How Satva Built SyncTools: Linnworks Accounting Integration

The Client

SyncTools is a cloud-based accounting integration application developed by Satva Solutions to address the financial data synchronization challenges faced by eCommerce merchants, retailers, and wholesalers.

Businesses using Linnworks to manage orders and inventory across multiple sales channels needed a reliable way to transfer financial transactions into their accounting software.

SyncTools was developed to connect Linnworks with QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Books, reducing the need for manual accounting entries and helping businesses maintain consistent financial records.

The project brought together Satva’s experience in SaaS product development, accounting workflows, and third-party API integrations to create an application capable of processing high transaction volumes.

The Challenges

Connecting Multichannel eCommerce Operations with Accounting Software

Linnworks provides centralized order and inventory management for merchants selling through multiple eCommerce platforms and marketplaces.

However, maintaining accurate accounting records across disconnected systems presented several operational and technical challenges.

1. Manual Sales and Purchase Order Synchronization

Businesses were required to transfer sales orders, purchase orders, and customer information from Linnworks into their accounting applications.

As transaction volumes increased, manual entry became time-consuming and created opportunities for missing records and inconsistent financial data.

The solution needed to automate the transfer of relevant information while accommodating the accounting workflows of different businesses.

2. Multiple Accounting Platforms with Different APIs

QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Books have different API structures, authentication requirements, and transaction-handling rules.

Building a Linnworks accounting integration that supported multiple accounting applications required separate connectors while maintaining a consistent experience for SyncTools users.

3. API Authentication Changes

During the project’s lifecycle, QuickBooks discontinued OAuth 1.0 support, requiring the integration to migrate to OAuth 2.0.

The Xero connector also underwent an OAuth 2.0 migration in 2021.

These changes required connector updates and customer reauthentication to maintain access to the respective accounting systems.

4. API Rate Limits During High-Volume Transactions

Zoho Books imposed API usage limits that affected businesses processing large numbers of orders.

During seasonal sales periods, increased transaction volumes could exhaust the available API allowance and interrupt synchronization.

Satva needed to implement a mechanism that could temporarily pause synchronization and resume processing when the applicable API allowance became available.

5. Cloud Infrastructure Costs

The product also needed an infrastructure model that supported growing transaction volumes without making subscription costs unnecessarily high for smaller merchants.

Satva therefore worked on optimizing the application’s cloud infrastructure while maintaining its accounting integration capabilities.

These challenges shaped the application’s architecture and ongoing development.

Project Scope

Satva Solutions handled the end-to-end development and ongoing maintenance of SyncTools.

The project scope included:

• Business analysis and accounting workflow assessment.
• Frontend and backend web application development.
• Linnworks API integration.
• QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Books connector development.
• Authentication and API compatibility updates.
• Cloud infrastructure implementation and optimization.
• Quality assurance and integration testing.
• Ongoing application support and maintenance.

The Solution

Satva developed SyncTools as an accounting integration application that connects Linnworks with the user’s preferred accounting software.

The application automatically synchronizes relevant sales, purchase, item, and customer information from Linnworks to connected accounting systems at scheduled intervals.

Instead of maintaining separate manual export and import processes, merchants can configure their accounting integration and allow SyncTools to handle recurring data synchronization.

1. Automated Linnworks to QuickBooks Integration

Satva developed a QuickBooks connector that transfers relevant Linnworks transaction data into QuickBooks.

The integration supports automated accounting workflows involving sales orders, purchase orders, and related records.

This reduces repetitive data entry and helps businesses maintain more consistent information between their operational and accounting systems.

Satva’s experience developing this connector contributes to its broader Custom Linnworks integration services.

2. Linnworks to Xero Integration

The Xero connector enables businesses to synchronize Linnworks transactions with their Xero accounting environment.

Depending on the configured workflow, the application can create accounting invoices and associated payment records.

The integration also supports purchase order synchronization, allowing merchants to transfer relevant purchasing information from Linnworks into Xero.

By connecting order management with accounting operations, SyncTools reduces the need to recreate transactions manually.

3. Linnworks to Zoho Books Integration

Satva developed the Zoho Books connector to support businesses using Zoho’s accounting platform.

A key technical consideration was managing API usage during periods of increased transaction activity.

To address this, the development team introduced a pause-and-resume mechanism.

When the applicable API allowance was exhausted, synchronization could pause and resume after the allowance reset.

This helped the integration manage transaction processing within the API constraints encountered during development.

4. Configurable Accounting Workflows

Different businesses have different requirements for how eCommerce transactions should appear in their accounting software.

Satva incorporated configuration capabilities to accommodate these variations.

These included grouped invoices, sales-channel-based synchronization filters, and built-in error reporting.

This approach allowed the application to support different accounting workflows without requiring every merchant to manage transaction transfers manually.

Integration Layer

SyncTools acts as the integration layer between Linnworks and the connected accounting application.

The integration follows a straightforward process:

1. Linnworks manages orders and relevant business information from connected sales channels.
2. SyncTools retrieves the applicable data at scheduled intervals.
3. The application processes transactions based on the merchant’s configuration.
4. Relevant records are transferred to the connected accounting software.
5. Built-in error reporting helps identify synchronization issues requiring attention.

The result is a connected accounting workflow that reduces repetitive transaction entry.

Features

• Real-Time Sync
• Fully configurable tool
• Build in error reporting
• Grouped invoices
• Sync filter channel-wise

Architecture diagram

Platform/Technology

• Frontend: Microsoft ASP.NET MVC, jQuery
• HTML/CSS: HTML5, CSS3, SCSS
• Cloud Services: Azure scalable cloud service, blob storage, service bus, scheduled jobs, worker role
• Programming Language: C#

Results

Beyond transaction processing, the project established SyncTools as an accounting integration application serving businesses with different transaction volumes and accounting requirements.

Cloud infrastructure optimization also helped Satva reduce operating costs and improve the application’s affordability.

Timespan

Development Timeline and Ongoing Support

The initial development of SyncTools took eight months.

Following its development, Satva continued providing support and maintenance, including connector updates, API compatibility improvements, and infrastructure optimization.

This ongoing involvement reflects the importance of maintaining accounting integrations as third-party platforms and business requirements evolve.

Conclusion

Accounting Integration Development Built for Real Business Workflows

The SyncTools project demonstrates Satva Solutions’ experience building an accounting integration application that connects eCommerce operations with multiple financial systems.

By developing connectors for Linnworks, QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Books, Satva addressed the challenges of transaction synchronization, authentication changes, API usage constraints, and cloud infrastructure management.

The project also provided practical experience in developing and maintaining an accounting-focused SaaS application handling substantial transaction volumes.

Today, Satva applies its accounting and integration development expertise to help businesses connect financial systems, automate recurring workflows, and address complex operational requirements.
Available here: synctools

• Solution: SaaS Product Development and Accounting API Integration
• Integrations: Linnworks, QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books
• Development Timeline: 8 Months
• Technology: Microsoft Azure, ASP.NET MVC, C#, Azure Service Bus