Integration is suitable when
- Finance operates reliably and independently.
- The operational application is clearly defined.
- Only a limited amount of data needs to move.
Data migration
From Exact Online to Odoo, including your documents
A migration is only complete when it includes not only customers and open items, but also the information your team uses every day: journal entries, documents, attachments, products, history and verifiable reports.
An honest assessment
Why companies migrate
Exact Online is strong in Dutch accounting, familiar financial workflows and collaboration with accountants. For an organisation focused mainly on invoicing and administration, that may be exactly enough. Friction arises when manufacturing, logistics, projects, documents and planning require an increasing number of separate solutions. Licences accumulate, master data is stored in multiple places and every integration introduces another point that must be managed and checked.
Companies therefore do not migrate because Exact can do nothing, but because the overall process no longer fits logically within one environment. Manufacturing orders wait for synchronisation, warehouse data is managed in another system and documents remain separate from the transactions they belong to. Odoo can then provide a broader business platform. The migration is only responsible when financial continuity is treated as seriously as process improvement.
Scope
What can be included in the migration
The components below are validated for each project. The objective is not to move as much data as possible, but to keep the right history available in a verifiable form.
| Item | Included by Linky? |
|---|---|
| Master data | Customers, suppliers, products, general ledger accounts, payment terms and relevant references. |
| Open items | Open invoices, payments and balances with reconciliation checks. |
| Opening balance | A controlled opening position on the chosen transition date. |
| Journal entries and history | Agreed journal history so that analysis and control do not stop at a bare opening balance. |
| Documents and attachments | Invoices, order documents and relevant attachments can be placed with the corresponding record. |
| Images | Product images and other agreed images, with checks on linkage and quality. |
| Reports | Definitions and results are compared so that differences can be explained and resolved. |
Many migrations are limited to master data, open items and an opening balance. Documents and journal history often determine whether employees can continue working after the transition without repeatedly returning to Exact.
Choice
Integrate or migrate?
The best choice depends on more than licences or technology. We also compare management effort, duplicate work, error risk and the need for one leading process platform.
An integration avoids unnecessary migration risk when Exact works well financially and only a limited data flow is required. A full migration becomes more logical when several departments use the same customers, products, prices and statuses every day.
Decision principleThe more data and responsibilities the two systems share, the more expensive two versions of the truth become.
Continuity
How long it takes and how the transition works
Preparation and trial migration
We map the companies, documents, periods and exceptions. An initial trial migration is then carried out so that missing links and quality issues become visible early.
Validation and parallel checks
Finance, operations and the accountant check totals, open items, VAT logic, documents and reports. Mapping and configuration are repeated where necessary before the transition is scheduled.
Cutover and fallback scenario
The final transactions are processed during an agreed weekend or period. Exact remains available as a control source according to the agreement, with a clear fallback if a critical reconciliation has not been approved.
Duration is determined by validation, not import speed
Scope and the availability of key users determine the calendar duration. A fast import without user validation moves problems to go-live, where corrections are more expensive and disruptive.
Financial control
What your controller receives
The controller does not receive a black box, but a reconciliation file: which data was migrated, which checks were performed and which differences were consciously accepted. VAT history, audit file requirements, open items, periods and accountant access are discussed in advance.
Reports are compared substantively. When the presentation in Odoo differs, it must remain clear how the same result is constructed. This gives finance the confidence not to retain Exact as a permanent shadow system and helps the accountant perform checks more quickly.
Investment
What a migration costs
Costs are mainly determined by the number of companies, desired history, documents and attachments, data quality, custom fields and the amount of validation. A basic master-data import is not comparable to a complete financial and document migration.
After a short assessment, you receive a clearly defined scope with fixed control points and a price proposal. Components that cannot yet be estimated responsibly are shown separately as options.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers in advance
The available history, source-data quality and chosen scope determine what can be migrated responsibly. We make it clear in advance which periods and journals are included.
Yes, documents and attachments can explicitly be included in the scope. This is an important difference from projects that migrate only master data and opening balances.
Exact can remain available during preparation. Around cutover, agreements are made about final journal entries, read-only use and the retention period.
We map the reports and definitions and configure Odoo so that the financial results reconcile in a verifiable way. The presentation may change, but the underlying logic must remain explainable.
That depends on the amount of history, documents, custom work and process changes. A controlled project consists of trial migrations, validation and an agreed cutover.
Not always. Temporary integration or a phased migration may sometimes be more sensible. The choice is based on process risk, duplicate entry and the cost of two systems.
Preparation
Data quality matters more than import speed
A source administration can be technically exportable while still containing many decisions to make. Duplicate contacts, old products, free text in ledger lines and documents without a clear link require attention. Migrating everything blindly does not make Odoo more complete; it carries old inconsistencies into the new environment.
Finance and operations jointly determine which data is required for continuity. Linky Business makes the work required to execute that choice reliably visible.
Your contribution
What we need from your organisation
Decisions about retention periods, duplicate data and old exceptions require input from your organisation. Timely review makes every trial migration more reliable and keeps unresolved questions away from go-live.
Required involvementAvailable decision-makers, recognisable test scenarios and timely approval.
Have Odoo configured
Read how implementation, training and process configuration are organised around the migration.
More →Compare ERP systems honestly
Use a decision framework that goes beyond features and considers five-year costs and partner fit.
More →A complete view of the investment
View the cost structureMigration, implementation and licences in one overview
Also see the cost items that often only become visible after the first proposal.
Ready for a controlled migration?
Schedule a migration consultation. We first discuss the companies, desired history, documents and risks before preparing a proposal.