Automated cash flow forecasting based on sales/purchases

Purpose

1. Automate daily, weekly, or monthly cash flow forecasting for an automotive electrical parts wholesaler by collecting real-time sales and purchase data, predicting short- and long-term liquidity needs, flagging risks, and supporting rapid financial decision-making.

2. Reduce manual spreadsheet work, ensure finance teams focus on analysis, and enhance compliance with regulatory and audit requirements.

3. Deliver up-to-date forecasts to CFOs via preferred channels, integrate seamlessly with bank statements, and provide customizable forecast horizons.

Trigger Conditions

1. New sales invoice recorded in ERP or accounting platform.

2. Receipt of purchase order or supplier invoice.

3. Daily scheduled batch trigger (e.g., every evening at 7pm).

4. End-of-month closing event detected in accounting software.

5. Update from bank feed or transaction reconciliation.

Platform Variants

1. QuickBooks Online

• API: SalesReceipt, Purchase, Reports; Configuration: API polling + OAuth, interval = 1 hour.
  

2. Xero

• API: GET Invoices, GET BankTransactions, POST Reports; Configuration: Webhook + scheduled function.
  

3. Sage Intacct

• API: GeneralLedger, ARInvoice, APBill; Configuration: Scheduled fetch nightly.
  

4. Microsoft Dynamics 365

• API: SalesOrder, PurchaseOrder, CashFlow forecast endpoint; Configuration: Custom workflow, flow scheduled daily.
  

5. SAP Business One

• Service Layer: BusinessPartners, Invoices, Payments; Configuration: On-change trigger via webhook.
  

6. Oracle NetSuite

• REST API: TransactionSearch, CashFlowStatement; Configuration: User event scripts for update triggers.
  

7. Zoho Books

• API: GetInvoices, GetExpenses; Configuration: Polling every 6 hours.
  

8. MYOB

• API: GET Sales, GET Purchases; Configuration: Batch fetch every morning.
  

9. FreshBooks

• API: List Invoices, List Expenses; Configuration: Scheduled GET, 30-minute interval.
  

10. Square

• API: Transactions, Payments; Configuration: Real-time event hooks.
  

11. Stripe

• API: Balance, PaymentIntents; Configuration: Webhook for new payment received.
  

12. PayPal

• API: Transaction Search; Configuration: Daily cron-triggered fetch.
  

13. Plaid

• API: Transactions, Balance; Configuration: Scheduled nightly fetch for cash balances.
  

14. Google Sheets

• API: Append/Read Rows; Configuration: Sheet change trigger, formula recalculation.
  

15. Power BI

• API: Refresh Dataset, DAX measures; Configuration: Data refresh schedule set to “every 2 hours.”
  

16. Tableau

• REST API: Refresh Extract, GET Workbook; Configuration: Nightly extract refresh.
  

17. Domo

• Connector: Financial Data Source, Scheduled DataSync; Configuration: Sync set for 11pm daily.
  

18. HubSpot

• API: Deals, Pipelines; Configuration: Deal stage change triggers.
  

19. Salesforce

• REST API: Opportunity, Invoice; Configuration: New/modified Opportunity trigger.
  

20. Mailchimp

• API: Campaigns, Reports; Configuration: Automated forecast email with attached report.
  

Benefits

1. Real-time cash position monitoring eliminates manual errors.

2. Early identification of cash gaps or surpluses.

3. Reduces time spent on manual forecasting by up to 80%.

4. Improves regulatory compliance and auditability.

5. Enables data-driven, rapid financial decisions for wholesale alternator and electrical part suppliers.

6. Facilitates multi-channel report delivery and integration with popular financial dashboards.