1. Getting Started

Welcome to DataGrows. In this post, we will show you how to:

These steps will lay the foundation for your use of DataGrows. Everything else builds on this.

Before we start:

If you are not responsible for setting up the above, please click on this link to book for our web masterclasses so you can set yourself up for success in DataGrows.
If you are moving over from another system or do not have time to set up DataGrows, please email [email protected], and we will provide a quote to assist with the transition.

For users setting up, let’s get going...This is what we will cover:

Set up your firm

The first thing you want to do is set up your firm. This will help allocate clients to the correct firm, especially if you have more than 1 firm.

Follow these steps to set up your first firm:

Navigate to Accounting CRM - Setup & Integrations → Setup → Firm Settings. (If you don’t see this option, it likely means your user is not involved with firm setup. Please email [email protected] for assistance.)
In Firm Settings, you should see one record, called My Company. Click within the row to start editing.
If you do not see a record, please click on ADD RECORD in the top right corner.

Once the record opens, please complete only the Company Name and Firm Code fields. The rest we will get to at a later stage when it is relevant. Firm code is any code that will help you to distinguish that firm if you ever had to expand to multiple firms. As an example, in the image above, MSF could be a firm code for My Second Firm.
Once the two fields have been completed, click Save & Close.

If you have multiple firms that share the same staff, please click on ADD RECORD, then follow the steps above until you have added all your firms.
If you have multiple firms with separate staff, clients, and billing, please reach out to [email protected] so we can add additional databases to your system.

Add your clients

It is important to remember that DataGrows is designed to be your go-to app that easily integrates with other systems, such as Sage and Xero for automated billing and SARS for correspondence and IRP6s.

Because DataGrows integrates with other systems, we store all the information that we need to push to those systems, as well as the information that we need to:

Retain and maintain your Client Master Data
Schedule tasks and deadline reminders
Assist with generating compliance documents
Integration with SARS
Streamline your billing into Sage or Xero

DataGrows stores more than 120 fields of information for your clients. Not all these fields are critical for the system to function, but the more information you add in the initial setup, the less you have to add later. This blog post will explain what is critical and what you can update at a later stage.

The image below shows the steps to follow to get client data into the system as quickly as possible, so you can start scheduling tasks and reminders. You can add more information and clients later. If you choose the SARS taxpayer import as an example, you can still connect to Sage or Xero at a later stage for your billing or to add additional information. The path below is just to get you started as quickly as possible with as much data as possible. (Click on the image to expand it).

Please select the path that will help pull in the most up-to-date, detailed list of your client names and information:

Onboard my Clients through SARS

This section will explain how to download and link your clients from SARS eFiling to DataGrows.

First, you need to bring in your taxpayers from your practitioner's profile. We harness your unique login with SARS and DataGrows to provide you with secure access to your taxpayer information. This will give us access to Taxpayer names, Registration/ID/Passport numbers, Income Tax numbers and entity types.

The section will break down the steps as follows:

1. Download the extension:

Click on the button below to install the extension:

Install the extension

*Please note, the extension is not currently supported in Safari or Firefox. If you are using a Mac, please download Google Chrome to use the extension.

To begin with,

Click on the button to install the extension. You'll see that it is a Chrome Web Store-approved extension.
Next, click on the ‘Get’ or ‘Add to Chrome’ button.
Click Allow or Add Extension and then add the extension.

2 Import Taxpayers:

To import your taxpayers:

Open the Extension by going to the puzzle piece next to the URL bar.

Click on the burger menu, then choose SARS eFiling Actions > Taxpayers

Follow the steps listed in the extension. Please click on the links in each step and log in from there. These steps include:
1. Log in to DataGrows, then click on your Accounting CRM and go to the Client table.
2. Click on the SARS eFiling link in the extension to log in to SARS Efiling
3. Select your SARS portfolio. Portfolio type = Practitioner / Organisation.
4. Important: after selecting your portfolio, REFRESH the SARS webpage once.
5. Then, only click the IMPORT TAXPAYERS button
Scroll to the bottom of the extension tab. Once the count stops increasing, all of your clients should have pulled into DataGrows.
To see your Taxpayer List in DataGrows, navigate to this table in the left-hand navigation: Setup & Integrations → Integrations → SARS Taxpayers.
The number of records shown at the bottom right of this table should match the total in the extension.
You need to run this import for each unique login or portfolio. If you get stuck, see 1.3 Troubleshooting below for help, or contact [email protected]
If you are happy with the import, you can close the extension for now.

Next:

3. Troubleshooting

4. How to handle duplicate clients or inactive clients

5. Post Taxpayers to the DataGrows Clients table

3 Troubleshooting

Please follow the steps below if:

a. The extension keeps on spinning for longer than 2 minutes without bringing in any taxpayers.

b. Some taxpayers have been pulled in, but the number of taxpayers at the bottom of the extension has been stuck for longer than 5 minutes, and you know the total is not correct yet.

