Accounting & Invoicing
      Back to home
      1. Help Center
      2. Integrations
      3. Accounting & Invoicing

      Guide: Using Xero with Databox

      HOW TO

      How to connect Xero to Databox

      IN THIS SECTION

      How to connect Xero to Databox


      To connect a Xero Account in Databox, go to   Data Sources > + New connection. Type Xero in the search bar and click on the green Connect button. 

      This will open the  Authorization window, which is where you will be prompted to enter your Xero credentials and authorize the Databox app. 

      What Xero permissions do you need to connect to Databox?

      To connect Xero in Databox, you must have an Invoice only, Standard or Advisor user role in your Xero account. Additionally, Reports must be enabled as an Extra Permission. Learn more about Xero user roles and permissions here.

      How much historical data is synced when you first connect Xero to Databox?

      When you connect a new Xero Data Source in Databox, 36 months' worth of data is initially available. 

      Certain Metrics may have more or less historical data available. For more information about the amount of historical data available for a specific Metric, please contact our Support Team at help@databox.com.

      Pro Tip: Once your Xero Data Source is connected and actively syncing data, we store the data that's collected in our own database. This allows us to accumulate more data over time as more data syncs are made so that you can report on more historical Xero data in your Databox reports. Learn more here . 

      What time zone does Xero data sync in?

      Xero data is synced in UTC. 

      How to access pre-built Xero Templates

       
      1. Navigate to Databoards > Public Templates
      2. In the Data Source drop-down list, select Xero
      3. To view a preview of the Template populated with dummy data, click Preview
      4. To pull the Template into your Account and re-populate it with your own Xero data, click Use Template
      5. Select the appropriate Xero Data Source from the drop-down list to complete the process. The Databoard will be re-populated with data from the selected Xero Account and can be found on the  Databoards page

      Pro Tip: Once the Databoard is available on the Databoards page, it is completely disconnected from the public Template. Therefore, you can further customize this Databoard to meet your specific needs using the Designer.

      Popular Xero Templates

      Xero      Xero: Profitability Overview
      This Xero dashboard provides insights into cash flow, bank accounts, sales, and expenses entered in Xero.
      This Template helps you stay on top of your business sales and expenses.

      How to build a Databoard using Xero data

       
      1. Navigate to  Databoards > + New Databoard > Start Blank
      2. Click on the Metric  Library icon on the left-hand side of the Designer
      3. Select the appropriate Xero Account from the  Data Source drop-down list in the  Metric Library
      4. View the list of pre-built Xero Datablocks in the  Metric Library. Drag and drop your selected Datablock onto your Databoard
      5. If a pre-built Datablock isn't available for your use case, click on the  Visualization Types icon under the Metric Library icon
      6. View the list of Visualizations available in Databox. Drag and drop your selected Visualization onto your Databoard
      7. Click on the Datablock on the Databoard to open the corresponding  Datablock Editor on the right-hand side of the Designer
      8. Select the appropriate Xero Data Source and Metric in the right-hand Datablock Editor. This will update the Datablock, and it will populate the Datablock with the corresponding data
      9. Complete steps 4-8 until your Databoard is complete

      Popular Xero Metrics

      New Income Total Income Expenses

           
      Profit and Loss by Type Invoices Issued Sales

      You can view a full list of all Xero Metrics available in Databox here. 

      Additional Information

      IN THIS SECTION

        API Limitations

        • If you are tracking data in your Xero Account in multiple currencies, you'll be prompted to select the currency you'd like to report in when connecting Xero to Databox.

        When using metrics like ''Outstanding Payments by Contact'' and ''Overdue Payments by Contact'' in Databox, all contacts without their currency returned via API will have the default currency displayed in Databox, even though their actual currency (seen in Xero) could be different. This is due to Xero's API limitations that do not support currency conversions.

        If you'd like to report on Xero data in Databox in multiple currencies, you can use Data Calculations feature to set up a currency conversion. Learn more here.

        If you are tracking data in your Xero Account in a single currency, you won't be asked to select the currency you'd like to report in when connecting Xero to Databox. Metrics in Databox will automatically report in the currency set in your Xero Account.

        Granularity Restrictions

        • Due to API limitations, Hourly, Daily and Weekly granulations are not supported. This may affect visualization options for Charts in Databox.