Connect Business Central to DATEV

Many companies do their own bookkeeping in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, while their tax advisor works with DATEV. For the handover, the DATEV marketplace lists partner apps, some delivering a file in the DATEV format, some using the Buchungsdatenservice (DATEV posting data service). If one of them fits your chart of accounts, it is enough. A custom integration pays off with your own chart of accounts, dimensions used as cost centers or corrections after the export.

Which data flows from Business Central to DATEV

1. G/L entries become postings in the advisor's chart of accounts, SKR03 or SKR04 monthly or weekly
2. VAT posting matrix becomes the tax key for each posting with every posting
3. Dimensions become cost center 1 and cost center 2 with every posting
4. Customers and vendors become personal accounts with address and VAT ID on creation and change
5. Posted invoices become document images with the same document number with the batch
6. Open entries become settlement via document field 1 with the payment run

What already exists for Business Central and DATEV

The German version of Business Central includes a data export for the digital tax audit under GoBD (German bookkeeping principles). This export is meant for the tax office, not for importing into DATEV accounting.

For the handover to your tax advisor, the DATEV marketplace lists partner solutions, for example “365performance DATEV für Dynamics 365 Business Central/NAV” from Business Systemhaus AG, which according to its listing uses the Buchungsdatenservice and offers additional fields for customers and vendors. Sievers offers a DATEV interface for Business Central that, according to its fact sheet, converts automatically into the DATEV format. The Microsoft marketplace has further DATEV connectors, for example from Northern Dynamic. If your Business Central partner supports one of these solutions, it is often the shortest route.

Where the standard stops

• Own chart of accounts

  If your company uses its own chart of accounts in Business Central instead of SKR03 or SKR04, every combination of G/L account and VAT needs a fixed assignment to the advisor's account and tax key.

• Dimensions are more than two cost centers

  Business Central can manage many dimensions, such as cost center, project and sales channel. The DATEV Buchungsstapel (posting batch) has two fields for cost centers. Which dimension goes where must be agreed with your tax advisor.

• Corrections after the export

  If an entry is reversed or rebooked in Business Central after the handover, the next export must not deliver anything twice or too little. An export by period alone does not achieve that.

• DATEV only checks the file

  For marketplace solutions, DATEV confirms that the output file can be read without errors. According to its own statement, DATEV does not check whether the data is handed over correctly in terms of content.

• Fields missing in the standard API

  API v2.0 provides G/L entries, customers and vendors. According to Microsoft, additional fields cannot be attached, so a custom API page is needed.

How we build the integration

Business Central side: We read G/L entries, customers and vendors through API v2.0 and filter by modification date. If the handover needs fields such as the VAT business posting group or dimension values, we write a small AL extension with its own API page. We fetch the PDFs of posted invoices and credit memos through the API's PDF endpoint. Every transferred posting gets a marker with the export run and date.

Mapping: You maintain the table that maps Business Central account and VAT combination to DATEV account and tax key yourself, on a settings page. New accounts without a mapping stop the export and are reported. This way, no posting lands on an account your tax advisor does not know. Before the first live run, we export a closed month in parallel to your current process. Your tax advisor compares totals and balances, and only then do we switch over.

DATEV side: We generate a posting batch (Buchungsstapel) in the DATEV format and a master data file for personal accounts. Reversals and rebookings go into the next batch as separate postings. We decide on the route to your tax advisor, as a file or online, after the DATEV order and approval. More in the guide DATEV API access and under DATEV integration.

Process and price range

The free check (30 minutes) clarifies chart of accounts, dimensions and export rhythm, ideally together with your tax advisor. After 3 working days, you receive a fixed price. A connection between Business Central and DATEV starts at €1,900 net, and implementation usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. More under Process and pricing.

Updated: 10/21/2026