Overview
This guide outlines how to build an integration to your customer's accounting platform that involves sending transactional data. Mapping your end users' GL is required anytime you need to send data to your end users' accounting platform.
Common use cases include:
Data flow diagram
General Ledger (GL)/Account mapping workflow
Step 1: Linking to your customer's accounting platform
What: The first step is to authenticate to the end user's accounting application.
How: The end user uses Merge Link to connect to their accounting platform. More information on how to achieve this can be found in our Get Started guide
Step 2: Retrieve your end users' chart of accounts
What: An Account represents a category in a company’s ledger in which a financial transaction is recorded against.
How: Retrieve the Chart of Accounts (GL) from your end users' accounting platform by making a request to Merge’s GET /accounts endpoint.
Step 3: Retrieve your end users' tracking categories
What: Tracking categories represent a categorization method used to classify transactions within an accounting platform. They are often used to group records for reporting and analysis purposes. The most common types of Tracking Categories are "Locations", "Classes" and "Departments". For example, if your Customers have multiple locations, they may need to assign a location to the transaction.
How: Retrieve the Tracking Categories from your end esers' accounting platform by making a request to Merge’s GET /tracking-categories endpoint.
Step 4: Map your end users' chart of accounts (GL)
What: For accurate financial analysis and reporting, transactions entered into your end users' accounting platform must be recorded against an Account. Your customer must tell you which Accounts to associate with the transactions your product generates.
How: Provide your customers with a UI that surfaces their chart of accounts and allows them to map their accounts with corresponding accounts in your product. Merge's customers Taxbit and BambooHR have built a user friendly mapping experience (powered by Merge data) that can be seen below:
Taxbit GL mapping UI
BambooHR GL mapping UI
POST transactions workflow
Step 5: Generate the accounting transaction
What: An accounting transaction is any type of transaction that affects the customer's general ledger, such as invoices, bills, payments, etc. For instance, if your application provisions corporate cards to employees, an accounting transaction occurs when an employee uses the card.
How: When financial events occur in your product, generate the accounting transaction with the appropriate accounts and tracking categories assigned.
Step 6: Send the transaction(s) to the accounting platform
What: Once an accounting transaction has been generated in your application with the appropriate categorization, it is ready to be sent to your customer's accounting application.
How: Send the appropriately mapped and categorized transaction to your end users' accounting platform by making a request to Merge’s POST endpoints (/invoices, /journal-entries, /payments, etc.).