QuickBooks SQL Server Integration

QuickBooks is Integrated with a broad number of QB-compatible business applications to provide better solutions for your business. Likewise, QuickBooks uses a powerful, industry-standard SQL database when introducing a fully functional QODBC driver for the integration of accounting data files. The SQL Server is a relational database that uses client-server technology in multi-user mode to coordinate and manage access to the company file.

The QuickBooks SQL connector allows data to integrate from Microsoft SQL to QuickBooks and vice versa. Using the connector template, you can develop an integration process between databases and QuickBooks that is tailored to a certain process and model. Using the integrated system, you can streamline all the critical operations of your business like inventory, finances, purchasing, sales, payroll, etc. Let’s delve into the quick process for QuickBooks SQL Server Integration with the help of this article.

What is an SQL Server?

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS). Its primary function is to store and retrieve data requested by other applications. It supports various transaction processing, business intelligence, and analytics applications, usually in corporate IT environments.

The original SQL Server code was developed in the 1980s by the former Sybase Inc., which is now owned by SAP. In 1988 Microsoft created SQL Server for OS/2 as a joint effort between Sybase, Microsoft, and Ashton-Tate. The partnership ended in 1990, and Microsoft retained the name SQL Server. Today SQL Server is available on 64-bit Windows, Linux, and the Azure Cloud platform. SQL Server is an RDBMS. Microsoft and Sybase released version 1.0 in 1989.

What is QuickBooks?

QuickBooks is the most popular software for accounting and managing expenses or keeping track of daily health. In this, you can prepare invoices for customers, and pay bills, reports, and taxes. Multiple solutions are available to support a variety of business requirements, including in QuickBooks Product List: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time, or QuickBooks Checking.

Key Features of QuickBooks

Here are some features of QuickBooks:

Online Banking: When a bank account is linked to QuickBooks, this allows you easy integration with your bank accounts, automatically uploading and categorizing transactions. This eliminates the need to enter manual data for account statements. This feature saves you valuable time and reduces the chances of errors.
Financial Reports: QuickBooks has extraordinary features that allow users to generate custom reports. With this powerful feature, you can easily track business progress, assess financial performance, and make informed decisions, when the users need to see all the performance in one place then this feature is capable of managing and storing all information in one place.
Cash Flow: QuickBooks has an online payment system. This allows your customer to make payments faster when an invoice or statement is received. At the same time, it allows you to settle your bills faster with partner banks. By automating these processes, QuickBooks ensures a streamlined cash flow, contributing to healthier financial relationships with your customers and partners.
Multi-User Access: QuickBooks understands the importance of teamwork within an organization. With QuickBooks, you to grant your employees different levels of access to QuickBooks Online. this enables effective collaboration between teams. This feature ensures that each team member can contribute their expertise and work together easily.
Support: QuickBooks takes pride in its extensive support resources, QuickBooks has a knowledgeable support team, and the team is readily available to answer questions, and offers free assistance. It even offers guides, video lectures, and seminars to help you improve your understanding and proficiency in using the software.

Key Features of SQL Server

We will explore the key features that have contributed to the widespread adoption of SQL Server. Let’s delve into each feature in detail.

The Database Engine: The Database Engine helps rapid trade processing and smooth facts garage and facts security.
The Server Agent: SQL Server Agent acts as a venture task scheduler, capable of being triggered by various events or specific requests. This feature enables users to automate essential tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
The SQL Server Browser: The SQL Server Browser Plays an important role in handling customer queries and connects them with the appropriate SQL Server instance.
SQL Server Full-Text Search: As the name suggests, SQL Server Full-Text Search empowers users to perform comprehensive searches in opposition to character records in SQL Tables. This feature enables users to extract valuable insights from textual information by conducting efficient full-text searches.
Cloud Database Support: SQL Server offers easy integration with Azure SQL and Microsoft Cloud allowing users to harness the benefits of cloud computing while ensuring data security.

Features involved in the QuickBooks SQL Server Integration

Database Compatibility: This connector supports any database compatible with ODBC or JDBC such as Oracle Database, SQL Server, IBM Database2, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Azure SQL, MySQL, Microsoft Access, Amazon Redshift, and more.
Streaming large amounts of data: It allows you to streamline your database with ERP, CRM, and payroll data.
Exporting and migrating data: Export data for centralized reporting from CRM, accounting, or other ERP systems into a central data warehouse.

