Category: data integration

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Good Housekeeping for Healthy QuickBooks

QuickBooks desktop software is very easy to install and use, and that is precisely why it is the standard for small business bookkeeping and accounting. QuickBooks is simple to use.

Getting QuickBooks on your computer is also simple. You can just buy the software from wherever – your QuickBooks solution provider, a retail outlet or an online store. Then you download it to your PC and run a setup application, and voila! It’s there on your PC ready to help you do your books.

When just a single user needs to use QuickBooks, things are very straightforward because there is no networking to worry about and no multi-user access required. On the other hand, there are many businesses using QuickBooks that experience a lot of frustration with trying to install QuickBooks on a network and managing the software that must be installed on multiple computers.

Other than networking QuickBooks desktop software, it seems that the majority of issues users experience can be attributed more to poor software habits and a lack of PC housekeeping

QuickBooks desktop software has been engineered over many years to be as simple to use as possible, but at the same time has grown to be a product with lots of features, add-ons and extensions.  People have found ways to make QuickBooks do things it wasn’t really designed to do, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. When it works, it works great.  When it doesn’t work, it’s beyond frustrating.

Yet there are a few things that QuickBooks desktop users should be doing regularly to keep their QuickBooks software and data in good working condition. While these items are very important to keeping your QuickBooks system working for you, they will never overcome problems with your network, the server or any of the workstations connected to it.

To solve these networking, software management and other IT platform issues, I recommend moving to a virtual cloud server on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. NOOBEH’s QuickBooks on Azure service is just that… your QuickBooks software and data running securely on your own private cloud server in your own account on the Microsoft cloud, fully managed and supported by experts. With NOOBEH’s service, you don’t have to worry about server failures, network problems or hardware problems any longer, and we eliminate the issues surrounding multi-user, multi-location, and remote access for QuickBooks.

When it comes to PC housekeeping and other chores, I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping the QuickBooks company file in good condition

What’s the accounting and financial data worth, after all?  A little time spent taking care of the file can save on a lot of time and headaches trying to recreate or reenter the data. A QuickBooks company file is a database and is a complicated framework for keeping track of all sorts of related information.  Anyone who has used QuickBooks desktop products for a while understands that the data file can get messed up for a variety of reasons, and it can mean lost time, work and revenue when it isn’t working correctly.

What many users don’t realize that QuickBooks has built-in utilities to check and fix data problems in the company file, so it makes sense to periodically use them to check for problems.  Like a check-up with the doctor, these utilities can help diagnose issues with the data file before they become big issues. They are easy to find in the software… simply go to the File menu and select Utilities.

Run the file Verify any time the file starts to act slow or if QuickBooks crashes when the file was open, and if the Verify tells you there are errors, you should run a Rebuild to fix them. Note that a rebuild may have to run multiple times to fix all the issues in the file, and even then, may not correct everything. Some manual work may even be required to resolve all errors.

You should also back up the company file to a “portable” type file periodically, and to then restore it for use.  This doesn’t need to be done very often, maybe once a year or so. This process can not only validate the integrity of the file, but it also helps condense and condition the file.  Conditioning the data file periodically can help prevent data corruption and/or loss of data.

A very important housekeeping item for QuickBooks desktop is the file backup. Backups don’t just make copies of your company file for safekeeping, which is important to have, but when you run a backup with complete/full verification, the process also reduces the file size of the TLG file. For QuickBooks, the TLG file is a transaction log, and when it gets too big the file can perform poorly and even get corrupted.  Run backups more frequently if you have a lot of transactional activity, or less often if there is not so much going into the company file.

When you do the file backup, it is a good idea to consider where the backup will go. Keeping the backup files on your PC is convenient, but it also does nothing to protect your data if your PC gets hit with malware or has a hardware problem. Put the backup file in a protected location that isn’t stored on your PC, like Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox or even a removeable USB device. You can’t put your live QuickBooks company file in this type of location, but you can store the backup files there. This way, if your PC does have a problem, you’ll have backups of your company file that you can use to get yourself back in business.

