More focused operations with a modern KPI dashboard system
Fokker Services Group
Unit4 Multivers Power BI dashboard
We bring your Multivers accounting data into a single Power BI model via the Web API. For Fokker Services Group, we built a KPI dashboard system.
The KPI dashboard system we built for Fokker Services Group provided insights at every level
Fokker Services wanted the BACE-next dashboard to display all key KPIs in a central web application, providing a transparent overview of its operations. We built it using Python and Dash.
Why do we enter the figures from Multivers into Excel by hand every month?
If you manage multiple sets of accounts in Multivers, you run the same reports for each and place them side by side in Excel. A Power BI model retrieves data from all of them via the Web API, using the same definitions for each.
A Multivers dashboard draws on the Web API, balances by period and a single chart of accounts
Accounts via the Web API
The Web API provides a list of accounts. Each subsequent request for accounting data specifies one account, so we load them one by one.
Balances by period
For each financial year, the API provides account totals by period and journal entries for a range of periods. We use these to build a profit and loss statement and balance sheet for each period.
Receivables and cost centres
Outstanding items, cost centres, cost objects and projects are included, so you can also view the figures by department or project.
KPIs at every level
Management, the controller and the accountant use the same model, just as Fokker Services Group’s KPI dashboard system provided insights at every level.
We arrange API access before building the model for one accounting entity
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Access and accounting entities
We register the application and test it in the sandbox, then determine which accounting entities and reports to include.
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A model for one accounting entity
We load balances and journal entries, build the model and validate it against the reports in Multivers.
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All accounting entities, ongoing management
We add the other accounting entities using the same loading process. Data refreshes, access permissions and an assigned owner are put in place when the system goes live.
Does a Power BI layer on top of Multivers pay off for an SME or accounting firm?
A good fit if
You manage multiple sets of accounts in Multivers, or you want to see the figures alongside data from an online shop, time tracking system or CRM, and Multivers reports don’t bring them together in one view.
Not a good fit if
You have one set of accounts and Multivers’ standard reports answer your questions. In that case, maintaining your own model takes more work than the value it delivers.
What determines the scope
The number of sets of accounts, how similar their charts of accounts are, how many financial years you want to look back, which other sources you add and who will manage the model after delivery.
Is it called Unit4 or Exact now?
Unit4 Multivers is now called Exact Multivers. The Web API is available on Exact’s developer portal for Exact Multivers and Boekhoud Gemak; that’s also where you register the application.
The Web API, an export per accounting entity or a data warehouse for your Multivers figures?
The Web API
Choose this if you want to refresh all accounting entities automatically. Our advice: use one dedicated service account with a refresh token, separate from employees’ accounts.
An export per accounting entity
Choose this if you have a few accounting entities and a monthly snapshot is enough. Power BI then reads export files from a shared folder.
A data warehouse
Choose this if Multivers is one of several sources or if you want to keep historical data outside the software. See building a data warehouse.
Giving management and financial controllers a clear overview from a single model is something we do regularly
Data Science Lab has worked in data and AI since 2016 and is a Microsoft Partner for Fabric. We built a KPI dashboard system for Fokker Services Group, and Power BI dashboards and a Power BI app for Ammega.
Your financial records in Multivers and current reports are the focus of our first conversation
Stef Stoelwinder
Business DevelopmentStef is your first point of contact. In our first conversation, we’ll discuss your financial records in Multivers, the reports you currently produce and who reads them.
E-mail info@datasciencelab.nl
Phone +31 (0)20 3636 724
How many sets of accounts from Multivers would you like to see in one overview?
Tell us how many sets of accounts you manage in Multivers and how you currently report on them. We’ll reply by email or arrange an initial conversation.
Message sent
Thanks for your message. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
Through the Multivers Web API, a REST web service that returns JSON or XML. Multivers is now part of Exact, which calls it Exact Multivers and publishes the documentation on its WebAPI developer portal. We load the data for each administration and build the model on top of it.
To see how a dashboard starts with the decision it needs to support, visit Power BI dashboards.
You register an application on the API portal and test it in the sandbox first. Exact then activates the application and provides an Application Identifier and a secret.
The API uses OAuth 2.0 and a single scope for all data. An access token is valid for two hours; you use a refresh token to request a new one. For background tasks, the documentation recommends one dedicated background user.
The API provides a list of administrations, and every request for accounting data specifies the database of one administration in the path. The loading process goes through each administration and adds an administration code to every record.
We bring general ledger accounts into a common structure, so you can view figures by administration or in aggregate.
For each financial year, this includes general ledger accounts with totals by period, journal entries for a range of periods, financial years and periods, outstanding receivables and payables, cost centres, cost objects, projects and an income statement.
With OData options such as $filter, $select, $skip and $top, you request only the records and fields the model uses.
Income statements and balance sheets by administration and period, aged receivables, results by cost centre or project, and totals across administrations. Accounting firms mainly look at figures by client, while groups focus on consolidated figures.
Read about which management information belongs in a financial dashboard in Power BI on that page.
The loading process runs under the background user in Multivers. Use a separate account with the minimum permissions needed, not the account of an employee who might leave.
We control what each person sees in Power BI separately, using row-level security by administration or cost centre. We set up workspaces, apps and refresh schedules as described on our Power BI consultant page.
Both products now come from Exact, but they are separate products with their own APIs. The approach for Exact Online is described on the Exact Online Power BI dashboard page. We also have pages for Twinfield and Visma AccountView.
If you switch from Multivers to another product, the model stays in place and the loading process changes.
When you have one administration and the reports in Multivers are sufficient. Or when the charts of accounts differ substantially between administrations and no one wants to align them: in that case, start with data quality.
If a regular monthly export is enough, that is what we recommend.