QuickBooks Integration Services
Working with a unique software tool, we offer services far beyond data import or export.
The tool that we use to interact with QuickBooks enables us to use standard SQL commands to read and write QuickBooks data. This gives us the flexibility to make have our programs interact with QuickBooks and any external data sources. But since the SQL commands are passed to the QuickBooks SDK, the data is validated, and the integrity of the system is protected.
You can buy the tool and do the work yourselves, or purchase the tool and contract with Ashlin to do some or all of the work. In either case, you have the freedom to design your own QuickBooks integration, without the limitations of IIF or what someone else thought was the best way to import or export data.
Our internal experience provides a perfect case study for how QuickBooks integration can dramatically improve productivity and eliminate data-entry errors.
Prior to developing an integration script Ashlin staff had to manually create vendor bills in QuickBooks by cutting and pasting each item, as well as the cost. Each line was tied to a customer by use of the Customer:Job field and then pulled into an invoice using Add Time/Costs. These lines transferred at cost, and then had to be adjusted to a selling price. This very manual process was prone to errors at every step, and could even result in some purchases never being invoiced to customers, or being invoiced at cost.
The alternatives are simple, export the data from the ecommerce system to an IIF and then import to QB with no intelligence or build an intelligent interface. Why not just import with IIF? If you do a simple import what happens when a transaction relates to a new supplier or new customer? What happens when multiple supplier transactions relate to one customer transaction? The business logic required to do things correctly requires programming.
In our case, we decided to use the ecommerce system to drive the process from quote, to order, to PO, to receipt of bills from suppliers. The key to our approach was managing the receipt of supplier bills in the ecommerce system. As we receive those bills, that triggers a record in a transaction history file which is scanned by our integration script. Any new Bill in that file is automatically imported into QuickBooks, with all of the necessary ancillary work being done automatically. In our case the following steps are performed automatically.
- New Suppliers are Created and linked to the ecommerce system
- New Products are Created and linked to the ecommerce system
- For business purchases, New Customers are Created and linked to the ecommerce system
- Cash sales are allocated to the appropriate account manager
- Vendor Bill is Created
- New lines are appended to an existing customer invoice if it is from the same customer order, and has not been printed, or a new invoice is created
- Both the bill and invoice contain reference information to each other allowing for simple reconciliation.
- All customers, vendors, and transactions have appropriate tax codes set based on the shipping address
- Detailed CSV and debugging logs are maintained to allow recovery in the event of any QuickBooks data error. The logs are so detailed that all the transactions and entities could be automatically recreated. Imagine a complete history of all critical transactions being maintained automatically as a failsafe in case of corruption or data loss!
When it comes to routine transactions anything less than complete reliability, efficiency and fault tolerance is not acceptable. Let Ashlin help you improve your critical processes resulting in improved productivity, accuracy, and reliability.
Questions?
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