Intuit does not give developers direct access to the QuickBooks database, but have exposed 98% of the available fields through its SDK
In 2001, Intuit introduced their Software Development Kit (SDK). It is not a direct connection to the database; rather it is an XML (hierarchical text) extraction which can be slow on large files.
In 2006, Intuit added an additional Custom Reporting feature for Enterprise users that allowed a more direct access to QuickBooks. It is not an Intuit sanctioned method for extracting data in a 3rd party application and does not include all of the available data. There is no Intuit support for that feature.
In 2014, Intuit introduced Advanced Reporting including a subset of the QlikView visualization product. However it still requires QuickBooks to be open to use it and it is too difficult for many users. It is also not available to developers.
Intuit's last major SDK release was back in 2013. They have since come out with several minor releases that contain only a handful of items - and mostly for writing back to QuickBooks, not reading from it. In August of 2022, they released a 64 bit SDK, but it has shown little - if any - performance improvement.
There are bugs from the early years of the SDK that have never been fixed - and never will be. We have just learned to work around them - even though it might take a little longer to synch the data. Accuracy is the most important thing.
QQube, using the SDK, was created in 2010, and is still the most robust tool for getting answers from your QuickBooks data, because it is not a raw connector. Rather it is a data warehouse with complete models containing fields and measures that a raw connector will never have.
Users often make assumptions that because they 'see' things when they use QuickBooks, that the database operates in a similar logical manner. As you will see below, this is not always the case.
Much of it has to do with the logistics of adding volume to the underlying QuickBooks database, other times, it requires complexities that are only found in higher end accounting programs and database vendors.
Don't assume that because you see something in QuickBooks, it is stored in the database accordingly. It is NOT always the case.
It's shocking to me that QuickBooks, being such a large company, seems to have so many gaps and holes in their system. I would not be surprised if they are the next "MySpace" that is overshadowed by competitors. After I complete this project for this client, I plan to look at alternative accounting solutions... Do you have any suggestions??
Intuit has the lion's share of this market, and will for years to come. Remember that this is off the shelf software for a very cheap price compared to high-end accounting systems that cost tens of thousands to just sniff the package.Is it perfect, no, but they are still the 600 lb gorilla when it comes to accounting systems for the small business owner.
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