EDI Integration with Quickbooks
QuickBooks is currently the most popular small business accounting system on the market and has been for some time now. With the various versions of QuickBooks (Manufacturing, Retail, Point of Sale, etc.) it has expanded to support multiple industries and provides a variety of add-on solutions. The program has become a key tool for many small and start up businesses. It has grown in capabilities and architecture to the point where some fairly good sized companies still utilize QuickBooks. Many of these businesses also require EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) in order to conduct business with their customers and other trading partners. However, integrating EDI with Quickbooks presents some challenges.
EDI integration with Quickbooks requires the use of a form of XML proprietary to Intuit called qbXML (QuickBooks Extensible Markup Language). So, it is not typical EDI mapping where you may have a map that translates ASNI X12 850's or other EDI transactions sets to a flat file to be imported into an ERP system. Intuit provides a Development Tool Kit that allows for the creation of qbXML streams utilizing modern programming languages such as the Microsoft’s .Net architecture and Web Services as part of its integration process. In order to obtain access to the QuickBooks SDK and Intuit’s Development Portal you need to be a part of the Intuit Developer Network. Bottom line is QuickBooks integration is not simple EDI mapping that a small business can easily do.
The good news is that some EDI companies like DataTrans are members of the Intuit Developer Network and have the infrastructure built to help companies make the integration with QuickBooks relatively simple. In fact, DataTrans WebEDI utilizes WebServices and its own in-house QuickBooks Connector to create a direct tie into QuickBooks that is relatively seamless. The QuickBooks Integrator uses the QuickBooks SDK’s Foundation Class to generate QBXML streams that are compatible with the different versions of QuickBooks and provides the end-user with a streamlined solution for integrating their EDI with QuickBooks.
By integrating your EDI solution with QuickBooks, you reduce the amount of time spent rekeying data between the two systems and streamline your business processes significantly. Make sure you evaluate EDI integration capabilities of any EDI vendor you are considering, especially if you use QuickBooks.