How does it work?

You need to start with authenticating QuickBooks SQL Server and later choose one of the applications as an activation to launch the automation process. Then, you’re required to choose a resulting action from another application to send data you want to send from one application to another. Genuinely, it saves a lot of time and as a result, you can focus on other business productivity.

Versions supported by QuickBooks SQL Connector

The jotted below is the version that supports QuickBooks SQL Connector:

QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks 2008 and later US version
QuickBooks 2008 UK, and Canada.

Key Benefits: QuickBooks SQL Server Integration

You can easily track the outcomes of the integration process for every single execution
It lets you do quick data migration using convenient visual editors that allow accurate mapping configuration.
It facilitates bi-directional data synchronization between SQL Server and QuickBooks. It also performs periodic synchronization and tracks modifications in the synchronized data’s source.
You may import data from an SQL server and run DML operations on it with ease. It includes items from CSV, SQL, and other sources.
It provides quick procedures by integrating data into easy GUI wizards and editors.
It lets you export data from your accounting program to Microsoft Server.
This allows huge data to be shared, allowing ERP, CRM, and financial data to be streamlined into databases.

How to upload QuickBooks Data to SQL Server

The database offers a variety of products with advanced features that allow users to put data into the database using a variety of methods. The SQL server wizard is one method of importing data.
When you’ve successfully regulated data access and found the database’s data structures, you’ll need to load the discovered data into Microsoft SQL Server.
Another option is to use utility apps to load bulk data into the SQL server. This command-line program is designed to load and upload large amounts of database data.
The visual interface of the import and export wizard allows you to input bulk data from numerous suitable data sources.
Last but not least, the BULK INSERT SQL commands can be used for database management and usability. Other normal INSERT statements can also be used to directly insert data row by row into a table.

What are the requirements to update QuickBooks Data on Microsoft SQL Server?

QuickBooks produces a lot of data; the current data on the Microsoft SQL Server database must be modified. This includes a new record, revised records, etc. You’re required to check QuickBooks regularly for changed data and replicate the previously defined process during data updating if appropriate. The UPDATE statements are generated to update the existing rows.

Requirements:

Check out the following requirements for connecting QuickBooks to MS SQL Server using the QODBC Driver:

To establish a connection, ODBC must be a 32-bit application.
Make sure you’re using SQL Server 32-bit or 64-bit.
As you already know, it is not compatible with 32-bit apps for a 64-bit program. As a result, the QRemote technique is used to connect the 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
QRemote connects the two. It works by transmitting data calls across the TCP/IP protocol. The QODBC driver also allows you to interact with 64-bit web servers and applications.

QRemote Application:

It mainly consists of two elements for QODBC and they are:

QRemote Server: Processes requested instruction from QRemote Client to QuickBooks using QODBC DSN Driver.
QRemote Client Driver: Allows 64-bit Applications to connect to QRemote Server and sends the Request to QRemote Server for Processing.

Supported Triggers and Actions

Triggers

New Column Triggered when you add a new column.	New Table Triggered when you add a new table.
New Row (Custom Query) Triggered when new rows are returned from a custom query that you provide.	New Row Triggered when you add a new row.
New or Updated Row Triggered when a new row is added or modified.
New Account Triggered when you add a new account.	New Bill Triggers when a new bill is added.
New Customer Triggered when you add a new customer.	New Estimate Triggered when you add a new estimate.
New Expense Triggers when a new expense is added.	New Invoice Triggered when you add a new invoice.
New Invoice Triggered when you add a new invoice (with line item support).	New Sales Receipt Triggered when a new sales receipt is added (with line item support).
New Payment Triggered when a payment is received (with line item support).	New Purchase Order Triggers when a new purchase order is added.
New Sales Receipt Triggered when a new sales receipt is added.	Updated Customer Triggered when an existing customer is updated.
New Vendor Triggered when a new vendor is added.

