1The challenge
Maxifleur uses Exact Online for finance and accounting. Every webshop order has to arrive there with the right customer data, VAT, order lines and payment method. Two things got in the way:
- Exact’s API rate limits blocked the connection at the busiest moments, such as Christmas and Black Friday.
- Once the limit was hit, orders stopped reaching Exact until it reset.
- Bundle products had to be booked as separate order lines per component, which standard logic doesn’t do.
- Every stalled sync meant manual catch-up work for the accounting team.
What is Exact Online?
Exact Online is a cloud-based ERP and accounting suite that is widely used by Dutch SMEs. Without an automatic link to the webshop, every order means manual steps, and the risk of delays and errors grows with order volume.
2Our approach
The connection between Magento and Exact Online runs through the xCore connector. We made the Magento side of that chain robust: spreading the load, handling the limits and translating bundles into order lines Exact understands.
Queued API calls
Calls to Exact are spread over time so the integration stays under the rate limit, also when order volume spikes.
Automatic retry
When Exact returns a rate-limit response, the system waits and tries again on its own. No order is lost.
Bundle mapping
A mapping layer translates a Magento bundle into separate Exact order lines per component.
Ongoing care
After platform updates we fixed signature errors in the sync and stopped unnecessary product synchronisations that were using up the API budget.
3The result
The integration now keeps running through busy periods. Orders appear in Exact Online within minutes, VAT is handled correctly for all EU countries and the accounting team no longer has to step in during peaks.
Together with the link to the Picqer warehouse system, Maxifleur’s orders now move from checkout to warehouse to accounting with far less manual work.
Also read: how we keep Magento, Picqer and Exact Online in step for Maxifleur’s warehouse.
?Frequently asked questions about Exact Online integrations
What are Exact Online rate limits?
Exact Online limits how many API calls an app can make per minute and per day. A webshop with many orders can hit those limits at peak moments, after which the sync pauses. Spreading and queuing the calls prevents that.
Can bundle products be booked correctly in Exact?
Yes. A mapping layer translates a Magento bundle into the separate order lines Exact expects, so stock and revenue are booked per component.
Do you build the Exact connection yourselves?
It depends on the situation. For Maxifleur the sync runs through an existing connector, and we built and maintain the Magento logic around it. For other systems we build the integration as a custom module, as we did with Unit4 for HOBO hifi.
Can you fix an Exact integration that keeps failing?
Yes. We first find out where it breaks (rate limits, data mapping or timing) and fix that part, instead of replacing everything.
