Importing and Exporting Data - QuickBooks

Simon Hutchinson – Reckon Product Management

Overview of this session

• Why would you want to import and export data

• Options that you have for importing and exporting data

• QODBC

• SDK

• Excel mapping

• IIF Intensive

Why would you want to export/import data • You might be fixing a corrupt data file

• You might want your clients to have a standard chart of accounts from your firm

• You might be converting from another software product

• You might be producing a third party piece of software

• You might be building reports for clients

Options for importing and exporting data • QuickBooks has many different ways to import and export data

• The way that you choose to do so should not be the same each time. Every scenario is different and has different challenges

• In certain circumstances you might want to look at getting a third party involved

• No one solution can solve every problem you will come up against

• QuickBooks flexibility shines through in this area.

QODBC• Free version that ships with Enterprise can only export data.

• However there is a version that can do two way communications. QODBC.com.au

• Extremely easy to install and use

• Perfect when trying to export data for building live reports for management

• Has access to around 90% of the QuickBooks database

Excel Mapping• Easiest way to get data in but one of the most time consuming

• It is not effective and has no security around the data being imported and mapped

• It’s good for use when you have a giant excel sheet with prices and items from perhaps a supplier

• Users can be easily trained to do this

• The least of the options I would recommend

QuickBooks SDK• This is the most difficult option but also the most powerful and flexible

• Developers can import and export data with various conditions such as between X and Y date or where $ amount is larger then 500.

• With the SDK you can build almost any tool that you require to work with QuickBooks

• Although daunting at first it is one of the easiest SDK environments around

• Definitely the time to consider third party development help if you want something complex done.

QuickBooks SDK Demo• This is the source code for the software I am about to show you

QuickBooks IIF• The most popular way to import and export data from QuickBooks

• Known as the Intuit IIF format

• Many queries from Accredited Consultants in the past twelve months

• It’s not easy to construct at first but there are a few key points to learn when dealing with IIF transactions and data

• The second most secure way to export and import data into QuickBooks.