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You've tried tracking software ROI in spreadsheets. The process looks like:

Week 1: Spend 6 hours exporting data from 5 different tools Week 2: Spend 4 hours cleaning and formatting Week 3: Spend 3 hours building formulas and charts Week 4: Present results... that are already 3 weeks old

Total time: 13 hours per analysis

If you do this quarterly, that's 52 hours per year of manual work—and the data is always outdated by the time executives see it.

There's a better way: Set up automated ROI tracking once, then get fresh analysis whenever you need it with zero manual work.

What You'll Build​

By the end of this guide (20 minutes), you'll have:

✅ Automated data collection from Salesforce, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Stripe, and Xero ✅ Real-time ROI calculations with revenue attribution ✅ Monthly trend analysis showing costs vs. revenue over time ✅ Executive reports generated automatically with AI insights ✅ Zero ongoing maintenance (runs automatically)

Time to first result: 20 minutes Time to ongoing results: 0 minutes (fully automated)

Prerequisites (5 Minutes)​

Before starting, gather:

1. Business Tool Access​

You need read-only API access to at least one cost source + one revenue source:

Cost sources (pick at least one):

  • QuickBooks Online (most common)
  • Xero
  • Your accounting system with API access

Revenue sources (pick at least one):

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Your CRM with API

Optional but recommended:

  • Stripe (payment processing data)
  • Additional CRMs (if you use multiple)

2. API Credentials​

For each tool you're connecting, you'll need:

Salesforce:

QuickBooks:

HubSpot:

Stripe:

Xero:

Note: All credentials require "read-only" access. You don't need write permissions.

3. Technical Setup​

Install ShedBoxAI:

pip install shedboxai

Requirements:

  • Python 3.8 or newer
  • Internet connection
  • Text editor

That's it. No database, no complex infrastructure.

Step-by-Step Setup (15 Minutes)​

Step 1: Download the Configuration Template (1 min)​

# Download production-ready config
wget /software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

# Or download manually from browser:
# /software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

This template includes:

  • Pre-configured connections for 5 business tools
  • ROI calculation formulas
  • Attribution logic
  • Executive report generation

Step 2: Create Environment Variables File (3 min)​

Create a file named .env in the same directory:

# Salesforce credentials
SALESFORCE_INSTANCE=yourcompany.my.salesforce.com
SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

# QuickBooks credentials
QUICKBOOKS_COMPANY_ID=your_company_id
QUICKBOOKS_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

# HubSpot credentials
HUBSPOT_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

# Stripe credentials
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_your_key_here

# Xero credentials
XERO_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here
XERO_TENANT_ID=your_tenant_id

# OpenAI for AI analysis (optional but recommended)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your_openai_key

# Your company details
COMPANY_NAME="Your Company Inc"

Security note: The .env file stays on your computer. Your credentials never leave your infrastructure.

Step 3: Customize Date Ranges (2 min)​

Open software-roi-calculator-production.yaml and adjust the analysis period:

data_sources:
  salesforce_opportunities:
    options:
      params:
        q: "SELECT ... WHERE CloseDate >= LAST_N_MONTHS:6"
        # Change 6 to desired number of months

Recommended ranges:

  • 6 months: Good for quarterly reviews
  • 12 months: Good for annual analysis
  • 3 months: Good for fast-growing companies tracking trends

Step 4: Test Connection (3 min)​

Run a test to verify your credentials work:

shedboxai run software-roi-calculator-production.yaml --verbose

What you should see:

Loading configuration from: software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

📂 Loading Data Sources (5 sources)
✓ salesforce_opportunities: 47 records loaded
✓ quickbooks_expenses: 23 records loaded
✓ hubspot_deals: 34 records loaded
✓ stripe_charges: 156 records loaded
✓ xero_invoices: 18 records loaded

🔄 Processing Pipeline (3 stages)
✓ contextual_filtering: 5 datasets created
✓ content_summarization: 4 summaries generated
✓ advanced_operations: 2 aggregations completed

✅ Pipeline completed successfully

If you see errors:

  • 401 Unauthorized → Check your API token
  • Connection refused → Check your instance URL
  • No data returned → Check your date range (might be too narrow)

Step 5: Review Your First Analysis (3 min)​

Open the generated file:

cat output/software-roi-analysis.json | python -m json.tool | head -50

You should see:

{
  "software_costs_summary": {
    "TotalAmt_sum": 125000,
    "TotalAmt_mean": 5434.78,
    "TotalAmt_count": 23
  },
  "won_deals_summary": {
    "Amount_sum": 2340000,
    "Amount_mean": 49787.23,
    "Amount_count": 47
  },
  "roi_analysis": {
    "overall_roi": "1772% ROI over 6 months",
    "recommendations": [...]
  }
}

Congratulations! You just calculated your software ROI automatically.

