Xero Access for Data Foundation
Data Foundation brings data from every ERP and accounting system you connect, in as many instances as you have, into one Common Finance Model. Xero is one of the systems it reads directly, one Xero organisation per connection. This page is for the Xero administrator who sets up the access, and for the PlaidCloud user who asks them to.
PlaidCloud only reads data. Nobody sends a password by email.
Send the Access Request
Section titled “Send the Access Request”On the project’s Foundation tab, choose Create a new connection and pick Xero. The form shows the full request. Click Copy request to paste it into your own message, or Email request to open it in your mail program with the subject “Read-only Xero access for PlaidCloud.”
What the Xero Administrator Sets Up
Section titled “What the Xero Administrator Sets Up”-
Authorise PlaidCloud’s Xero app for each organisation you report on, signed in as a user with the Standard or Advanced role. The app asks for read access only:
Scope What it covers accounting.settings.readOrganisation, chart of accounts, tracking categories, items accounting.contacts.readCustomers accounting.transactions.readSales invoices and credit notes accounting.journals.readThe general ledger: every posted journal accounting.reports.readThe trial balance, for opening balances Without
accounting.journals.readthe general ledger can’t load. The chart of accounts, departments, customers and products still do. -
Set up the tracking categories PlaidCloud reads, by these names:
- Department: one option per department, named as you want its code to appear.
- Intercompany: one option per group company, named by that company’s entity code, on the lines of intercompany journals. Name intercompany accounts so that “Intercompany” is part of the account name.
What to Send Back
Section titled “What to Send Back”| The administrator sends | Entered in PlaidCloud as |
|---|---|
The organisation’s tenant ID (Xero lists it under the connection, or at GET /connections) |
Organisation (tenant) ID |
| Confirmation that the organisation’s financial year end and period lock date are set | Nothing to enter: PlaidCloud reads both from Xero |
The PlaidCloud user pastes the Refresh token themselves; it’s a secret and is never emailed. They also choose the Organisation that the connection loads as.
Under System settings, Retained earnings account names the Equity account the opening profit and loss rolls into, when the account names don’t already say. It’s optional.
Check the Access
Section titled “Check the Access”Back in PlaidCloud, click Test connection. Each dataset shows as Readable, Missing permission or Error:
| Dataset | Scope it needs |
|---|---|
| Entities | accounting.settings.read |
| Chart of accounts | accounting.settings.read |
| Departments | accounting.settings.read (the Department tracking category) |
| Products | accounting.settings.read |
| Fiscal calendar | accounting.settings.read |
| Customers | accounting.contacts.read |
| General ledger | accounting.journals.read |
| Trial balance | accounting.reports.read |
| Sales lines (optional) | accounting.transactions.read |
| Budget (optional) | accounting.reports.read |
When a dataset shows Missing permission, the test names the scope to grant. Re-authorise the app with it and test again. A Xero organisation without sales invoices or budgets still loads everything else.
Currency rates are not part of this access: Xero doesn’t publish them. Supply them in a Currency rates file instead.