diff --git a/src/scicat_communication.py b/src/scicat_communication.py
index ab75ab2..d9216c0 100644
--- a/src/scicat_communication.py
+++ b/src/scicat_communication.py
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright (c) 2024 ScicatProject contributors (https://github.com/ScicatProject)
+import logging
+from urllib.parse import urljoin
+
 import requests
 from scicat_configuration import SciCatOptions
 
@@ -15,3 +18,82 @@ def retrieve_value_from_scicat(
         url, headers={"token": config.token}, timeout=config.timeout
     ).json()
     return response[field_name]
+
+
+class ScicatDatasetAPIError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def _post_to_scicat(*, url: str, posting_obj: dict, headers: dict, timeout: int):
+    return requests.request(
+        method="POST",
+        url=url,
+        json=posting_obj,
+        headers=headers,
+        timeout=timeout,
+        stream=False,
+        verify=True,
+    )
+
+
+def create_scicat_dataset(
+    *, dataset: dict, config: SciCatOptions, logger: logging.Logger
+) -> dict:
+    """
+    Execute a POST request to scicat to create a dataset
+    """
+    logger.info("Sending POST request to create new dataset")
+    response = _post_to_scicat(
+        url=urljoin(config.host, "datasets"),
+        posting_obj=dataset,
+        headers={"token": config.token, **config.headers},
+        timeout=config.timeout,
+    )
+    result: dict = response.json()
+    if not response.ok:
+        logger.error(
+            "Failed to create new dataset. \nError message from scicat backend: \n%s",
+            result.get("error", {}),
+        )
+        raise ScicatDatasetAPIError(f"Error creating new dataset: \n{dataset}")
+
+    logger.info(
+        "Dataset created successfully. Dataset pid: %s",
+        result.get("pid"),
+    )
+    return result
+
+
+class ScicatOrigDatablockAPIError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def create_scicat_origdatablock(
+    *, origdatablock: dict, config: SciCatOptions, logger: logging.Logger
+) -> dict:
+    """
+    Execute a POST request to scicat to create a new origdatablock
+    """
+    logger.info("Sending POST request to create new origdatablock")
+    response = _post_to_scicat(
+        url=urljoin(config.host, "origdatablocks"),
+        posting_obj=origdatablock,
+        headers={"token": config.token, **config.headers},
+        timeout=config.timeout,
+    )
+    result: dict = response.json()
+    if not response.ok:
+        logger.error(
+            "Failed to create new origdatablock. "
+            "Error message from scicat backend: \n%s",
+            result.get("error", {}),
+        )
+        raise ScicatOrigDatablockAPIError(
+            f"Error creating new origdatablock: \n{origdatablock}"
+        )
+
+    logger.info(
+        "Origdatablock created successfully. Origdatablock pid: %s",
+        result['_id'],
+    )
+    return result
diff --git a/src/scicat_offline_ingestor.py b/src/scicat_offline_ingestor.py
index 67e9a3a..87e6b29 100644
--- a/src/scicat_offline_ingestor.py
+++ b/src/scicat_offline_ingestor.py
@@ -3,13 +3,11 @@
 # import scippnexus as snx
 import copy
 import json
-import logging
 import os
 import pathlib
-from urllib.parse import urljoin
 
 import h5py
-import requests
+from scicat_communication import create_scicat_dataset, create_scicat_origdatablock
 from scicat_configuration import (
     build_offline_ingestor_arg_parser,
     build_scicat_offline_ingestor_config,
@@ -26,36 +24,6 @@
 from system_helpers import exit, offline_ingestor_exit_at_exceptions
 
 
-def _create_scicat_dataset(dataset: dict, config, logger: logging.Logger) -> dict:
-    """
-    Execute a POST request to scicat to create a dataset
-    """
-    logger.info("_create_scicat_dataset: Sending POST request to create new dataset")
-    response = requests.request(
-        method="POST",
-        url=urljoin(config.scicat.host, "datasets"),
-        json=dataset,
-        headers=config.scicat.headers,
-        timeout=config.scicat.timeout,
-        stream=False,
-        verify=True,
-    )
-
-    result = response.json()
-    if not response.ok:
-        err = result.get("error", {})
-        logger.error(
-            "_create_scicat_dataset: Failed to create new dataset. Error %s", err
-        )
-        raise Exception(f"Error creating new dataset: {err}")
-
-    logger.info(
-        "_create_scicat_dataset: Dataset created successfully. Dataset pid: %s",
-        result['pid'],
-    )
-    return result
-
-
 def _prepare_scicat_origdatablock(scicat_dataset, datafilelist, config, logger):
     """
     Create local copy of the orig datablock to send to scicat
@@ -79,43 +47,6 @@ def _prepare_scicat_origdatablock(scicat_dataset, datafilelist, config, logger):
     return origdatablock
 
 
-def _create_scicat_origdatablock(
-    origdatablock: dict, config, logger: logging.Logger
-) -> dict:
-    """
-    Execute a POST request to scicat to create a new origdatablock
-    """
-    logger.info(
-        "_create_scicat_origdatablock: Sending POST request to create new origdatablock"
-    )
-    response = requests.request(
-        method="POST",
-        url=urljoin(config.scicat.host, "origdatablocks"),
-        json=origdatablock,
-        headers=config.scicat.headers,
-        timeout=config.scicat.timeout,
-        stream=False,
-        verify=True,
-    )
-
-    result = response.json()
-    if not response.ok:
-        err = result.get("error", {})
-        logger.error(
-            "_create_scicat_origdatablock: Failed to create new origdatablock."
-            "Error %s",
-            err,
-        )
-        raise Exception(f"Error creating new origdatablock: {err}")
-
-    logger.info(
-        "_create_scicat_origdatablock: Origdatablock created successfully. "
-        "Origdatablock pid: %s",
-        result['_id'],
-    )
-    return result
-
-
 def _define_dataset_source_folder(datafilelist) -> pathlib.Path:
     """
     Return the dataset source folder, which is the common path
@@ -208,7 +139,9 @@ def main() -> None:
             )
         )
         # create dataset in scicat
-        scicat_dataset = _create_scicat_dataset(local_dataset, config, logger)
+        scicat_dataset = create_scicat_dataset(
+            dataset=local_dataset, config=config.scicat, logger=logger
+        )
 
         dataset_source_folder = _define_dataset_source_folder(data_file_list)
 
@@ -222,8 +155,8 @@ def main() -> None:
         )
 
         # create origdatablock in scicat
-        scicat_origdatablock = _create_scicat_origdatablock(
-            local_origdatablock, config, logger
+        scicat_origdatablock = create_scicat_origdatablock(
+            origdatablock=local_origdatablock, config=config.scicat, logger=logger
         )
 
         # check one more time if we successfully created the entries in scicat