QuickBooks Integration

QuickBooks integration can be accomplished through an application programming interface built into QuickBooks Pro/Premier 2008. The application programming interfaces enable developers and systems integrators to integrate desktop and web-based applications with QuickBooks to facilitate electronic data exchange and the creation and management of accounting and other business data. QuickBooks integration will change the face of small business because it will allow businesses to maximize productivity and efficiency by eliminating redundant data entry.

Many kinds of desktop and web-based application can be integrated with QuickBooks. Good examples of businesses that can take advantage of QuickBooks integration are travel agencies who need to exchange data between booking reservation software packages and QuickBooks or online web stores that need to transfer order information from the online store database into QuickBooks Pro.

QuickBooks Integration Package

Advanced Media Productions offers a QuickBooks integration package that provides electronic data exchange between the order database of an e-commerce web site and a Windows PC with a QuickBooks accounting package installed. The purpose of the interface is to eliminate the data entry procedures currently required to move order information from the web site into QuickBooks.

Through the QuickBooks integration package web site operators can transfer a file with new orders to QuickBooks and insert those orders into the QuickBooks Pro/Premier database. As new orders for existing accounts are imported, any orders from new customers will also be inserted.

The following description outlines the actual process flow for the QuickBooks integration package:

1. By activating a link on the QuickBooks integration page, implemented on the e-commerce web site, the user transfers a file with new orders, placed since the last transfer, to the QuickBooks accounting program.
2. The QuickBooks program, with the necessary integration files installed, parses the set of incoming orders and performs the following tasks:
   • Verifies whether the order is from a current customer account already in QuickBooks Pro/Premier. If so, a new invoice or sales receipt will be added to QuickBooks for the account. If the account is not already in QuickBooks then QuickBooks will create a new account first, and then add the new invoice or sales receipt.
   • Once all new invoices and new accounts have been added to QuickBooks, a message will be returned to the e-commerce web site confirming how many new accounts and invoices were inserted.
   • The web site order database will then be updated to mark all orders that have been inserted into QuickBooks Pro/Premier database.

Installation

To make the QuickBooks integration package operational, various files first must be stored on the web site hosting account and installed on the local PC. In addition, minor modifications must be implemented on the web site order database.

To start the installation process ActiveX must be turned on in the browser. Once the browser is ActiveX enabled all necessary QBFC files and an AMP Active object can be downloaded and installed to complete the installation procedure.

Order transfer from the web site order database to the QuickBooks is initiated from the web site QuickBooks integration page. When the order transfer has been completed the site operator will be informed about the number of new accounts and invoices that have been added to QuickBooks Pro/Premier database. The status of the orders in the web site order database will be updated to "downloaded".