Explaining the DATEV accounting platforms: A comprehensive guide to API use cases and general integrability

Accounting software plays a crucial role in streamlining financial operations. DATEV offers multiple accounting platforms tailored to various business sizes and use cases, but it can be overwhelming to figure out how each system works and interacts with the other.

In this guide, we’ll provide a detailed overview of the key DATEV platforms, including DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO)?and DATEV Rechnungswesen (Reee), their purpose, and how data transfer works between them. We’ll also discuss how Maesn’s API integration simplifies these processes, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.

Recap: What Are DATEV DUO and Datev Rewe?

DATEV Unternehmen Online?and DATEV Rechnungswesen?are two essential solutions provided by DATEV for managing business accounting tasks:

• DUO?serves as a cloud-based platform where users can upload, store, and manage financial documents.
• Rewe?is a more comprehensive accounting system often used by mid-sized companies and tax advisors for detailed financial reporting and analysis.

Side note: while DATEV DUO and Rewe can interact, it is currently only possible to write data from external services into these systems, not read data. The type of data and the systems required vary based on the method you use for integration. The difference and applicability between the two accounting-related solutions can be read here.

?

How data can be transferred to DATEV accounting systems

There are three primary use-cases to transfer data into DATEV systems:

1. Posting Files
2. Creating Cash ledger entries for Booking Proposals
3. Creating Journal Entries

Let’s break down these methods to help you determine which fits your business needs.

First case: Posting files

• Use-Case: Posting receipts/invoices/bills etc.
• Can be done via DATEV Unternehmen Online with Belegbilderservice 1.0
• The possible format varies depending on the DATEV client setting - typically it includes PDF,JPG,PNG, e-Invoice, etc.
• The following endpoints are used: Accounting:documents
• Required systems on your customers' side

Second case: Booking proposal / Transactions with attachments

• Booking proposal/Transactions are posted into cash ledgers, that need to be created manually by the DATEV user, as a clearing account
• The following endpoints are used:
• accounting:dxso-jobs (XML Upload)
• You can include attachments in the same formats as in the above mentioned within the XML Upload for the upload
• Required systems on your customers' side

Third case: Journal entries with attachments (only possible with Rechnungswesen)

• Creating journal entries as bookings in Datev Rewe
• The following endpoints are used:
• accounting:extf-files (CSV Upload)
• accounting:documents
• Required systems on your customer side

?

Transfer a booking proposal from DATEV DUO to Rewe

Getting Data from DUO to Rewe is a two-step process via the DATEV data center.

Transfer data from DUO to DATEV data center

In this case the user has to transfer the data from the DUO instance to the DATEV data center (RZ). This is an easy process, which can be done with a few mouse-clicks with "data provisioning" in the DUO interface, after checking the cash ledger and either by the user or the tax advisor.

View how to transfer data here.

Retrieve a journal entry from DATEV data center to DATEV Rewe

The data provided to the data center now needs to be retrieved into the Rewe instance. For the procedure to source the booking data from the data center and post the bookings in DATEV, refer to DATEV documentation.

?

Accounting logic and booking file format

As the last step, we want to get detailed regarding the data format of DATEV which is used in their accounting journal DATEV-Format:?

Simplifying DATEV integration with Maesn’s API

If onboarding with DATEV's extensive systems and properties feels overwhelming, Maesn offers a solution. The Maesn REST API?provides a simplified integration layer, allowing you to interact with DATEV systems without dealing with all the complexities. Learn more about Maesn’s DATEV API integration here.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the various DATEV accounting platforms and data transfer methods is essential for businesses and tax advisors aiming to streamline their financial operations. By leveraging Maesn’s API integration, you can save time, reduce errors, and ensure compliance with German accounting standards.

If you want to skip all the DATEV specific properties and especially the intense onboarding process (see next blog post), you can just use the maesn unified API. We have built a layer above all DATEV specific properties to enable you integrating with ease.

Check out more here: https://www.maesn.com/integrations/datev.

Dr. Themo Voswinckel is Co-Founder Maesn