Financial Record Reconstruction: Recovering Accounting Data from Backup Sources
Your Pastel or Sage company file is corrupted, the backup failed, or ransomware locked the books. Bank feeds alone will not rebuild invoices, journals, or GL balances, and SARS still expects five years of VAT evidence.
We reconstruct accounting data from backups, bank feeds, gateway logs, and system exports so your ledger is Xero or Sage ready again.
Sound Familiar?
These are the exact issues CFOs and financial controllers faced before multi-source reconstruction:
- Your Pastel or Sage company file corrupted after a failed backup, ransomware, or power cut, and finance cannot open the books
- Bank feeds show cash movement but not invoices, journals, VAT codes, or GL balances, so the ledger still cannot close
- Staff are rebuilding months of accounting data by hand from statements at 4–8 hours per month of backlog
- SARS expects five years of VAT invoices, journals, and return evidence, and your audit trail is incomplete
- Payment gateway logs, CRM invoices, and old accounting exports exist in silos, with nobody stitching them into one trial balance
Only 42% of organisations that suffer data loss recover everything from backups (Backblaze 2024). When backups fail or company files corrupt, Sage Pastel data fixes alone can run from R1,100 per hour excluding VAT, and still leave you without invoices or VAT evidence.
What Accounting Data Reconstruction Actually Does
Sources mapped → invoices and journals rebuilt → balances reconciled → VAT-ready evidence handed over.
Inventory Every Source
Backups, bank feeds, gateway logs, CRM invoices, and prior Xero or Sage exports
Rebuild the Ledger
Invoices, journals, tax codes, and GL postings reconstructed period by period
Reconcile Controls
Bank, VAT, AR, and AP control accounts matched so trial balance closes
Handover Live Books
Xero, Sage, or Pastel ready with evidence packs for audit and month-end
Everything You Need for Backup Restoration That Actually Rebuilds the Ledger
Multi-Source Ledger Rebuild
We cross-reference backup databases, bank feeds, payment gateway logs, and Xero, Sage, or Pastel exports to reconstruct invoices, journals, and GL balances.
Invoice & Journal Restoration
Sales invoices, purchase invoices, credit notes, and journal entries are rebuilt with dates, amounts, tax treatments, and account codes, not just bank totals.
VAT-Ready Evidence Packs
Tax invoices, input and output schedules, and control-account reconciliations assembled so SARS VAT audits have documentary proof, not spreadsheet guesses.
Backup Triage & Gap Analysis
We identify which backups are usable, which periods are missing, and where bank or gateway data must fill the holes before anyone re-keys blindly.
Pastel & Sage File Recovery Path
When company-file corruption is the trigger, we combine vendor-style data fixes with multi-source reconstruction so you are not stuck at R1,100 an hour with no ledger.
Clean Handover to Live Books
Opening balances, trial balance, and period locks land in Xero, Sage, or Pastel so finance resumes month-end instead of living in catch-up forever.
Sources and Platforms We Reconstruct From
From 6 Months of Missing Pastel Books to a Closed Trial Balance
How a Gauteng wholesaler recovered invoices, journals, and VAT evidence after a failed backup left the company file unusable.
The Manual Scramble
- Pastel company file corrupted after an incomplete weekend backup restore
- Finance tried to rebuild from bank statements alone at roughly a day per month of backlog
- No reliable invoice register for input or output VAT
- Month-end and a pending facility review both blocked
- Gateway settlement CSVs and old PDF invoices sat unused in shared drives
The Multi-Source Rebuild
- Backup fragments, bank feeds, PayFast logs, and CRM invoices cross-referenced
- Sales and purchase invoices rebuilt with tax codes and GL mapping
- Journals and opening balances posted into a clean Sage environment
- VAT schedules reconciled to control accounts for the missing periods
- Financial controller resumed month-end with an evidence pack on file
Before vs After Financial Recovery
How Financial Record Reconstruction Works
From first conversation to live ledgers in 2–4 weeks for a typical mid-sized gap.
Map What Survived
Which backups, bank feeds, gateway logs, and accounting exports you still have, and which periods are missing.
Free Scoping Call
30-minute call with your CFO or financial controller to scope the gap, VAT exposure, and a realistic rebuild timeline.
Reconstruct & Reconcile
We rebuild invoices, journals, and balances from every trusted source, then reconcile to bank and VAT control accounts.
Handover to Live Ledgers
Clean books in Xero, Sage, or Pastel, with evidence packs and a clear path for ongoing backup discipline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can we not just restore from the bank feed?
Bank feeds show money in and money out. They do not rebuild invoices, journals, VAT codes, customer and supplier balances, or GL postings. SARS and your auditors need accounting data reconstruction, not a cash book. We use bank feeds as one source among backups, gateway logs, and accounting exports.
How long does financial record reconstruction take?
A focused 3–6 month gap with usable backups and exports often completes in 2–4 weeks. A full year rebuilt mainly from bank statements can take 4–8 weeks or more, because catch-up bookkeeping alone runs 4–8 hours per month of backlog for a typical small business. We give you a timeline after scoping, not a vague promise.
Do you work with corrupted Pastel and Sage company files?
Yes. Sage Pastel data fixes for non-cover clients are billed from around R1,100 per hour excluding VAT, and that still may not restore missing periods. We combine file repair where possible with multi-source financial recovery so invoices, journals, and balances return even when the company file alone is not enough.
Will the rebuilt books stand up to a SARS VAT audit?
We aim for VAT-ready evidence: tax invoices, journals, schedules, and reconciliations that support VAT201 figures. Vendors must keep documentary proof for at least five years. Where original invoices cannot be recovered, we document the reconstruction basis and flag residual risk honestly.
What sources do you use for accounting data reconstruction?
Backup databases and company-file archives, bank and card feeds, payment gateway settlement reports, CRM or billing invoice exports, prior Xero, Sage, or Pastel backups, and signed PDFs where they still exist. The more sources we have, the less you rely on manual re-keying.
How much does financial record reconstruction cost?
Focused period rebuilds typically start around R45,000. Multi-year reconstruction, Pastel or Sage corruption recovery, and SARS-ready VAT packs usually range from R75,000 to R180,000. Against SMB ransomware recovery averages near R10.4 million excluding ransom, or weeks of senior finance time at reconstruction rates, most clients recover the fee inside the first avoided audit or financing delay.
Stop Trying to Rebuild a Ledger from Bank Statements Alone
If your accounting data is missing after a failed backup, ransomware, or a corrupted Pastel or Sage file, every week of statement-only catch-up deepens VAT and financing risk.
Tell us which system failed, which periods are missing, and what backups, bank feeds, or gateway exports you still hold. We will show you how multi-source financial recovery would restore invoices, journals, and VAT-ready evidence for your business.