Quickbooks Question

[cv]

I have a client that uses Quickbooks 5 at his main office. His sales people
have notebook computers which also contain Quickbooks. Can the outside
salesperson with Quickbooks on his own notebook computer enter in orders on
his system during the day and then transfer the entered information to the
computer at the main office at nighttime using a modem. We don't want to
overwrite the quickbooks file at the main office, only update it with the
days sales. Right now the sales person enters the info on his computer, and
then the next day, it has to be reentered at the main office.

If Quickbooks doesn't do this, anyone know of a software package that does?
Thanks.

Chris

[KLS2430]

In article <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>, "cv" <pre...@ibm.net> writes:

>Subject: Quickbooks Question
>From: "cv" <pre...@ibm.net>
>Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 21:21:57 -0800

No QB 5.0 will not do this, nor even 6.0. 6.0 has been used from remote, using
RAS, but only a live update. Since there is no 'official' way to export
transactions, to re-import into the main file, I do not believe there is a
practical way.

One option would be to create an Import Template, though, in Excel or other
spreadsheet, for the salesman to enter in the proper info, and then upload that
file. Still means entering data twice, whether by the salesman, or the
office...

[dr...@cei.net]

In article <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>,

"cv" <pre...@ibm.net> wrote:
> I have a client that uses Quickbooks 5 at his main office. His sales people
> have notebook computers which also contain Quickbooks. Can the outside
> salesperson with Quickbooks on his own notebook computer enter in orders on
> his system during the day and then transfer the entered information to the
> computer at the main office at nighttime using a modem. We don't want to
> overwrite the quickbooks file at the main office, only update it with the
> days sales. Right now the sales person enters the info on his computer, and
> then the next day, it has to be reentered at the main office.
>
> If Quickbooks doesn't do this, anyone know of a software package that does?
> Thanks.
>

> Chris
>
>

This is a little beyond the scope of what QB can easily handle. Perhaps some
of these aftermarket import/export utilities can help you. I've read here
about a product called DataBlox or something, but don't know much about it. I
would check that out.

Another alternative would be to have the order person key is orders at night
or later afternoon, connected via PCAnywhere.

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
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[Joe Norcott]

How many salesmen are there that would enter data remotely? What kind of
network system does the customer presently use? These things are important
in determining whether it can be done.

Joe Norcott
Business Technologies of New England, Inc.
bt...@btne.com

cv wrote in message <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>...

[Doug Soderman]

Chris:

No it can't do it as you seen from previous posts. Basically what it gets
down to is the abillity to
do data replication which the database used in quick books apparently does
not support this.

With the release on Access 97 this feature is implemented. You can have a
masterdatabase at corporate
and create a replica (subset of the database) on the local portable. At the
end of the day you can replicate with corporate and merge the databases.
You obviously could have several people with replicas.

With this feature any Access based accounting system would provide this
feature. I'm a dealer / programmer of a popular Access based accounting
system that also has the ability to import tables from quick books.

I don't want to make this sound simple as you have to enter the human
element. This is a implementation tied directly to proper procedures on the
adminsitrator's part ie Backup is critical if you make a mistake.

If I can be of service to you or if you have any questions email me at
sod...@msn.com
Doug

[Andrew Stewart]

Quickbooks Ver 5 is a stand alone system. One user, one data file.

Intuit seems to have gone out of their way to make importing and exporting
transactions difficult. However it is not impossible. Visit Intuit's
homepage. You can download the ascii format necessary to import transactions.
Quickbooks Pro Ver 6 does support multi-users, however I don't think that would
solve your problem. Perhaps Ver 6 gives the ability to export transactions as
well as import them.

Perhaps somebody else using Ver 6.0 could answer this.

[Todd Boyle]

On Thu, 10 Dec, "Doug Soderman" <sod...@email.msn.com> wrote:

>No it can't do it as you seen from previous posts. Basically what it gets

>down to is the abillity to do data replication, which the database used in
>quickbooks apparently does not support.

Good post! Yes, now you're into the real issue. Replication of changes
to and from a remote database is high technology. This problem
has been attacked by very few application software vendors, in a
proprietary database format like Quickbooks, and usually it was a disaster.

