How Data Syncs with QuickBooks

Understand how data flows between EquineOps and QuickBooks, when syncs occur, and how to manage synchronization settings.

Sync Overview

The QuickBooks integration maintains bidirectional data sync between systems, with QuickBooks as the master for some data and EquineOps as the master for others.

Data Flow Direction

Sync Schedule

Data syncs automatically on a set schedule based on data type.

Automatic Sync Schedule

Why These Schedules?

Categories/Vendors/Customers (3x daily):

• These change infrequently
• 3x daily ensures updates appear same business day
• Reduces API calls to QuickBooks

Expenses (Hourly during business hours):

• More frequent updates for timely bookkeeping
• Business hours only (6am-10pm) to avoid overnight processing
• Ensures same-day expense appearance in QuickBooks

Token Refresh (Daily):

• QuickBooks tokens expire after 100 days
• Daily refresh ensures connection stays active
• Automatic - no action required

Manual Sync

You can trigger sync manually anytime for immediate updates.

When to Use Manual Sync

Good Reasons:

• Need expense to appear in QuickBooks immediately
• Just added important vendors in QuickBooks
• Updated categories and need them now
• Troubleshooting sync issues
• Before month-end closing

Not Necessary:

• Normal day-to-day operations (automatic sync is sufficient)
• After every single expense (wait for hourly sync)

How to Trigger Manual Sync

Understanding Sync Status

Monitor sync health from the Integration settings page.

Sync Status Indicators

🟢 Connected and Syncing:

• Normal operation
• Last sync times within expected range
• No errors

🟡 Connected with Warnings:

• Connection active but sync issues
• Some records failed to sync
• Review warnings and address issues

🔴 Connection Error:

• Unable to sync
• May need to reconnect
• Check troubleshooting guide

Last Sync Times

For each data type, you’ll see:

• Last Successful Sync: When the last sync completed successfully
• Next Scheduled Sync: When the next automatic sync will occur
• Records Synced: Count of records in last sync

Expected Last Sync Times:

• Categories/Vendors/Customers: Within last 8 hours
• Expenses: Within last 2 hours (during business hours)
• Token: Within last 24 hours

Sync Log

View detailed sync history:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks
2. Click “View Sync Log”
3. See chronological list of all syncs

Log Shows:

• Sync timestamp
• Data type synced
• Number of records processed
• Success/failure status
• Error messages (if any)

Use the log to troubleshoot sync issues or verify when specific data synced.

What Happens During Sync

Categories Sync (QuickBooks → EquineOps)

Process:

1. EquineOps requests Chart of Accounts from QuickBooks
2. Filters for expense accounts only (ignores income/asset/liability accounts)
3. For each expense account:
   • New categories are created in EquineOps
   • Existing categories are updated (name changes, etc.)
   • Categories marked “From QuickBooks” (read-only)
4. Inactive QuickBooks categories are hidden in EquineOps

Result:

• EquineOps expense categories match QuickBooks expense accounts
• Sub-accounts preserved (e.g., “Supplies:Feed Supplies”)
• Ready for use in expense recording

Vendors Sync (QuickBooks → EquineOps)

Process:

1. EquineOps requests vendor list from QuickBooks
2. Filters for active vendors only
3. For each vendor:
   • New vendors created in EquineOps
   • Existing vendors updated (name, contact info)
   • Vendors marked “From QuickBooks” (read-only)
4. Inactive QuickBooks vendors are hidden

Result:

• EquineOps vendor list matches QuickBooks active vendors
• Vendor contact information synced
• Available for expense entry

Duplicate Handling: If vendor name matches existing EquineOps vendor, they’re merged.

