Exact Online is used by accountants and businesses in both the Netherlands and Belgium, with separate regional portals and accounting logic per market. For Upswitch, that matters: the same API family can supply data for Dutch and Belgian SME valuations, while the mapping layer respects each local reporting standard.
1. Exact Online as a data source
Exact Online publishes a fully documented REST API (OpenAPI 3.0). The API gives access to GL accounts, balance sheet, income statement, budgets and transaction history. OAuth2 authentication is standard. For Dutch files, Upswitch uses RGS mapping; for Belgian files, we map Exact data to Belgian MAR/BNB logic. EBITDA construction stays comparable across both countries without pretending the accounting standards are identical.
2. What the API delivers for normalisation
- GL accounts with descriptions and country-aware mapping, per month and per financial year.
- Monthly balance positions — essential for working-capital rolling-12.
- Transaction detail per journal: at transaction level, intercompany bookings and owner-related expenses are directly identifiable.
- Division accounting: consolidated and segment-split data for multi-division businesses.
3. Activation for Exact Online accountants
Accountants who are Exact Online Partners activate the Upswitch connection via Partner Portal → App Center → Upswitch Valuation. After activation, Upswitch can pull data for the selected client. Client consent runs in parallel via a separate opt-in flow.
4. Exact Globe (legacy desktop)
Exact Globe has no direct cloud API. The Upswitch integration for Globe works via an export-import flow: the accountant exports a standardised XML file from Globe, which we process. Lower fidelity than the direct Exact Online API, but significantly faster than manual Excel extraction. Globe support available on request.
5. RGS vs MAR/BNB: the methodological difference
RGS (Netherlands) and MAR/BNB (Belgium) are not one-to-one interchangeable. They cover comparable concepts but differ at the detail level — where Dutch RGS uses a 4xxx range for cost accounts, Belgian MAR uses a 6xxx range; where RGS separates personnel costs into sub-codes at three levels of granularity, MAR keeps them in a broader class-6 bucket. Our engine has an explicit cross-mapping layer between both standards, so a normalised EBITDA from a Dutch file (Exact Online / RGS) is methodologically comparable to a Belgian file (Silverfin / MAR) — essential for cross-border benchmarking via the Upswitch Index.
Frequently asked questions
Does the connection work with all Exact Online versions?
Yes, for all Exact Online cloud versions (Standard, Advanced, Professional, Premium). For Exact Globe (legacy desktop) we offer an export-import flow on request.
Does my client need an Exact Online licence?
No. As an Exact Online Partner accountant you can activate the connection from your partner portal for clients on whose behalf you hold accounting mandate.
How frequently is data refreshed?
By default on every significant booking in Exact Online via webhook polling. Manual refresh also possible from the Upswitch dashboard.
Is the integration available for both Dutch and Belgian Exact Online users?
Yes, for both markets. The NL version uses RGS mapping; the BE version maps to the Belgian BNB/MAR format. The activation flow is identical in both countries.
Upswitch is the M&A infrastructure layer for the European SME economy. Defensible valuations and structured transaction matching for the lower mid-market.
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