Before creating a budget in Cephai, it helps to understand two things: how your budget data connects to CINC, and what information to have on hand before you start. Knowing where your data lives and how it syncs between systems saves you from confusion later, and gathering the right supporting documents up front helps Cephai generate more accurate, useful recommendations from the start.
How Cephai Works with CINC
Cephai and CINC work together throughout the budgeting process. Knowing how information flows between them helps you understand where your budget data is stored, how changes are synchronized, and which system controls posting and ongoing financial management.
When you create a budget in Cephai:
A draft budget is also created in CINC.
Budget values remain synchronized between both systems, so there is no manual reconciliation. Changes made in one system show up in the other.
All edits to shared budget data are reflected in both applications.
AI-specific information, such as AI Notes, is available only in Cephai.
Item Notes are shared between both locations.
Assessment data is not pushed into CINC, so it needs to be updated directly in CINC.
The finalized budget is ultimately posted in CINC, making it the official budget for your association.
Gathering Supporting Documents
Historical financial data tells you what happened. Supporting documents help explain what will happen next.
Documents such as vendor contracts, reserve studies, insurance renewals, management agreements, planned project information, and income statements provide additional context that historical spending alone cannot capture.
Whenever possible, gather these documents before creating a budget. Uploading them during budget creation allows Cephai to incorporate their information and generate more accurate recommendations and financial insights. You can also add documents later, but doing so causes Cephai to reanalyze the budget using the new information.
Notes:
The system accepts documents in the following formats for upload: PDF (.pdf), image files (.png, .jpg, .jpeg), Word documents (.docx, .doc), Excel files (.xlsx, .xls), and CSV (.csv).
Cephai applies recommended dollar amounts directly to the matching budget line items once you confirm the GL account matches.