Customers Sync (QuickBooks → EquineOps)

Process (if customer sync enabled):

1. EquineOps requests customer list from QuickBooks
2. For each active customer:
   • New customers create Clients in EquineOps
   • Existing clients updated (name, contact info)
   • Clients marked “From QuickBooks” (read-only)
3. QuickBooks customer ID linked to EquineOps client

Result:

• QuickBooks customers appear as Clients in EquineOps
• Contact information synchronized
• Client records ready for horse assignments

Mixed Client Management:

• QuickBooks customers (read-only)
• EquineOps-only clients (fully editable)
• Both types work together seamlessly

Expenses Sync (EquineOps → QuickBooks)

Process:

1. EquineOps identifies unsynced expenses
2. Validates each expense:
   • Has valid date
   • Has amount
   • Category exists in QuickBooks
   • Vendor exists in QuickBooks
3. For each valid expense:
   • Creates Purchase record in QuickBooks
   • Attaches receipt image (if available)
   • Links to category and vendor
   • Marks expense as synced in EquineOps
4. Errors logged for invalid expenses

QuickBooks Purchase Record Includes:

• Purchase date (from expense date)
• Amount
• Category (expense account)
• Vendor
• Description/memo (from expense notes)
• Attached receipt (image/PDF)

Result:

• Expenses appear in QuickBooks Expenses/Purchases
• Ready for accountant review
• Linked to proper categories and vendors

Sync Scenarios

Scenario 1: Adding New Category in QuickBooks

Steps:

1. In QuickBooks: Add new expense account “Supplies:Shavings”
2. Wait: Next category sync (6am, 2pm, or 10pm)
3. In EquineOps: New category appears in category list
4. Use: Can immediately assign to expenses

Timeline: Available in EquineOps within 8 hours (sooner if manual sync)

Scenario 2: Recording Multiple Expenses

Steps:

1. In EquineOps: Staff records 5 expenses throughout morning
2. Automatic Sync: Next hourly sync (e.g., 11:00 AM)
3. In QuickBooks: All 5 expenses appear as Purchase records
4. Accountant: Reviews and categorizes in QuickBooks

Timeline: Expenses appear in QuickBooks within 1 hour

Scenario 3: Changing Vendor Name in QuickBooks

Steps:

1. In QuickBooks: Rename vendor “John’s Feed Store” to “John’s Feed & Supply”
2. Wait: Next vendor sync (6am, 2pm, or 10pm)
3. In EquineOps: Vendor name automatically updates
4. Existing Expenses: Already synced expenses keep old name in QuickBooks

Timeline: Updated name in EquineOps within 8 hours

Note: Name changes don’t affect already-synced expenses in QuickBooks.

Scenario 4: Month-End Closing

Steps:

1. Before Close: Staff enters all month’s expenses in EquineOps
2. Manual Sync: Trigger “Sync Expenses” to push immediately
3. Wait: 1-2 minutes for sync to complete
4. In QuickBooks: Verify all expenses present
5. Close Month: Proceed with month-end close in QuickBooks

Best Practice: Manual sync before month-end ensures all expenses are in QuickBooks.

Sync Failures and Errors

Common Sync Errors

Invalid Category:

• Error: “Expense category not found in QuickBooks”
• Cause: Expense uses EquineOps-only category
• Fix: Change expense to use QuickBooks category, or add category to QuickBooks

Invalid Vendor:

• Error: “Vendor not found in QuickBooks”
• Cause: Expense uses EquineOps-only vendor
• Fix: Add vendor to QuickBooks, or change expense to existing QuickBooks vendor

Duplicate Expense:

• Error: “Expense may already exist in QuickBooks”
• Cause: Expense with same date, amount, and vendor already in QuickBooks
• Fix: Verify if duplicate, delete one if so

Connection Expired:

• Error: “QuickBooks authentication token expired”
• Cause: Connection lost or token not refreshing
• Fix: Reconnect QuickBooks (Settings → Integrations)

QuickBooks API Error:

• Error: “QuickBooks returned error: [error details]”
• Cause: QuickBooks API issue or rate limiting
• Fix: Wait and try again, or contact support if persists

Viewing Failed Syncs

Check sync log for failures:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks
2. Click “View Sync Log”
3. Filter for “Failed” status
4. Review error messages
5. Correct issues and retry sync

