What data is used from my accounting package?
To connect Sage Earth Carbon Accounting to your data from Sage Accounting (previously known as Sage Business Cloud) you must be on either the Standard or Plus tier of Sage Accounting. If you are using the Start tier you will be required to enter your spend data manually into Sage Earth Carbon Accounting.
We ingest information from invoices and receipts entered through:
Quick Entries (including those imported via csv file)
Purchase Invoices
Other Payments data entry points.
When will my spend data appear within Sage Earth Carbon Accounting?
Your spend data will only show in SECA once the invoice has been fully paid.
For example:
If an invoice is dated July but payments are split between July and August, the data will appear in SECA after the August payment clears the full balance.
Because the invoice is dated July, it will still count towards your July carbon footprint.
This means figures for previous months may change as invoices are paid in full.
How are my invoices analysed?
Each invoice line is reviewed by our AI, which checks:
Nominal account
Supplier name
Line item description
Only these fields are used by the AI model. Based on this data, the AI applies the category it believes best matches the transaction, prioritising the one it’s most confident in. The transaction will be matched to an EIF (Emissions intensity factor), which is a standardised value used to estimate the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere per unit of activity.
To help the AI categorise accurately, use clear and descriptive wording when entering invoices into your accounting software. For more tips on ensuring your accounting transactions are easily categorised by AI, see our Optimising your accounting data for accurate categorisation article.
Find out more: AI and how we use it in Sage Earth Carbon Accounting