Automating Finance: How Libra Solutions Saved Time and Connected Systems with DataBlend

The Challenge

As Libra Solutions grew through acquisitions, its finance technology stack became increasingly complex. The organization operates across multiple ERP systems, including Microsoft Business Central and NetSuite, as well as Concur, Planful, and other financial tools.

This fragmentation created significant manual effort for the finance team. Processes such as expense data uploads, intercompany journal entries, and cross-ERP reporting require manual file management, spreadsheet use, and repetitive tasks.

Jeff Diedrich, VP Controller at Libra, modernized integrations and automation across its finance systems. Previous attempts to standardize workflows using other tools and platforms required extensive implementation effort, limited flexibility, and low user adoption.

As Libra continued acquiring companies, the need for scalable automation became critical, without increasing headcount or burdening IT resources.

The Solution

Libra first engaged DataBlend through an integration project with BlackLine, and Jeff quickly recognized DataBlend’s potential as a broader automation layer across the finance stack. From there, Libra expanded DataBlend workflows across multiple systems and processes, including:

• Concur-to-Business Central integrations, posting detailed expense line items directly to the general ledger.
• NetSuite-to-Business Central integrations automatically migrate monthly transactions for acquired entities still on NetSuite.
• Bank reconciliation automation, using BAI files to automatically post intercompany journal entries across dozens of bank accounts.
• Ongoing workflow customization and enhancements, allowing Libra to adapt automation as business needs evolve.

“DataBlend posts NetSuite transactions directly into Business Central, so I don’t have to export a trial balance, run it through Excel, calculate monthly account changes, and manually post entries. This allows us to maintain Business Central as a single source of monthly financial statement reporting.”

Jeff described DataBlend as a flexible connector platform that could be repurposed and expanded over time, allowing the team to experiment, scale, and adjust without rebuilding integrations from scratch.

“We’ve built 40-some workflows in DataBlend. We’re not using all of them, but it shows how much we’ve been able to automate and evolve, and we have plans to repurpose the unused ones in the future.”

The Results

Significant Time Savings

Jeff estimates that DataBlend has saved at least one full-time employee’s worth of time across the finance department by eliminating manual tasks such as file uploads, journal entries, reconciliations, and data consolidation.

“I have someone on my team who spent two hours a day on manual posting and gave most of that time back to him because DataBlend’s doing it automatically.”

Faster Reporting Across Multiple ERPs

With DataBlend syncing its NetSuite entities into Business Central, Libra eliminated manual trial balance exports and Excel-based conversions, saving hours each month and accelerating consolidated reporting.

“I have 73 companies in Business Central and one company on NetSuite that I don’t want to move. DataBlend can move every monthly transaction into Business Central so that I can do reporting out of Business Central.”

Automation of High-Volume Bank Transactions

By automating postings from BAI bank files, Libra reduced a multi-hour daily manual task to a simple validation step, freeing team members for higher-value work.

“Every intercompany transfer required a manual journal entry. We realized the BAI file already had all the data, so DataBlend automated the postings directly from the bank file.”

Scalable Automation for M&A

As Libra acquired new companies, DataBlend has been on call to deploy rapid financial data integrations without expanding Libra’s finance team, supporting growth without operational strain.

“When we acquired another company, the first thing I did was go to DataBlend and say, ‘I need all their daily transactions posted into Business Central.’ And it was done.”

Conclusion

For Libra, DataBlend became more than an integration tool; it became an extension of the finance team. By connecting its business systems, automating repetitive tasks, and enabling scalable workflows, DataBlend helped Libra modernize its finance operations without adding headcount or complexity.

Libra continues to explore new automation opportunities across HR, analytics, and expense management, viewing DataBlend as a strategic platform for ongoing digital transformation.