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Exact Online integration: the partnership between Mobile XL and Exact
Your accounting runs in Exact, but your sales team works in a CRM, your service desk in another package and your planning may still live in Excel. Sound familiar? Then you also know how much time is lost retyping, checking and searching for the right figures. A good Exact Online integration removes that duplicate work. Data flows automatically between your systems, so everyone works with the same up-to-date information.
Mobile XL develops applications that work seamlessly with Exact Online and Exact Globe. We work closely with Exact itself and with experienced Exact partners such as Blue People. The result is an integration that is technically sound and fits the way your administration is set up.
On this page you will read what this partnership means for you, which applications we build, how an Exact Globe connector differs from an Exact Online integration and why working with Exact partners makes the difference.
Why an Exact Online integration pays off
Exact is one of the best-known business software vendors in the Netherlands and Belgium. Thousands of SMEs run their financial administration, inventory, purchasing, projects and payroll in Exact Online or Exact Globe. That makes Exact the heart of the business for many organisations. But a heart only works if the blood actually circulates.
In practice, Exact is often an island. Your account manager creates a quote in the CRM, the sales office manually turns it into an order in Exact and the finance department checks afterwards whether the customer details are correct. Every manual step takes time and increases the risk of errors. A wrong VAT number, a forgotten price change or a duplicate customer record: small things that add up to real costs.
An Exact Online integration solves this. As soon as data changes in one place, it is updated everywhere. Your sales people see straight away in their CRM whether a customer has outstanding invoices. Your service staff know which products a customer has bought. And your management looks at one version of the truth instead of three spreadsheets that contradict each other.
What the partnership between Mobile XL and Exact involves
Mobile XL specialises in digital transformation for SMEs. We build applications and integrations on platforms such as Zoho and Creatio, and we automate processes that are still manual today. The partnership with Exact means we develop those applications according to the standards Exact uses for connecting with Exact Online and Exact Globe.
This gives you three concrete benefits:
- Your integration uses Exact's official connection methods, which greatly reduces the risk of problems after an update.
- You don't have to work out yourself which data in Exact is leading, because we agree that with you in advance.
- You have one point of contact for the application and the integration, while the setup of Exact itself stays in the hands of a specialised Exact partner.
How an integration via the Exact Online API works
Exact Online is a cloud platform. That makes connecting relatively easy, because Exact provides an extensive REST API. Through the Exact Online API, an external application can read, create and update data such as accounts, items, sales orders, invoices, general ledger transactions and project hours.
Access runs through a secure sign-in method (OAuth). This means you never have to share passwords. You grant the application permission once and can revoke it at any time. Exact also supports webhooks: Exact sends a signal as soon as something changes, so your application doesn't have to keep asking whether there is new data.
What you can automate with the Exact Online API
The possibilities are wide-ranging. These are the applications we build most often at Mobile XL:
Playing by Exact's rules
A good Exact Online integration respects the rules of the platform. Exact limits, for example, the number of requests an application may make per minute and per day. A carelessly built integration soon runs into those limits, resulting in faltering synchronisations. That is why we build our integrations to fetch only what has actually changed and to handle large volumes of data smartly. Your integration stays stable as your business grows.
An Exact Globe connector for on-premise environments
Not every organisation works in the cloud. Many manufacturing and trading companies have been running Exact Globe for years, the on-premise version installed on their own server or at a hosting provider. Exact Globe is powerful and often closely tailored to specific processes. That is exactly why moving to the cloud is not always the obvious choice.
An Exact Globe connector requires a different approach from an Exact Online integration. Exact Globe has no modern API of its own that a web application or CRM can easily talk to. The standard connection methods of Globe were not designed for the fast, real-time data exchange that cloud applications need.
Connecting Exact Globe via Clickker from Sense-IT
That is why we connect Exact Globe via Clickker, a product from Sense-IT, an Exact Silver and Development partner. Clickker adds the API to Exact Globe that Globe itself lacks. It runs on your own server, next to Exact Globe, and offers a modern REST API over a secure HTTPS connection.
For you, that means the best of both worlds.
Standardised and up to date
Data is exchanged in JSON or XML, commands to Exact are standardised and Clickker is kept up to date at no extra cost.
More than the standard
You can also perform actions that Exact's standard connection methods do not support. This lets us build applications for Exact Globe that run just as smoothly as with Exact Online.
Exact Online and Exact Globe compared
| Topic | Exact Online | Exact Globe |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In the cloud at Exact | On your own server or at a hosting provider |
| Connection method | REST API with OAuth and webhooks | REST API via Clickker from Sense-IT |
| Real-time data | Yes, via webhooks | Yes, via Clickker on your own server |
| Update management | Exact rolls out updates centrally | You decide when to install an update |
| Suitable for | Organisations that work cloud-first | Organisations with custom setups or strict data storage requirements |
Ready for a later migration
Are you considering moving from Exact Globe to Exact Online in the future? Then we take that into account when designing the integration. We separate your application's logic from the technical connection with Exact. During a migration, we only need to replace that connection, while your application and work processes stay exactly as they are. That makes your investment in a custom Exact application future-proof.
Which custom Exact application suits you?
