Migration · Xero to Odoo
Xero to Odoo, when the business has outgrown its accounting system
Businesses usually leave Xero because stock, manufacturing or projects have outgrown it, not the accounting. The accounting still has to arrive intact. That is the part we take most care over.
What moves from Xero
No.ItemWhat it means in practice
01Chart of accountsExported from Xero and rebuilt in Odoo, keeping your account codes so reports still look familiar.
02ContactsCustomers and suppliers exported, with duplicates merged before they reach Odoo.
03Tracking categoriesMapped to Odoo analytic accounts, so reports by department, project or region keep working.
04Open invoices and billsLoaded from Xero's aged receivables and payables at the cut-over date.
05Opening balancesAgreed to Xero's trial balance at the same date before anything goes live.
06Bank feedsSet up again in Odoo, with uncleared items carried so the first reconciliation balances.
Where Xero moves go wrong
No.TrapWhat it means in practice
01Tax ratesXero tax rates are mapped by treatment, so VAT or GST reports from Odoo match what was filed from Xero.
02Inventory from an add-onIf stock lived in an add-on rather than in Xero itself, quantities and values come from that system and are agreed to the ledger.
03Multi-currencyForeign currency balances are carried at the right rates, so revaluation does not throw up a false gain or loss.
04Running both for a whileSome businesses run Xero and Odoo side by side for a period. We set the cut-over so nothing is counted twice.
How we do it
No.StepWhat it means in practice
01Read the books firstYour last trial balance, tax returns and bank reconciliations, before we touch Odoo. The move is planned from those, not from a file export.
02Build in a test databaseChart, taxes, contacts, products and balances loaded into a separate Odoo database. You keep working in your current system.
03Agree it, line by lineTrial balance, receivables, payables, stock and bank agreed to the old system. Differences are explained, never posted to a suspense account.
04Parallel runOne period posted in both systems and compared. This is where tax-code mistakes show up.
05Go live and stayWe are there for the first month-end close, when the real questions arrive.
Why an accountancy practice
We prepare accounts and tax returns for clients as well as building software. A migration is judged at the first tax return and the first audit, not on go-live day, so it is planned by people who have to sign off those numbers.
Questions people ask
01
Can we keep using Xero for accounts and Odoo for operations?
It can be done, but two systems mean two sets of figures to agree every month. Most businesses we speak to end up moving the books too. We will tell you which suits you.02
What happens to our Xero history?
We load what you need to work day to day and keep a read-only export of the rest, so an auditor's question about an old invoice can still be answered.03
How long does it take?
It depends on the years of history, the number of companies and how clean the books are. We read your trial balance first and then give you a fixed plan.Book a meeting
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