Germany DATEV Export

Key Features

DATEV EXTF booking-stack (Buchungsstapel) export with correct format version, header record, Berater-/Mandantennummer and Wirtschaftsjahresbeginn from a Business Central setup page

SKR03 and SKR04 account mapping tables that translate BC G/L account numbers to advisor accounts without renumbering your live chart of accounts

BU-Schlüssel (Steuerschlüssel) derivation from VAT Business and VAT Product Posting Group combinations, with per-combination overrides

Debitoren/Kreditoren master-data export with configurable DATEV personal-account number ranges derived from BC customer and vendor numbers

Correct German file conventions: decimal comma, DDMM booking dates, Soll-Haben-Kennzeichen, Konto/Gegenkonto orientation and DATEV-compatible encoding

DATEV document package generation linking booking lines to Business Central Document Attachments, SharePoint or Dataverse-stored invoice images

Per-period export lock with an export-run log storing entry ranges, file hashes, user, timestamp and advisor confirmation state

Re-export with corrections: full-replacement or delta stacks under a new run number, with the superseded run flagged rather than deleted

Job Queue Entry for unattended monthly export, with configurable run window and failure notification

Pre-export validation report flagging unmapped G/L accounts, missing BU-Schlüssel, unbalanced documents and entries outside the selected period before a file is produced

Multi-company support: per-company mapping and consultant/client numbers, so a group exports each entity to its own advisor package

Dedicated permission sets separating export execution, mapping maintenance and period unlock

Event-subscriber architecture with table and page extensions only — no base application modification, upgrade-safe across Business Central release waves

API pages (REST API v2.0 / OData v4) to trigger an export, read run status and fetch the log from Power Automate, Power BI or an external scheduler

Application Insights telemetry on every export run, including duration, entry counts and validation failures

Built to order, done for you

No DIY setup — a working app, built, installed and supported by ECOSIRE.

You order

Start with a one-time build price. We scope it with you at kickoff.

We build & install

ECOSIRE builds, configures and installs it on your Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Go live + support

You go live in about 2–4 weeks, with a post-launch support window.

About this Product

Almost every German business running Dynamics 365 Business Central ends up with the same monthly ritual: the accountant exports G/L entries to Excel, hand-maps account numbers to the Steuerberater's SKR03 or SKR04 chart, fixes the date and decimal formats, renames the columns, splits out the documents, and mails a ZIP. Business Central out of the box gives you a solid G/L, VAT statements and an Audit File (GoBD/GDPdU) export, but it does not produce the DATEV-formatted files a German tax advisor imports without complaint — no EXTF header line with the correct DATEV format version and consultant/client numbers, no Buchungsstapel structure with Umsatz/Soll-Haben-Kennzeichen/Gegenkonto/BU-Schlüssel columns, no Debitoren/Kreditoren master-data file, and no document package that links a booking line to the scanned invoice. So the work stays manual, it is repeated every month, and every manual step is a place where a wrong sign, a swapped Konto/Gegenkonto or a missing BU-Schlüssel turns into a correction the advisor bills you for.

ECOSIRE builds a DATEV export extension for your Business Central tenant in AL. The core is a set of codeunits that read posted entries through the standard G/L Entry, Cust. Ledger Entry, Vendor Ledger Entry and VAT Entry tables and emit DATEV-shaped CSV files with the correct header record, encoding, decimal comma, DDMM booking-date format and configurable Berater-/Mandantennummer and Wirtschaftsjahresbeginn. A dedicated mapping setup — table extensions plus new setup tables and pages — translates your Business Central G/L account numbers, VAT posting setup combinations and posting groups into the advisor's SKR03 or SKR04 accounts and BU-Schlüssel, so you never renumber your live chart of accounts to satisfy the export. Customers and vendors export as DATEV personal accounts with a configurable number range, and the export can run interactively from a request page or unattended as a Job Queue Entry on the first working day of each month.

