Can our ERP history be licensed to AI companies, and how do we get it out?

Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research

What lives in an ERP, and why is it valuable?

An ERP (enterprise resource planning system) ties together a company's accounting, purchasing, sales orders, inventory, production, and sometimes payroll. Common examples include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, NetSuite, SAP, Acumatica, and Epicor.

Buyers building operations and finance tools may value how real orders, purchases, and stock moves connect. A sales order linked to its pick, shipment, invoice, and payment shows a full business process. Those links are a large part of the value.

How do ERP exports generally work?

Most ERPs offer three routes: exporting lists or reports to spreadsheets, bulk export tools for administrators, and APIs or database connections. Exact steps vary by product and version, so start with the vendor's own help pages.

Two examples from vendor documentation, as of October 2026:

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Microsoft says any list, journal, or worksheet can be opened in Excel. Users need the D365 Excel Export Action permission set or the Allow Action Export To Excel system permission. For a move to another system, Microsoft suggests exporting the chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items, and general ledger entries.
• NetSuite: Oracle says the Full CSV Export (CSV is a plain spreadsheet format) is limited to the Administrator role, and saved searches and reports can also be exported to CSV. See our NetSuite page.

Who has to be involved?

Plan on an ERP administrator, and often the company's ERP partner or consultant. They know where custom fields and add-on modules store data. If you run several companies or entities in one ERP, each may need its own export.

Is an export required?

Some buyer programs read the ERP through a read-only connector instead of asking for files. In an ERP this usually runs under a service account, so the safe setup is a read-only role limited to the modules, entities and dates in the license. Ask the buyer what the account can see, where copies are stored, and how they are deleted when the work ends.

What should stay out?

• Payroll, HR, and employee bank details.
• Customer and supplier bank accounts, card data, and tax ID numbers.
• Contact names and addresses, unless de-identified.
• Negotiated prices and terms under confidentiality clauses.
• Regulated data, such as health-related items or export-controlled product details.

What rights questions apply?

ERP vendors' terms generally let customers export their own data. Licensing is different. Customer and supplier contracts often include confidentiality clauses that cover pricing and volumes, and employee data is protected by privacy laws such as the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). Talk to your lawyer and accountant before sharing.

Where should you start with ERP data?

Start by listing which ERP modules and legal entities you run, and how many years each covers, since multi-entity setups often need separate exports and separate rights checks. Bring in your ERP partner early to locate custom fields and add-on modules. For a sample, a few hundred linked order-to-cash records with names and bank details removed is usually enough to show what the history holds; see What is a data sample, and should you share one?.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.