Programming Quickbooks

[Daniel]

Hi,

I need to use data from my access database (client info) to populate
Quickbooks invoices. I downloaded their SDK but am having a really hard time
getting started. I searched on the idnforum but can't find anything about
vba or access??? can anyone either guide me or point me to some good
resources (newsgroups, website, tutorials) or tell me why I can't get any hit
on my searches (idn or google).

Thank you for the help,

Daniel P

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Here is the website you need to get an ODBC driver which works with Access
and QuickBooks.:

http://www.qodbc.com/

My experience is that it is expensive and slow. but it does do the job.

 

[bob]

QuickBooks 2007 Enterprise (not sure re: other editions) has a built in
ODBC capability (limited) that can be upgraded (more dollars)..read the
built-in documentation.

Earlier versions can also use third-party ODBC drivers.

http://69.122.207.67:54123/QB.htm

Bob

 

[bob]

further to this, most QB versions can be manipulated using proprietary IIF
files (text files w/ header and trailer record)..so ODBC may not be
necessary....documentation is spotty but available.

Access can create the files (via VBA) and then QB "imports" them.

Bob

 

[alborg]

Hi Daniel:

There is a dissertation on using the VBA here:

http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/index.php?category_name=external-data/&paged=2

It's now an XML based system, and it's not simple...

Arvin- those QODBC guys DOUBLED the price of their product for $149 last
summer (cnet.com still posts the 2006 price) to $299 now. Wow! That's some
inflation! I wonder how they can get folks to pay for this software...

Cheers,
AL

 

[Scott McDaniel]

Hi,

I need to use data from my access database (client info) to populate
Quickbooks invoices. I downloaded their SDK but am having a really hard time
getting started. I searched on the idnforum but can't find anything about
vba or access??? can anyone either guide me or point me to some good
resources (newsgroups, website, tutorials) or tell me why I can't get any hit
on my searches (idn or google).

You can use the SDK in Access; the examples they have for VB will generally port directly over to Access, assuming you
have the correct references set. As others have mentioned, you might want to invest in an ODBC driver for QB to ease
your paid; I didn't do so, and wrote my own class modules and such using the SDK and the learning curve was STEEP, and
getting your head around the way QB presents the data is mind-numbing, at best. They've recently moved to a true server
(believe it's SyBase, but could be wrong), but you still can't directly connect to it (and I understand that, they want
you to go through their interface to make sure the business rules are enforced). Still, they are SLOW at getting out
updates, and functionality that is very much needed just isn't there ...

The help and support forums on the QB site are marginal, at best, and the chances of getting timely answers that
actually help are very, very remote. I built an application that interfaced with QB and as Arvin said it was SLOW ...
and there are many areas where you cannot interact with the QB data (for example, in 2006 you can add multiple "ship to"
locations for a single account, but you cannot programatically manipulate those locations, at least not as of 6 months
ago). Before spending a lot of time on this, make a list of the things you MUST have, and review the documentation to
see if what you want is even possible ... that is, if you can make heads or tails of the doucmentataion, which is NOT an
easy task.

Good luck, but don't count on much help from the IDN or anyone at QB


Scott McDaniel
scott@takemeout_infotrakker.com
www.infotrakker.com

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Just looked at the QODBC website and their prices are $149 for Read Only and
$199 for Read/Write. In 2005 I paid $99 and $199, so 1 of them is still the
same. I haven't checked, but I believe you need to repurchase every year for
each new version of QuickBooks.

I think that's too expensive for a driver, but they have a captive audience,
and no competition, so they get all the traffic will bear. That's one of the
reasons that I prefer Microsoft's Small Business Accounting. While not as
rich a system as QB is now, it is easily accessible by Excel, Access, and
SQL-Server, and will respond to the free SQL-Server compatible ODBC driver
that comes with both Access and SQL-Server. The initial price is much lower,
and with 1 version you can connect directly to your accountant's office for
back-up. In the end both development speed and software costs are lower, and
for systems requiring lots of customization, it is far richer and far
cheaper. What's not to like? <g>

 

[Mali]

People pay it because information in order to customize your products is so
"HARD" to come by. I just purchased Accounting 2007 Pro to replace Peachtree
because I LOVE Access and couldn't wait to integrate it all. I am in
complete amazement at the amount of money that so called "experts" are
getting from the Corporate world. I have made many enemies amongst VARs
because of it. Microsoft kind of do now, could, and would DOMINATE corporate
America/World if they focused on HELPING end users to flex their programs for
customization instead of "know it alls" and "specialized experts" taking a
significant market share. I have learned so much from these forums that it
is unreal. Maybe Microsoft needs a marketing campaign with regards to all of
this? Anywho... People pay because they want EVERYTHING they want right now
not next week.