How to migrate from Xero to NetSuite
To migrate a client from Xero to NetSuite with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's Xero organisation, and give superglue access to the client's NetSuite account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
What are the steps to migrate from Xero to NetSuite?
Migrating from Xero to NetSuite takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Xero and NetSuite
Connect the client's Xero organisation with one sign-in. superglue reads it through the Xero API and writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to NetSuite.
- 02
Assess the Xero data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Xero specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads a NetSuite sandbox account and compares it with Xero: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Xero?
- Have a user with the Adviser or Standard role sign in once. superglue reads the whole organisation through the API and writes nothing.
- Xero allows each app 5,000 API calls a day for each connected organisation, so superglue spreads a large history read over several days. Start the assessment early.
- The Xero Accounting API does not return unreconciled bank statement lines. Have the client reconcile the bank accounts up to cutover, or export the statement lines.
What needs to be configured in NetSuite?
The client turns on the SuiteCloud features and adds an integration record for superglue. superglue configures NetSuite and loads the data through that access, in a NetSuite sandbox account first, in this order:
- 01
Subsidiaries and their base currencies.
- 02
Accounting preferences and periods.
- 03
The chart of accounts, then departments, classes and locations.
- 04
Custom fields, records, segments, forms and workflows, and SuiteScript where the design needs it.
- 05
Customers, vendors, contacts and items, then the opening balances and the open items.
Access setup for the client: NetSuite configuration guide
What moves from Xero to NetSuite?
| In Xero | In NetSuite |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | Accounts |
| Tracking categories | Departments, classes and locations |
| Contacts you sell to | Customers |
| Projects | Projects |
| Contacts you buy from | Vendors |
| Items | Items |
| Bank accounts | Bank accounts |
Open items
Open invoices and credit notes, unallocated overpayments and prepayments, open bills, and open quotes and purchase orders.
Open items load as invoices, credit memos, vendor bills and vendor credits with their original numbers and dates, so the aging in NetSuite matches on day one.
History
superglue reads every transaction through the Xero API, and plans a large history read around Xero's daily API limit.
History loads as journal entries per month, account and segment.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Xero to NetSuite?
- 01
Where do Xero tracking categories go?
NetSuite has departments, classes and locations as standard segments, and custom segments for more.
superglue separates the meanings in each tracking category and maps each meaning to one NetSuite segment.
- 02
How do Xero tax rates become NetSuite tax codes?
NetSuite calculates tax per subsidiary and nexus, and each country needs its tax setup.
superglue maps each Xero tax rate in use to a NetSuite tax code under the right nexus.
- 03
How many subsidiaries does the client need?
In NetSuite OneWorld, subsidiaries set the currency, the tax and which customers and vendors each company can use. Changing them after go-live means reworking master data.
superglue recommends one subsidiary for each legal company in Xero, decided before any master data loads.
- 04
Which item types do the items become?
NetSuite separates inventory, non-inventory, service, other charge, kit and assembly items. Non-inventory and service items can be for sale, for purchase or for resale.
superglue proposes the type for each item from how the client bought and sold it.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in NetSuite, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Xero to NetSuite?
One contact can be a customer and a supplier
Xero keeps customers and suppliers in one contact list. superglue sorts each contact by its transactions, and keeps one name for a company that is both.
Two tracking categories carry too much
Xero allows two active tracking categories, so clients pack several meanings into one list, such as region and product line. superglue separates the meanings before the mapping starts.
Conversion balances start the history
Many Xero organisations started from conversion balances, so the earliest period is a summary. superglue reports the conversion date and the first period with full detail.
Overpayments and prepayments stay open until allocated
An overpayment or prepayment that was never allocated is an open item. superglue moves each unallocated amount as an open credit, so the aged balances match.
Lock the subsidiary structure before the first load
The currency of a NetSuite subsidiary is fixed once its first transaction is saved, so a late change means a new subsidiary and a reload. Get the structure signed in the design phase.
Plan the sandbox around refreshes
A sandbox refresh replaces everything in the sandbox, including your configuration. superglue keeps the configuration and applies it again, so a refresh does not cost you the setup work.
superglue also runs the rest of the NetSuite project. See the NetSuite implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Xero to NetSuite?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in NetSuite.
Does superglue write to NetSuite without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Xero. Before any write to NetSuite, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Xero: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Xero to NetSuite migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.