Read this before you set up MRR, ARR and other SaaS metrics, so the numbers are right the first time. Check each item below and follow its link if you need the steps.
Connections
- Your accounting system, connected to ScaleXP. See Getting started with Xero or Getting started with QuickBooks.
- Invoices imported from early enough to cover the customer history you want to review. See Data sync for invoices and bills.
- Stripe, if you invoice through it. See Stripe integration overview.
- A CRM, if you want contracts and renewals alongside your metrics. See Subscription management and renewal tracking: Getting started with CRM integration.
- A Google Sheet, if some metrics come from outside your accounting system and CRM. See How to add live metrics through Google Sheets.
Access you need
- In Xero, a login with Standard or Adviser permission. See What level of Xero access do I need to import data?
- In QuickBooks Online, Admin access. See What level of QuickBooks do I need to import data?
- In HubSpot, the App Marketplace Access permission. See What level of access do I need to import HubSpot data?
Set up in ScaleXP first
- Your P&L and balance sheet configured. See How to configure your P&L and balance sheet in ScaleXP (single company).
- The Customers tab checked, so ScaleXP reads your invoice dates correctly. MRR and ARR come from the reports on this tab. See Revenue setup 1: Configure and validate revenue recognition.
- One-time and recurring revenue kept in separate accounts in your accounting system, if you can. This makes choosing the MRR and ARR accounts a one-time job. See How to add or remove accounts from MRR and ARR.
- The sales and marketing accounts for CAC. Until you choose them, the Costs in CAC metric is blank. See How to set up CAC (customer acquisition costs).
Decide before you start
- Which revenue accounts count as recurring. Setup fees, hardware and consulting usually do not.
- How long a customer can go without revenue before you treat them as lost, and how long before a returning customer counts as new rather than reactivated. These are the Lost after and Reactivated before settings.
- Which metric definitions you want to keep or change. See How to change pre-set SaaS metric definitions and which metrics to use and What is the ScaleXP metric library?
Next step
- Start with Revenue setup 1: Configure and validate revenue recognition, then build your reports with How to create SaaS metric reports.