QuickBooksLINK Integration

Use of QuickBooksLINK requires an existing ValuePRO instance and a copy of QuickBooks currently installed on your PC or server. QuickBooksLINK currently supports QuickBooks Premier 10 & 11 and Accounting Plus 16 & 17; as future versions of QuickBooks are released, QuickBooksLINK will be updated to interface with these packages.

Additionally, ValuePRO uses Business Driven Software’s BDSSync software package to perform syncing with QuickBooks. You will need to obtain a copy of BDSSync appropriate for your version of QuickBooks. Please contact Business Driven for more information on the BDSSync product and to obtain a copy.

Although a powerful tool for synchronising between ValuePRO and QuickBooks, there are some limitations of QuickBooksLINK. These restrictions are due to the level of access ValuePRO is allowed to the underlying QuickBooks database by the QuickBooks ODBC driver and cannot be changed by ValuePRO or Business Driven.

QuickBooksLINK uses the ODBC driver supplied by QuickBooks to transfer data back-and-forth between ValuePRO and QuickBooks. This provides functional but somewhat limited access to the internal data structure of QuickBooks: it is possible to read from and write to most, but not all, fields present in QuickBooks. The specific fields that are available are dependent on the version of the QuickBooks ODBC driver being used.

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Updating records

Due to the implementation of the QuickBooks ODBC driver, it is only possible to create new records, not to update existing records. Should a record be changed in ValuePRO after being transferred to QuickBooks, the change has to be manually repeated in QuickBooks to ensure both systems contain the same data.

We recommend strictly enforcing a policy within your organisation that restricts the number of users responsible for changing Client and Valuer cards to a minimum to help ensure unnoticed changes are not introduced which would desync ValuePRO and QuickBooks.

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In addition to the system-wide limitations stated above, the following limitations apply specifically to client cards.

Payment Terms value must be listed in QuickBooks Terms List

QuickBooks requires that a customer's terms be selected from the Terms List, accessible in QuickBooks from Lists | Customer & Supplier Profile Lists | Terms List.

The value from the Payment Terms field on the client card in ValuePRO is transferred to the Terms field in QuickBooks when a sync occurs.

As this field is restricted to only values in the Terms List, the sync will fail for a given customer if that customer's Payment Terms value in ValuePRO is not listed in the Terms List in QuickBooks.

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In addition to the system-wide limitations stated above, the following limitations apply specifically to valuer cards.

Setting First/Last Names

QuickBooks requires that an employee have a first and last name and requires these to be entered into separate fields. ValuePRO uses a single field to hold the full name of the user.

When valuer cards are transferred, text before the first space in the valuer's name will be entered as the first name and all text after the first space will be entered into the last name. If there is no space in the valuer's name field, the full contents will be entered as the last name, and the first name will be blank.

Valuers cannot sync to Sales Reps until synced to Employees

QuickBooks requires that a Sales Rep be either an Employee or Company - Sales Report is essentially a status.

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In addition to the system-wide limitations stated above, the following limitations apply specifically to job cards.

Job Cards will not transfer until their invoicee has been transferred

A job card cannot be created in QuickBooks without being assigned to a client. ValuePRO also enforces this restriction upon jobs that are created, however if the client card assigned as the invoicee in ValuePRO has not been transferred to QuickBooks, any job cards assigned to that client will not transfer.

Job cards will not transfer until their Inspecting valuer cards has been transferred

A job card cannot be created in QuickBooks without being assigned to an employee ("salesperson"). ValuePRO does not enforce this restriction upon jobs - a job can exist in ValuePRO without being assigned an Inspecting Valuer. Any job cards not assigned an Inspecting Valuer will not transfer.

Further, the Inspecting Valuer assigned to the job must also have been transferred to QuickBooks before job cards to which they are assigned will transfer.

Job cards must be transferred to valid accounts

A job card cannot be created in QuickBooks without being assigned to an account. ValuePRO is not able to detect types of accounts in QuickBooks, nor does the QuickBooksLINK package create accounts that aren't already defined; it is critical that the account numbers entered in the QuickBooks Sales Account Code and QuickBooks GST Account Code (if applicable) settings in Your Totom License | QuickBooksLINK match active, Detail-type accounts in QuickBooks. Also note that when  entering the account name into these settings you must only enter the account name, eg: Trade Debtors.

