Many managing directors (Geschäftsführer) in the German Mittelstand — the country's mid-sized, largely owner-managed companies — face a decision in 2026 that they have been putting off for some time: DATEV Mittelstand Faktura — the accounting product that hundreds of thousands of SMEs in Germany have used for years — will be discontinued for good on 31 December 2026. DATEV itself, the cooperative owned by Germany's Steuerberater (licensed tax advisers) and one of the country's central accounting software providers, has officially confirmed the termination of article numbers 93600 (Mittelstand Faktura) and 93500 (Mittelstand Faktura ITU). At the same time, DATEV Unternehmen online will also end for all users of these products.
This is neither a rumour nor a distant prospect. It is a binding product discontinuation that makes a migration necessary — and one that has to happen this year. The question is no longer whether, but where to.
For many companies, moving to Odoo is the logical consequence: a modern ERP platform that combines accounting compliant with the GoBD (the German principles for the proper keeping and retention of books, records and documents in electronic form), native XRechnung and ZUGFeRD support, and the classic DATEV export for Steuerberater. This guide shows you how such a migration actually runs — step by step, with a focus on GoBD compliance and minimal disruption to your operations.
Why more and more Mittelstand companies are moving from DATEV to Odoo
The discontinuation of DATEV Mittelstand Faktura is a catalyst — but not the only reason to switch. Many of the Geschäftsführer and CFOs we work with describe similar starting positions:
DATEV was built for Steuerberater — not for you. The system is designed on the assumption that your accountancy practice keeps the books and you submit the documents. Anyone who wants to post entries in-house and see their own figures in real time is working against the logic of the system.
Licence costs rise systematically. DATEV has announced that it will increase prices for continuously priced products by 3% per year from 2027. At the same time, the further development of older products such as Mittelstand Faktura has stalled — right up to full discontinuation.
The E-Rechnungspflicht, Germany's mandatory electronic invoicing regime, forces the issue. Since 1 January 2025, companies in Germany have had to be able to receive structured B2B electronic invoices (Wachstumschancengesetz, the Growth Opportunities Act). From 1 January 2027, companies with prior-year turnover above €800,000 must also send structured electronic invoices themselves, in the XRechnung or ZUGFeRD format; from 1 January 2028, the sending obligation applies to all companies. Migrating now settles both matters in a single move.
Odoo is a platform, not a thicket of point solutions. Alongside accounting, Odoo covers sales, purchasing, inventory, CRM, HR and projects in one integrated system. No manual data transfer between separate tools, no double entry.
DATEV vs Odoo: what actually changes
Before you migrate, it is important to understand the fundamental differences — not in order to talk DATEV down, but because the two systems follow a different philosophy. Only once you understand what changes can you plan the migration realistically.
| DATEV | Odoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary target group | Steuerberater + accountancy practices | Companies (in-house accounting) |
| Posting logic | The practice keeps the books, the company submits | The company posts itself, in real time |
| Electronic invoicing | DATEV Unternehmen online (ends 12/2026) | Native: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Peppol |
| Chart of accounts | SKR03 / SKR04 | SKR03 / SKR04 (natively supported) |
| DATEV export | Available as a matter of course | Export for Steuerberater available |
| Integrated ERP | No | Yes (sales, purchasing, inventory, HR …) |
| Bank integration | Limited | Over 26,000 banks worldwide |
What stays the same: your Steuerberater can carry on working in DATEV. Odoo exports postings in the DATEV format — cooperation with your practice continues without friction.
What improves: you see your figures in real time, without waiting for the practice's Monatsabschluss (monthly close). Invoices are created directly in Odoo and sent as XRechnung. And a large share of bank transactions is reconciled with postings automatically — no manual rework.
The five steps to a GoBD-compliant migration
A careful migration follows a proven structure. You do not have to move everything at once — but every step has to be documented and carried out in a GoBD-compliant way.
Step 1: Assess the state of your data and set the migration period
Before a single file is moved, clarify the following:
- Which posting periods are to be migrated? (Recommendation: open financial years and at least the current financial year)
- Which master data (customers, suppliers, chart of accounts) is current and complete?
- Are there open items (accounts receivable, Debitoren; accounts payable, Kreditoren) that have to be carried over at the cut-off date?
A common mistake: companies want to migrate historical DATEV postings going all the way back to 2010. That is rarely necessary. The statutory retention periods follow from the HGB (the German Commercial Code) and the Abgabenordnung (the German Fiscal Code): accounting vouchers have been subject to an eight-year period since 2025 (Viertes Bürokratieentlastungsgesetz, the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act), while books, inventories and annual financial statements remain subject to ten years — this data can, however, stay archived (read-only) in the DATEV system while Odoo takes the lead from the migration cut-off date. That saves considerable migration effort.
