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QuickBooks Integration

With Intuit QuickBooks software integration, Volusion makes the task of managing your store's financial data a lot easier. Track and organize all kinds of information about orders, products, customers, and more.

Contents

Getting Started

You can integrate your store with QuickBooks in two ways:

  • Export your store information to Intuit's IIF file format

or

  • Use the Volusion API to integrate your store with Intuit's Web Connector software

Each method has a different configuration process as well as its own unique benefits and drawbacks.

Part I – Choosing an Import Method

To decide which method will work best for you and your store, review the pros and cons of each method outlined below.

IIF File Export Integration (Available for Volusion Silver store plans and higher)

Pros

No usage limits

Allows importing of orders, products, and customers to QuickBooks

Sub-accounts can be used in the QuickBooks Mapping

Can use the same account many times in the mapping configuration

Cons

Does not fully import order or customer information into QuickBooks

Product information cannot be edited once imported

Gift Certificate and Discount information is not reported properly

Gift Wrap cost is not included

Import requires a manual action

Cannot send orders as invoices

Export provides all customers and products within the store, regardless of either having an order or being ordered

Does not track Cost of Goods Sold

Does not allow separate item accounts for products to be specified

Only the description of the first product in an order will be imported

The product name of the first item on an order reports to the memo field in QuickBooks

QuickBooks Web Connector Integration (Available for Volusion Gold stores and higher)

Pros

Imports can be automated between Volusion and QuickBooks

Order and customer information is reported fully and accurately

Gift Certificates and Discounts are fully reported

Products can be edited in QuickBooks once imported

Can send orders as invoices or sales receipts

Can send only customer or product information for customer with orders or products that have been ordered

Can specify separate item accounts for products

Tracks Cost of Goods Sold

Cons

Connector can only be accessed 12 times per 24-hour period

Application only supported by Microsoft Windows

Requires a valid SSL certificate to be registered with store

Cannot use sub-accounts

Tax is imported as an item

Negative totals are not imported – credits for orders must be manually entered into QuickBooks

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Part II – Setting Up QuickBooks Mapping

Before you can use either of the above methods, you need to configure your store's QuickBooks Mapping to ensure that data will be sent to the correct fields within QuickBooks.

  1. Go to Inventory > Import/Export in your Admin Area.
  2. Click the Quickbooks Export tab. show_qb_export_tab
  3. Click Configure QuickBooks Mapping.
  4. From the Filter dropdown menu, choose the integration method you want to use (see Part I). show_filter_dropdown

Below are full descriptions of each QuickBooks Mapping option to configure for use with your store:

IIF Mapping

QuickBooks_Include_Shipped_Orders_Only

Limits the orders export to include only orders that have their status marked as Shipped. This setting is enabled by default.

QuickBooks_Include_with_Orders_Customer_Info

Sets the orders export to include customer information on any order being exported. This setting is enabled by default.

QuickBooks_Include_with_Orders_Product_Info

Enabling this option will set the orders export to include product information on any order being exported. This setting is enabled by default.

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_ACCNT

Enter the name of the QuickBooks account associated with the products' Income Account.

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_ASSETACCNT

Enter the name of the QuickBooks account that will hold the asset value of the products. Note that this variable must be configured, but stock status for products is not reported through this export. As this is an asset account, it will always report as zero.

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_COGSACCNT

Enter the name of the Cost of Goods Sold account associated with the products in QuickBooks. This is an Expense account type within QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_ACCNT

Enter the name of the bank account that will receive funds from store orders.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_NAME

Enter the expense account that will relate to the shipping product that will show on store orders.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Shipping_ACCNT

Enter the inventory account for the store's shipping product. This is the account that will be charged for shipping costs for orders within the store.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Shipping_INVITEM

Enter the name of the inventory item within QuickBooks that is related to the store's shipping charges.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_ACCT

Define the name of the income account associated with sales tax for the store in QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_INVITEM

Enter the item name for the store's tax account within QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_NAME

Enter the name of the QuickBooks expense account associated with the state/city/provincial tax the store must pay.

QuickBooks_Map_TRNSTYPE

This field should always be set to Cash Sale.

QuickBooks_Order_Date _Beg_Blank_For_All

Specify a date (in mm/dd/yyyy format) to limit the number of orders to be included in the IIF file export based on date. Orders generated before the date defined in this field will not be included within the IIF orders export.

QuickBooks_Order_Date_End_Blank_For_All

Enter a date (in mm/dd/yyyy format) to define the most recent date for orders to be included within the IIF export (e.g. setting this field to 12/31/2012 will include orders within the IIF export up to December 31, 2012. Leave this field blank to have up-to-the-minute orders included within the IIF export.

Web Connector Mapping

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_ACCNT

Enter the name of the income account associated with the store products.

