If you're using Dext without a direct accounting software connection - whether you don't use one, or yours doesn't integrate directly - you'll set up your lists, extraction settings, and bank accounts manually.
This article covers what to configure before you start processing documents.
Important: You'll need to be an Admin user to complete most of the setup below. See Roles and permissions in Dext for more details.
Extraction settings
Before you start processing documents, it's worth configuring how Dext handles extraction. Go to Business settings > Extraction to set the following:
Extract tax - controls whether Dext extracts the tax value from new costs and sales documents. Turn this off if you don't need tax captured on items. Found under Tax.
Default tax rate for costs - the tax rate applied to cost items where no supplier rule is set. Found under Tax.
Default tax rate for sales - the tax rate applied to sales invoices where no customer rule is set. Found under Tax.
Inbox tabs - choose whether your Costs and Sales inboxes show To review and Ready as separate tabs or as a single list. Found under Inbox tabs. See What do "To review" and "Ready" mean in Dext?
For a full overview of what's available in Business settings, see What is Business settings in Dext?
Your lists
Lists are the reference data you apply when coding documents in Dext - categories, suppliers, customers, and more. Without an accounting software connection, you set these up manually or import them via CSV.
If your accounting software doesn't integrate directly with Dext, you can export your lists from there, import them here, and export coded items back when you're done.
Suppliers - Dext detects supplier names automatically from submitted cost documents. You can also add suppliers manually or import them in bulk. See How to manage suppliers in Dext and Uploading your supplier list into Dext.
Customers - used to match sales invoices to the right customer. Add customers manually or import via CSV. See Setting up your customer list.
Categories - your chart of accounts. Dext provides a default list you can use as is or customise. See How to manage categories in Dext.
Projects and Projects 2 - optional lists for tracking spend by department, job, or cost centre. Add values manually or import via CSV. See Using projects in Dext.
Payment methods - represents the card or payment type used on a cost item. Add these manually, or Dext creates them automatically when it extracts card digits from a document. See Manage payment methods in Dext.
Your bank accounts
To bring bank transactions into Dext, you need to set up at least one bank account. There are two ways to do this.
Upload bank statements manually - add a bank account and upload your statements as files. Dext extracts the transactions and makes them available in the Bank workspace. See How to use Bank Statement Extraction in Dext.
Connect a bank feed - link your bank account directly so transactions import automatically. See Using Bank feeds in Dext.
Once transactions are in, you can view and manage them from Bank > Transactions in the main navigation. For an overview of everything the Bank workspace contains, see The Bank workspace in Dext.
Bank Match - once your transactions and cost documents are both in Dext, Bank Match will indicate where a transaction matches an uploaded item. This confirms the paperwork is in place without any extra steps. See How does Bank Match work in Dext?
What to do next
Once your lists, extraction settings, and bank accounts are in place, you're ready to start using Dext.
Add documents - upload costs and sales documents by file, email, or the Dext mobile app. See Ways to add documents to Dext.
Code and export items - review extracted items, apply your categories and other list values, then export them. See Editing, publishing, and exporting items in Dext.
Set up a custom CSV export - if you're exporting coded data back into accounting software, a custom CSV export lets you control exactly which fields and formats are included. See How to create a custom CSV export in Dext.
Create expense claims - if your team submits expenses for reimbursement, expense claims are how you manage them. See What are expense claims in Dext?
Set up approvals - if costs, sales, or expense claims need to be reviewed before export, approvals let you build a workflow for that. See Setting up and managing Costs & Sales approvals and How to set up expense claim approval workflows in Dext.
Set up rules and automation - supplier rules, user rules, and auto-categorisation can automatically apply categories, tax rates, and other coding defaults to your documents, saving manual work on every item. See Rules and automation in Dext.