Close the company file and exit QuickBooks occasionally, please

Users who leave their computers on all the time are not allowing the computer to run periodic power-on self-tests, which means the machine or operating system could have an issue that isn’t recognized until computer restarts.  For this same reason, programs and their data files should be closed when not being used – so they can run through their own startup and validation routines before you use them.  Also, leaving the program open means it is active on the computer, and leaving the data file open means that it’s available (available=vulnerable).  A random by passer accessing the computer, a program crash, a machine crash… loss of power or a furry kitty running over the keyboard could each result in catastrophic damage to the application and/or data.  It’s just better and safer if the files and programs are closed when not being used.  Maybe use a screensaver with a password, too, or at least lock the keyboard when the machine is on but not in use.

QuickBooks and VPN / WAN are not awesome together

Just because a user can connect their remote PC to the office network doesn’t mean the PC will work like it’s in the office.  In the office, it’s a Local Area Network where the machines are all cabled together and communicate with nearby machines (e.g, Local). The speed of LAN communications is fast enough to allow multiple computers to share a QuickBooks company file in multi-user mode.  When there is a remote PC to connect, businesses often elect to utilize a VPN to provide local area network access to the remote computer. This turns the Local Area Network connection into a Wide Area Network connection, where the network has been extended to include the remote computer.

Unfortunately for QuickBooks users, the WAN connection is NOT fast enough to allow the remote user to open QuickBooks and use it like others in the network.  QuickBooks multi-user access is designed to work on a local network where local means the machines are in the same locale and on the same LAN. This is why many companies elect to use remote-access/remote-control software to access to QuickBooks desktop remotely.

Use NOOBEH QuickBooks on Azure to get remote access, managed service, update support, and the ability to run any other applications or add-ons your business needs. When QuickBooks desktop and the other software a business uses are hosted on the company’s Microsoft cloud server with NOOBEH, the QuickBooks application and the company files are all on the same environment so it works exactly as it is supposed to for all users no matter where they are located.

Use Automatic Update

New features and enhancements are provided, new technologies and operating platforms must be supported, and security and privacy must constantly be addressed in the software. What this all means is that software products necessarily change over time and users will be expected to update their products or lose out. While some IT departments may desire to prevent software from updating itself, QuickBooks users should recognize that the software’s proper function often depends on timely updates. Especially when payroll or banking is involved, it is important to keep the software current.

QuickBooks has a feature that allows the software to automatically download and install updates as they are released by Intuit. Leaving this feature turned on allows the software to check with Intuit periodically to see if there are updates available. If so, they are downloaded and readied for installation on the computer.

Updates are changes made to an edition and year version of the software. Upgrades, on the other hand, are changes from one year version to another (2021 to 2022, for example) or a change in QuickBooks edition (like Premier to Enterprise). Automatic updates manage the changes to the currently installed edition/year version, but do not upgrade the software.

Customers using NOOBEH’s QuickBooks on Azure service have their QuickBooks updates and their QuickBooks upgrade installations managed for them, as well as the other applications installed on the customer’s private cloud server.

Doing maintenance on your QuickBooks software and the company file can help keep them free from poor performance and potential corruption

It’s worth spending a little time on chores occasionally so that you avoid what could be a costly problem down the road. Some good housekeeping to keep your QuickBooks healthy is just good business.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J

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Better Platform, Better Data, Better Performance

Information management paradigms are rapidly changing, so businesses seeking to achieve maximum performance and profitability must look at increased efficiency and innovation in their IT platforms. Cloud platforms help business operations to be more effective and agile, supporting the various processes and workflows which make up the operation. From finance to order processing, shipping and customer service, the platform needs to be flexible enough to handle the wide variety of needs of the company.

Today’s technology-enabled flow of business opportunity requires modern infrastructure and IT services. Where many would believe that web-based applications and “cloud” versions of software solve the problem, more often the business finds the solution lacking features and usefulness. Tried and failed plug-ins and extensions may leave the system attached to a spiderweb of connections and services behind the scenes, reducing or eliminating the ability to fully control the flow of data to or from the system.