Close the extension.
Go to manage extensions by clicking on the puzzle piece next to the URL bar
Switch the extension off and on by unchecking and rechecking the checkbox.
Close eFiling & DataGrows tabs.
Follow the above extension steps again to try to import the taxpayers.
If nothing happens within a few seconds, book a meeting with us via this link: SARS eFiling Support Session

If you are not sure of the number of taxpayers on your profile:

Log in to eFiling
Click on My Profile on the left,
Then Portfolio Management. This will show you the total number of taxpayers on this portfolio.
If you import multiple portfolios, the Taxpayer List in DataGrows will be an aggregate of the totals per eFiling portfolio.

4 How to handle duplicate clients or inactive clients

Duplicate taxpayers from SARS arise from multiple factors, such as a Late estate being registered with a new tax number but the same ID number (or a sequestrated taxpayer), a parent and child with the same name/initials & surname, or an entity reactivating for income tax. DataGrows uses the client name as a unique identifier; therefore, records uploaded from SARS need to be unique.

To resolve duplicate names for active clients, add a suffix to one. To do this:

Go to the Status column in the table, then filter for - Contains - ‘Duplicate Name’. By clicking on the filter, selecting the column name: Status – Contains – Duplicate. Then click Apply.
THIS WILL NOT ALTER THE TAXPAYER RECORD IN EFILING.
Click on one of the duplicate records, such as the deceased estate tax number (usually the larger number numerically),
Add a unique suffix in the suffix field (like SNR / JNR / Deceased /Late / Insolvent)
Save
This will allow both records to be added to DataGrows – e.g. Pre-death client and deceased client, or father and son with the same Initials and Surname.

To archive old taxpayers:

You might also have clients who are no longer with your practice, and you want to clean these up before adding them to your client table.

Look for records where the Tax Number field is blank; this normally indicates that the taxpayer is no longer active on your profile
Click on the square to the left of the taxpayer record
Go to Actions
Mark as Inactive
This will move the client to the SARS Taxpayer Archive table. This will allow you to see which clients to delete from eFiling, and if you are unable to delete them, you can keep them separate from your active taxpayers.

5 Post Taxpayers to the DataGrows Clients table

Once the above is handled, you can add your taxpayers to your client table:

Set your rows per page at the bottom right corner to the largest nr.
Select all the records by clicking on the square next to the taxpayer column heading
Go to Actions – click “Update/Add clients”.
These clients will be added to the Clients table in DataGrows
If an error appears on the screen, or any records remain blank in the “DataGrows Client” column, they were not created. Please follow the prompt given in the error or Status column and run the action again.
This video explains more, or book an onboarding session if you need assistance.

Onboard my Clients through Sage or Xero

Before we start, we want to mention four things:

Once DataGrows has been set up successfully, you must add new clients in DataGrows first, then post them to Sage or Xero with the click of a button. This creates the Client on Sage or Xero and integrates them back into DataGrows for billing, so you only need to maintain one system.
You can also update client information in DataGrows and use the same action to update their information in Sage or Xero.
We integrate with Sage Business Cloud accounting, not Pastel Partner. We highly encourage you to move away from desktop software like Pastel to cloud-based software like Business Cloud Accounting, so systems like DataGrows can integrate and save you hours every month on billing. As an accountant, you do not need to pay Sage for your firm’s licence, and you don’t need to change any client processing to do so. We can assist you with the migration process, and we highly recommend that you do.
If you use another accounting system, please contact [email protected] so we can assist you in importing that data into DataGrows.

The image below shows the flow of information between the systems

The Sage and Xero integration has 4 steps:

1 Do the integration

To do the integration:

Log in to DataGrows
Click on the Settings button at the bottom of the left navigation.
Click on Sage Integration or Xero Integration, depending on which system you use for your Firm’s billing. This has nothing to do with the system that your clients use. We want to connect the data from the profile your firm uses to invoice for your services.
Enter the login details you use to log into your accounting software. If you get an error trying to log in, try logging in to Sage or Xero first to confirm your username and password, then come back to DataGrows and complete the same login to continue.
If you are integrating with Sage Business Cloud Accounting, enter your Sage email and password, and click Log in.
If you are integrating with Xero, click on “Connect to Xero” and follow the prompts. The profile you selected should display on the screen. Repeat the above until all your companies or tenants are connected
Once you are done, click My Databases in the left navigation to return to your home screen.

2 Connect the integration to your firm

This will help keep all clients connected to the relevant firm and lay the foundation for automated billing should you decide to use it later.

