If you're fluent in Xero and new to Sterling, start here. If you're fluent in Sterling and want to know what to look for in Xero, this works both ways.
Connection and setup
In Sterling | In Xero | What it means |
Ledger connection | Connected app / Integration | The OAuth link between Sterling and one of your Xero organisations. Managed in Sterling under Skills → Ledger Connections; visible in Xero under Settings → Connected apps. |
Accounting system | Xero (or another GL like Business Central) | Sterling's generic term for the ledger you've connected. On Xero, it's your Xero organisation. |
Organisation | Organisation | Same term in both. One Xero organisation = one Ledger connection in Sterling. |
Tenant (API context) | Xero tenant | The API‑level identifier for an organisation. You'll rarely see this term as a user; it appears in logs and the Xero Developer portal. |
Skill | — | A Sterling capability (e.g. "Xero", "Invoice Understanding"). Enabled under Skills → All Skills. Xero doesn't have a direct equivalent. |
Account | — | Your Sterling account — like a Xero organisation, but for Sterling itself. One account can connect to many Xero organisations. |
Data Sterling pulls from Xero
In Sterling | In Xero | What it means |
Chart of Accounts | Chart of Accounts | Identical term. The list of GL accounts used for coding transactions. |
GL account/ Account code | Account (e.g. 429) | A single account in your Chart of Accounts. Sterling picks one when coding a bill; you'll see it as "Account" in Xero's bill editor. |
Tax rate | Tax rate | Identical. Sterling uses whatever tax rates exist in your Xero organisation (e.g. "15% GST on Expenses"). |
Tracking category | Tracking category | Identical term. Used for departments, regions, etc. |
Contact / Supplier | Contact | Xero uses "Contact" for both customers and suppliers. Sterling often says "supplier" when the context is bill filing. |
Bill | Bill | Identical. An incoming invoice from a supplier. Stored in Xero under Business → Bills to pay. |
Invoice | Invoice (sales) | Heads‑up: "Invoice" is ambiguous. In Sterling, an "invoice" usually means the supplier bill you're filing. In Xero, "Invoice" specifically means a sales invoice you're issuing to a customer. Sterling files bills, not sales invoices. |
Attachment | Attachment | Identical. The original PDF attached to a bill. |
Workflow
In Sterling | In Xero | What it means |
Task | — | A description of a type of work, e.g. "File an invoice in Xero". No direct Xero equivalent |
Run | — | A Sterling unit of work, e.g. "File invoice INV‑1001". Has an activity log showing every step Sterling took. No direct Xero equivalent. |
Filing an invoice | Creating a Draft bill | When Sterling "files" an invoice, it creates a Draft bill in Xero with the PDF attached. Sterling never posts approved bills. |
Draft bill | Draft | Identical status in Xero. Editable, not yet approved, not yet reflected in your P&L. |
Approval (in Sterling) | Approve (in Xero) | Sterling's Approvals section queues bills for human review. The final approval step always happens in Xero, where a user clicks Approve on the bill. |
Inbox | — | Sterling's view of actions that require a user to respond. No Xero equivalent. |
History & Notes | History & Notes | Identical. The audit trail on a Xero record. Sterling writes a detailed note here explaining its coding choices. |
Reconcile | Reconcile | Identical concept. Matching bank statement lines to bills and invoices in Xero. Sterling doesn't reconcile; you do that in Xero as usual. |
Permissions and roles
In Sterling | In Xero | What it means |
Xero SSO | Sign in with Xero | Lets your team sign into Sterling using their Xero account. Configured in Settings → Security. |
Common points of confusion
"Invoice" in Sterling vs. "Invoice" in Xero. Sterling customers usually mean a supplier invoice (a bill coming in). Xero's Invoices menu is for sales invoices (going out). Sterling's filings land under Xero's Bills to pay.
"Connected" in Sterling vs. "Active" in Xero. Sterling says Connected on an organisation if its OAuth token is valid. Xero says Active for the overall subscription. A Xero org can be Active in Xero but Disconnected from Sterling if the token was revoked.
"Draft" status. Sterling always files as Draft. Xero's Draft status means the bill is saved but not approved, so it doesn't appear in reports or affect your payables balance until a human approves it.