A guide to the process our customers need to follow to set up a connection between your bookkeeping system and Silverfin as a "3rd party" connection.
Overview
The Silverfin synchronisation process for your bookkeeping software involves several key steps to ensure secure, efficient, and flexible data synchronisation. This guide explains the journey your customers will take when setting up a "third-party" connection to your bookkeeping software.
The Customer Journey
The process begins when a customer initiates the connection setup from within your bookkeeping software. This triggers an OAuth2 authentication flow, redirecting the user to Silverfin.
It's crucial that an admin user of the firm completes this authorization step. If a non-admin user attempts to set up the connection, they'll be prompted to contact an admin user to complete this process. Once the admin successfully authorizes the connection, they're redirected back to your bookkeeping software.
At this point, Silverfin creates a Sync entity for the new connection. This Sync entity is a crucial component that allows the user/customer to set up the connection with your bookkeeping software in the company/client file in Silverfin.
Next, you can push "sync references" (essentially a list of companies or clients) to this Sync entity in Silverfin. This is done via this specific API endpoint.
Within the Silverfin interface, users can now select the correct reference (this is a company/client) they want to connect in a dropdown menu in the company/client file. This step ensures that data can be pushed from your bookkeeping software to Silverfin.
When the user decides to connect the sync in Silverfin, they have the option to set a "Do Not Sync Until Date," also known as a Sync start date. This feature is particularly useful for firms transitioning from another bookkeeping software to your bookkeeping software from a certain period in time, as it allows them to specify a date, data before the selected date will not be modified or removed.
After the user completes the sync connection in Silverfin, a webhook (coming soon) is sent to your bookkeeping software. This webhook serves as a signal that the connection is fully established and that your bookkeeping software can now start pushing transactional data to Silverfin. You can also request via an endpoint (coming soon) the connected company/client file.
A soon the connection is fully established, we recommend this approach:
Real-time synchronisation: You push data to Silverfin immediately upon any upsert or delete operation. This method provides the most up-to-date data without requiring user intervention.
If real-time synchronisation isn't feasible, we recommend the following steps to maximise user experience:
Add a Sync Button: Implement a sync button within your bookkeeping software to allow users to manually push data to Silverfin.
Implement Webhook Support: Enable your software to react to synchronisation requests from Silverfin through a webhook. With this feature, customers can choose to initiate the sync process from either the Silverfin side or via the bookkeeping software, providing the customers with the flexibility and convenience to start the synchronisation according to their preferences.
These strategies significantly enhance the user experience by providing customers with greater control and flexibility in choosing how to start the synchronisation. This comprehensive process ensures a secure connection between your bookkeeping software and Silverfin and provides options for managing data synchronisation based on the specific needs and capabilities of your software.