Use Cases

Puzzle is designed to be flexible. Whether you’re solving for internal reporting or delivering customer-facing insights, the API provides the tools to build it efficiently and securely. Some common ways developers use the Puzzle API include:

Instant Accounting Setup for Platform Users

Scenario

A platform wants to offer integrated accounting services to its users — such as automated bookkeeping or financial reporting — without requiring manual onboarding or configuration.

Solution

One-Click Customer Creation: Automatically create a new accounting environment for each user with a single API call when they sign up or activate accounting features.
Seamless Integration: Connect the accounting environment to the user’s data (e.g., transactions, revenue, expenses) directly from the platform.
Ongoing Sync: Stream user data into the accounting backend in real time, enabling continuous bookkeeping and up-to-date reporting.

Benefits

Allows platforms to offer accounting as a native feature with zero setup friction
Delivers immediate value to users with ready-to-go reporting and insights
Reduces onboarding complexity for both users and support teams
Unlocks new revenue opportunities by embedding accounting directly into the product

Financial Analytics for Inventors and FP&A Tools

Scenario

A financial planning and analysis (FP&A) tool needs real-time financial data for modeling, forecasting, and insights.

Solution

Data Access: Retrieve detailed, structured financial data with full metadata through the Puzzle API.
Historical Data: Access historical records for trend analysis and projections.

Benefits

Enables precise forecasting and planning
Improves model accuracy with current data
Supports strategic financial decision-making

Embedded Accounting for SaaS Platforms

Scenario

A SaaS product wants to offer native accounting capabilities without building a system from the ground up.

Solution

GL Integration: Record financial activity using Journal Entries and Journal Events via the Puzzle API.
Industry-Specific Rules: Apply tailored accounting logic based on your vertical’s requirements.
Dual-Mode Accounting: Let users toggle between cash and accrual views effortlessly.

Benefits

Increases platform value with embedded accounting features
Accelerates time-to-market and lowers development costs
Gives users clear, contextual financial insight.
Reduces operational complexity
Increases trust through financial transparency

Real-Time Financial Features for Fintech Apps

Scenario

A fintech application manages user payments, transfers, or spending, and wants to provide real-time financial tracking and insights by automatically recording revenue and expenses.

Solution

Transaction Syncing: Stream payments, disbursements, and other financial activity from the app into Puzzle in real time.
Revenue Tracking: Automatically recognize and categorize inbound payments as revenue, giving users visibility into income streams.
Expense Classification: Capture outgoing transactions such as vendor payments, card purchases, or reimbursements, and categorize them by type (e.g., software, marketing, operations).
Operational Metrics: Generate financial insights like net burn, cash flow, and runway based on up-to-date income and expense data.
Embedded Reporting: Present financial summaries and trends directly within the fintech product, helping users understand their financial health at a glance.

Benefits

Provides users with a full picture of revenue, expenses, and profitability
Drives engagement with timely, in-app financial insights
Differentiates the product with automated bookkeeping and reporting
Reduces manual work by tracking and categorizing financial activity behind the scenes

Financial Management for E-commerce Platforms

Scenario

An e-commerce platform needs a reliable way to track financial activity across sales, payments, and inventory.

Solution

Transactional Ingestion: Import payment and sales data through the Puzzle API.
Inventory Accounting: Automatically record COGS and inventory movements using Journal Entries.

Benefits

Simplifies operational finance
Reduces manual reconciliation errors
Improves accuracy of financial reports

Advanced Analytics for Business Intelligence Platforms

Scenario

A BI platform aims to provide advanced financial reporting and visualizations.

Solution

Rich Data Access: Connect to Puzzle’s data lake to extract structured financial datasets.
Performance Metrics: Leverage metrics like MRR, ARR, and cash flow for reporting.
Custom Dashboards: Power interactive, real-time visualizations with financial insights.

Benefits

Drives actionable insights from financial data
Expands the platform’s value for finance teams
Supports data-backed business decisions

Headless Accounting Infrastructure for Software Platforms

Scenario

An accounting software company is building a modern, customized user experience and needs a reliable, scalable backend to handle the core accounting engine — including journal entries, ledgers, and reporting logic.

Solution

Backend Accounting Engine: Use Puzzle to power the core general ledger, including journal entries, balances, and real-time accounting logic.
Custom Frontend Experience: Build a fully branded, differentiated user interface on top of Puzzle’s API, tailored to the needs of specific user segments.
Accounting Policy Control: Implement bespoke accounting workflows, including custom rules for revenue recognition, expense treatment, and cash/accrual handling.
Data Ownership and Portability: Keep full control of the user experience, user data, and product roadmap while offloading the complexity of building and maintaining accounting infrastructure.

Benefits

Accelerates product development by leveraging a battle-tested accounting backend
Enables full control over design, onboarding flows, and UX
Supports industry-specific logic without reinventing the core accounting engine
Provides scalability and compliance-ready infrastructure without in-house complexity

Streamlined Bookkeeping for Accounting Firms

Scenario

An accounting firm manages financial records for multiple clients and seeks to streamline operations through automation and efficient communication.

Solution

Source Data Ingestion: Ingest clients' financial data from various sources such as bank transactions, payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable.
AI-Powered Categorization: Automatically classify transactions using machine learning, reducing the need for manual input.
Real-Time Financial Statements: Deliver continuously updated financial reports that reflect the latest activity.
Integrated Client Collaboration: Enable bookkeepers and clients to communicate directly on specific transactions or questions within the platform, eliminating back-and-forth over email and keeping all context in one place.

Benefits

Saves time and reduces errors in data entry
Improves turnaround time for closing books
Enhances client service with faster response times and clearer context
Allows accountants to focus on advisory and strategic support

Accounting as a Tool for AI Agent Platforms

Scenario

An AI agent platform enables developers or users to build intelligent agents that perform business tasks. These agents need access to accounting capabilities such as recording transactions, generating reports, or answering financial questions as part of their workflows.

Solution

Programmatic Access to Accounting: Use Puzzle’s API to allow agents to create journal entries, categorize transactions, or retrieve financial statements on demand.
Tooling Integration: Expose accounting functions as a “tool” or plugin that agents can call when handling tasks like closing the books, reconciling expenses, or preparing summaries.
Context-Aware Queries: Allow agents to pull financial metrics (e.g., monthly spend, cash position, burn rate) and use them to generate insights or recommendations.
Secure Multi-Tenant Access: Support agent-driven accounting across multiple user workspaces or organizations, with secure, scoped access to each.

Benefits

Enables AI agents to perform real accounting work as part of broader automation flows
Makes financial data and actions accessible in natural language or agent logic
Helps platforms expand their capabilities into finance and operations
Reduces the need for custom-built accounting logic in every agent