Access Dimensions Integration Setup Guide
Connecting to Access Dimensions
As Access Dimensions and Lightyear are both cloud-based, set up and connectivity between the systems is seamless. Here's how!
Please Note: Ensure you are logged into Lightyear with your email address used to log into Access Dimensions in order for this connection to be successful.From the navigation pane on the left, open Settings and go to Accountancy. In the dropdown find Access Dimensions from the list and click Connect.
You’ll see a pop up modal asking for you to select the set up you have within your Access Dimensions account (don’t worry, this can be changed later). More information about what each option is can be found below!
Once you're happy with the settings, click Confirm & Connect.
You'll need to select an instance that you want to connect to from the drop down menu, then click Submit.
Once the connection has been successful, your data will begin to import into Lightyear and you should see something like the below.
Software Settings
Do you use Cost Centres or Projects?
Enabling either of these options will allow Cost Centres/Projects to sync across from Access Dimensions and allow them to be applied on a line by line basis.
Do you use Sub Ledgers?
Enabling this will activate an additional field in Panel 2 of the Approval Workflow,
You can use this dropdown to select a Sub Ledger which will be exported into Access Dimensions.
Default Sub Ledger
If you have a Sub Ledger you use across all documents, you can select a Default Sub Ledger from your Accountancy Software Settings. This will be selected, and you won't be able to change it, on every document.
If you do need the flexibility to select a different Sub Ledger across documents, leave this field blank.
Automatically apply Categories on line item level?
- Yes - Save time by coding it in Lightyear, and we’ll remember the next time we extract the line item that you’ve coded the supplier lines to.
- No - keep these blank for you to code individually.
Automatically apply Chart of Accounts on line item level?
- Yes - Save time by coding it in Lightyear, and we’ll remember the next time we extract the line item that you’ve coded the supplier lines to.
- No - keep these blank for you to code individually.
Send attachment to Access Dimensions
- Yes - this will send a copy of the document upon export which can be found as an attachment to the bill in Access Dimensions.
- No - this will only send your bill data to Access Dimensions and not send a copy of the document across to Access Dimensions upon export.
Send Analysis Codes with Transactions?
- Yes - this will send the Analysis Codes against the lines to Access Dimensions, and makes them required in Lightyear.
- No - this will not send the Analysis Codes against the lines to Access Dimensions, and makes them not required in Lightyear.
Group line item data?
Turning this on will allow you to export Grouped Account data, rather than line item data. For the full article on this, click here.
Access Dimensions Suppliers
Access Dimensions Suppliers are what Lightyear uses to connect a Supplier within Lightyear to a Supplier within Access Dimensions. Any existing Suppliers in Access Dimensions will appear here after connection.
When you connect to Access Dimensions, by default, your list of existing Access Dimensions Suppliers are synced to Lightyear.
Importing from Access Dimensons
To import your Access Dimensions Suppliers, go to Accountancy > Access Dimensions Suppliers > Import Suppliers
This import will include the following details, taken from your Access Dimensions account:
- Supplier Name
- Supplier Code
- VAT Number
- Country Code
- Currency
- Default Account Code
- Default Tax Code
- Days Credit/Terms
- CIS Registered
- Bank Details:
- Sort Code
- Bank Account Number
- Bank Account Name
- IBAN
- BIC
If you want to remove a Supplier, simply click the red trash can icon 
on the right of each line.
Create New Access Dimensions Suppliers
If you find you don't have a Supplier set up in your Access Dimensions account and Lightyear, you can easily create this within Lightyear.