To connect to a firm:

Go to Accounting CRM → Setup & Integrations → Setup – Firm Settings
Click on the first firm that you want to connect to Sage or Xero.
Scroll all the way to the bottom of the form and complete the
Firm Invoice Details section and the
Accounting System Company sections.
This does not activate any billing; it only enables us to pull through the correct Item lists or Accounts.
Within the Invoice Type dropdown, choose between the item list or accounts depending on your preference for raising invoices:
- Accounts (refers to GL Accounts in Sage/Xero)
- Or Item List
Then select Sage or Xero from the Accounting System dropdown, then select your Firm’s Company or Tenant from the list that appears.
Save & Close

We can now import your clients from Sage/Xero. To do this:

Check the checkbox to the left of each of your firms
Go to Actions - Import clients from Sage
OR Go to Actions - Import clients from Xero
Imported Accounting System clients are placed in a holding table called “Accounting System Clients”, where you can verify the information before adding them to your Client table.
To access this, go to Setup & Integrations – Integrations – Accounting System Clients
Here you will see all your clients’ information, including the primary contact name, email address, mobile number, VAT number, and addresses.

3 Assign entity types

The next step is to ensure that each entity or client has an entity type.

DataGrows automatically assigns entity types during the import, where possible, based on suffixes (e.g., Pty Ltd, CC, Inc, NPC). Individuals cannot be inferred correctly.

To display clients without entity types:

You should still be in Setup & Integrations – Integrations – Accounting System Clients
Click on Filter below the table heading: Entity Type→ Equals → (Blank)

Now you can select multiple records and Bulk Assign Entity Types. To do this:
Use the selection checkboxes in the left column to select multiple records
Go to Actions. Then select 'Set Entity Type' for the desired entity type.
- Recommended Order: Start with companies, then move to natural persons. For natural persons, there is no functional difference between 'individual' and 'director', these are indicators for internal use.
If there are clients that you no longer service, and do not want to add to DataGrows, check the checkbox to the left of the client record, then go to Actions - Delete Selected. This will not remove them from Sage or Xero. We recommend marking them inactive in Sage and Xero when you have time.

4 Add clients to the client table.

Once there are no more blank entity types, you can insert all Accounting System clients into your Clients table.

To do this:

Clear the filter you set up above, and ensure your Rows per page is set to the highest number in the bottom right corner.
Select all clients by checking the column heading Selection square on the left of the table
Go to Actions – click “Insert to Clients Table”

These videos explain more, or book an onboarding session if you need assistance.

Xero Integration - Next Steps

Sage Integration - Next Steps

Add clients manually in DataGrows (best for < 20 clients)

To add a client manually:

Click on the Clients table in the left navigation
Click on Add Record in the top right corner

Expand the view to make it easier to add information
Complete as much information as possible in each tab
Click Save & New
Add the next client

Downloading and updating the Excel template

This section will show you how to generate an Excel file containing all the information we added to the Client table in the steps above. This is done so you can easily add additional details and switch on services in bulk.

*If you work on a Mac and you do not have Excel, you can open the file in Numbers.

To generate the Excel Template

Go to Setup & Integrations → Setup → Data Upload.
If you do not see any records, click on Add record and select “Clients quick start” from the Document Type dropdown and your firm from the Firm dropdown. Then save.
You should now see a few records – these are our various bulk upload templates. For now, we will focus on the client information.
You have two options to select from.
- “Client Quick Start”: If you want to add the minimum number of fields for the system to work properly.
- “Clients”: If you are fully committed to the process and want to add all of your client information.
Select the record you choose by checking the square box to the left of the record.
Go to Actions – Generate Excel

Give it a few seconds, then refresh your browser.
A downward arrow ⬇️ should appear in the Document field once the document has been generated. Click on the Arrow ⬇️ to download the document.
If you have multiple firms, please download the applicable sheet for each firm.

NB: You can only upload client information into DataGrows via Excel using our template. No CSV downloads or Excel files from other systems will be processed.

This video explains more, or book an onboarding session if you need assistance.

Updating the Excel

This section explains how to add additional information and enable services in bulk in the Excel sheet. Your Excel file includes data in your Client table, which was imported from the steps above.

Step 1: Use the Guide Row

Row 2 within the Excel is a Guide or Instruction Row, it:

o Explains how to complete each column

o Provides format and field guidance

Refer to Row 2 before entering or editing data

Step 2: Watch for fields highlighted in yellow

Some fields trigger additional required fields, which will be highlighted in yellow and must be completed. For example, if you select “PTY LTD” as Entity Type: Registration Number and Registration Date will turn yellow.

Step 3: Complete Required Columns

If you are working on the “Client Quick Start” file, please complete all fields.
If you are working on the “Client” file:
- Columns A → D are required to successfully create a client in DataGrows
- Columns E → AG are essential for services to schedule
- The rest you can add where relevant to your workflows
Once you have completed the necessary columns in the template, please save your file as an Excel Workbook file (.xlsx.) NOT a .CSV.
If you alter Client Names during this step, the way that you will upload the file will differ in the next step.

