Switching AP tools is not complicated, but it is worth doing in the right order. This guide covers how to move from Dext to Pulsify without losing anything important, without disrupting supplier payments, and without having to rebuild your account coding setup from scratch.
If you are still evaluating whether to switch, read Dext vs HubDoc vs Pulsify first. This guide assumes you have already decided.
What you are actually migrating
Before switching tools, it helps to be clear about what is worth preserving and what is not.
What you are keeping: Your historical invoices are already in Xero or MYOB. The documents exist as bills in your accounting software, with account codes, tax rates, and supplier records attached. This data is not in Dext - Dext just pushed it there. Pulsify reads this same source of truth directly.
What lives only in Dext: PDF copies of invoices in Dext’s document archive. If you have compliance or audit requirements that need the original document available in a document management tool, export the archive before cancelling. Most businesses have original invoices in their email system or on their supplier portals anyway.
What you are replacing: Dext’s capture, extraction, and publishing workflow. Pulsify handles the same capture and extraction, plus the coding, validation, and approval steps that Dext leaves to a human.
Step 1: Export your Dext archive if needed
If you need to retain PDF copies of historical invoices outside of Dext, export them before cancelling.
In Dext, go to Costs → Export and select a date range. For multi-year archives, export in annual batches. Store the exported PDFs in your document management system, shared drive, or accounting practice file - wherever original documents are retained for your business.
This step is optional for most businesses. If your original invoices are in your email system, your supplier portal, or already attached to bills in Xero or MYOB, there is no unique document archive to preserve.
Step 2: Connect Pulsify to your accounting software
Connecting Pulsify to Xero or MYOB takes about five minutes.
For Xero: Go to app.pulsify.tech, create an account, and follow the Xero OAuth connection flow. Pulsify will request read and write access to your Xero organisation. It reads your chart of accounts, supplier list, tracking categories, and tax rates. No configuration is required before invoices can start flowing.
For MYOB: Connect using your MYOB credentials. Pulsify connects to AccountRight and Essentials. It reads your accounts list, card file, and tax codes. The connection process is the same: connect, authorise, and Pulsify initialises its coding model from your existing data.
If you have multiple entities, connect each one. Pulsify handles multi-entity structures natively - each entity’s chart of accounts and supplier history is kept separate.
Step 3: Run Dext and Pulsify in parallel for one to two weeks
Do not cancel Dext immediately. Run both tools simultaneously for a short transition period - typically one to two weeks - while you validate that Pulsify’s capture and coding is working correctly for your invoice mix.
During this period:
- Route all new incoming invoices through Pulsify
- Continue to let any invoices already in Dext’s queue process through Dext in the normal way
- Compare Pulsify’s suggested coding against what you would have coded manually - this validates the AI coding model before relying on it
For most businesses with a consistent supplier base, Pulsify’s coding accuracy on familiar suppliers is high from day one, because it initialises from your existing accounting history. The transition period matters most for unusual suppliers or invoice types you have not processed recently.
Step 4: Redirect your invoice email inbox
Dext has its own email address for forwarding invoices. Pulsify uses a different email address (or can connect directly to a monitored inbox).
Update your supplier-facing email addresses - the address you give suppliers for sending invoices, the address your team forwards invoice attachments to, and any accounting inbox rules - to point to Pulsify.
If you have an AP inbox like ap@yourbusiness.com.au, connect it to Pulsify directly. Pulsify monitors the inbox, extracts attachments, and routes them through the AP workflow without a manual forwarding step.
Step 5: Set up approval workflows before going live
If you have been using ApprovalMax or Xero’s native approval queue alongside Dext, now is the time to configure Pulsify’s approval routing.
In Pulsify, approval rules are set by:
- Invoice value thresholds (e.g. under $5,000 goes to the finance manager; above $5,000 requires director sign-off)
- Supplier (e.g. invoices from particular suppliers always go to a specific approver)
- Entity (each entity in a group can have its own approval structure)
- Account code or cost centre
This replaces any approval routing you previously handled in ApprovalMax, Xero’s native queue, or by email chain. Once configured, invoices route automatically after coding and validation - no manual routing decision required.
If you do not configure approval workflows, invoices will be coded and validated by Pulsify but will sit in a review queue rather than routing automatically. You can add approval rules incrementally as you get comfortable with the system.
Step 6: Cancel Dext
Once Pulsify has processed two weeks of normal invoice volume without issues, cancel your Dext subscription.
Check your Dext billing cycle. Dext bills monthly or annually depending on your plan. If you are on an annual plan, cancelling mid-cycle means you have already paid for the remaining months. Some businesses choose to cancel at renewal rather than mid-cycle.
Do not wait on this. Running both tools in parallel beyond the validation period just adds cost and creates duplicate processing.
What changes after switching
What improves:
Invoice coding no longer requires manual work. Pulsify assigns account codes at line level based on your supplier history, with confidence scoring to flag invoices that need human review. The invoices that genuinely need human attention get it - the rest process automatically.
Vendor bank detail changes are flagged before payment. This is not a Dext feature. If a supplier’s bank details change, Pulsify surfaces it for manual review before the payment runs.
Duplicate invoices are caught at intake. Rather than discovering a duplicate after it has been paid, Pulsify flags duplicates when the invoice arrives.
Approval workflows are structured. If you were managing approvals by email or through Xero’s native queue, Pulsify gives you a rules-based routing system with an audit trail.
What changes about your workflow:
You no longer manually code invoices in Xero or MYOB after importing from Dext. Pulsify sends invoices to your accounting software already coded, validated, and approved.
If you were relying on a bookkeeper or AP officer to review and code every invoice, that person’s role shifts toward reviewing exceptions rather than processing all invoices.
Common questions during migration
Can I keep using Dext for expense management while using Pulsify for AP?
Yes. Dext has a receipts and expenses module that some businesses use for employee expense reimbursement. This is separate from invoice processing. If you use Dext for expense management, you can continue that use case while moving your AP workflow to Pulsify.
What if some invoices are emailed to staff directly rather than to an AP inbox?
Pulsify can connect to multiple monitored inboxes. Staff can also forward invoices to Pulsify’s processing email address. The handling is the same regardless of how the invoice arrives.
Does Pulsify handle invoices in formats other than PDF?
Pulsify handles PDF, email-embedded invoices, image files (JPG, PNG), and eInvoice (PEPPOL) format. If your suppliers send invoices in unusual formats, check with Pulsify’s support before switching.
Questions about the migration? Start a free trial or contact the team to walk through your specific setup.