To do this, click the + Supplier 
button in the top right of Access Dimensions Suppliers. The following modal will display:
- Supplier Name*: The Supplier name as it will appear within Access Dimensions once created
- Supplier ID*: The Supplier ID as it will appear within Access Dimensions once created
- VAT Type*: Select the Type from the dropdown menu available
- Currency*: This will default to your home currency if you have selected Home in the VAT Type. If you have selected anything else in the VAT Type, choose from the dropdown menu available
- Country*: If you have selected anything other than Home in the VAT Type, you will be asked to select a Country
- Purchase Analysis Default: Select the Purchase Analysis code from the dropdown menu, which will be the Purchase Analysis Default within Access Dimensions once created
- Add Banking: If you want to add the Bank Details for the supplier from within Lightyear, click the toggle to display the additional Bank Detail fields
- Account Name: The Account Name relating to the Supplier
- Sort Code: The Sort Code relating to the Supplier. This field has validation and must be 6 characters
- Account Number: The Account Number relating to the Supplier
- IBAN: The IBAN relating to the Supplier
- BIC/SWIFT:
The BIC relating to the Supplier. This field has validation and must be between 8 and 11 characters
Update Lightyear Suppliers
After importing your Access Dimensions Suppliers from Access Dimensions, you can quickly create Lightyear Suppliers alongside this. While in Accountancy > Access Dimensions Suppliers, click the Update Lightyear Suppliers 
button. You will be given the option to Create & Override or Create Only New.
Create & Override will create new suppliers that don't exist within Lightyear, and update the information with what's set up in Access Dimensions.
Create Only New will create new suppliers that don't exist within Lightyear, without updating any current suppliers.
Suppliers in Lightyear will then be created with the information from Access Dimensions, automatically populating the Supplier Name, VAT Number, Country, Currency, Default Account Code, Default Tax Code, Credit Terms and Bank Details.
Chart of Accounts
Account Codes are all imported to Lightyear when you link your Access Dimensions account. These are displayed within the Account Code section of Accountancy. The Account Codes can be viewed in one long list or by filtering by Type, in the top left corner.
If you make any updates to your Accounts within Access Dimensions, you can go to Accountancy > Chart of Accounts in Lightyear and click the Import from Access Dimensions button, this will update and refresh your list.
If you wish to reduce the number of Account Codes that Lightyear presents to you in the dropdown lists, uncheck the tick boxes on the right of each Account Code.
Don't forget to add a Rounding Account Code at the bottom of the page. This will automatically code any automated rounding rows to a specified Account Code.
Tax Rates
When you initially connect to Access Dimensions, Lightyear will automatically import all your Access Dimensions defined tax rates.
You will need to choose two Access Dimensions tax rates to act as the defaults for taxable and non-taxable items. Lightyear will use these defaults to send the relevant tax code to Access Dimensions if a line is taxed/tax free, this is unless you choose to manually assign a different non-default tax rate to the item from within Lightyear's Bill Review section.
To choose your 2 defaults go to Settings > Accounting Software > Tax Rates.
The below image shows what a typical setup looks like. We have selected the 2 standard tax rates (Standard 20% and Zero Rated 0%).
Set a Default Tax Rate against a Supplier
Usually the Supplier Default Tax Rate is left blank, which allows the 2 defaults set above to work with maps.
But there may be circumstances where you assign a certain supplier with a different tax code to the defaults you have set at company level.
Go to the Suppliers > Select Supplier > Edit. You can then choose to set a default tax rate from the drop-down list.
Cost Centres and Projects
Within Lightyear, you can select Cost Centres and/or Projects. If these are turned on, upon connecting to Access Dimensions, these will be imported across into Lightyear.
If you make any updates to your Cost Centres/Projects within Access Dimensions, you can go to Accountancy > click into either Cost Centres/Projects in Lightyear and click the Import from Access Dimensions button, this will update and refresh your list.
If you wish to reduce the number of Cost Centres/Projects that Lightyear presents to you in the dropdown lists, uncheck the tick boxes on the right of each Cost Centre/Project.
Migrating Software?
Once you select Access Dimensions as your software, you won't be able to change it. If you are thinking about changing accountancy software, please reach out to our Support team for guidance on how to do so.
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