Autotask to QuickBooks Mapping
Overview
A lot of data is transferred from Autotask to QuickBooks. Some data, like the QuickBooks invoice number, is transferred back to Autotask.
Since the purpose and structure of the two applications is very different, a lot depends on how data is created or mapped from Autotask to QuickBooks. This topic is an overview of other topics that explore mapping-related issues in more detail.
Mapping | Required for transfer of | ||||
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If you have configured a single web connector | Invoices | Expense Reports | Timesheets | Purchase Orders | Inventory synchronization |
Autotask organizations to QuickBooks customers | |||||
Fields on the Autotask invoice to fields on the QuickBooks invoice | |||||
Billing items to items on the QuickBooks item list | |||||
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Lines of Business to QuickBooks classes | |||||
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Resources to QuickBooks employees or vendors | |||||
Payroll categories to QuickBooks payroll items | |||||
If you have configured more than one web connector |
Invoices | Expense Reports | Timesheets | Purchase Orders | Inventory synchronization |
Organizations to web connectors. Refer to Mapping an Autotask organization to a different web connector. | |||||
Resources to web connectors. Refer to Mapping resources to a different web connector. |
Tilde~ and sub-item mapping
The biggest challenge when mapping Autotask to QuickBooks is that QuickBooks supports multiple levels of hierarchies that are separated by a colon. Autotask uses an otherwise seldom-used character, the tilde "~", to allow you to break an item name in Autotask into an Item:Subitem name in QuickBooks. During the transfer, the tilde is parsed as a colon.
Refer to Using the tilde for mapping sub-items.
How to map...
When an organization is transferred to QuickBooks, we check if the organization has been transferred before and is associated with an ID that was passed from QuickBooks.
- If it was, the organization uses the existing mapping, even if the organization name in Autotask or the customer name in QuickBooks have changed in the meantime.
NOTE This mapping can be broken on the Organization page. Select Tools > Reset QuickBooks Organization Mapping to clear the QuickBooks ID from the Autotask organization record.
- If not, we look for an exactly matching QuickBooks customer name. If one exists, we map to that customer.
- If not, we create a new customer in QuickBooks.
The best way for new Autotask customers to ensure that Autotask organization names and QuickBooks customer names match exactly is to import their QuickBooks customers into Autotask. Refer to Importing QuickBooks customer records into Autotask.
If you are using Customer:Job hierarchies in QuickBooks, there is even a way to set up organizations in Autotask to map to that. Refer to Using the tilde for mapping sub-items and Parent/sub-organization and job-level invoicing.
IMPORTANT There is a limit of 41 characters for organization names in QuickBooks. Longer organization names transferred from Autotask will be truncated.
Which fields appear on an Autotask invoice is determined by the invoice template that you use to transfer invoices to QuickBooks. Refer to Invoice template setup for transfer to QB.
The individual fields are mostly pre-mapped. Refer to Invoice field map.
Both Autotask and QuickBooks have different types of billing items, but they don't match up exactly. Autotask billing items are distributed over several different lists, while all QuickBooks billing items must exist on the one and only Item List.
- If you've been using QuickBooks but are new in Autotask, and would like to import your billing items into Autotask, refer to Populating Autotask lists with QuickBooks items.
- If you've been using Autotask but not QuickBooks, or are new to both Autotask and QuickBooks, your billing item naming conventions will determine most of the item names that will be created on the QuickBooks Item List. Refer to Managing Naming Conventions.
- If you would like to update the On Hand count of an inventory item in QuickBooks when an inventory part is transferred on an Autotask invoice, refer to Managing inventory in QuickBooks when invoice transfer is enabled.
These can be mapped in either Autotask (if they have never been transferred), or in QuickBooks.
Refer to Mapping billing codes to QuickBooks financial accounts.
If you have set up lines of business and would like to map them to QuickBooks classes, you must do that in Autotask. Refer to Mapping lines of business to QuickBooks classes.
On the Expense Category Mapping page, you configure the general expense transfer settings for this web connector, and map transferred expense items to the QuickBooks expense accounts the resources will be reimbursed from. Refer to Mapping expense categories to QuickBooks accounts.
If you are planning to transfer the timesheets and expense reports of your resources to QuickBooks, you must either map Autotask resources to QuickBooks employees or vendors, or allow Autotask to set up new (and possibly duplicate) employee or vendor records during the transfer. Refer to Mapping resources to QuickBooks employees and vendors.
If you would like to transfer Autotask timesheet information to QuickBooks, you must map Autotask payroll categories to their equivalent Wage type Payroll Item Names in QuickBooks. Both hourly and salary payroll types must be mapped. Refer to Mapping payroll categories for Timesheets transfers.