Step 6: Set Up Automated Runs (3 min)​

Schedule monthly analysis:

macOS/Linux (using cron):

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line (runs 1st of every month at 9 AM):
0 9 1 * * cd /path/to/roi-calculator && shedboxai run software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

Windows (using Task Scheduler):

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Create Basic Task
3. Trigger: Monthly, 1st day, 9:00 AM
4. Action: Start program
   Program: C:\Python\python.exe
   Arguments: -m shedboxai.cli run C:\path\to\software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

Cloud option (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions):

  • Upload config to cloud storage
  • Create scheduled function to run monthly
  • Save results to cloud storage or email

Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues​

Issue: "Module not found: shedboxai"​

Cause: ShedBoxAI not installed or wrong Python environment

Fix:

# Make sure you're using Python 3.8+
python --version

# Install ShedBoxAI
pip install shedboxai

# If using virtual environment:
source venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows
pip install shedboxai

Issue: "401 Unauthorized" errors​

Cause: Expired or incorrect API credentials

Fix:

  1. Verify token hasn't expired (most expire after 60-90 days)
  2. Check for typos in .env file
  3. Confirm API permissions include read access
  4. Test credentials directly with curl:
# Test Salesforce
curl https://yourinstance.salesforce.com/services/data/v58.0/query?q=SELECT+Id+FROM+Opportunity+LIMIT+1 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Issue: "No data returned" (0 records)​

Cause: Date range too narrow or no matching data

Fix:

  1. Expand date range: Change LAST_N_MONTHS:6 to LAST_N_MONTHS:12
  2. Check filter conditions match your data
  3. Verify you have closed/won deals in the time period
  4. Run test query directly in tool's interface (Salesforce Workbench, etc.)

Issue: Template rendering fails​

Cause: Missing fields or incorrect field names

Fix:

  1. Check which fields exist in your actual data
  2. Update template to use correct field names
  3. Refer to test-config.yaml for working field mappings
  4. See troubleshooting guide: https://shedboxai.com/docs/troubleshooting

What to Do With Your Results​

Week 1: Identify Quick Wins​

Look for:

  • Unused licenses: Cancel immediately (avg. $28K/year saved)
  • Zombie subscriptions: Former employee accounts still active
  • Redundant tools: Multiple tools doing same job

Week 2: Share with Finance​

Create executive summary:

Software ROI Analysis - Q3 2024

Total Software Spend: $125,000
Revenue Attributed: $2,340,000
Overall ROI: 1,772%

Top Performers:
- Salesforce: 3,614% ROI
- Stripe: 9,900% ROI
- HubSpot: 2,261% ROI

Optimization Opportunities:
- Cut unused analytics licenses: $22K savings
- Eliminate duplicate CRM: $15K savings
- Downgrade design tool tier: $8K savings

Total Quick Wins: $45K/year

Week 3: Implement Changes​

Start with safe cuts:

  • Cancel obvious waste
  • Downgrade overprovisioned licenses
  • Consolidate redundant tools

Avoid cutting:

  • Anything with >500% ROI
  • Mission-critical infrastructure
  • Tools with strong revenue attribution

Week 4: Set Up Monthly Reviews​

Schedule monthly 30-minute reviews:

  • Check for new zombie subscriptions
  • Monitor cost growth rate
  • Track ROI changes over time
  • Adjust tool usage based on performance

Next-Level: Advanced Configuration​

Once basic setup works, enhance with:

Custom date ranges per tool:

salesforce_opportunities:
  query: "WHERE CloseDate >= 2024-01-01"  # Specific date

quickbooks_expenses:
  query: "WHERE TxnDate >= LAST_N_DAYS:90"  # Rolling 90 days

Additional data sources:

  • Add your project management tool
  • Include HR system for headcount data
  • Connect marketing platforms

Custom metrics:

advanced_operations:
  roi_by_department:
    source: "software_costs"
    group_by: "department"
    aggregate:
      total_cost: "SUM(TotalAmt)"
      avg_cost_per_person: "SUM(TotalAmt) / COUNT(DISTINCT user_id)"

You're Done: ROI Tracking on Autopilot​

What you built: ✅ Automated data collection (no manual exports) ✅ Real-time ROI calculations (always current) ✅ Monthly trend tracking (catch waste early) ✅ Executive reporting (AI-generated insights)

Time invested: 20 minutes Ongoing time: 0 minutes Annual value: $50K-$150K in waste identified (average)

Your software stack is now optimized automatically.

Download the Full Configuration​

Production config: software-roi-calculator-production.yaml

Documentation: Complete ROI Calculator Guide

20 minutes to setup. $100K+ in savings. Stop procrastinating.