It should be noted Symantec has got elaborate schemes for replicating
contacts and calendars in ACT! 4.0. All the high end such as Domino /Notes
and Exchange /Outlook have schemes like that.

In fact, there are internet standards for transmitting vCard and vCalendar
data across internet and between different software:
http://www.imc.org/ietf-calendar/

Go to Deja News and search for "vCard vCalendar". If the groupware
vendors can figure out ways to do this with stateless connections, and
collision management, it makes you wonder why accountants are so
dumb, that we haven't even started talking about vTransactions.

>With the release on Access 97 the replication feature is implemented. You

>can have a masterdatabase at corporate and create a replica (subset of
> the database) on the local portable. At the end of the day you can replicate

> with corporate and merge the databases...

>
>With this feature any Access based accounting system would provide this
>feature. I'm a dealer / programmer of a popular Access based accounting
>system that also has the ability to import tables from quick books

>[..] Backup is critical if you make a mistake.

The problem with access replication is it crashes too often to be good
for posting an actual transaction, and there isn't "transaction control" for
all parts of the transaction to succeed or fail......

A bronx cheer for Peachtree File Import, also, for example, which can
fail midway. Importing transactions is rock solid in Peachtree 4,5 and
6 and Peachtree does all the good data validation as it does at the
user interface---no small achievement! But if it hits a bad transaction
on row 234, you can't rollback the rows already posted. It requires
skill to sort out what is posted and not posted.

In comparison CYMA IV www.cyma-systems.com has really cool data
import where it validates the entire batch such as customer records,
account codes, and ALL transaction rows at once, before posting
them to the ledger.

Quickbooks? Forget about it. A completely selfish program that
only contemplates its navel. It doesn't import/export or cooperate
with your environment very well....

* Todd F. Boyle CPA www.isomedia.com/homes/tboyle
* International Accounting Services LLC tboyle at the rosehill.net
* 9745-128th Av NE, Kirkland WA 98033 (425) 827-3107

[1usi.com]

Hi,

I would suggest you to look at Pastel Partner at http://www.1usi.com

For ALL Resellers, VARs, CPAs, please visit our Partners page (NEW).

rgds,

JT

cv wrote in message <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>...

[Bob]

just thought I would agree about the Peachtree capabilities - I email
journal files (such as vendor payments) with export/import and it works
great. If something goes wrong I get that "row" message but I have the
client re-export and re-transmit the file. Sometimes the client does
something funky to cause the error message and I get them to review the
journal listing. It is the best way to get clients to do the work
(write checks, balance the bank statement, etc.) and lets the accountant
concentrate on preparing financial statements.

[dr...@cei.net]

> >
> > If Quickbooks doesn't do this, anyone know of a software package that does?
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
>

On revisiting your problem after reading all the naysayers' responses (mine
included), I really think you need to look at the datablox product. I've not
used it, but apparently it will allow you to export transaction data. You
could presumably have your guy enter the invoices throughout the day, then
dial up at night using PCAnywhere or whatever, transfer the invoice
transactions to the home office system, import them, and there they are.
Sounds simple, anyway.

I work with a some high-end systems that involve locations all over the
country. Unfortunately, we deal with some of the same problems. The answer
is client-server with heavy duty transaction processing capability. You
won't find it in QB anytime soon. But I suspect you can get by with a kludge
such as above....

David

[Doug Soderman]

>A bronx cheer for Peachtree File Import, also, for example, which can
> fail midway.  Importing transactions is rock solid in Peachtree 4,5 and
> 6 and Peachtree does all the good data validation as it does at the
> user interface---no small achievement!   But if it hits a bad transaction
> on row 234, you can't rollback the rows already posted.  It requires
>skill to sort out what is posted and not posted. 

 

Here's the problem though i think.  Your still doing transaction file import / export.  It may be reilable and you

can do a rolback before you execute a committ within the database.  This is fairly standard in most middle tier packages and has been imporved in lowend packages.  But that wasn't the issue that the orginal post was about.

 

I have a coporate database and I have to issue replicas to all existing sales people.  I don't know who is going to make the change in the database.  Several people may make the change the to same record ie customer.  They could even make several changes.  First of all this is not even a trasaction but a master file maintenace transaction.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but if you had 5 remote pc's all making changes to a database at the sametime and these are not transactions in many cases, the file export / import just won't work.  That is why replication is leading the way to supersede file / export / import.  And that is the key to the problem of the post.