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_ASSETACCNT

Enter the name of the QuickBooks account that will hold the asset value of the products. Note that this variable must be configured, but stock status for products is not reported through this export. As this is an asset account, it will always report as zero.

QuickBooks_Map_ITEM_COGSACCNT

Enter the name of the Cost of Goods Sold account associated with their products in QuickBooks. This is an Expense account type within QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_ACCNT

Enter the name of the bank account that will receive funds from store orders. If the mapping variables are set to send orders as sales receipts, this field must be a Bank Account type in QuickBooks. If the system is configured to send orders as invoices, this field must refer to a Receivable Account type.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_NAME

Enter the expense account that will relate to the shipping product that will show on store orders.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Shipping_ACCNT

Enter the inventory account for the store's shipping product. This is the account that will be charged for shipping costs for orders within the store.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_ACCNT

Define the name of the Income Account associated with sales tax for the store in QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_INVITEM

Enter the item name for your store’s Tax Account within QuickBooks.

QuickBooks_Map_SPL_Tax_NAME

Enter the name of your QuickBooks Expense Account associated with the state/city/provincial tax your store must pay.

QuickBooks_Map_Order_Date_Beg _Blank_For_All

Specify a date (in mm/dd/yyyy format) to limit the number of orders to be included in the export based on date. Orders generated before the date defined in this field will not be included within the orders export.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Discount_Account

Enter the name of the Expense Account within QuickBooks related to the store's discount items account.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Discount_Item_Name

Enter the name of the type of item that will be reported within QuickBooks related to the discount item account.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Gift_Cert_Account

Enter the name of the Income Account within QuickBooks related to the store's gift certificate items.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Gift_Cert_Item_Name

Enter the name of the type of item that will be reported within QuickBooks related to the gift certificate item account.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Only _Send_Customers_With_Orders

Enabling this option will configure Volusion to export customer information only to the Web Connector for customer accounts that have orders.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Only_Send _Products_Which_Were_Ordered

Enabling this option will configure Volusion to export product information only to the Web Connector for products that were actually ordered.

QuickBooks_QBWC_Y_Invoice_N_SalesReceipt

Enabling this option will set all orders exported through the Web Connector to be reported as invoices as opposed to sales receipts (as is the case with IIF exports). To use this option, the Config_QuickBooks_Map_SPL_ACCNT variable must be set to a Receivable account type within QuickBooks.

Once you’ve finished configuring the mapping variables, click Save to make your changes active.

Once this process is complete, you’ll be able to proceed to either Part III or Part IV of this chapter, depending on the QuickBooks integration method you’re using.

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Part III – QuickBooks IIF Export Integration

The IIF file export method is the simplest form of QuickBooks integration that Volusion provides. Essentially, it allows you to export your store's order data to an IIF file – QuickBooks’ proprietary file format – and then import that file into QuickBooks to update account information with your store data.

Accessing the IIF File Export Page

To access the IIF file export functions, go to Inventory > Import / Export and click the QuickBooks Export tab.  show_qb_export_tab2

Testing the IIF File

We recommend that you test the IIF file with QuickBooks to insure the export file is working properly. For this purpose, Volusion provides a sample QuickBooks database for testing.

  1. Click the Download Volusion_Export_test_company_for_QuickBooks_2003.QBB link.  show_click_download_link
  2. Save the file to a local computer workstation and then open it in QuickBooks.
  3. In the QuickBooks Export page, click the Export All Customers or Export All Products, using the page's default settings.
  4. Once the export is generated, you’ll see a message that says Click Here to Download. 
  5. Open this file in QuickBooks and import it to the test database.
  6. Verify your IIF file imports using this method before proceeding with importing any data into your live QuickBooks account.

Once you’ve successfully tested the exported IIF files, proceed to the next section, Configuring the QuickBooks Export Page, for a live file export.

Configuring the QuickBooks Export Page

On the main QuickBooks Export page, you can generate 3 different types of exports: Export All Customers, Export All Products, and Export Orders. You can also reset your store's export status.

To generate the appropriate IIF file and associated download link, select Export All Customers or Export All Products. Note that this will export all customers or products within your store to an IIF file, depending on the setting configured within QuickBooks Mapping (see Part II, above).  

For exporting orders to IIF, there are a few additional settings to configure. Note that these settings are configured within the QuickBooks Mapping settings, but they can be overridden with these settings:

Export Orders

Earliest Order Date

In this field, specify a date (mm/dd/yyyy) to limit the number of orders to be included in the IIF file export. Orders generated before the date defined in this field will not be included in the IIF orders export.

Latest Order Date

In this field, enter a date (mm/dd/yyyy) to define the most recent date for orders to be included within the IIF export (e.g. setting this field to 12/31/2012 will include orders within the IIF export up to December 31, 2012. Leave this field blank to have up-to-the-minute orders included within the IIF export.