Retrying Failed Syncs

After fixing issues:

For Expenses:

1. Edit the expense in EquineOps
2. Correct category or vendor
3. Save expense
4. It will retry on next hourly sync
5. Or trigger manual expense sync

For Categories/Vendors:

• Fix in QuickBooks
• Trigger manual sync
• Verify data appears in EquineOps

Managing Sync Settings

Configuring Sync Options

Customize sync behavior:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks
2. Click “Configure Sync Settings”

Available Settings:

Sync Schedule:

• Automatic (recommended): Syncs on schedule
• Manual Only: You control all syncs

Customer Sync:

• Enabled: QuickBooks customers sync to Clients
• Disabled: Manage clients independently

Expense Sync Notifications:

• Enabled: Email when expenses sync fails
• Disabled: Check sync log manually

Sync on Expense Save:

• Enabled: Triggers immediate expense sync
• Disabled: Waits for scheduled sync (recommended for most)

Pausing Sync Temporarily

Need to pause sync without disconnecting?

Use Case: Accountant working on month-end, don’t want new expenses appearing

How:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks
2. Toggle “Pause Automatic Sync”
3. Sync stops until you resume
4. Manual sync still available if needed

Resume:

1. Toggle “Resume Automatic Sync”
2. Next scheduled sync will proceed normally

Best Practices

Keep QuickBooks Organized

Clean Chart of Accounts: Remove unused expense categories or mark inactive

Consistent Vendor Names: Use same vendor name format (avoid “John’s Farm” and “John’s Farm LLC”)

Active Status: Mark unused vendors inactive rather than deleting

Regular Review: Monthly review of categories and vendors keeps sync clean

Use QuickBooks as Master

For Categories: Always add/edit categories in QuickBooks, not EquineOps

For Vendors: Add vendors in QuickBooks first, they’ll sync automatically

For Customers: Update customer info in QuickBooks if syncing to clients

Why: QuickBooks is the master - changes there sync down to EquineOps automatically

Monitor Sync Health

Weekly Check: Review last sync times weekly

Review Errors: Check sync log for errors monthly

Test Occasionally: Record test expense and verify it appears in QuickBooks

Watch Notifications: Enable sync failure notifications

Coordinate with Accountant

Month-End: Manual sync before closing month

Reconciliation: Verify EquineOps expenses match QuickBooks

Questions: Direct QB-specific questions to accountant

Changes: Coordinate category/vendor changes

Understanding Data Ownership

QuickBooks “Owns” This Data

In QuickBooks:

• Chart of Accounts (categories)
• Vendor list
• Customer list

In EquineOps:

• These appear as read-only
• Changes must be made in QuickBooks
• Updates sync automatically

Why: QuickBooks is your accounting system of record for these master lists.

EquineOps “Owns” This Data

In EquineOps:

• Expenses
• Expense details and notes
• EquineOps-specific tags and fields

In QuickBooks:

• Expenses appear as Purchase records
• Don’t edit in QuickBooks (changes won’t sync back)

Why: EquineOps is your expense tracking tool - it’s the source of truth for expense data.

Shared Data Management

Mixed Scenarios:

• QuickBooks customers + EquineOps-only clients
• QuickBooks categories + EquineOps-only categories
• QuickBooks vendors + EquineOps-only vendors

Both systems coexist:

• QB items synced and read-only
• EO items stay in EquineOps only
• Both usable for expenses

Next Steps

Now that you understand sync:

• Record Expenses - Start using the integrated workflow
• Troubleshooting - Common sync issues and fixes
• Client Management - Managing synced customers as clients

Need Help?

Questions about sync?

• Email: support@equineops.com
• Sync Log: Check Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks → View Sync Log

Understanding sync ensures smooth operation of your QuickBooks integration!

Related Topics

• QuickBooks Overview - Integration features
• Connecting QuickBooks - Initial setup
• Troubleshooting - Common problems
• Expense Management - Recording and tracking expenses