Data Entry Template/Department must existing in QuickBooks as an Item List value

The Item column of the invoice line item in QuickBooks is created by combining the values of two fields in ValuePRO: Data Entry Template and Department.

ValuePRO is not able to detect the list of Items types in QuickBooks, nor does the QuickBooksLINK package create Item types that aren't already defined; it is critical that the Item types entered into QuickBooks cover every combination on Data Entry Template/Department strings.

The string "<Data Entry Template> - <Department>" must be listed in the Items list in your QuickBooks company file.

The Data Entry Template name is converted as follows:

• Construction Progress = PI
• Restricted Assessment = RAA
• <any other value> = Full

For example, a job with Data Entry Template = Restricted Assessment, Department = Commercial requires a value in the Items list named "RAA - Commercial".

Office Name must existing in QuickBooks as a Class List value

The Class value of the invoice in QuickBooks is taken from the Assigned Office name in ValuePRO. ValuePRO is not able to detect the list of Class types in QuickBooks, nor does the QuickBooksLINK package create Class types that aren't already defined; it is critical that the Class types entered into QuickBooks match exactly to the names of the Offices in ValuePRO.

If an office is renamed in ValuePRO, a new Class type must be created in QuickBooks to handle new invoices; existing invoices in QuickBooks will be associated with the Class type matching the Assigned Office name when the invoice was created unless manually updated.

Account Name must exist in QuickBooks in the Chart of Accounts

The account name of the invoice in QuickBooks is taken from the QuickBooksLINK setting named QuickBooks Sales Account Code in ValuePRO. ValuePRO is not able to detect the list of Chart of Accounts values in QuickBooks, nor does the QuickBooksLINK package create accounts that aren't already defined; it is critical that the account name entered into QuickBooks matches exactly to the value of the QuickBooks Sales Account Code setting in ValuePRO.

If the QuickBooks Sales Account Code setting is changed in ValuePRO, a new account must be created in QuickBooks to handle new invoices; existing invoices in QuickBooks will be associated with the account name matching the QuickBooks Sales Account Code setting when the invoice was created unless manually updated.

Template name must exist in QuickBooks as a Template

The Template for the invoice in QuickBooks is taken from the QuickBooksLINK setting named QuickBooks Template to Use in ValuePRO. ValuePRO is not able to detect the list of Templates in QuickBooks, nor does the QuickBooksLINK package create Templates that aren't already defined; it is critical that the Template name entered into QuickBooks matches exactly to the value of the QuickBooks Template to Use setting in ValuePRO.

Payment Terms value must be listed in QuickBooks Terms list

QuickBooks requires that a customers terms be selected from the Terms List, accessible in QuickBooks from Lists | Customer & Supplier Profile Lists | Terms List.

The value from the Payment Terms field on the client card selected in the Invoice Job To field in ValuePRO is transferred to the Terms field in QuickBooks when a sync occurs. As this field is restricted to only values in the Terms List, the sync will fail for a given customer if that customers Payment Terms value in ValuePRO is not listed in the Terms List in QuickBooks.

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Once the BDSSync software has been installed and setup on your computer/server, BDS will setup for you the syncing schedule that is used to transfer information from ValuePRO to QuickBooks. When the sync is started from the BDSSync software, the following will occur:

1. All Client Cards in ValuePRO that are linked to jobs ready to sync will be transferred from ValuePRO to QuickBooks. These will create corresponding Customer Cards in QuickBooks.
2. All Valuer Cards in ValuePRO that are linked to jobs ready to sync will be transferred from ValuePRO to QuickBooks. These will create corresponding Employee and Sales Person cards in QuickBooks.
3. Lastly all Job Cards in ValuePRO that are ready to invoice will be transferred from ValuePRO to QuickBooks. These will create corresponding invoices in QuickBooks.

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