The real issue to address is the infrastructure and IT foundation, not just the applications. Certainly, the software matters greatly, but too often businesses believe they must migrate to new applications and adopt new processes simply because they wish to have remote access and more flexibility in how and where users and information connect.

Cloud platforms and services enable many things for a business, not the least of which is collaboration and co-working. With centralized access to applications and data, workers can get the information they need regardless of where they are, and the workflows and processes may be improved and expanded because all users can participate as required.

Enabling connectivity for the platform is as essential as for the applications. When applications and processes can connect seamlessly, the data flows through the business better and there’s less chance of it getting damaged or lost. Re-keying data increases the opportunity for errors, and manual import/export processes can fail due to simple mistakes. With the right integration and sync tools and an IT platform that fully supports them, the business can improve the speed and accuracy of data moving throughout the system.

There is a growing need for accounting and business professionals who understand how these data connections can work and assisting businesses with selecting and implementing the right ones. This used to be more in the domain of the CIO, information systems guys and data analysts, but it is falling more to the accounting and finance teams these days.

For many years, accounting and finance were just the final dumping ground for after-the-fact financial data. Operationally, things could be humming along in the business and looking just fine, but the business was losing money, and nobody knew it before it was too late. Now, business owners and managers have come to understand that virtually EVERYTHING in business has a financial impact and leaves an imprint on the business: every action and activity, every relationship and interaction.

When cloud platforms, applications and integrations are in place for the business, business intelligence comes not just from after-the-fact silos of historical data, but from current and real-time information that is the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of business performance.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J

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Integrated is Better: Connecting Your Systems and Workflows

Small businesses need software and systems to help them get business done efficiently. The global pandemic has been fuel for recent growth in the small business software market where companies of all types are adopting more applications and services to better support operations.  Especially when users are no longer able to work in the office and consumers are demanding increasingly more personalized services, businesses need to find ways to get more business done in less time and with fewer resources.

According to Intuit® research “small businesses, on the average, use four or more apps to run their business”. You could consider it that business owners and managers buy software apps to get jobs done. Software can help structure the work and the information, creating workflows that improve efficiency and accuracy.

The key to getting the full benefit from any application or service is to have it connected to or integrated with your other solutions. There is almost never a completely disconnected process in a business; everything flows from and to something else. It should be the same with software and data. Saving time and improving accuracy of information means that data should only be entered once, and key data should sync between systems to remain up to date.

QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise), as well as other desktop accounting or ERP solutions like Sage100, AccountEdge and more, have a variety of 3rd party applications and integrations offering additional functionality or services. Just because the main solution is a desktop application does not mean that all integrated applications must also be desktop products.

To extend functionality of desktop products, developers often create web-based applications and services that sync or integrate data with the desktop product. In fact, many of the services inside of QuickBooks desktop are web-based application services which sync data to and from QuickBooks. Payroll, payments, and more are subscription-based services connected in QuickBooks but look like they are just part of the installed program.

When QuickBooks and other desktop applications are hosted with NOOBEH’s QuickBooks on Azure service, the system is running entirely on the Microsoft Cloud. This improves system flexibility, resiliency, and security, as well as providing the optimum platform for desktop applications and web-based services to connect – the bandwidth they use is cloud to cloud instead of cloud to your PC.

Even if the average small business uses four or more apps in the business, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all those apps are talking. Often, a business will implement a new application to handle a particular job but won’t consider the additional benefits to be gained by connecting the new app to the accounting system. Yes, the new app may make getting data from the field easier, as with a timesheet or field service management solution. Maybe it makes doing payroll easier because the calculation, reporting and delivery of paychecks is automated. Perhaps it is a website that takes customer orders and manages their payments.

All are cases where a business benefits a great deal from increased efficiency in data capture, reporting and more, but if all the information from the app needs to be re-entered into the accounting system, then a great deal of additional benefit is simply not there.  Data entry takes time away from other work and introduces the potential for errors that can take hours to track down (if they are even noticed).

