Xero connector: setup, authentication, and schema
Set up the Xero connector in Kaivo: authentication, configuration, the 21 BigQuery tables it syncs, and answers to common questions.
Written By Lauri Raivio
Last updated About 7 hours ago
Kaivo is a fully managed data platform that syncs your Xero data into a Google BigQuery warehouse and keeps it up to date automatically. There is no pipeline to build and no infrastructure to run, so you can spend your time analysing your payment and finance data instead of moving it.
What is the Xero connector
Sync your Xero accounting data into BigQuery with Kaivo to analyse invoices, payments, and the ledger in one place.
Getting started with the Xero connector
- Sign up for Kaivo and create a workspace.
- Connect your Xero account.
- Choose which tables to sync.
- Wait for the initial sync to finish.
- Query your data in BigQuery or your favourite AI or BI tool.
Authenticating Xero
Authenticate with your Xero credentials. You provide:
Prerequisites
This connector uses a Xero Custom Connection, a paid Xero add-on that is available only for Xero organisations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, or the US. Each Custom Connection links to a single organisation.
- In the Xero Developer portal, create a Custom Connection app for your organisation and note its Client ID and Client Secret.
- Find your Tenant ID (your organisation's ID), e.g. from the Xero
GET /connectionsAPI response.
Then enter those values below.
If your organisation is in another region or on a different plan, this method isn't available — reach our team via the chat in the bottom-right corner and we'll help you connect.
Configuring the Xero connector
When you set up the connector, you provide:
Tables and columns synced from Xero
Kaivo syncs 21 tables from Xero into a dedicated dataset in your BigQuery warehouse. Click any table to see its columns and types.
How the Xero sync works
After the first load, Kaivo keeps your BigQuery warehouse up to date for you. Where Xero supports it, each sync pulls only new and changed records so it stays fast; otherwise it refreshes the whole table. Every record keeps its original ID, so you won't get duplicate rows.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the initial sync take for Xero?
It depends on how much history is in your Xero account. Most initial syncs finish within minutes, while large accounts can take a few hours. After that, syncs only fetch new and changed records, so they're much faster.
Can I sync only some tables or columns?
Yes. You pick which tables to sync when you set up the connection and can change the selection later. Tables you don't select are never copied to your warehouse.
What happens when Xero's schema changes?
New fields are never added automatically. You choose which fields to sync, so data you haven't selected (sensitive personal data, for example) never lands in your warehouse. When a new field appears, it becomes available for you to add. What happens to removed or renamed fields depends on a table's sync mode: full-refresh tables always match what's currently in Xero, so dropped fields disappear, while incremental tables keep their existing columns and history, so an old field stays and newly added fields fill in over time.
How do I handle GDPR or data deletion requests?
Your data lives in your own Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, so the most direct option is to delete or anonymise specific records right in BigQuery. If you delete data in Xero instead, full-refresh tables drop it on the next sync, while incremental tables keep it, so you would remove the row in BigQuery or ask us to run a full refresh. To remove everything, delete the Xero connector in Kaivo and all of its synced data is deleted with it.
Common use cases for Xero data
Financial reporting
Use accounts and manual_journals to build reports across your ledger.
Receivables and payables
Join invoices and purchase_orders with payments to track what you owe and are owed.
Cash flow
Use bank_transactions and bank_transfers to track money in and out over time.
Customer revenue
Use contacts with invoices to measure revenue by customer.
Use Xero data in your AI and BI tools
Once Xero data lands in your Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, you can explore it with AI tools or any BI tool that connects to BigQuery. Here's how the most common destinations work with Xero data.
Claude
Use Kaivo's MCP server to give Claude secure, workspace-scoped access to your data. Setup guide →
Power BI
Microsoft's BI tool with a native BigQuery connector. Supports direct query and scheduled refresh. Setup guide →
Data Studio
Free Google BI tool with native BigQuery support. One-click connection to your Kaivo warehouse; great for SMB teams on Google Workspace. Setup guide →
Tableau
The premium analytics standard, with native BigQuery integration. Setup guide →
Google Sheets
Use Connected Sheets to query BigQuery directly from a spreadsheet, with no SQL. Setup guide →
Excel
Connect via Power Query's BigQuery connector. Setup guide →
Metabase
Open-source BI tool with strong BigQuery support. Setup guide →
See our pricing page for Xero connector pricing and plan details.