Drawn from customer projects and our own operations. We are happy to answer any questions in an initial call.
Our own accounts run on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. People sometimes ask us why a consultancy like Haavest uses an ERP for this rather than a simple accounting package. The honest answer: we needed somewhere an agent could work with its own permissions, through an open API, with a log anyone can check. And we don't want to recommend anything we don't use ourselves every day.
What the agent does before anyone posts
It collects supplier invoices from our mailboxes, whether they arrive as PDFs or as e-invoices in XRechnung or ZUGFeRD format. It then checks the mandatory details and looks for the purchase order reference. The mandatory details include name and address, tax number or VAT ID, invoice number and date, plus the service period, amounts and tax rate. If everything checks out, it creates a purchase invoice through the Business Central API, with vendor, lines, G/L account or item, and the cost centre as a dimension. The original document is attached. The invoice then sits pre-coded in the list of open purchase invoices, ready to post, as if a colleague had prepared it.
A person does the posting
The agent signs in to Business Central with its own identity from Microsoft Entra ID, not with a colleague's account. Its permission set lets it create purchase invoices, but not post them. Business Central doesn't even allow the SUPER permission set for applications like this, which we at Haavest think is exactly right. Our accounts team posts each invoice once they have seen the coding. If the purchase order reference is missing or an amount doesn't match, the agent creates nothing and sends a query instead. That is usually answered faster than any correction after the fact.
Most of the work went into our own rules
Connecting the API was quick. The real work was writing down our rules. Which software goes to which account? When is something a capital purchase and when is it an operating expense? Which cost centre gets a trip that covers two projects? The team knew most of the answers from experience. Now they are written down, including for suppliers whose invoices look slightly different every month. We agreed the rules together with our tax adviser. Now they fit on one page that the agent and every new colleague can read.
Our tax firm stays where it is
That was an important condition for us. The German version of Business Central comes with a good deal built in: advance VAT returns via ELSTER, e-invoicing and the data export for digital tax audits. The handover to DATEV runs through a proven extension. Our tax firm gets its data in the format it has worked with for years. Nobody had to change their tools for our sake.
Why we now implement it for clients too
Many mid-sized companies we talk to are facing the same decision. Their inventory management system is showing its age, Excel lists have grown up around it, and the accounts team receives its documents in piles. If you are implementing a new ERP anyway, you will be writing down your processes along the way. That is exactly the groundwork an agent needs. So we implement Business Central with agents working alongside from day one, each with its own permissions, approvals and log. Would you like to know what that could look like for you? We are happy to tell you what went well for us and what we would do differently today.