When connecting any 3rd party solution with your accounting or ERP system, it’s important to make sure that the company fully supports the integration. Whether it is a direct connection to your QB or other software or is a “brokered” connection (as with an Integration-as-a-service connector), just make sure that the integration has the features and functionality you need and that the data will flow as you want.

We know that businesses need more than a single solution to address the variety of business problems that arise. We also know that sub-standard or improperly configured integrations risk doing more damage than good to the business data. That’s why we offer consulting and deployment services for a wide range of add-ons and integrated products. Even if it is a solution we haven’t worked with yet, our consultants know how to validate and test the integration within QuickBooks to ensure that the data flows properly and gets the right treatment in the financial system.

Get your software connected and working better for your business. Mendelson Consulting and NOOBEH Cloud Services help you focus on your business and not the IT that supports it, so that you can get more done with the resources you have. We help you work smarter, not harder.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J

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Direct-to-Consumer Causing Manufacturing Logistics Issues

Manufacturers have traditionally been positioned as a link in the long chain of supply. Somewhere between raw materials and finished products is where the manufacturer exists, transforming the materials into products that can be resold via distributors and wholesalers.

The supply chain was linear and relatively predictable, but that is all changing. With the introduction of broad internet connectivity, web-based services, large e-commerce platforms and increasingly innovative and competitive new logistics players, the supply chain is becoming a spiderweb of connectivity and communication, with linear approaches out the window and, to some extent, predictability along with it.

The economy we have today is an environment where customers demand more direct and personal approaches, and producers are being forced to find ways to accommodate. With the huge e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba, along with more direct-to-consumer channels, manufacturers are being turned into direct-to-consumer suppliers. Acting as drop shippers for the seller, the manufacturer isn’t shipping bulk or volume to distributors or wholesalers but smaller shipments direct to the consumer.

Many retail stores have now become more fulfillment locations than the place where the customer buys. This is causing tremendous change in logistics tools and approaches because the size of shipments is becoming smaller while the number of deliveries – and delivery locations – is only increasing.

Customers can go right to the brand’s website and buy direct, driving increased focus on building brand value and improving the overall customer experience. With the demand from consumers for flexibility in how and where they buy, retailers have shifted their approaches to bring e-commerce into the brick-and-mortar stores. This is where online and offline sales channels come together, creating pressure in ordering and fulfillment systems to offer the flexibility and experience consumers want.

While this converged channel model requires businesses to make new and continued investments in e-commerce and digital solutions to enable the flow of orders and information, it also delivers several potential benefits to the business, including the ability to better manage growing customer expectations, better compete in the digital marketplace, and address disruptions in the supply chain by having alternative options.

Delivering the goods has always been an operational challenge, with success often measured in performance and cost. Today’s marketplace requires more agility and flexibility, which means the role of supply chain managers is more strategic than ever. Simple logistics now has a direct impact on the customer’s decision to buy now, as well as buying again later.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J

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Finance Department Participation in Supply Chain Management

When most businesses approach Supply Chain Management, the focus is on the item or product – the physical thing that ultimately gets delivered somewhere, somehow. What many businesses do not consider is that the orchestration and timing of “supply chain” activities can have significant impacts on financial performance, reporting and cash flow. The current processes could just be working just “okay”, and not delivering the financial benefit that might be obtained through modernization of technologies and transformations in approaches. The key is to get the right people involved.

One big aspect of seeking to integrate electronic commerce and collaboration with customers, suppliers and payment services is the recognition that supply chain activities involving orders, invoices, payments, and remittances are directly related to finances, revenue recognition and cash management.

For any project to be successful, it should include execs from both the supply chain and finance areas so that all concerns relating to event timing may be addressed to allow proper treatment in the financial statements. After all, the same things that trigger supply chain activities (orders etc) are the same documents which drive finance. When the information is accurate and timely, and when the inefficient manual processes can be replaced with electronic workflows, the business is best positioned to improve cash flow and overall financial performance as well as business value.

