Quick Answer
At minimum, FP&A software needs integration with your accounting system (Xero, Sage, QuickBooks) for actuals import. High-value additional integrations include HRIS/payroll for headcount and cost data, CRM for pipeline and revenue metrics, billing systems for subscription data, and bank feeds for cash position. Prioritise integrations that eliminate manual data entry and reduce reporting lag.
1. Accounting system (must-have). This is the foundation. Your FP&A platform must pull trial balance data, P&L, and balance sheet from your accounting system automatically. For UK companies, this typically means Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, or FreeAgent. The integration should map your chart of accounts and import actuals at least monthly, ideally daily.
2. Payroll / HRIS. Workforce costs are typically 60-80% of a technology company's cost base. Integrating with your payroll provider (Rippling, HiBob, Gusto, Sage Payroll) provides actual headcount, salaries, and employer costs for variance analysis and workforce planning.
3. CRM. Connecting Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive gives your FP&A platform visibility into sales pipeline, conversion rates, and deal values. This enables more accurate revenue forecasting based on pipeline stages and win probabilities.
4. Billing / subscription management. For SaaS companies, integrating with Stripe, Chargebee, or Zuora provides ARR, MRR, churn, and expansion data for subscription revenue modelling.
5. Bank feeds. Direct bank integration or connection via accounting system provides real-time cash position data for cash flow forecasting and runway calculations.
6. Project management. Tools like Jira, Asana, or Monday.com can provide resource utilisation data for capacity planning and project-based forecasting.
7. Business intelligence. Connecting your FP&A platform to Power BI, Looker, or Metabase enables richer analysis by combining financial and operational data.
Not all integrations are equal. Assess:
Depth. Does the integration sync full dimensional data (account, department, entity, project) or just summary totals? Full dimensional mapping is essential for meaningful analysis.
Frequency. Real-time, daily, weekly, or manual? For actuals import, daily is ideal. For CRM data, real-time or daily enables up-to-date revenue forecasting.
Reliability. How are errors handled? Does the integration notify you of failures? Can you reprocess failed syncs?
Maintenance. Does the integration break when the source system is updated? Who is responsible for maintaining it — the vendor or your team?
Ensure your FP&A platform supports UK-specific data from HMRC-compliant payroll systems, handles VAT reporting dimensions if needed, and can process GBP alongside other currencies for multi-currency businesses.
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FAQ
Most FP&A platforms support CSV or Excel import as a fallback. Some offer API access for custom integrations. If your accounting system is niche, ask the vendor whether they plan to add support and whether their API would let you build a custom connector.
No. Start with accounting system integration — this delivers the most immediate value. Add HRIS, CRM, and other integrations as your usage matures. A phased approach reduces implementation complexity and lets you validate each integration before adding the next.
Build validation rules that flag anomalies — for example, if imported revenue differs from the prior month by more than 30%, or if headcount data contains duplicate employee records. Fix data quality at the source system rather than patching it in the FP&A tool.
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