Document links are handled properly rather than as an afterthought. Where you store incoming invoices as Business Central Document Attachments (or in SharePoint/Dataverse via a connector we configure), the extension writes a DATEV document package alongside the booking file so the advisor sees the image beside the line in DATEV Unternehmen online. Period control uses your existing Allow Posting From/To and G/L period rules, plus a per-export lock: once a month is exported and confirmed by the advisor, the extension records the export run, the file hashes and the entry range in a log table, and blocks a silent second export of the same period. When a correction is unavoidable, a re-export produces a clearly marked delta or full replacement stack under a new run number, and the log tells you exactly which entries went out in which file on which date — the audit trail the advisor and a Betriebsprüfer both want.

Everything is built as a proper AL extension for current Business Central release waves, SaaS or on-premises: table and page extensions rather than base-application modifications, event subscribers instead of code edits, dedicated permission sets so only the finance team can run or unlock an export, telemetry to Application Insights on every run, and API pages (REST API v2.0 / OData v4) if you want a Power Automate flow or a Power BI report to trigger and monitor exports from outside Business Central. Because it is an extension, it survives Microsoft's monthly service updates, and we retest it against each major wave.

This is build-to-order, not an AppSource download. You request a quotation, we hold a short scoping call to establish your chart of accounts (SKR03, SKR04 or custom), which DATEV format version and files your Steuerberater expects, how your documents are stored, and whether the export must be scheduled or manual. We then quote a fixed scope, build against your Business Central version, and deliver typically in two to four weeks from confirmed scope: UAT on your sandbox with a real month of data validated against a test import at the advisor, then production install with a rollback plan. You receive the AL source, the Git repository, technical and user documentation, a training session, and a post-go-live support window.

What you get

Installable AL extension source and signed .app package built and tested against your specific Business Central version (SaaS per-tenant extension or on-premises deployment)

Installation and configuration on your sandbox and production environments, including setup pages, mapping tables, permission sets and the Job Queue Entry

Technical documentation: object ID ranges, table/page extension inventory, event subscribers, API page endpoints, mapping data model and telemetry events

User guide in English (German on request) covering the monthly export routine, validation report, period lock and the correction/re-export procedure

Live training session for your finance team and, if they wish to attend, your Steuerberater's contact

UAT on a sandbox with a real month of your data, validated against a test import at your tax advisor, plus a documented rollback plan

Post-go-live support window covering defect fixes, mapping adjustments and one full month-end close under our supervision

Git repository handover with full commit history, branch structure and build pipeline so any developer can maintain or extend the code

Who this is for

Finance Manager / Head of Accounting (German Mittelstand)

Owns the monthly close and the relationship with the Steuerberater. Needs the export to be a single button or a scheduled job, with a validation report that catches unmapped accounts before the advisor does, so the close stops slipping by three days every month.

Steuerberater / external tax advisor

Imports client data into DATEV and fields the complaints when files are wrong. Needs the correct format version, a clean SKR03/SKR04 account mapping, valid BU-Schlüssel and linked documents, plus an unambiguous record of which run superseded which when a correction arrives.

Business Central partner or internal IT lead

Responsible for a tenant that must survive Microsoft's monthly updates. Needs a real AL extension with event subscribers, its own object range, permission sets and telemetry — not base-app modifications or an Excel macro nobody will maintain.

Group CFO with German subsidiaries

Runs several legal entities in one Business Central tenant, each with its own advisor and consultant/client numbers. Needs per-company mapping and export packages that can be produced and audited centrally without one entity's data reaching another's advisor.

