QuickBooks and Excel: Moving Information In and Out Presented by: Scott Gregory, QuickBooks Expert Bottom Line Accounting Solutions

Setting the right expectations We’ll be reviewing the flow of information between QuickBooks and Excel (and discuss other file formats/options) at a high level today No way to cover all variations/needs Be absolutely certain to make a good backup copy of your QB file before doing ANY data import Best practice – work with a COPY of your data file for bigger projects/ongoing data transfers

Understanding the lingo IIF File – Intuit Interchange Format: “old school” way of moving data into and out of QB. Very structured (and confusing) formatting; prone to errors CSV File – Comma Separated Value: another format available to move data; data fields separated by commas Tab Delimited File – Similar to CSV files; data fields separated by tabs instead of commas

Other data transfer options in and out of QuickBooks… ODBC – Open DataBase Connector: moves data in/out of Excel; Access, SQL, Crystal Reports, etc. WebConnector – a tool developed to help third party programs (i.e. shopping carts, etc.) connect and share data with QuickBooks. Comes preinstalled with QuickBooks desktop Each vendor creates their own “connector”

Common Situations Where Data is Moved Startup of new QuickBooks data file Move from old QuickBooks data file to new one (i.e. too big, etc.) Extracting data for reports and/or dashboards Connecting with third-party software packages to import/export transactions(there are thousands of them) Analogy: “How to Get Downtown” “Trust, but verify….” (after all, it’s YOUR QuickBooks)

Internal Tools within QuickBooks Importing or Exporting from Excel into QuickBooks – there are some tools within QuickBooks to allow for this. In addition, there are several third-party programs that specialize in the transfer of data between Excel and QuickBooks (more on these later…)

Using the internal QuickBooks tools File > Utilities > Import > IIF Files File > Utilities > Export > IIF Files Great to use these tools if you are starting a new QB data file File > Utilities > Import > Excel Files “Wizard” method “Mapping” method “Add/Edit Multiple Items” method

Using the internal QuickBooks tools The Excel “button” at the top of the Customer, Vendor, Employee and Inventory Centers Export list Export transactions Import from Excel (same as wizard option) Paste from Excel (same as Add/Edit option) Differences in Customer/Job vs. Transactions tab

Lists vs. Transactions Notice so far, most of the information has been focused on moving lists (name, accounts, items, etc.) What about transactions? Can’t import transactions directly in QB Download the IIF kit from the Intuit support site for samples and details Get to know a third party tool (ODBC, WebConnector, TPI, etc.)

Third Party Tools Baystate Consulting – Transaction Pro Importer and Transaction Pro Exporter for data exchange with Excel Karl Irvin – All sorts of utilities here to move data around Big Red Consulting – Specialists in IIF files and other tools

QuickBooks Reports to Excel Create new worksheet vs. update existing worksheet Any report can be exported to Excel Update feature - new in 2011? How it works? – can do from QB to Excel or within Excel also Be sure to test and understand limitations Walkthrough of simple example

Wrap-Up of Key Topics Many different options available for moving data into and out of QuickBooks/Excel Can’t stress enough: Make a backup of your QB data before doing any import Test with a copy of your QB data, especially when connecting to other software! Trust, but verify!

FINAL Q+A FOR TODAY + GIVEAWAY! Your Presenter: Scott Gregory, QuickBooks Expert Your Host: Shannon Tucker, Accounting Users, Inc. QuickbooksUsers.com See quickbooksusers.eventbrite.com for more online seminar details!