Looking at the Quickbooks API I only see options to sync users. I may just need to export the fields I need directly from the database? Just hoping someone had some scripts/templates to work with this already. I am not too worried about sync as long as the client could manually import web transactions at the beginning of the day
A:
The QuickBooks SDK has the ability to import and export inventory items, including quantity on hand and cost information. Just to be clear, I speaking here about the classic SDK and not the Partner Platform. Using the SDK it is possible to connect to a QuickBooks online company using XML over SSL, or to a desktop company file (still the most popular option for most users) using XML or Intuit's QBFC framework, which is compatible with .NET.
There is no way to access the QuickBooks "database" directly. QODBC give you the ability to run SQL against QuickBooks company file data via ODBC, but it is implemented using the SDK. QODBC is the best way to get up and running fast with QuickBooks, and it's also great for custom reporting. But for most sync applications, the actual data access is a minor part of the overall scope, and the control that you get from going directly to the SDK and bypassing QODBC is worth it.
Most developers who have experience with QuickBooks have a library to help with common SDK tasks. There are also some offerings at code.intuit.com. In addition to library code, it also helps to understand the behavior of both QuickBooks and the SDK. The SDK is well documented and if you haven't visited the SDK section of the Intuit Developer site I would highly recommend it.
Paul Keister
2010-08-15 22:26:51