Upload the template

It is now time to upload the updated Excel file to DataGrows so that you can see your tasks schedule in the system.

If you imported your clients from Sage or Xero and didn't change their names, you can upload the Excel file using the steps below.
If you imported from SARS and made changes to Client Names in the Excel file, such as adding full names, please delete the Clients table first before uploading the Excel file to avoid duplicates.

For SARS taxpayer imports where names have been changed

To clear the Client table:

Go to the Client table
Set your rows per page to the maximum in the bottom right corner
Select all your clients by checking the checkbox to the left of Client Names
Go to Actions – Delete selected

Now, you can upload the Excel file.

To do this:

Go to Setup & Integrations – Setup – Data Upload.
Click on the record for the file that you used, either the 'Client Quick Start' or the 'Clients' record.
Remove the blank template by clicking on the bin icon.
Upload your newly edited Excel file.
Make sure the Status is set to Submit. And click save & close.

Give it a few seconds, and a pop-up should appear in the top left corner stating that the import has been completed.
Refresh your page
The status will have changed to Processed if the import was successful.
If the status shows Data Error, please refer to the notes on the record to see what you need to correct. Then repeat the steps in this section above to resubmit the corrected file.

If you get stuck, this video will explain more, or you can book a support session.

If you switched on services in the Excel template, i.e., completed columns with dates or true/false values, these tasks would have been created immediately after the upload.

If you didn't switch on services for your clients and only filled in the four pink columns for a quick upload, please click here to switch on the default recommended services.

Invite your team

DataGrows was designed so that each user can take responsibility for their tasks and time in the system while they work. DataGrows has helped hundreds of firms to save time and increase efficiency and productivity. However, this is only possible if the team uses DataGrows as intended. It is vital to add all your partners, managers, accountants, auditors, bookkeepers and clerks on your team. This will allow you to get accurate performance and profit reports. You can add as many users as you want during your 30-day free trial. If you do not add a team member, you will not be able to assign tasks to them and you will lose out on key functionality in the system.

This section will show you how to:

1. Adding Users

To add a Team member/User:

Click on your Accounting CRM → Setup & Integrations → Setup → Accountant
This will open the Accountant table. You have already been added as a Super User. Please leave your role as Super User. This is the highest-ranking user role and provides access to the entire Accounting CRM and Practice Management Tool.
To add a team member, click on the Add Record button.
Complete their:
- Name (decide now if you use Full Name or First name for your team).
- Email address
- Choose their employment status from the dropdown
- Assign a role. See Role Definitions below.
Click Save & New to add the next team member.
Each team member receives an invite email from DataGrows with a link to create the password they will use to log in to DataGrows. If they missed the initial email, they can use this link to request a new password reset link.

Role definitions

Super User: This is the highest-ranking access role. They will have access rights to your entire database. They can delete clients and users. Please assign this role sparingly.
Partner: This is the second-highest-ranking access role. For data protection purposes, they will have access to your entire database, but cannot delete a client or user.
Team Lead: This is for managers and team leads who need to view all task tables and review their team's work. They cannot access any billing tables or information.
Accountant: Select this access role for users/staff who need to focus on processing and completing tasks.
Clerk: Select this access role for staff in training or newer staff who need to focus on processing and completing tasks.
Custom: This post will explain more about customising a role.
Assistant: You can select only 1 Assistant per 10 users in the system. Assistants can only access the client table to update client information.

If you get stuck, this link will explain more, or you can book a support session.

2 Assign Your Team

This post explains how to assign team members to tasks globally or per Client.

Read Post

Training and using DataGrows

Click the link below to learn more about our web-masterclasses and in-app training.

My Training

If you have any questions, email [email protected]

or send a WhatsApp to 063 426 0080.

Enjoy your journey with DataGrows!

Additional Setup

You have now set up the system, and your tasks will be scheduled. You can now start working. DataGrows offers additional features that can be set up, but they are not essential when starting to use the system. Here are links to those steps, should you choose to set them up now.

Upload of Directors
Upload of Shareholders
Rates for Billing: This setup is essential for timekeeping and billing. Your team can start using the system and timer while you continue setting up.
Setting up required documents.
Automated Emails
Subtasks for each task

Switching on Default Services

You can switch on services during onboarding, as discussed above, or DataGrows can do so for you based on the entity type.

To switch on default services:

DataGrows can switch on the services below based on the entity type.

Set your rows per page to the maximum in the bottom right corner
Go to the Client table and select all your client records by clicking on the square to the left of the client name.
Click on Actions - Set Default Services.

The services will be switched on immediately, and the tasks will be scheduled overnight. You can amend services at any time by clicking the client record in the Client table and selecting Services.