How Germany DATEV Export Compares

Criterion	ECOSIRE	Custom Build	Competitor	Dynamics 365 Business Central Native
DATEV format correctness	EXTF header, BU-Schlüssel and file structure validated against a real test import at your advisor before go-live	Correct if your developer has done DATEV before; otherwise discovered through rejected imports	Generally correct for mainstream cases; edge formats may not be covered	No DATEV file format at all — only the GoBD/GDPdU audit file and generic exports
Chart of accounts mapping	SKR03/SKR04 mapping tables built to your live chart, no renumbering, per-combination BU-Schlüssel overrides	Whatever mapping model your developer designs, often hardcoded to the first client chart	Fixed mapping model; unusual charts may need workarounds or account renumbering	Manual translation in Excel every month
Document links to invoice images	DATEV document package generated from BC Document Attachments, SharePoint or Dataverse, configured in scoping	Usually deferred to phase two and rarely built	Often available but tied to one specific document-storage product	Attachments stay in Business Central; the advisor receives none of them
Period control and re-export	Export-run log with entry ranges and hashes, period lock, and flagged replacement runs for corrections	Depends entirely on how carefully it was specified up front	Basic export history; correction handling varies widely by vendor	Posting-date windows only; no export tracking of any kind
Automation and integration	Job Queue Entry plus API pages (REST v2.0 / OData v4) for Power Automate, Power BI and external schedulers	Buildable, but usually stops at a manually run report	Often manual-run only, or scheduled without an API surface	Manual report execution and file download
Multi-company groups	Per-company mapping and consultant/client numbers, central execution, no cross-entity leakage	Typically built for one entity first, then retrofitted under pressure	Licensed per company; group behaviour depends on the vendor	Each company handled entirely by hand
Upgrade safety	Extension-only, own object range, event subscribers, retested each release wave during support	Safe if disciplined; base-app edits and hotfix patterns are a common shortcut	Vendor-maintained, but you wait for the vendor's release cycle	Nothing to break, and nothing to gain
Ownership and change control	Full AL source and Git repository handed over; changes made by us or by your own team	You own it, and you also own every future fix	Closed source; every change is a vendor feature request	Nothing to own

Frequently Asked Questions about Germany DATEV Export

How long does delivery take?

This is a build-to-order extension, not an instant download. Typical delivery is two to four weeks from confirmed scope. The clock starts after the scoping call, once we have agreed the chart of accounts (SKR03, SKR04 or custom), the DATEV format version and file set your advisor expects, how your documents are stored, and your Business Central version. Simple single-company setups land nearer two weeks; multi-company groups with document-link integration and scheduled exports land nearer four.

Do I need to change my chart of accounts in Business Central?

No — that is the point of the mapping layer. Your Business Central G/L accounts stay exactly as they are; a dedicated mapping table translates each one to the advisor's SKR03 or SKR04 account at export time. The same applies to VAT: BU-Schlüssel are derived from your existing VAT Business and VAT Product Posting Group combinations, with per-combination overrides where the standard derivation is not what your advisor wants.

Will this survive Business Central updates?

Yes. It is delivered as a proper AL extension with its own object ID range, using table and page extensions and event subscribers rather than base application modifications, so Microsoft's monthly service updates do not touch it. We retest against each major release wave during your support window and tell you if a Microsoft change requires an adjustment.

What does support and maintenance look like after go-live?

Every build ships with a post-go-live support window covering defect fixes, mapping adjustments as your chart or advisor requirements shift, and one supervised month-end close. After that window you can take the code and run it yourself — you receive the Git repository and full AL source — or continue on a maintenance agreement that includes release-wave retesting, DATEV format-version updates and a defined response time. Both options are priced at quotation.

How are corrections handled if the advisor rejects a month?

The export-run log records which entries went into which file, with hashes and timestamps. A correction produces either a delta stack or a full replacement under a new run number, and the superseded run is flagged rather than deleted, so there is a defensible trail for both your advisor and a Betriebsprüfung. The period lock prevents a second export of the same month happening silently in the background.

Does it work on Business Central on-premises as well as SaaS?

Yes — the same AL codebase targets both. On SaaS it is deployed as a per-tenant extension (or published to AppSource if that is your preference and we agree it in scope); on-premises it is published to your service tier through the standard extension deployment. Document-link handling differs slightly by storage location — Business Central Document Attachments, SharePoint or Dataverse — and that is settled during scoping.

Can the export run automatically every month?

Yes. The export is exposed as a Job Queue Entry with a configurable run window, so it can produce the previous month's package on the first working day and notify a distribution list. It is also exposed through API pages (REST API v2.0 / OData v4), so Power Automate can trigger it, read run status and route the resulting files to the advisor's channel. Manual, on-demand export from a request page remains available either way.