Unit4 Financials by Coda
Author: Nathan Cox August 6, 2026 6 min read

Beyond the Ledger: Why finance teams need more than automation to improve the close

Two professionals wearing visitor badges walk through a bright, modern office atrium with curved architectural features, indoor trees, and collaborative seating areas.

For many finance teams, the financial close remains one of the most demanding parts of the month. It is where accuracy, control, collaboration and speed all have to come together, often under significant time pressure. Yet despite the strategic importance of the close, too many teams still rely on manual reconciliations, spreadsheets, emails and disconnected processes to get the job done.

That was the central theme of our recent webinar, Beyond the Ledger: Bringing AI-Powered Automation and Control to the Close. Together with David van Stolk, Director of Partnerships at Trintech, we explored how finance teams running Unit4 Financials by Coda can modernize the close with Trintech Adra, not by replacing the financial foundation they already trust, but by extending control, visibility and automation across the close process.

Keep reading:

The close is still too manual for too many teams

One of the most striking points from the webinar was how familiar the challenge still is. When we asked attendees which part of the financial close typically requires the most coordination, 68% selected managing spreadsheets, journals or supporting documentation. That response says a lot. It reflects what many finance leaders already know: the close is not just a technical process. It is also a coordination challenge, a control challenge and, increasingly, a visibility challenge.

Unit4 Financials by Coda provides a strong system of record for managing financial data. But the close often extends beyond the Financial management system. Teams need to bring together information from multiple financial and operational systems, validate transactions, manage exceptions, prepare journals, document approvals and provide audit-ready evidence. When much of that work sits in spreadsheets or informal workflows, it becomes harder to see progress, identify risk early or improve the process over time.

Click to read A unique partner experience

Why the Unit4 and Trintech partnership matters

The reason Unit4 and Trintech work well together is that the two solutions play complementary roles. Unit4 Financials by Coda acts as the trusted system of record, while Trintech Adra adds a dedicated close control layer. In practical terms, that means finance teams can keep their financial data foundation intact while adding automation, workflow, reconciliation management, exception handling and audit control around the close.

This is where the value becomes tangible. Together, Coda and Adra can help reduce spreadsheet dependency, minimize manual reconciliation effort, give teams earlier visibility into overdue tasks or close risks, and create a more consistent sign-off process. There is also a ready-built integration between Coda and Adra, and Unit4 uses Adra internally as part of its own finance operations.

Automation is powerful - but control is essential

During the demonstration, David showed how Adra helps bring together data from different source systems, transform it where needed, and automatically match transactions based on defined criteria. The goal is not simply to automate for the sake of automation. It is to remove repetitive manual work so finance teams can focus their time where it matters most: investigating exceptions, reviewing anomalies and making informed decisions.

What I found particularly important is the balance between AI and human oversight. Adra can use AI to help identify relationships between transactions, suggest rule improvements and highlight discrepancies. But it does this within a controlled process, with finance teams remaining in charge of how rules are tested, approved and applied. That matters because the close is not an area where organizations can afford uncontrolled decisions or unclear audit trails.

From spreadsheets to structured workflows

A common concern for finance teams is how to move away from spreadsheet-led reconciliations without trying to transform everything at once. The webinar discussion made it clear that modernization does not have to be a big-bang change. Teams can start by bringing existing spreadsheet-based work into a more controlled environment, while gradually integrating source systems and standardizing workflows over time.

This is an important point for any finance leader considering where to begin. A successful implementation starts with understanding the current process, reviewing data quality, identifying where manual work creates the greatest risk or inefficiency, and then building from there. Technology can enable the improvement, but the best outcomes come when the process itself is reviewed and optimized at the same time.

Visibility changes the way finance teams manage the close

Another key takeaway was the role of visibility. When close activities are spread across spreadsheets, inboxes and local files, it is difficult to understand where the process stands in real time. Adra brings tasks, reconciliations, supporting documentation, approvals, comments and audit history into one controlled environment. That gives finance teams a clearer view of what has been completed, what still needs attention and where material risks may exist.

Adra strengthens visibility and compliance by centralizing reconciliations, tasks, journal entries, supporting documentation and audit history in a single, auditable platform. Instead of searching across spreadsheets, shared drives, emails and folders to investigate issues or locate evidence, finance teams can quickly access the information they need in one place. This reduces manual effort, accelerates issue resolution and audits, and frees teams to focus on more value-added activities.

For organizations with multiple entities, countries or shared service teams, that visibility becomes even more important. Finance leaders need to understand progress across the close, enforce segregation of duties, manage workload and provide evidence to auditors without adding unnecessary complexity. A more standardized process helps teams move faster, but it also helps them close with greater confidence.

 

Two professionals wearing visitor badges walk through a bright, modern office atrium with curved architectural features, indoor trees, and collaborative seating areas.

Beyond the Ledger: Bringing AI-Powered Automation and Control to the Close

Find out more

My reflection: the future of the close is controlled, connected and increasingly intelligent

If there is one reflection I would take from the webinar, it is this: improving the close is not only about doing the same work faster. It is about changing how finance teams work. It is about moving from reactive, spreadsheet-heavy processes to a more controlled, connected and intelligent way of managing the close.

Automation can reduce effort. AI can help identify patterns and exceptions. Integration can bring data together more efficiently. But the real value comes when those capabilities are combined with strong controls, clear ownership, audit-ready evidence and a process that finance teams can trust.

For Unit4 Financials by Coda customers, that is exactly where Trintech Adra can add value. It extends the finance foundation already in place and helps teams modernize the close in a practical, scalable way, without losing the control and assurance that finance depends on.

Where to start

For finance teams looking to improve their close process, the best starting point is to assess where manual work, spreadsheet dependency and limited visibility create the most friction today. From there, teams can prioritize the areas where automation and standardization will deliver the greatest impact, whether that is transaction matching, balance sheet reconciliations, journal entry management, task coordination or audit evidence.

The opportunity is not just to close faster. It is to close with more confidence, stronger control and better insight into the health of the finance process.

To learn more, watch the webinar recording on this page and explore the benefits of the Unit4 and Trintech partnership here and here. You can also learn more about the Trintech AI Platform here: AI Financial Close Platform Smarter Faster Accounting with Trintech AI, or book a demo to see the platform in action.

Sign up to see more like this

Recommended blogs

August 4, 2026 6 min read

What Your Finance Team Was Actually Hired to Do

Read more
Professionals meeting in a modern glass-walled conference room, reviewing business performance dashboards and charts displayed on screens during a collaborative planning session.

July 28, 2026 6 min read

AI in Finance Works Best When the Foundation Is Right. Because Your AI Is Only as Good as Your Ledger.

Read more
A person uses a laptop and smartphone to view AI-powered financial analytics dashboards.

July 21, 2026 6 min read

Your Most Dangerous Financial Tool Has 16,384 Columns

Read more
Business professionals reviewing financial reports and performance metrics during a meeting.

Popular blogs

Subscribe to our blog

Don't miss the latest Unit4 blogs

Sign up for industry insights & exclusive content