BlackLine Controls & Certifications
by BlackLine · SOX & Internal Controls
BlackLine module for SOX controls testing, attestation, audits and certifications.
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.
- Works with
SAP
Oracle
NetSuite
Workday
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance
Sage Intacct- Deployment
- Cloud
- Company size
- Mid-market, Enterprise
- Pricing
- Quote-based
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, United States
Overview
BlackLine markets this offering as "Compliance" within its Financial Close Management platform; its legacy product URL (blackline.com/products/controls-and-certifications) still resolves, reflecting the module's earlier "Controls & Certifications" branding. It is a cloud-based control-management and SOX-compliance tool aimed at Accounting, Finance, Compliance and Internal Audit teams who need to run control testing, attestation and certification workflows alongside the rest of BlackLine's close process.
The module centralises a control library (control matrix) with fields such as process/cycle, sub-process, frequency, key/non-key designation, and manual-vs-automatic control type, and supports SOX 302 and 404 compliance, operational and IT audits, and self-assessments (CSAs) for processes like Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Fixed Assets and ITGC. Each control record carries assertions/COSO mapping, external-auditor information, testing and attribute-testing tabs, and links out to associated risks, reconciliations, variance analysis, tasks and issues.
Because it sits inside the BlackLine platform rather than as a standalone GRC product, controls, audit programs (tracked on a Gantt-style timeline with progress, issue and PBC-request counts) and certifications share the same data model as BlackLine's account reconciliations, transaction matching and task management modules. BlackLine describes itself as the only SAP Solution Extension partner in its category, holding a premium SAP qualification and SAP Clean Core certification, and connects to other ERPs including Oracle, NetSuite, Workday, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Sage Intacct.
Screenshots & demo
Screenshots sourced from BlackLine.
Modules & capabilities
BlackLine Controls & Certifications covers 18 of 44 capabilities we track in this category (+3 partial)
41%- Centralized control matrix / repositoryControl matrix with ID, process/cycle, sub-process, frequency, key/non-key fieldsCore strength
- COSO / assertion framework mappingAssertions and COSO framework mapping per controlCore strength
- Control classification (key/non-key, preventive/detective)Manual/automatic and preventive/detective control-type classificationCore strength
- Control version historyVersion control on control definitionsSupported
- Risk-to-control linkageAssociated-risk linking on each controlSupported
“Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
Common use cases
- Running SOX 302 and 404 compliance programs with centralised control testing and attestation
- Managing operational and IT audits alongside financial-close controls
- Running semi-annual or quarterly control self-assessments (CSAs) across Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Fixed Assets and ITGC
- Tracking PBC (prepared-by-client) requests during external audit cycles
- Automatically capturing and retaining audit evidence and certifications for auditor review
- Connecting controls to associated risks, reconciliations and remediation issues for root-cause visibility
- Centralising SOX documentation across multiple entities and ERPs on one platform
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- Only SAP Solution Extension partner in its category, per BlackLine, having passed SAP's premium qualification process and holding SAP Clean Core certification
- Controls, audit programs and certifications share the same platform and data model as BlackLine's account reconciliation, transaction matching and task management modules rather than living in a separate GRC tool
- Audit evidence such as sign-offs and certifications is captured and retained automatically in the cloud, with self-service auditor access to audit trails
- Verity AI intelligence layer applied across compliance workflows for agentic automation and predictive intelligence
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SAP-endorsed Solution Extension and SAP Clean Core certified; not found on store.sap.com as a live listing, so treated as vendor-documented rather than marketplace-certified.
Marketed as the NetSuite Connector; not confirmed as a live SuiteApp.com marketplace listing.
Documented for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance.
Connector details independently verified against vendor marketplaces and documentation; last checked 2026-08-20.
Pricing
BlackLine does not publish self-serve pricing; Compliance/Controls & Certifications is sold as a module of the BlackLine platform and quoted based on entities, users and modules selected, via a scheduled demo. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
What does BlackLine Controls & Certifications cost?
BlackLine Controls & Certifications prices by quote, like most of this category. Here is what actually drives your number — and what to ask before you get one.
6 of the 11 vendors we track in this category publish no list price at all.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- SaaS, hosted in third-party data centers with disaster-recovery replication
- Compliance
- SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701
About the vendor
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, United States
- Ownership
- Public (Nasdaq: BL)
- Notable customers
- UGI Utilities
Alternatives to BlackLine Controls & Certifications in SOX & Internal Controls
BlackLine Controls & Certifications — frequently asked questions
What is BlackLine Controls & Certifications (Compliance)?
It is an integrated, cloud-based module of the BlackLine platform, marketed today as "Compliance," that delivers streamlined risk identification, management and global control execution for stakeholders across Accounting, Finance, Compliance and Internal Audit.
What SOX and audit use cases does it support?
It supports a broad range of use cases including SOX 302 and 404 compliance, operational and IT audits, and self-assessments. Users can execute control testing, analyze supporting documentation, and identify issues from a central control center, connecting controls to associated risks, narratives and projects while maintaining version control.
Does BlackLine integrate with CRMs and other software?
Yes. BlackLine provides connectors that integrate with legacy and newer ERPs, AP applications, and CRMs such as Salesforce, to support end-to-end process automation.
How long does onboarding take?
BlackLine states that onboarding typically takes two to four months, based on its experience onboarding thousands of customers, though the exact timeline is tailored to each organization's needs.
What is Verity AI in the context of Compliance?
Verity AI is BlackLine's unifying intelligence control layer woven throughout the platform, including Compliance, providing agentic automation, predictive intelligence and automated content generation across connected workflows.
Compare BlackLine Controls & Certifications head-to-head
The SOX & Internal Controls Buyer's Guide
Before you commit to BlackLine Controls & Certifications, see how it sits against the 11 SOX & internal controls systems we track — on capability, ERP integration depth and what each one actually charges for.
SOX & Internal Controls Buyer's Guide
11 systems compared · 2026
ERP Research
- BlackLine Controls & Certifications compared side-by-side with 10 alternatives
- ERP integration checklist — what to verify before you shortlist
- The pricing questions that change the quote
- A BlackLine Controls & Certifications evaluation brief, included with the guide
SOX & Internal Controls Buyer's Guide
Get pricing for BlackLine Controls & Certifications
BlackLine Controls & Certifications doesn't publish a price. Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what it should cost you — and which alternatives are worth quoting alongside it.