1.Overview
The Handyman-Lexware interface is based on the available standard Lexware interfaces. These determine the range of functions available. The interface supports the following process flow:
- Creation and maintenance of master data in Lexware, export of master data to Handyman
- Customers (export as CSV file)
- Item (export as BME CAT file)
- Creation and processing of orders in Handyman, export of finished orders to Lexware as XML file
- Import of orders in Lexware as orders, continuation to delivery note and invoice
2. system requirements
The Handyman-Lexware interface must be licensed from GSG Handyman and installed on the Lexware system. Installation and setup are carried out together with GSG Handyman Support.
The interface requires the eCommerce module (formerly called eBusiness). It is included in the following versions, among others:
- Lexware Financial Office
- Lexware merchandise management
The interface is based on the following assumptions:
- The company and customer are located in Germany
- The order does not specify to which Lexware company the order may be exported.
If these assumptions are not met, adjustments to the interface may be necessary.
3. activate eCommerce interface
If you have not already done so, the eCommerce interface must be activated in Lexware. Depending on the Lexware version, this may be necessary in different places.
In Lexware 2017, activation is done as follows:
Tools —> Options —> Configuration —> Sales —> Activate eCommerce:
In addition, this setting must be enabled:
Edit —> Company —> Billing —> Activate Use eCommerce
In older versions of Lexware, activation can be done as follows:
Edit —> Company —> Options —>Activate Use eBusiness
In these versions, the eCommerce interface is referred to as the eBusiness interface.
4. Exporting customer data
4.1 Start customer export wizard
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Start the Billing section
-
Select “File” -> “Export” -> “Text/ASCII”
4.2 Step selection
Check if the “Customer-Export-Handyman” profile is present. If yes, select this profile. All settings described in the following steps are then already predefined by the profile and can thus be adopted.
If the profile does not exist, you must make the settings as described in the next steps and then save the settings as a new profile in the last step.
Click Next.
4.3 Step export file/period
Click Browse and save to the Handyman server in path
C:\GSG Handyman\Handyman\import\From_Lexware_to_HM
with the name Customers.csv.
File type: Leave “ANSI (Windows)” selected.
Then click “Next.”
4.4 Field selection step
Select these fields in in exactly this order:
Customer number
Company
Name
First name
Street
House number
Postal code
City
Country
Phone
Phone 2
Freifeld 1
EMAIL
EG ID
Contact person
Comment
Here, too, confirm with “Next” after completion.
Note: The exported fields must not contain line breaks. In particular, the comment field must be checked for this purpose!
4.5 Data selection step
Leave selection criterion set to “customer number”.
Now click “Next” for the last time.
Please select the settings as specified, otherwise the “CSV file” will not be created correctly.
4.6 Step settings
Use the following settings:
Click Profile…in the bottom left and give it the name “customer-export-handyman.”
Then click on “Finish.”
Confirm the message with OK:
The customer export is now complete.
The resulting file customers.csv then has this sentence structure:
Customer number; company; last name; first name; street; postal code; city; country; telephone; telephone 2; free field 1; EMAIL; EG ID; contact person; comment
4.7 Export after initial setup
- You should export customer master data regularly when you create new customers in Lexware for whom orders are to be created in Handyman.
- In the Select step, select the “Customer-Export-Handyman” profile that you created earlier
- This means that you do not have to make the further settings in the wizard again.
5. exporting articles
5.1 Creating wage types of goods group.
- Create a new product group with the name Wage Types
5.2 Assigning articles to the Wage Types material group
- Items that are assigned to this item group are treated in Handyman as cost elements and not as physical items (e.g. travel time, working time)
5.3 Setting the Internet article flag
- The Lexware eCommerce interface only exports the articles that have a checkmark for “Internet articles”. Edit the articles you need in Handyman accordingly
5.4 Start of export
- When you have finished setting up the articles, you can start the export
- You should repeat the export when articles that are relevant to Handyman have been created or modified in Lexware.
- Open the eCommerce interface via Administration —> eCommerce:
- Then click on the “Exchange data” button in the new window:
- On the Handyman server, browse to this path and click Export:
C:\GSG Handyman\Handyman\import\From_Lexware_to_HM
- If the export is successful, the following message appears:
Confirm this window with “OK”.
- The data is automatically imported into Handyman. Depending on the settings, importing to Handyman can take 5-10 minutes.
- The data is now available in Handyman as item and cost items.
After the first export, the Handyman groups must be configured in order to be able to use the cost elements and the article catalog in Handyman Mobile. - Lexware exports all items with the unit unit, regardless of the actual unit maintained in Lexware. For cost items in Handyman, the unit configured in Handyman is overwritten with every article import. For this reason, cost items should only be exported once at the start of the project. After exporting and configuring the cost elements, the “Internet article” characteristic should be removed again for these articles.
6. Misc. Items configuration
Handyman can record “other items” that are not part of Lexware's article master. To ensure that these can still be processed when the jobs are imported into Lexware, two settings are required:
1. Not yet available: Creation of an article in Lexware (e.g. “Diverse”) that is not in stock
2. Store the number of this item in Handyman as the item number for “Other items”:
7. Further setup of Handyman
- For further setup of Handyman, use the Quick Start Guide
- The article master data has already been transferred from Lexware - so skip Part 3: Create article catalogs
- As part of the transfer of the article master data, the cost items have also already been adopted. They are therefore not created in Handyman. If required, you can adjust the configuration of cost elements - see Part 7: Creating Cost Items.
8. Step-by-step video guide
Steps 1-3: Overview, System Requirements, Activate eCommerce
Step 4: Export customer data
Step 5+6: Export the items, Other articles