Import from excel or CSV file

The help files in QB is a good starting point.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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...

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

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... :)

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...

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