When you set up Cortena's accounting preferences, you are giving your AI agent its operating instructions, not filling in generic settings.
The guidelines you provide become the agent's reasoning layer. When Cortena sees an invoice from a vendor, it consults your rules to decide which GL account to use, which cost centre applies, and what VAT code is correct. The richer your instructions, the more the agent can handle without asking you.
Think of it as a briefing document for a highly capable new team member: the more specific and complete it is, the less they need to come back with questions.
Accessing your settings
Path: Settings → Accounting Preferences
You will find a collection of Google Docs that serve as the contextual layer for Cortena's AI agents.
What you can configure
Chart of accounts. Cortena comes pre-loaded with the DATEV (SKR04) chart of accounts. You can narrow it to the accounts your organisation actually uses, add examples per account, and give specific guidelines for how certain vendors or document types should be treated.
Creditor / vendor list. Maintain a list of your suppliers. Cortena uses this to recognise vendors and apply vendor-specific rules.
Booking history. Historical booking patterns help Cortena understand precedent and consistency. The more context you provide, the more accurate the matching.
VAT / tax codes. Define the tax codes used in your jurisdiction and when each applies.
Invoice completeness guidelines. Specify what information must be present on an invoice for your company, beyond standard requirements.
Cost centre allocation. Define your cost centre structure and how expenses should be allocated. If cost centres are based on people, teams, project codes, or combinations, document that logic here and Cortena will apply it consistently.
Tips for configuration
- Start with your existing chart of accounts and refine from there.
- Add examples per account (for example: "Account 4000 · Office supplies: pens, paper, notepads").
- Be specific about vendor rules (for example: "XYZ Corp invoices always use cost centre #5").
- If you have complex allocation logic (projects, departments, extra codes), document it clearly in the cost centre file.
- Test with a few invoices after each change so you can see how Cortena responds. The system is designed to be refined iteratively.
Example configuration
Chart of accounts
- Account 4000 · Office supplies (stationery, pens, paper, binders)
- Account 5000 · IT and software (licenses, subscriptions, hardware)
- Account 6100 · Utilities (electricity, water, internet)
- Account 7200 · Professional services (consulting, legal, accounting)
Cost centres
- Cost centre 01 · Marketing
- Cost centre 02 · Engineering
- Cost centre 03 · Operations
- Cost centre 04 · General management
Next step
Once configured, connect your accounting tool. See Connecting your accounting system. For how to write strong matching rules, see Instructing agents on booking accounts.