Import from excel or CSV file

Posted by karen.magno@gmail.com on June 29, 2009, 9:42 am

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Check out Baystate Consulting's Importer Tool - you can import csv,
text or excel files. In addition you can import directly from
databases that supports ODBC.

http://www.baystateconsulting.com/products/01TxnWizardDemo.asp

Also an Important thing to note regarding IIF files: Tools that use
IIF files cannot be included in the QuickBooks Marketplace, are not
approved by Intuit and may lead to problems with your QuickBooks file.
Be wary of using IIF files to import transactional data. The safe way
is to use tools that utilize the QBSDK.

Posted by TonySper on June 29, 2009, 12:10 pm

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Karen,
Thanks for the help. Will look into your pointers. I am not looking for a
third party program unless I can use it royalty free as I do have a few
users running my programs and I do not think they all will agree with
purchasing a third party program so that my programs can be imported into
their QuickBooks. Although that may be the way to go if I include the info
to help them. Will look into the site. Thanks
Tony

> Check out Baystate Consulting's Importer Tool - you can import csv,

> text or excel files. In addition you can import directly from

> databases that supports ODBC.

> http://www.baystateconsulting.com/products/01TxnWizardDemo.asp

> Also an Important thing to note regarding IIF files: Tools that use

> IIF files cannot be included in the QuickBooks Marketplace, are not

> approved by Intuit and may lead to problems with your QuickBooks file.

> Be wary of using IIF files to import transactional data. The safe way

> is to use tools that utilize the QBSDK.

Posted by TonySper on June 29, 2009, 12:06 pm

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Laura,
Thanks for the help. I did a little reading on importing IIF files and
understand that doing it that way bypasses any checking by QuickBooks and a
user can run into problems. Now weather that is correct or not I don't know.
Just an article I read. I will Google IIF and read more.
Tony

> You can not import transactions into QB using csv files (or excel files

> for that matter). You need to format the file into a IIF file that has

> special headers,etc for each record.

> Google IIF files and see what comes up. I use a third party app from Big

> Red Consulting to get my transactions in excel to QB when the need arises.

> --

> Laura

>> Gary,

>> Thanks for the reply. To tell the truth I write programs in VFP and have

>> a client that is using QuickBooks 2009 and he wants me to let him move

>> data from the VFP Database into QuickBooks. Now I can put the data into a

>> CSV file or Excel but I do not know how to organize it so he can import

>> it into his QuickBooks. Just need a little clue. Been looking at some

>> info and see that the user doing the import has to configure his

>> structure to agree with the excel fields but have never done it myself as

>> I have never used QuickBooks and just need some info as to how he has to

>> do it. Yes as the fellow before you said "Start with the help file in

>> QuickBooks", and I thank him for the pointer. If I can find something to

>> give to him so that he understands that it is not a simple matter of me

>> converting to a CSV file or to Excel but that he needs to know how to

>> import the fields into his QuickBooks.

>> Thanks for any help.

>> Tony

>>> And what information would you like to import? What version of

>>> QuickBooks?

>>>

>>>>I am new with QuickBooks and want to import information from Excel into

>>>>QuickBooks. Can anyone show me the way. What is needed in excel? I also

>>>>would like to import from a CSV file. Can anyone clue me on where to

>>>>look or maybe show me.

>>>> Thanks for any help

>>>> Tony

>>>>

>>>

Posted by Laura on June 29, 2009, 12:51 pm

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Your understanding of IIF files is correct. Many people do not recommend the
use of IIF files. I guess I have been very lucky with its use.

Big Red's tool does have some error checking tools built in to it. I think
the use of the IIF files and third party apps require the user to know what
their outcome should look like and to understand potential problems one can
get into.

--
Laura

> Laura,

> Thanks for the help. I did a little reading on importing IIF files and

> understand that doing it that way bypasses any checking by QuickBooks and

> a user can run into problems. Now weather that is correct or not I don't

> know. Just an article I read. I will Google IIF and read more.

> Tony

>> You can not import transactions into QB using csv files (or excel files

>> for that matter). You need to format the file into a IIF file that has

>> special headers,etc for each record.

>> Google IIF files and see what comes up. I use a third party app from Big

>> Red Consulting to get my transactions in excel to QB when the need

>> arises.

>> --

>> Laura

>>> Gary,

>>> Thanks for the reply. To tell the truth I write programs in VFP and have

>>> a client that is using QuickBooks 2009 and he wants me to let him move

>>> data from the VFP Database into QuickBooks. Now I can put the data into

>>> a CSV file or Excel but I do not know how to organize it so he can

>>> import it into his QuickBooks. Just need a little clue. Been looking at

>>> some info and see that the user doing the import has to configure his

>>> structure to agree with the excel fields but have never done it myself

>>> as I have never used QuickBooks and just need some info as to how he has

>>> to do it. Yes as the fellow before you said "Start with the help file in

>>> QuickBooks", and I thank him for the pointer. If I can find something to

>>> give to him so that he understands that it is not a simple matter of me

>>> converting to a CSV file or to Excel but that he needs to know how to

>>> import the fields into his QuickBooks.

>>> Thanks for any help.

>>> Tony

>>>

>>>> And what information would you like to import? What version of

>>>> QuickBooks?

>>>>

>>>>>I am new with QuickBooks and want to import information from Excel into

>>>>>QuickBooks. Can anyone show me the way. What is needed in excel? I also

>>>>>would like to import from a CSV file. Can anyone clue me on where to

>>>>>look or maybe show me.

>>>>> Thanks for any help

>>>>> Tony

>>>>>

>>>>

>>>

Posted by dpb on June 29, 2009, 3:14 pm

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TonySper wrote:

> I am new with QuickBooks and want to import information from Excel into

> QuickBooks. Can anyone show me the way. What is needed in excel? I also

> would like to import from a CSV file. Can anyone clue me on where to look or

> maybe show me.

As others have said, the only way w/o actually writing a "real"
application using the QB SDK is IIF text files. They're not terribly
robust nor quick but it doesn't take much effort from Excel to write
them as they're simply text files w/ appropriate data headings for the
specific fields.

There are real limitations on what can be imported and the resulting
effects. One notable one is that transactions will not have the links
between them that are generated by the interactive entry of
data--invoices and associated payments, for example.

But, the concept and coding required is really quite simple. Here's a
link to the skinny of IIF...

<http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/Pages/KnowledgeBaseArticle/1003348>

And, here's link to a starting point to dig into the SDK..

<http://developer.intuit.com/technical_resources/default.aspx?id=1488>
<http://developer.intuit.com/technical_resources/default.aspx?id=1490>

You can sign up as an individual to download it; that, of course, brings
in the world of the Intuit leagle beagles w/ all the boilerplate. For a
closed market of development for a small set of pre-existing clients
where you wouldn't have to deal w/ the Intuit paranoia about marketing,
etc., it probably wouldn't be too strenuous. As soon as you try
marketing it as a general-distribution product they'll be all over you
like a duck on a June bug... :)

<http://developer.intuit.com/legal/?id=150>

Unfortunately, w/o being signed up it doesn't appear there's anywhere
anymore that can actually let you see the SDK interface calls, etc. At
the time they first introduced it years ago, it was much simpler. I was
looking at possibly making some customizations for myself but retired
first so never followed up...

--