No two businesses are the same. That is why we don't start with technology, but with your process. Where are the bottlenecks? Which data is someone still retyping? What information does your team lack to make faster decisions? Based on that, we choose the platform and build the application that fits.
Working smarter with AI agents and MCP
The latest generation of applications goes further than exchanging data. With Zoho AI Agents you can have tasks performed by a digital assistant that consults data in Exact itself. An agent can, for example, look up an outstanding invoice, prepare a payment reminder or tell a customer straight away when their order will be delivered.
To do this, we use the Model Context Protocol, among other things. Our page on Zoho MCP explains how this protocol gives AI applications secure access to your business systems. The benefit: your AI assistant works with current figures from Exact instead of outdated exports. And you decide exactly which data the agent can and cannot see.
Working with an experienced Exact partner
Building an integration is one thing. Knowing how Exact is set up in your organisation is another. Which journals do you use? How are your cost centres structured? Which VAT codes belong to which item group? Questions like these determine whether an integration works well in practice. That is why we deliberately choose to work with recognised Exact partners.
Blue People as Exact partner
One of the companies we work with is Blue People, an Exact partner based in Venlo. Blue People advises organisations on strategy, business software and cloud solutions and sets up Exact for financial, logistics, production and project processes. Their specialists know the trading, manufacturing and service sectors inside out.
That combination works well. Blue People makes sure Exact is set up optimally and fits your business processes. Mobile XL builds the applications and integrations that connect Exact to the rest of your organisation. You benefit from two specialists who speak each other's language, instead of two suppliers pointing at each other when something doesn't work.
What an Exact partner and Mobile XL do for you together
| Task | Exact partner | Mobile XL |
|---|---|---|
| Advice on setting up Exact | Yes | Contributes ideas |
| Implementation and licences of Exact | Yes | No |
| Design of the data flows | Contributes ideas | Yes |
| Building the integration and application | No | Yes |
| Integration with Zoho, Creatio and AI agents | No | Yes |
| Support for questions about Exact | Yes | For questions about the integration |
Already working with another Exact partner? No problem. We are just as happy to coordinate with your current adviser. If you don't have an Exact partner yet, we will gladly put you in touch with one that suits your organisation.
From idea to a working Exact Online integration
An Exact Online integration touches the core of your administration. That is why we work step by step, with clear agreements and short lines of communication.
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Introduction and process analysis
Together we map out which systems you use, which data is exchanged and where the biggest gains are.
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Alignment with your Exact partner
We discuss the setup of Exact, so the integration matches your journals, general ledger accounts and VAT settings.
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Design of the data flows
We define which system is leading for which data and what happens in case of a conflict.
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Build and test
We first develop the integration in a test environment and check with you that all scenarios run correctly.
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Go-live and monitoring
After go-live we keep an eye on the synchronisations, so we spot any errors before they affect you.
Handling your financial data securely
Frequently asked questions about Exact Online integration
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Mobile XL develops applications that integrate with Exact Online and Exact Globe. We build those integrations according to Exact's standards and work together with Exact partners, who take care of setting up Exact itself. This gives you an Exact Online integration that is right both technically and in terms of content.
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Exact Online runs in the cloud and has a modern REST API that applications use to exchange data directly. Exact Globe runs on your own server. Because Globe has no modern API of its own, we connect via Clickker from Sense-IT. Clickker runs on your own server and offers a REST API that lets your applications communicate securely with Exact Globe.
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We connect Exact to Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, Creatio and Zoho AI Agents, among others. We also build dedicated applications, such as customer portals, time registration apps and field service apps, that use data from Exact directly.
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Yes. With a Zoho Exact integration or a Creatio integration, you synchronise customer data, quotes, orders and invoices between your CRM and Exact. Your sales people see a customer's financial status without needing access to the accounting system.
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An integration only works well if it matches how Exact is set up. Exact partners such as Blue People know that setup in detail. Mobile XL focuses on the application and the integration. Together we deliver a solution where both sides are right.
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All connections are encrypted and the application only gets access to the data it needs. With Exact Online, access runs through a secure sign-in method without shared passwords. Every synchronisation is logged, so you can always see what was exchanged.
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That depends on the number of processes and systems you want to connect. A standard Exact Online integration for accounts and invoices is often live within a few weeks. An extensive custom application with several data flows takes more time. After the process analysis, you receive a clear schedule.
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The costs depend on the complexity, the number of data flows and the functionality you need. After an introductory meeting and a short process analysis, you receive a tailored quote, so you know where you stand in advance.
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Because we use Exact's official connection methods, the risk of problems after an update is small. Exact announces changes to its API in advance. We follow those announcements and adjust your integration in good time where needed.
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Yes, if we take that into account in the design. We separate your application's logic from the technical connection with Exact. When you migrate, we only replace that connection, while your application and work processes stay the same.
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Yes. You record subscriptions and support contracts in Zoho CRM or Creatio, including term, invoicing period and price. The integration generates the recurring invoices automatically in Exact Online or Exact Globe. You process contract changes in your CRM, and the next invoice is immediately correct.
Ready to connect Exact to the rest of your organisation?
Would you like to know what an Exact Online integration or an Exact Globe connector can do for your organisation? Schedule a no-obligation conversation with one of our specialists. Together we look at your current situation, show you what is possible and give you a clear picture of the approach and the investment.