How does ml-connector handle Sage 50's local SDK requirement and exclusive file access?

ml-connector runs a Windows process on the same machine or LAN as the Sage 50 company files. It uses the Sage 50 SDK (or legacy COM layer on UK editions) to poll for changes every 5-15 minutes and maintains exclusive file access so no interactive user can be logged in at the same time. The integration user is created in Sage 50 with appropriate permissions, and ml-connector queues transactions to avoid conflicts.

Does the sync work with both Sage 50 US and UK editions?

Yes. The US edition uses the .NET SDK or COM/ODBC; the UK edition uses Sage Data Objects. ml-connector abstracts these differences, but complex transaction types not supported by the .NET SDK may require fallback to the COM layer. A pre-integration discovery step confirms which transaction types your company uses and which layer supports them.

What happens if a purchase order or cost code in Procore doesn't exist in Sage 50?

If a cost code in Procore has no matching GL account in Sage 50, ml-connector flags the record in its audit log and halts the sync for that transaction until the GL account is created. Similarly, if a vendor in Procore is new, ml-connector creates it in Sage 50 on the next poll cycle. New projects in Procore are mapped to Sage 50 project codes via a configuration table so costs land on the correct GL line.

Sage 50Procore

Sage 50 and Procore integration

Sage 50 holds your accounting ledger and vendor data. Procore tracks project budgets, commitments, and costs. Connecting the two keeps your project financials in sync with your accounting records. New vendors in Sage 50 flow into Procore to avoid duplicate setups, purchase orders and requisitions sync to ensure budget accuracy, and project cost actuals feed back into your GL for month-end close without manual re-entry.

How Sage 50 works

Sage 50 is a Windows desktop accounting application sold in US and UK editions. It exposes vendors, customers, purchase invoices, sales invoices, purchase orders, general journal entries, accounts, and employee records through a local SDK. The US edition uses a .NET SDK or legacy COM/ODBC layer; the UK edition uses Sage Data Objects COM/ActiveX DLLs. Both require Windows-local username and password authentication and direct file access on the same machine or LAN. Sage 50 has no native webhooks, so integration requires polling with a 5-15 minute interval for near-real-time sync or hourly for routine ERP use. A Windows process with exclusive access to the company data files runs the queries.

How Procore works

Procore is a cloud construction management platform accessed via REST API over HTTPS. It exposes vendors, purchase order contracts, requisitions, payment applications, contract payments, budget line items, cost codes, change orders, and direct costs. Procore authenticates with OAuth 2.0 client credentials issued to a Developer Managed Service Account; tokens expire every 1.5 hours. The API supports webhooks for real-time event push on create, update, and delete actions. All endpoints require a company_id, and project-scoped endpoints also require a project_id. Procore returns 2xx responses within 5 seconds and relies on a custom header for webhook security.

What moves between them

Vendor records flow from Sage 50 into Procore so project teams see a single vendor list without duplication. Purchase orders and requisitions flow from Procore back to Sage 50 at contract close or approval, creating PO records in the GL for budget tracking. Project cost actuals and direct costs move from Procore into Sage 50 as journal entries allocated to the correct GL accounts and projects, so your GL reflects real project spend. The main sync cadence is poll-based from Sage 50 every 5-15 minutes, with webhook push from Procore in real time when supported; some transactions may appear in Sage 50 with a short delay due to the desktop SDK's polling model.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector runs a Windows process with the Sage 50 SDK installed and direct file access, polling for modified vendors, invoices, and orders by LastModifiedDate or TransactionDate. On the Procore side, ml-connector holds the OAuth 2.0 client credentials and refreshes the bearer token on each 401 response, managing the 1.5-hour expiry. Vendors from Sage 50 are matched to Procore vendors by name or a configurable external ID; if no match is found, a new vendor is created. Purchase orders in Procore are converted to Sage 50 purchase invoice records with the project cost center embedded as a Sage 50 project code. Project cost actuals from Procore are rolled up by cost code and GL account, then posted as journal entries in Sage 50, so month-end reconciliation includes actual project spend. The Sage 50 SDK does not support all transaction types in the full COM API, so complex invoices or older transaction types may require manual mapping or a fallback to COM/ODBC. ml-connector tracks which records have been synced and retries transient failures, with a full audit log for every record and replay capability if a downstream step fails.

A real-world example

A mid-sized commercial construction firm uses Sage 50 for accounting and Procore for project tracking and costs. Before the integration, the accounting team exported project costs from Procore weekly and re-entered them as GL journal entries in Sage 50, mapping cost codes to GL accounts by hand and always uncertain which projects' actuals made it into the books. With Sage 50 and Procore connected, project costs flow automatically into Sage 50 each day, allocated to the correct GL accounts and projects, and vendors created in Procore are instantly available in Sage 50 without re-setup. Month-end close starts with the GL already reflecting all project spend, and the accounting team has a full audit trail of every cost and its project origin.

What you can do

Sync vendor records from Sage 50 into Procore so the project team sees a single authoritative vendor list.
Create purchase invoice records in Sage 50 when purchase orders or requisitions close in Procore, with cost center allocation via project codes.
Flow project cost actuals and direct costs from Procore into Sage 50 as GL journal entries, allocated by cost code and GL account.
Authenticate Sage 50 via Windows local SDK and Procore via OAuth 2.0 client credentials, managing token expiry and Sage 50 exclusive file access.
Poll Sage 50 every 5-15 minutes and handle Procore webhooks in real time, with retries and a full audit trail for every record.

Questions

How does ml-connector handle Sage 50's local SDK requirement and exclusive file access?: ml-connector runs a Windows process on the same machine or LAN as the Sage 50 company files. It uses the Sage 50 SDK (or legacy COM layer on UK editions) to poll for changes every 5-15 minutes and maintains exclusive file access so no interactive user can be logged in at the same time. The integration user is created in Sage 50 with appropriate permissions, and ml-connector queues transactions to avoid conflicts.
Does the sync work with both Sage 50 US and UK editions?: Yes. The US edition uses the .NET SDK or COM/ODBC; the UK edition uses Sage Data Objects. ml-connector abstracts these differences, but complex transaction types not supported by the .NET SDK may require fallback to the COM layer. A pre-integration discovery step confirms which transaction types your company uses and which layer supports them.
What happens if a purchase order or cost code in Procore doesn't exist in Sage 50?: If a cost code in Procore has no matching GL account in Sage 50, ml-connector flags the record in its audit log and halts the sync for that transaction until the GL account is created. Similarly, if a vendor in Procore is new, ml-connector creates it in Sage 50 on the next poll cycle. New projects in Procore are mapped to Sage 50 project codes via a configuration table so costs land on the correct GL line.

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