This article explains the key differences in how Karbon synchronizes contacts with Xero (General Ledger) and Xero Practice Manager. Understanding these distinctions will help you effectively manage your client data across these platforms.
The visual below illustrates the fundamental difference in how Karbon's contact types are synchronized with Xero (General Ledger) and Xero Practice Manager:
Key Differences in Contact Sync Behavior
While both integrations facilitate the synchronization of contact information between Karbon and Xero products, they operate with fundamental differences in how they handle contact types and the direction of the sync.
Feature | Xero (General Ledger) | Xero Practice Manager |
Source of Contacts | Imports all Contacts from Xero. | Imports Clients and optionally their associated Contacts from Xero Practice Manager. |
Karbon Contact Mapping | Xero Contacts are matched and synced with People and Organization contacts in Karbon. | Xero Practice Manager Clients are synced with Organization contacts in Karbon. Associated Contacts can also be synced with People contacts. |
New Karbon Contact Creation | Unmatched Xero Contacts create new People or Organization contacts in Karbon (determined by AI). | New Karbon contacts are created based on the Xero Practice Manager Client's Business Type. 'Individual' or 'Sole Trader' become People, all others become Organizations. |
Karbon to Xero Sync | New People or Organization contacts created in Karbon do not automatically sync to Xero. They must be manually pushed using the "Create Contact" button within the Karbon contact. | Organization contacts in Karbon (with a selected Contact Type in settings) are automatically pushed to Xero Practice Manager upon creation or update. People contacts linked to an Organization are also pushed. |
Matching Logic | Matches based on Contact Name and Billing Email in Karbon against Name and Primary Email in Xero. | Matches Clients based on Name and Email. Partial matches are flagged for review. |
Deletion Sync | Deleting a contact in Xero does not automatically delete the matched contact in Karbon. | Deleting a Client in Xero Practice Manager does not automatically delete the matched Organization in Karbon. |
Xero (General Ledger) Contact Sync in Detail
The Xero (General Ledger) integration focuses on maintaining a synchronized list of contacts between the two systems.
Key Aspects:
One-Way Initial Sync (Xero to Karbon): When you first connect Xero (General Ledger), all your Xero contacts are imported into Karbon.
Matching Existing Contacts: Karbon attempts to match these imported contacts with existing Karbon contacts using the contact's name and the billing email address in Karbon (compared to the primary email in Xero).
Handling Matches:
Full Match: If both the name and billing email match, the contacts are linked, and data for synced fields (Name, Billing Email, Phone Number, Billing Address) will sync bi-directionally. Xero data overwrites existing Karbon data upon the initial match.
Conflict: If only the name or email matches, it's flagged as a "Match Issue" for manual review. You can either confirm the match (overwriting Karbon data) or create a new Karbon contact.
No Match: If no match is found, a new Karbon contact (either a Person or an Organization based on AI classification) is created using the Xero contact's details. This new Karbon contact is then linked to the Xero contact.
Continuous Bi-Directional Sync (for Matched Contacts): Once contacts are matched, changes to Name, Billing Email, Phone Number, and Billing Address in either Karbon or Xero will automatically update the corresponding fields in the other system.
Creating Contacts:
In Xero: New contacts created in Xero are automatically imported into Karbon and go through the matching process.
In Karbon: Contacts created in Karbon do not automatically sync to Xero. You need to manually push them to Xero by opening the Karbon contact and clicking "Create Contact" in the Xero Client section.
Unsyncing and Re-syncing: You can unsync matched contacts, which stops the data synchronization. Unsynced contacts can be re-synced later.
Xero Practice Manager Contact Sync in Detail
The Xero Practice Manager integration is designed to sync client and contact information relevant to practice management workflows.
Key Aspects:
Configurable Initial Sync (XPM to Karbon): During setup, you can choose to sync only Clients or both Clients and their associated Contacts from Xero Practice Manager to Karbon.
Mapping to Karbon:
Xero Practice Manager Clients are always synced to Organization contacts in Karbon. The Business Type of the Client determines if a new Karbon contact is a Person ('Individual', 'Sole Trader') or an Organization (all other types). However, only Organizations become the primary linked entity.
If you choose to sync both, Xero Practice Manager Contacts associated with a Client are synced to People contacts within that linked Organization in Karbon. Karbon will not import Xero Practice Manager Contacts belonging to Clients with the Business Type 'Individual' or 'Sole Trader'.
Matching Logic: Clients are matched based on their Name and Email. Partial matches are identified for manual review.
Pushing Changes (Karbon to XPM): If a Karbon Organization contact has a Contact Type selected in the integration settings, it will be automatically pushed to Xero Practice Manager upon creation or when updated in Karbon. People contacts in Karbon that are linked to such an Organization will also be pushed to Xero Practice Manager.
Updating Contacts: Updates to Name, Email, Phone number(s), and Addresses of connected Clients in either system will be reflected in the other.
Manual Sync: You can manually trigger a sync from Karbon to ensure the systems are up-to-date.
Choosing the Right Integration
The best integration for your firm depends on your primary needs:
Xero (General Ledger): Ideal for maintaining a comprehensive and synchronized list of all your contacts who may or may not be direct clients for your services. It ensures that basic contact information is consistent across both platforms.
Xero Practice Manager: Best suited for firms that heavily rely on Xero Practice Manager for job management and need to keep their client (and potentially their associated contact) information in sync with Karbon for workflow and collaboration.