 

We have implemented replication at my former employer (fortune 100 company) that used Access replication quite succesfully.  I'm not sure you can compare it to file import / export.  Its a simailar technique that is used in Goldmine and now Act with lotus notes. 

 

In any event you are correct.  This is not something you throw at the beginner.  It is a fairly complicated technology.  On committ and roll back you are dealing with a very linear process that we all understand.  Replication is not that way since you are dealing with multiple changes simultaneously.  

 

Anyways, I appreciate the thought provoking discussion.  The problems are the same for small companies and large ones and its amazing to me that many times the small compnaies implement them better!!?

Doug

[Harry Pottol]

Pastel Partner appears to be so expensive that you do not put the price on the
web site. In this event, don't bother replying to inquiries about QuickBooks.
This product, while quite limited, sells for $100 to $200, plus $70 per year if
you use payroll.

Harry Pottol

1usi.com wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I would suggest you to look at Pastel Partner at http://www.1usi.com
>
> For ALL Resellers, VARs, CPAs, please visit our Partners page (NEW).
>
> rgds,
>
> JT
>
> cv wrote in message <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>...
> >I have a client that uses Quickbooks 5 at his main office. His sales people
> >have notebook computers which also contain Quickbooks. Can the outside
> >salesperson with Quickbooks on his own notebook computer enter in orders on
> >his system during the day and then transfer the entered information to the
> >computer at the main office at nighttime using a modem. We don't want to
> >overwrite the quickbooks file at the main office, only update it with the
> >days sales. Right now the sales person enters the info on his computer, and
> >then the next day, it has to be reentered at the main office.
> >

[nre...@my-dejanews.com]

I have some data in Quicken Delux 98, which I received via downloading from
American Express(Credit Card). I want to export this in to QuickBooks 5 Pro.
Tried several ways, but I was unable to do so.

Then I have something called Quicken Expensable98. Downloaded again in to this
program from American Express site. Tried exporting the data in to Quick Books
format.

Opened QBooks/imported. But it imports the whole thing in to one line. I have
to look at this account by using Split lines. The data there makes no sense.

My request again is: I want to download my credit card statements DIRECTLY
into Quickbooks by bypassing the agony of going via Quicken and others.

Regards,

N.Reddy
Please respond to: nre...@monmouth.com

[Mike Block, Tax Fighting C.P.A. <mblock@blocktax.com>]

On 10 Dec 1998 04:56:00 GMT, kls...@aol.comrem.nul (KLS2430) wrote:

>In article <366f4...@news1.ibm.net>, "cv" <pre...@ibm.net> writes:
>>I have a client that uses Quickbooks 5 at his main office. His sales people
>>have notebook computers which also contain Quickbooks. Can the outside
>>salesperson with Quickbooks on his own notebook computer enter in orders on
>>his system during the day and then transfer the entered information to the
>>computer at the main office at nighttime using a modem. We don't want to
>>overwrite the quickbooks file at the main office, only update it with the
>>days sales. Right now the sales person enters the info on his computer, and
>>then the next day, it has to be reentered at the main office.
>>
>>If Quickbooks doesn't do this, anyone know of a software package that does?
>>Thanks.
>>

>No QB 5.0 will not do this, nor even 6.0. 6.0 has been used from remote, using
>RAS, but only a live update. Since there is no 'official' way to export
>transactions, to re-import into the main file, I do not believe there is a
>practical way.
>
>One option would be to create an Import Template, though, in Excel or other
>spreadsheet, for the salesman to enter in the proper info, and then upload that
>file. Still means entering data twice, whether by the salesman, or the
>office...

I would find this acceptable because many invoices could be loaded with
one command. You also could use Symantec's PC Anywhere. or equivalent
remote software, if you were willing to temporarily tie up a computer
(and use multi-user QB if others needed simultaneous access to the file.

Mike Block, Tax Fighting C.P.A.
#1 national QuickBooks Top Tester
QB add-ons/seminars www.blocktax.com
Ft Lauderdale, FL 954-566-7540