Migration Guide MYOB AE - XPM

Owned by Debby Gibson
May 29, 2020
4 min read

This guide is intended for businesses currently synchronising their MYOB AE database to their Nimbus account and who are planning to migrate from MYOB AE to XPM. 

Nimbus allows a business to disable integration from MYOB AE and to then setup integration to XPM.  This is a simple process which is outlined below.

  • Understanding the structure of the MYOB AE database versus the XPM database

  • Is the Client Entity data identical?

  • Is the Contact information identical?

  • Are there multiples of the same Contact in XPM?

  • Which Client Entities will be synchronised from XPM?

  • Any additional Client Custom Fields?

  • Which Contacts will be synchronised from XPM?

  • Defining the Primary Contact?

  • Stop the MYOB AE integration

  • Configure XPM integration

  • Commence XPM synchronisation

Understanding the structure of the MYOB AE database versus the XPM database

The structure of the MYOB AE Client database is different to the XPM Client / Contact database.  Nimbus syncing with MYOB AE provides a one-to-one relationship. That is, for each Client Entity record, there is a Contact record.  

XPM on the other hand allows the user to create Client Entities with many related Contacts and Nimbus will synchronise all of this data allowing for Contact specific emails and letters to be generated from Nimbus.

Is the Client Entity data identical?

It is important to ensure that the Client Entity data stored in XPM is identical to the data stored in MYOB AE.  Nimbus relies on the Client Code as a unique identifier, though if no Client Code is used in XPM, it is possible to use the Client Name.  If the Client Code is identical in both systems, the data from the XPM integration will completely overwrite the data previously stored in Nimbus from MYOB AE. If there are differences, the Nimbus system will create a duplicate Client Entity in Nimbus.  One Client Entity will be the data synced from MYOB AE, the other will be the Client Entity synced from XPM.

Any additional Client Custom Fields?

MYOB AE integration included data setup in Extra Lists and Extra Fields.  If the same data is setup in XPM Custom fields, with an identical field name, it will overwrite the Client Custom field data in Nimbus.  It is also possible to include additional Client Custom fields in Nimbus.

Is the Contact information identical?

It is also important to ensure that the Contact information (the people you deal with) stored against the Client Entities in XPM, is identical to the contact information synced from MYOB AE.  Nimbus uses the following 4 fields to check if the data is identical:

  • First Name

  • Surname

  • Email address

  • Salutation

If any of the above data is different between the two databases, the Nimbus system will create a duplicate Contact in Nimbus. One Contact will be the data synced from MYOB AE, the other will be the Contact synced from XPM.

Are there multiples of the same Contact in XPM?

It is possible to attach a contact record to multiple Client Entities in XPM.  When this is done, the Contact is re-created. When the data is synced to Nimbus, if the following fields are identical, Nimbus will merge the records together creating one Contact:

  • First Name

  • Surname

  • Email address

  • Salutation

If any of the above fields are different, Nimbus will create multiple contacts.  It is therefore important to ensure that all instances of a contact record in XPM are identical.

Which Client Entities will be synchronised from XPM?

It is possible to sync ALL or only certain Client entities from XPM to Nimbus.  If you wish to only sync certain Client Entities, you will need to create a FILTER based on a Custom Field in XPM, and you will need to mark all Client Entities that you wish to synchronise with Nimbus with this Custom Field.  When the integration is configured, this FILTER is then set.

Which Contacts will be synchronised from XPM?

Most businesses will sync ALL Contacts related to Client Entities, though it is possible to use the XPM Contact Positionfield, to filter certain Contacts. For example, if you elect to only sync those Contacts that have a Nimbus Position, or a Portal Position, then the sync is setup to only filter in these Contact types.

Defining the Primary Contact

A Primary Contact is just as important in Nimbus as it is in XPM.  If you set the Primary Contact in XPM, Nimbus will recognise this also.

Stop MYOB AE integration

Once you have reviewed the data in both MYOB AE and XPM and understand if there are any differences or potential duplicates, it is time to switch off the MYOB AE integration. This is performed in your Nimbus account.  At this point all data for Clients including Client Custom fields and Contacts is set to be editable.

Configure XPM integration

Before integrating your XPM / WorkflowMax account with a Nimbus account, you must locate your Nimbus Doc Management API key.  To do this, login to your Xero PM / WorkflowMax account, select Business / Settings / Connections and click the Add-onslink. Locate the Nimbus Doc Management option and click the Generate Keybutton.  Use this key to configure the XPM / WorkflowMax integration.

During configuration you have the following options:

  • Include / exclude Prospects

  • Include ALL or certain Client Entities

  • Include ALL or certain Contacts

Best Practice:It is best practice to synchronise ALL Clients and Contact records to your Nimbus account.  This provides full flexibility of the Nimbus functionality.

Commence the XPM synchronisation

Once the integration has been configured, a Full Client sync in Nimbus must be run.  This will synchronise all of the configured XPM Client and Contact data with the Nimbus account. When complete, the system will move to continuous syncing.