Step 2: Transfer the chart of accounts (SKR03 or SKR04)
Odoo natively supports the German standard charts of accounts SKR03 and SKR04. In practice:
- Export the existing DATEV chart of accounts as CSV
- Check the accounts in Odoo (the standard charts of accounts are pre-installed)
- Add individual accounts (for example specific fixed-asset accounts) manually
For most SMEs this step involves less work than expected. The basic structure is already present in Odoo — it is mainly a matter of company-specific adjustments.
Step 3: Migrate master data and open items
DATEV offers various export formats (DATEV ASCII, CSV). Odoo can read these in via an import function or via API. The recommended approach:
- Export customer master data (Debitoren) as CSV and import it into Odoo
- Supplier master data (Kreditoren) in the same way
- Record open items at the migration cut-off date as opening balances in Odoo
Important for GoBD compliance: all historical documents must remain archived in unalterable form. Odoo provides integrated document archiving in PDF/A format. Alternatively, the DATEV archive stays in place in parallel as a read-only system.
Step 4: Set up the electronic invoicing formats
In Odoo you configure, once:
- XRechnung (mandatory for public-sector contracting authorities; B2B sending obligation from 2027 for companies with prior-year turnover above €800,000)
- ZUGFeRD (hybrid format: a printable PDF with embedded XML — preferred by many German B2B partners)
- The Peppol network (Odoo is a certified Peppol Access Point — for cross-border B2B invoicing)
Once configured, Odoo creates and sends all subsequent invoices automatically in the correct format. No manual conversion, no external tool.
Step 5: Parallel operation and go-live
- Test phase (4–6 weeks): Odoo runs in parallel with DATEV; selected postings are compared
- Reconciliation: the trial balances (Summen- und Saldenlisten) from both systems are checked and differences cleared
- Go-live: from a defined cut-off date (ideally the start of a month), Odoo alone keeps the books
- Archive DATEV: the system remains read-only for historical queries and for tax audits (Betriebsprüfungen)
Ensuring GoBD compliance: what you need to observe
The Grundsätze zur ordnungsmäßigen Führung und Aufbewahrung von Büchern (GoBD) apply in the new system too. Odoo meets these requirements — provided the configuration is set up correctly.
Unalterability of postings: once an entry has been posted, it is not deleted. Corrections are made exclusively through reversal postings. Odoo enforces this technically.
Document linking: every posting must be linked to the original document. Odoo stores attachments (PDFs, XML files) directly against the posting concerned — GoBD-compliant, following the principle of traceability (Nachvollziehbarkeit).
Timely recording: the GoBD require prompt recording. With Odoo's AI-assisted document capture, incoming invoices are pre-recorded automatically with a high recognition rate.
Export capability for tax audits: Odoo supports the GoBD-compliant XML export as well as the DATEV export for your Steuerberatung (your tax advisory practice) — both available as standard in the German localisation.
How doo.FINANCE supports your DATEV migration to Odoo
An ERP migration is not a software swap but a process — and it is that process which determines whether your accounting runs smoothly after go-live, or whether you spend months on remedial work.
As an Odoo Gold Partner, doo.FINANCE guides Mittelstand companies through every step of a DATEV migration: from the as-is analysis and the transfer of the chart of accounts, through master data migration, to full electronic invoicing configuration and GoBD documentation. With DATEV Mittelstand Faktura being discontinued on 31 December 2026, there is less time than you might expect. The latest sensible start date for a clean migration is September 2026.
Contact us for a free call →Frequently asked questions about the DATEV to Odoo migration
Can I carry on using DATEV with my Steuerberater?
Yes. Odoo exports postings in the DATEV format (DATEV ASCII / CSV). Your Steuerberater can read the data into DATEV as usual and continue to process it. The migration affects only your internal system — the practice's workflow stays unchanged.
How long does a DATEV to Odoo migration take?
For a typical SME with 10–50 employees, we allow 6 to 12 weeks from the first analysis to go-live. Companies with a complex structure should plan for 3 to 6 months. The latest sensible start date for a clean migration before DATEV's end date is September 2026.
Will I lose my historical DATEV postings?
No. Historical data remains archived in the DATEV system in a GoBD-compliant way (read-only). Odoo keeps the books from the migration cut-off date onwards. There is no statutory requirement to carry historical postings over into the new system.
Is Odoo GoBD-compliant?
Yes. Odoo enforces unalterable archiving of postings, supports document linking in PDF/A format and delivers the GoBD-compliant XML export as well as the DATEV export for audit purposes. The configuration has to be set up correctly — for that we recommend a certified Odoo partner such as doo.FINANCE.
What happens to DATEV Unternehmen online after the migration?
According to DATEV's official announcement, DATEV Unternehmen online will also be terminated for all users of DATEV Mittelstand Faktura on 31 December 2026. That heightens the need to act and makes early migration planning all the more important.