[GRLUG] "Fixing" QuickBooks

[Ben Rousch]

This sounds like an interesting and useful project, which I'm afraid
will likely lead to a lot of frustration. The company I work for has
used Quickbooks since 2006, so I do have some experience with it.
Their file format changes with every version, and there is a new
version every year, so you are really aiming at a moving target. The
upgrade between versions can sometimes take hours, so I don't think
they are all trivial changes.

I don't actually use the program very much (IANAA), but I do pull some
data out of it using their QODBC driver. It is highly annoying that
the full desktop client has to be running to access the data via ODBC.

I know that some part of the Enterprise version uses an encrypted,
embedded Sybase database, but I'm not sure that all versions use that.

Quickbooks can import data from Excel spreadsheets for some functions
(esp customer, vendor, employee data).

I'll be happy to lend a hand if I can be of any help.

On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 6:53 PM, Tim Schmidt <timschmidt at gmail.com> wrote:
> Currently organizing an effort to reverse-engineer or otherwise work
> around the QuickBooks file format(s).
>
> This is drastically important to small businesses using FOSS, as CPAs
> almost universally expect (and charge less for) data in these formats.
>
> See: http://lwn.net/Articles/314577/
>
> I'm looking for example data stored in a format QuickBooks
> understands, and people with some experience using the software.
>
> The goal is to enable applications like GNUCash, KMyMoney, etc to
> inter-operate with applications used by accountants.
>
> Double-extra bonus points if you are, or know an accountant who might
> shed a little light on what software _you_ use, and how it works!
>
> If any of you runs into anything you feel might be even remotely
> related, please, send it my way.
>
> Thanks for your time...
>
> --tim
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