If you are running ApprovalMax, you are probably also running a second tool for invoice capture - Dext, HubDoc, or manual entry into Xero. That two-tool stack is the thing this migration is designed to consolidate.
This guide covers how to move from ApprovalMax to Pulsify: what to configure, what to export, how to handle in-flight invoices, and what to expect on the other side.
If you want to evaluate whether switching makes sense before committing, read ApprovalMax vs Purpose-Built AP Automation first. This guide assumes the decision is made.
Understanding what you are replacing
ApprovalMax sits at the approval layer of the AP workflow - the moment when a bill has already been captured, coded, and is awaiting authorisation before posting. That is genuinely useful work. The structure and audit trail ApprovalMax provides is a real improvement on email-based approvals or Xero’s unstructured queue.
What ApprovalMax does not touch is:
- How invoices arrive and are extracted (this is Dext, HubDoc, or manual entry)
- How invoices get coded to the right accounts (this is a human in Xero)
- Whether vendor bank details have changed before payment (this is not checked at all in most ApprovalMax setups)
- Whether an invoice is a duplicate of one already processed (same)
When you move to Pulsify, all five layers of the AP workflow are in one system: capture, coding, validation, approval, and ledger. You are not just replacing the approval layer - you are replacing the full stack including whatever you were using upstream of ApprovalMax.
Step 1: Audit your current AP stack
Before reconfiguring anything, map out what is currently handling each layer:
| Layer | Currently handled by |
|---|---|
| Invoice capture | Dext / HubDoc / email forwarding / manual |
| Account coding | Manual entry in Xero or MYOB |
| Vendor validation | Not automated |
| Duplicate detection | Not automated |
| Approval routing | ApprovalMax |
| Ledger publishing | ApprovalMax → Xero |
This audit matters because switching to Pulsify means decommissioning all of these, not just ApprovalMax. If you are paying for Dext or HubDoc alongside ApprovalMax, that subscription also becomes redundant after migration.
Step 2: Export your ApprovalMax audit history
ApprovalMax maintains an approval history that shows who approved each invoice, when, and at what value. This is separate from Xero’s bill history.
Before cancelling, export:
- Approval reports from ApprovalMax’s reporting module, filtered by date range
- Any delegation of authority policy documents you have configured in ApprovalMax that you will want to reference when setting up Pulsify’s approval rules
The approval history in Xero (visible in each bill’s activity log) is not affected by cancelling ApprovalMax - that data is in Xero. The ApprovalMax-specific approval metadata is what you want to export.
Step 3: Clear your ApprovalMax approval queue
Do not migrate while there are invoices in ApprovalMax awaiting approval.
Go through the current ApprovalMax queue and either approve, reject, or return each invoice before switching to Pulsify’s workflow. If an invoice cannot be resolved within your transition window, that is worth noting - it may indicate an approval process issue worth addressing regardless of the tool change.
Once the queue is empty, stop sending new invoices through ApprovalMax.
Step 4: Connect Pulsify to Xero or MYOB
Connect Pulsify to your accounting software before you configure approval rules. The approval rules in Pulsify reference your chart of accounts, suppliers, and tracking categories from Xero or MYOB - connecting first means the rule configuration has real data to work with.
For Xero: Connect via OAuth at app.pulsify.tech. Pulsify will read your account codes, tax rates, supplier list, and entity structure. The initialisation takes a few minutes. For multi-entity Xero organisations, connect each organisation separately.
For MYOB: Connect using your MYOB AccountRight or Essentials credentials. Pulsify reads your accounts list, card file, and tax codes.
Step 5: Recreate your approval matrix in Pulsify
This is the step that requires the most attention. Your ApprovalMax approval matrix does not transfer automatically - it needs to be configured in Pulsify.
The core concepts are the same in both systems:
Value thresholds: Define who approves invoices at each dollar level. For example: invoices under $5,000 are approved by the finance manager; invoices $5,000–$25,000 require an operations director; invoices over $25,000 require CEO sign-off.
Supplier-based rules: Some invoices always go to a specific approver regardless of amount - invoices from a particular subcontractor, or invoices in a specific account category.
Entity-based rules: Each legal entity in a multi-entity group can have independent approval chains. A holding company invoice should not route through the same approval process as an operating subsidiary invoice.
Sequential vs parallel approval: Some invoices require sign-off from two approvers in sequence (finance manager, then director). Others can be approved by either of two people (either the Sydney or Melbourne site manager).
Take your exported ApprovalMax policy documentation and work through it systematically in Pulsify’s workflow configuration. For straightforward setups - one or two threshold levels, one entity - this typically takes 30–60 minutes. For complex multi-entity setups, allow a few hours.
If you need guidance on designing the approval structure itself, read How to build an audit-ready approval matrix.
Step 6: Configure your invoice intake
ApprovalMax sits downstream of your capture tool. Pulsify handles capture directly, so you need to redirect how invoices arrive.
Set up your invoice intake in Pulsify:
- Email forwarding: Pulsify provides a processing email address. Update your AP inbox forwarding rules to route incoming invoice emails to Pulsify.
- Direct inbox connection: Pulsify can monitor a mailbox directly (e.g.
ap@yourbusiness.com.au). This eliminates the forwarding step entirely. - Upload: Invoices can be uploaded manually via the Pulsify web interface if needed for edge cases.
If you have been using Dext or HubDoc for capture, update those forwarding rules to point to Pulsify. Then assess whether you still need Dext or HubDoc at all - once Pulsify is handling capture, there is no longer a role for a capture-only tool.
Step 7: Run a parallel validation period
For one to two weeks, process invoices through Pulsify while keeping ApprovalMax available but unused. This gives you a fallback if anything unexpected appears in the Pulsify workflow.
During this period:
- Confirm that invoices are being captured and extracted correctly
- Review Pulsify’s AI-suggested account coding against what you would have manually coded in Xero - look for any systematic differences on recurring suppliers
- Confirm that approval routing is following the rules you configured (check the approval log for a sample of invoices)
- Confirm that approved invoices are publishing to Xero or MYOB correctly
After two weeks of clean operation, the parallel period is complete.
Step 8: Cancel ApprovalMax and upstream tools
Cancel ApprovalMax and any capture tools (Dext, HubDoc) you were running alongside it. Check billing cycles before cancelling to avoid paying for an unused period.
If you were running Dext annually, you may be partway through a paid period. You can either absorb the remaining cost or continue using Dext for expense/receipt management if that is a workflow you want to retain - Pulsify’s AP workflow does not conflict with Dext’s expense reimbursement features.
What changes after migration
Approval routing works the same way it did in ApprovalMax - invoices route to the right person based on your configured rules, with an audit trail of who approved what and when. The experience for approvers changes slightly (Pulsify’s approval interface rather than ApprovalMax’s), but the underlying workflow is the same.
What improves is everything upstream of the approval step:
- Invoices no longer require manual coding before reaching the approval queue. Pulsify suggests account codes at line level; approvers see a coded invoice rather than a blank one.
- Vendor bank detail changes are flagged before the invoice reaches the approval queue.
- Duplicate invoices are caught before they reach the approval queue.
- The full AP workflow is in one audit trail rather than split across ApprovalMax, Dext, and Xero’s activity logs.
What is consolidated:
- One subscription instead of two or three
- One approval audit trail
- One support contact
- One system to configure when your chart of accounts or approval structure changes
Questions about migration or your specific approval setup? Start a free trial or contact the team for a walkthrough.