Only Import Order Number

In this field, define a single, specific order number to export to the IIF file. This feature is often used for testing purposes.

Only Include Shipped Orders

Enabling this option will limit the orders export to include only orders that have their status marked as Shipped.

Include Customer Information

Enabling this option will set the orders export to include customer information on any order being exported. This setting is enabled by default.

Include Product Information

Enabling this option will set the orders export to include product information on any order being exported. This setting is enabled by default.

Resetting Export Status

You can reset the IIF export status on the QuickBooks Export page in the Admin Area. When an IIF export is generated, Volusion notes which order, customer, and product information was provided in the export and flags it to prevent it from being exported again. You may need to reset this flag by choosing the date of the export from the Export Date dropdown menu and clicking Reset Export Status.  show_reset_export_status

Note

You cannot update invoices with the IIF export method. Resetting export status and then re-exporting to QuickBooks can cause duplicate information to be entered into QuickBooks.

Keep in mind that resetting the export status should only be used when attempting to recreate a failed export.

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Part IV – QuickBooks Web Connector Integration

There are some features that are not supported with IIF file integration that are available in the Web Connector export method.

QuickBooks Web Connector is a software application developed by Intuit to allow third-party software and services an automated method to communicate with a QuickBooks account. Using Intuit's API, order information can be shared between QuickBooks and a third party, making the process of using QuickBooks to manage financial data more efficient.

Requirements

Since QuickBooks integration requires access to the Volusion API, you must have at least a Volusion Gold store in order to take advantage of this feature.

QuickBooks Web Connector is a Microsoft Windows application and requires Microsoft Windows XP or similar to run (please refer to Intuit's QuickBooks documentation for specific software requirements).

Finally, QuickBooks Web Connector integration is only supported with QuickBooks Home, Pro, Premium, or greater. Integration through the Web Connector is not supported by the following:

  • QuickBooks Online Edition
  • QuickBooks Point of Sale Edition
  • QuickBooks UK or Canada editions
  • QuickBooks Enterprise Edition
  • QuickBooks Macintosh editions

Also note, as stated in Part I, you must have a valid SSL security certificate registered with your Volusion store to be able to create a secure connection between Volusion and QuickBooks Web Connector. If you don’t already have a valid SSL certificate, you can purchase one directly from Volusion.

Accessing QuickBooks Web Connector Integration

After you’ve properly configured your QuickBooks Mapping settings as discussed in Part II, you can begin the integration process as follows:

  1. Go to Inventory > Import / Export.
  2. Click on the Volusion API tab.  show_api_tab
  3. Under Accounting, click Enable, then click Manage QuickBooks Web Connector Here to configure your QuickBooks Web Connector connection. 

If you haven’t already installed the QuickBooks Web Connector software on your computer, click Download the QuickBooks Web Connector Version 2.0 Here to download the installation file.

Follow the link to access the QuickBooks Mapping page to further configure your mapping settings.

Once configuration is complete, perform the following steps to connect your store with QuickBooks using the Web Connector software:

  1. In the first dropdown menu, select the email address of the administrator account in this store that will process QuickBooks information.
  2. Click the Create to generate the XML file QuickBooks will use to connect to Volusion.  
  3. Download the file to your computer. With the Volusion QuickBooks integration page open, open both the QuickBooks Web Connector and the QuickBooks account assigned to the Volusion store.
  4. Point the Web Connector to the downloaded XML file.

Once this is done, you’ll be able to have the Web Connector import your store information from Volusion.

To properly export Volusion data to QuickBooks, make sure your Admin Area, the QuickBooks Web Connector, and their respective QuickBooks account are open on your computer.

Resetting Data for QuickBooks

After you’ve generated the XML file within Volusion for integration with the Web Connector, Volusion will log which customers, products, orders, etc. were exported at a particular time. This information cannot be exported again once it’s been flagged by Volusion.

In some cases, you may need to reset export information (e.g. an attempt to connect to QuickBooks has failed and the information needs to be resent).  show_reset_export_status2

Be careful resetting exports when changing the QuickBooks Mapping variables to not import duplicate data into the QuickBooks account. It is recommended to create a test account for use with QuickBooks to test store exports before importing them to their live account for your store.

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Note

Keep in mind that, since the Web Connector integration is resource-intensive, the number of connections that can be sent to the Web Connector is limited to 12 per every 24-hour period.

Also know that integration using the QB Web Connector is one-way. There is no built-in support for importing from QuickBooks back into Volusion.

Summary

No matter which integration method you choose, integrating your store with QuickBooks gives you greater control over your business and will save you valuable time and energy in tracking your financial data.

Watch the Web Connector Setup video