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QuickBooks Integration Overview

The QuickBooks integration is meant to create a seamless and efficient sync between Silo and QuickBooks. It is a 1-way integration, meaning data is only pushed from Silo to QuickBooks. Silo is considered the source of truth for all data related to invoices, purchase orders, credits, and payments. For example, if an invoice is edited in QuickBooks and not in Silo, with the next sync the invoice data from Silo will override the corresponding invoice data in QuickBooks. It’s important to remember that any actions related to accounting data (e.g., editing a sales order or recording a payment) should be made in Silo first. 

Data

  1. Customer and vendor data: names must match exactly for the integration to sync successfully.  Customers and vendors should be created in Silo to exactly match QuickBooks as part of data migration during the initial onboarding process, but make sure to review all customer and vendor names before enabling the integration. 
    1. Note: a customer and a vendor cannot share the same name in QuickBooks. If you have a customer and a vendor with the same name in Silo, we will add -C or -V in QuickBooks to distinguish them.
    2. Today, when a new customer or vendor is added to Silo, only the name will sync to QuickBooks. Users must update the address and terms manually in QuickBooks.
  2. Inventory data: Inventory data cannot be mapped as a 1-to-1 item mapping; instead, all inventory items with the same product in Silo will map to the same item in QuickBooks. For example, if there is an inventory item in Silo named Avocado with a unit 10 lb box, and another inventory item named Avocado with a unit 20 lb box, both of those items will roll up into the same item in QuickBooks named Avocado. If there are any discrepancies between item names, a new item with the name from the Silo catalogue will be created in QuickBooks during the next sync.
    1. If a user does not want to sync itemized invoices, Silo will create a non-inventory item called "Produce Goods" in QuickBooks and use that item on both bills and invoices. Note that the item will have a quantity of 1, and the price will be the total of the purchase order or sales order in Silo. 
    2. If a user has cascaded inventory items, there is a setting to determine how these will be created in QuickBooks. Make sure to review this setting with users during training to ensure cascaded inventory items sync in the way that best suits their accounting needs.
  3. Mappings: The integration requires mappings to specific accounts so the data from Silo syncs to the correct accounts in QuickBooks. These mappings can be found in the Settings > Accounting > Integrations section and can be updated anytime. Once updated, all new data synced to QuickBooks will use the new mapping setting; however, this will not affect any historical data already synced to QuickBooks. 
    1. Currently, you can only map to one of each type of account (e.g., Income account, Cost of Goods Sold account, etc.). If you use more than one of these types of accounts, you will need to select one primary account for the integration to use when syncing, then update the account once the data is in QuickBooks. 

Begin Sync Date

The Begin Sync Date setting allows users to determine from which date data will start syncing from Silo to QuickBooks. Any entity with a date before the Begin Sync Date will not sync. If any of these entities before the Begin Sync Date are created or edited after syncing is turned, they will create an error in the error log. Additionally, any entity connected to an entity from before the Begin Sync Date (e.g., a payment recorded after that date but applied to an invoice before it) will not sync to QuickBooks and will log an error.

Error Log

Any time an error occurs when syncing a specific entity from Silo, it will appear in the error log. The error log can be accessed in the Settings > Accounting page and also from all of the Accounting > Expenses and Accounting > Sales screens. Errors will remain in the log until resolved, or the entity is disconnected.

Disconnecting Objects

When viewing an entity in the error log, under the “Action” column, there is a button called “Disconnect”. Clicking this button will disconnect the entity from QuickBooks, so it no longer attempts to sync. This button has several implications to be aware of:

  • Once an entity has been disconnected, it cannot be reconnected and must be entered and updated manually in QuickBooks.
  • Only purchase orders, sales orders, returns, credits and payments can be disconnected. Customers, vendors, and inventory items cannot.
  • Any entities related to an entity that was disconnected will also be disconnected. For example, if you disconnect a sales order, any payments or credits that have been applied to it will also be disconnected.
    • A warning message with a full list of all connected entities appears when attempting to disconnect an entity. Review this list to understand what entities will be disconnected fully.

As a QuickBooks Integration user, it’s important to remember these implications when disconnecting objects. If done incorrectly, more errors can occur, making it challenging to accurately ensure all data syncs to QuickBooks. 

Best Practices

To ensure the success of the QuickBooks integration for our users, we must communicate key functions of the integration and best practices that allow it to run smoothly and efficiently. 

  • Silo is the source of truth for ALL accounting data. This means that if you make edits in QuickBooks to an entity that has synced from Silo, these edits will be overwritten the next time the entity syncs. It must be communicated to users that all actions must be made in Silo and not QuickBooks for the sync to work correctly. 

Actions include:

  • Creating/editing a sales order (invoice)
  • Creating/editing a purchase order (bill)
  • Creating/editing/applying a vendor or customer credit
  • Recording a customer or vendor payment
  • Adding a new customer/vendor/item

 

  • Managing the transition: It’s important to clearly communicate to users that when first using the integration, there is a brief transition period (usually 30-45 days) where they will need to manage bills and invoices in both systems. We do not import any historical data from QuickBooks to Silo, so during this time period, any actions that need to be recorded related to bills, invoices, or credits that were created before the go-live date need to be completed in QuickBooks. For example, if a user needs to pay a bill from a vendor and the bill was created before the go-live date, they will record the payment for the vendor directly in QuickBooks.
  • Invoice/reference numbers: Occasionally, there may be instances where the same invoice or reference number is used for multiple invoices from the same or different customers and vendors. This can cause issues with how data syncs to QuickBooks because invoice number is one of the fields that is used when the integration creates or modifies an invoice or payment. Suppose there are multiple invoices with the same invoice number. In that case, it’s recommended to add a hyphen to the end (such as “-1, -2, -3”) or the initials of the customer/vendor so that there is a distinction between each invoice and data can sync accurately. 
  • Error log: Users should review the error log regularly to make sure that the sync is functioning properly. The error messages should be straightforward and easy to understand, clearly explaining the issue and how to resolve it.
  • Silo proactive monitoring: Silo will consistently monitor all entities (bills, invoices, payments, etc.) that are synced to QuickBooks and provide regular updates when discrepancies are discovered, along with troubleshooting tips to resolve these issues. If you have any questions or need help, please don't hesitate to contact our support team through the Help menu. 

To sign up for silo, please schedule a demo with us via https://usesilo.com/lp/demo


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