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.
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 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.
Nativestock and order processing
Onesystem 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 databasebehind everything
Autopostings 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.
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.
