This article explains the key differences in how Karbon synchronizes contacts with Xero (General Ledger) and Xero Practice Manager, and provides best practices for managing your client data across these platforms to ensure consistency and avoid duplicates.
Index:
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 Contacts from Xero based on the selected ContactType filter—Customers only, Suppliers and Customers, or All contacts. | 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), you will be prompted to select a ContactType filter. Only contacts matching this filter will be imported during the initial sync.
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 imported into Karbon only if they meet the ContactType filter selected in Karbon's sync settings.
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 resynced 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.
Using Karbon with Xero and Xero Practice Manager
You can connect both Xero and Xero Practice Manager (XPM) to Karbon. These integrations work together to reduce manual entry and help keep your contact data consistent across platforms.
However, because new contacts from Xero can be automatically imported into Karbon, and Karbon contacts can sync into XPM, we recommend a few steps to ensure your data stays clean and duplicates are avoided.
Before You Connect: Clean Up Xero Contacts
When you enable Xero contact sync:
Karbon will import only those Xero contacts that match the selected ContactType filter during sync setup.
New Karbon contacts will be created if no match is found among filtered contacts
If XPM is also connected and allows Karbon contacts to sync, these contacts may appear in XPM too
To prevent unwanted contacts from syncing through:
Review and clean your contacts in Xero before connecting. Remove outdated or duplicate contacts.
Choose an appropriate ContactType filter during Xero sync setup to control which contacts import into Karbon.
Remove outdated or duplicate contacts
Contact Creation Behavior
Where Contact is Created | Syncs To | Sync Trigger | Conditions |
Xero | Karbon | Automatic via initial sync | Automatic via initial sync, only contacts matching the selected ContactType filter are imported and matched or created. |
Karbon | Xero | Manual | Must click “Create Contact” in Karbon contact card |
XPM | Karbon | Automatic | All XPM clients sync into Karbon |
Karbon | XPM | Automatic only if rules are met |
Contact Update Behavior (Matched Contact)
Where Update Happens | Syncs To | Sync Behavior | Notes |
Xero | Karbon | Automatic | Syncs Name, Billing Email, Phone, Billing Address |
Karbon | Xero | Automatic | Syncs same fields as above |
XPM | Karbon | Automatic | Syncs Name, Primary Email, Phone number(s), Physical address Mailing address |
Karbon | XPM | Automatic | Syncs same fields as above |
How to Prevent Unwanted Sync to XPM
To avoid contacts being unintentionally pushed from Karbon to XPM (especially from Xero), use Karbon’s Contact Type settings strategically.
Mitigation Example
In your Xero sync setup, assign imported contacts the Contact Type = Client - VIP
In Karbon’s XPM settings, do not select Client - VIP as a Contact Type to sync
→ These contacts will be imported into Karbon but will not sync into XPM
You can change Contact Types at any time in Karbon’s contact settings to control whether that contact should flow through to XPM.
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.