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In this article, we will explore how data flows between Ignition and XPM and discuss best practice for creating clients in Ignition when XPM is connected.

How the XPM Client Data Sync works

When you connect Ignition to XPM, you'll be able to choose which direction you want your client data to sync from, as well as choose what level of data to sync. This will determine which system you should update your client information in.

Sync Direction

To Xero Practice Manager - this means updates in Ignition will flow to XPM. If you update fields in XPM these will be overridden by Ignition. For this direction, you should make your desired changes in Ignition and allow the integration to sync changes to XPM.

From Xero Practice Manager - this means updates in XPM will flow to Ignition. If you update fields in Ignition these will be overridden by XPM. For this direction, you should make your desired changes in XPM and allow the integration to sync changes to the client record in Ignition.

Select the level of data you want to sync

You can nominate what data you want to sync based on the categories below:

Everything - Please refer to the table below for a summary of data that is synced on an ongoing basis.
Client name - Only the client name will be synced on an ongoing basis.
Nothing (No changes will be synced. You’ll still be able to use XPM clients to create a new Ignition client, but future changes to that client record in XPM will not be reflected in Ignition).

From Xero Practice Manager

Field	Data level	Synced
Client Name	Everything Client Name	✅
Contact Name	Everything	✅
Contact Email	Everything	✅
Contact Phone	Everything	✅
Contact Mobile	Everything	✅
Contact Salutation	Everything	✅
Contact Addressee	Everything	✅
Primary Contact	Everything	✅
Business Structure	Cannot be synced	❌
Tax registration (GST registered)	Everything	✅
Phone	Everything	✅
Fax	Everything	✅
Website	Everything	✅
Partner / Manager	Everything	✅
Company Address	Everything	✅
Postal Address	Everything	✅
Client Group	Everything	✅

To Xero Practice Manager

Field	Data level	Synced
Client Name	Everything Client Name	✅
Contact Name	Everything	✅
Contact Email	Everything	✅
Contact Phone	Everything	✅
Contact Mobile	Everything	✅
Contact Salutation	Everything	✅
Default Contact	Everything	✅
Business Structure	Cannot be synced	❌
Tax registration (GST registered)	Everything	✅
Phone	Everything	✅
Fax	Everything	✅
Website	Everything	✅
Partner / Manager	Everything	✅
Company Address	Everything	✅
Postal Address	Everything	✅
Client Group	Cannot be synced	❌

Note: Both the Salutation and Addressee fields on the XPM contact record sync to Ignition.

Whichever field holds your client's first name, keep it up to date in XPM and make sure your placeholders match:

Using Salutation for first names: use {{ contact.salutation | default:contact.name }} in your terms, message and email templates.

Using Addressee for first names: use {{ contact.addressee | default:contact.name }}.

You can copy either placeholder above and paste it into your templates. If you're having trouble, reach out to our Support team to request help with updating your placeholders. Remember to reference this section of this article!

Fields that XPM controls

When your sync direction is From Xero Practice Manager and your data level is Everything, XPM is the source of truth for your primary contact's details. These fields are read-only in Ignition and show the caption Synced from Xero Practice Manager:

Name
Email
Phone
Mobile
Salutation
Addressee

To see them, open the client and select the contact's name.

To change any of these details, update the contact in XPM and then sync the client manually. The value then sticks, rather than being replaced the next time the sync runs.

Updating contact details in XPM to sync to Ignition

Note: This applies when your sync direction is From Xero Practice Manager and your data level is Everything. If your sync direction is To Xero Practice Manager, make your changes in Ignition instead and the integration syncs them to XPM.

1. In XPM, open the client, select the three dots menu, then select Edit.

2. Update the fields you want.

3. Select Save.

4. In Ignition, open the client and select More actions → Sync this client. See this section below.

The updated details come across to Ignition straight away. If you'd rather not sync manually, the change flows through on the overnight sync instead.

Tip: Many practices connected to XPM use the Salutation field for the client's first name rather than a title. Check which field your templates point to before you edit, see the placeholder note above.

Sync times

Data to sync	From Xero Practice Manager	To Xero Practice Manager
Everything	Changes in XPM to these fields will be automatically updated in Ignition overnight, or after the manual sync has been pushed via the XPM tile in Ignition.	Changes in Ignition to these fields will be automatically updated in XPM immediately.
Client Name	Changes in XPM to these fields will be automatically updated in Ignition overnight, or after the manual sync has been pushed via the XPM tile in Ignition.	Changes in Ignition to the client name fields will be automatically updated in XPM immediately.
Nothing	Once the record has been created no further updates will be synced.	Once the record has been created no further updates will be synced.

Sync a single client on demand

You don't have to wait for the overnight sync to bring a client's latest XPM data into Ignition. Open the client, then select More actions → Sync this client.

Ignition pulls that client's current details from XPM straight away.

If your sync direction is From Xero Practice Manager and your data level is Everything, the XPM values replace the contact details in Ignition, so a confirmation appears first.

Note: The sync should finish in approximately 1-2 minutes.

Creating Clients

Once Xero Practice Manager is enabled in Ignition, clients can be created in either Ignition or XPM regardless of the sync direction or level of sync selected.

💡Pro-tip: As best practice, we recommend choosing and sticking with either XPM or Ignition as the place to add new clients to minimize risks of duplicate records.

Clients created in Xero Practice Manager

Once a client has been created in XPM, you will be able to select that client when creating a new proposal in Ignition. XPM Clients will display under the XPM clients label the first time you select them in Ignition.

Once selected, you can review their details to ensure it is the correct client and then import them.

Client records will be created in Ignition once they are saved, initially as a lead, and then as an active client once they accept a proposal. Once they've been added to Ignition, they will no longer display the green XPM logo next to their name.

Creating new clients in Ignition

New clients created in Ignition rather than XPM will only be added as a client in XPM once an XPM workflow has been deployed from an accepted proposal.

To add a new client into Ignition, select create a client from the client drop-down list, enter their information and save. They will initially be created as a lead in Ignition and then convert to an active client once a proposal has been accepted.

FAQ

Which system should I create clients in?

Clients can be created in the system of your choosing:

If creating a client in Ignition, the client will be created in XPM once the first workflow has been deployed.
If creating a client from exisiting XPM data, the record will need to be selected from the client drop-down list in the proposal editor.

Once the client has been created, any updates to the client will follow the one-way sync direction you have selected in your XPM settings in Ignition.

Will the client sync have any effects on existing job templates or deployment?

The client sync has no impact on how workflow is deployed or any existing workflows are set up in XPM.

Will the sync direction have any effects on job templates or deployment?

No, the sync direction will only dictate how client data flows between Ignition and XPM.

XPM Client Data Sync & Adding Clients to Proposals