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How to connect an ERP system with accounting and banks
ERP doesn't have to replace your accounting software — integration connects the systems instead of double data entry.
A common misconception is that introducing an ERP means necessarily abandoning the existing accounting software the company has been used to for years and the bookkeeper works with efficiently. Most often that isn't needed at all — a smart integration between the two systems is enough.
How the integration works technically
Documents like invoices and payments are automatically transferred between the ERP and the accounting program via an API (a programming interface for communication), instead of someone manually retyping the same data twice into two different systems.
The bank sends electronic statements, and the ERP automatically matches them with the corresponding invoices based on amounts, reference numbers and other data — instead of the bookkeeper manually checking every payment against the list of invoices.
Concrete benefits of integration
Fewer manual-entry errors — every manual retyping of data is a chance for a mistake, whether in a number or in wrong invoicing.
Faster month-end closing in accounting — when the data is already reconciled through automatic integration, the bookkeeper spends less time checking and matching, and more on actual analysis.
One source of truth for financial data — sales, warehouse and accounting look at the same figures, instead of each relying on its own version that may be out of sync.
What to check before integrating
Whether your accounting program has an API or at least the ability to import/export data in a standard format — most modern programs support it, but some older systems require extra work to connect.
Who is responsible for monitoring the integration after it goes live — even a good integration occasionally needs oversight to ensure it keeps working correctly after upgrades of either of the two connected systems.
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Nikola Cerić
Founder & CEO, Manage IT
More than 10 years of software development experience — in his own company and in major IT companies across the Balkans.