Unfortunately, few business owners have a real understanding of the costs associated with manual entry activities and how the direct financial impacts they have. The speed and accuracy of processing orders and invoicing customers means faster cash in, and leveraging the speed of electronic data interchange with suppliers so that “just in time” orders may be placed and logistics processes more fully enabled means cash out when necessary and not ahead of time.

“… using a digital transaction for payments allowed [businesses] to hold on to cash longer and better control the timing of the release of funds, something more difficult to control when mailing a physical check. Check fraud remains rampant across many industries. According to an AFP payment fraud and control survey, 70% of U.S. organizations reported check fraud in 2019, responsible for more than $18 billion in losses.” –

source: What Every CFO Needs to Know About Supply Chains; Study published by DiCentral and Lehigh University; 2012

For example, there are many studies which show that purchase orders that are not sent digitally are most often manually processed, and that this manual processing may be done by any number of departments in the company – but most often the job falls to finance. Rather than looking to eliminate the manual entry of data and the errors and delays that come along with it, businesses execs first looked to where the lowest labor cost rests and had them handle the extra data input.

A digital strategy that transforms inefficient manual process into efficient electronic workflows is the better solution. While many companies have approached streamlining of activities by exchanging manual entry operations for data file formatting and imports, they still have not solved the problem as would be with an integration that takes even less human time and effort.

The real goal of any business improvement effort is to improve overall business value. By bringing in finance along with supply chain execs to the “digital transformation” discussion, the business is much better positioned to make real progress in areas that directly impact cash performance as well as long-term business value. It comes down to having all the information and being able to weigh the risks against the potential rewards to be gained from the contemplated changes.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J

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Connecting Your Web Store to QuickBooks on Azure

If you sell products via the Internet using a web store or shopping cart application, then you are probably facing the problem of getting your order and sales activities into QuickBooks and then getting shipping and product information back into the web store. For some, the additional need is to mirror the products and pricing information between the inventory management or financial system and the web store. In many businesses, this is a big chore and requires literally hours of redundant data entry and updating.

As with any manual process, there are many opportunities for errors and mistakes which ultimately cost the business both time and money.

Online selling is a dynamic business, and the sale is made when the customer is ready and willing to buy and the seller has the item available at the right price. The web store (ecommerce system) exists to process this sale in order to meet the immediacy of customer demand. If the system is not up to date with current product or pricing information, then the customer may not find what they want, and the sale is lost.

This means that the connectivity between the online selling system and the inventory/accounting system is of paramount importance in the ability to do business.

Synchronizing inventory information between the web store and the inventory/accounting system ensures that product and quantity information is updated on the web as product is sold and shipped (or received in). At the same time, importing invoices and sales receipts into the accounting system helps to ensure proper and accurate recording of sales and payment information and improves tracking of accounts receivable, shipping charges, and sales taxes.

cloud-small-business

To make this connection between the Web store and the inventory/accounting software, an integration solution or connector is generally required. The connector gets installed on the same systems as the inventory/accounting solution (on the same systems as QuickBooks, in this case) and provides the mechanism to synchronize data between the web store and the accounting system.

Integrating an always-on web store with an on-site accounting solution can be a challenge, even for the most tech savvy business owner.

Creating seamless processes for exchanging data between these remote systems requires that both solutions be operating in a secure and accessible platform. While the web store is accessible via the Internet, getting to data in accounting and other systems residing on local PCs or networks is more problematic.

An option that many successful online businesses have adopted is NOOBEH‘s QuickBooks on Azure service, which provides centralized hosting and management for the QuickBooks desktop and any connected inventory or warehouse management applications as well as the integration to the web store.

Enabling the accounting and operational systems to be online and always on, like the web store, allows them to exchange data when and where it is required.

Connecting services in a secure and managed environment introduces new efficiencies and eliminates risk due to data entry errors or lost transactions. The QuickBooks on Azure cloud hosting service provides the system management, platform security and uptime required to ensure that the inventory and accounting systems supporting the always-on web store are also always on.

jm bunny feetMake Sense?

J