its own integration to maintain, so the stack grows more fragile with every requirement. Overview ### One database, built as one system. Trading and accounts are the same record, not two copies kept in step. - One integrated database no import step - Multi-company on one installation consolidated - Authority-limit approval chains escalates on limit - Customisable per customer tailored - B2B integration built in first-class #### One integrated database for trading and accounts Sales, purchases, stock, accounts and VAT in the same database. Postings happen automatically as you process documents — no import step. - One database behind every module - Auto postings as you trade #### Any number of companies on a single installation Any number of companies on a single installation. Consolidation and inter-company processing built in. - Any number of companies - Group consolidation included #### Approval chains with authority limits per user and module Configurable per user, per group and per module. A monetary limit beyond which a document escalates for approval. - Per user and per module limits - Escalates above the set limit #### Customisable down to the individual customer User-defined fields and customer-specific EDI variants. Per-customer installer builds where they are needed. - User defined fields - Per customer EDI and builds #### EDI, cXML PunchOut and Open Banking as first-class integrations EDI, cXML PunchOut and Open Banking are first-class integrations. Part of the platform, not a third-party add-on. - EDI and cXML PunchOut - Open Banking built in What sets it apart ### The differences that matter, in depth. Each differentiator has its own page — the detail behind the headline. #### Multi-Company & Consolidation Any number of companies on one installation, with consolidation and inter-company processing. #### Document Authorisation Authority-limit approval chains per user, group and module, with a remote approval portal. #### Customisation User-defined fields, customer-specific EDI variants and per-customer installer builds. #### Multi-Currency Accounts in any currency, with allocation, period-end revaluation and multi-currency bank rec. Compare and decide ### Check the case, and the controls. See DataFlow against the alternatives, and how it keeps you compliant. #### Compliance & controls VAT and Making Tax Digital, BACS, the audit trail and authority limits in one place. #### vs a bolt-on stack One database versus an order and stock system wired to your accounts. #### vs Sage How DataFlow compares with Sage plus a separate stock and order system. #### vs Xero & QuickBooks How DataFlow compares with a cloud ledger plus a separate stock system. Frequently asked ### Why DataFlow questions. How is DataFlow different from an order system wired to Sage or Xero? DataFlow holds sales, purchases, stock, accounts and VAT in one database, so postings happen automatically as you process documents. There is no import between a trading system and a separate accounts package, and no reconciliation between the two. Can it run more than one company? Yes. Any number of companies run on a single installation, with consolidation and inter-company processing included rather than added on. How do approvals work? Approval chains are configurable per user, per group and per module, each with a monetary limit. A document beyond that limit escalates up the chain for approval. How far can it be customised? Down to the individual customer — user-defined fields, customer-specific EDI variants and per-customer installer builds where they are needed.