Actions

Find Row Finds a row in a table via a lookup column.	Find Row via Custom Query Finds a row in a table via a custom query you control.
Update Row Updates an existing row.	New Row Adds a new row.
Create Bill (Item Based) Create a new bill, optionally tied to a customer.	Create Bill (Account Based) Create a new bill, optionally tied to a customer (with line item support).
Create Bill (Item Based) Create a new bill, optionally tied to a customer (with line item support).	Create Credit Memo Creates a new credit memo.
Create Customer Adds a new customer.	Create Estimate Create a new estimate (with line item support).
Create Expense Creates a new expense using a check, cash, or credit card.	Create Product/Service Creates a new product or service.
Create Journal Entry Creates a new journal entry.	Create Invoice Adds a new invoice (with line item support).
Create Sales Receipt Adds a new sales receipt (with line item support).	Create Payment Creates a new payment, optionally linked to an invoice.
Create Purchase Order Creates a new purchase order.	Create Refund Receipt Creates a new refund receipt.
Send Invoice Send an existing invoice.	Send Sales Receipt Send an existing sales receipt.
Create Expense Creates a new expense using a check, cash, or credit card.	Update Customer Updates an existing customer.
Update Invoice Updates an existing invoice (with line item support).	Create Vendor Adds a new vendor.
Find Account Find an account by name.	Find Customer Find a customer by name or email address.
Find Invoice Find an invoice by number.	Find Product(s) Find a product by name (with line item support)
Find Vendor Find a vendor by name.	Find or Create a Vendor Finds or creates a specific vendor.
Create Time Activity Creates a new single-time activity.

Let’s learn the process of creating a Link Server with MS SQL using QODBC/QRemote

First, launch your “SQL Server Management Studio”
Next, log in to the SQL Server and look for the server on the left-hand side panel
Do right-click on the “SQL Server” and then select Properties
Confirm that the SQL Server must be 64-bit

In the Microsoft Windows Operating System, the 64-bit and 32-bit worlds are maintained separately. Because QuickBooks is a 32-bit program, a 32-bit ODBC driver is required to interface with it.

QRemote links 64-bit applications and the 32-bit QODBC Driver by leveraging the TCP/IP protocol to communicate data between the two worlds. For the first time, QRemote allows 64-bit Web Servers and 64-bit apps to communicate with QuickBooks live using the QODBC Driver.

Because a 64-bit application can’t communicate with a 32-bit driver, you can use a little magic to connect the worlds; and that’s called QRemote. As discussed in the above paragraph, QRemote has two components: “QRemote Client Driver for QODBC” and “QRemote Server for QODBC”.

You can start “QRemote Server for QODBC” from the Windows Start menu if QRemoteServer is not running. Here’s how:

From the system tray, double-click on the QRemote Server icon
Then the QRemote Server Main screen appears with an IP address and Port which allow the QRemote Client to connect to
You have to make a note of the IP address and Port number that are listed on the QRemote Server “Event Logs” window.

Create a new DSN entry/or configure the existing one

First, navigate the Windows Start menu >> QODBC for Use with QuickBooks
Next, click on the Configure QODBC Data Source 64-bit
“QuickBooks Data 64-bit QRemote” is the default DSN created when installing QODBC
Configure the DSN and provide the IP address and Port as listed under the “QRemote Server”
Under the QRemote for QuickBooks – Client DSN configuration screen, you have to fill out the following information: Data Source Name, Server, Port, Encryption Key/Password, Remote DSN, Encryption

Start your QuickBooks Now

You have to run the MS SQL 2005 Dev / 2008 / 2012 / 2016 (64-bit) and then Login
Next, start the SQL Server Management Studio, select SQL Server Authentication, and then enter the correct name and password
Navigate to “Server Objects” >>> Linked Server >>> New Linked Server under the SQL Server Management Studio
Provide the following information for the “New Linked Server”: Select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers from the provider list, then enter “QODBC” as the Product name and “QuickBooks Data 64-bit QRemote” as the Data source, then click the “OK” button
It will begin creating a connection to QuickBooks when you click OK. Please accept the certificate to allow data access to QB
After you have accepted the Certificate, the Linked Server will be shown under the “Linked Server” Category.
The Linked server will appear in the “Linked Server” Category when you have accepted the Certificate
MSDASQL configuration (Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers)
In SQL Server Management Studio, you can configure the OLE DB provider options for handling connected queries. Right-click the provider name in Object Explorer and choose Properties for MSDASQL
To allow parameter inquiries, dynamic parameters should be checked. To make four-part naming work, just level zero should be tested. Allow InProcess should be enabled to improve performance. If you wish to be able to change QB data, you should check non-transacted updates. To improve performance, examine the index as an access path. To make OPENQUERY work, the Disallow ad-hoc accesses box should be unchecked.