Pre-Integration Guide: QuickBooks Desktop with IndusTrack

To connect QuickBooks Desktop with IndusTrack, you need to install the IndusTrack QuickBooks Connector. This tool lets you sync customers, items, invoices, and more between the two systems.

✅ Before You Start

Make sure the following are in place before installing:

• Install Location: Install the connector on the same computer/server where QuickBooks Desktop is installed.
• Single-User Mode: QuickBooks must be in Single-User Mode during setup.
• Admin Access: Log in to QuickBooks as an Admin.
• Version Compatibility: Contact IndusTrack support if you use a version of QuickBooks other than Enterprise Solutions: Contractor 22.0.
• Company File: Do not rename or move your QuickBooks company file after syncing. This may cause duplicates in IndusTrack.
• Backup Recommended: Back up your QuickBooks data. We suggest doing daily backups during the first few weeks after integration.

🧹 Prepare QuickBooks for Syncing

Clean Up Your Data

• Customers & Items: Delete or deactivate any records you don’t want to sync. Everything in QuickBooks will transfer to IndusTrack.

🔁 Field Mapping: IndusTrack → QuickBooks Desktop

When syncing customer data from IndusTrack to QuickBooks Desktop, the following fields are mapped:

🚨 QuickBooks Jobs = Duplicate Customers in IndusTrack

Jobs created under a customer in QuickBooks sync as separate customers in IndusTrack (only the Company Name syncs, not the job name).
Result: You may see what looks like duplicate customers.

1. In the image, you see how the customer (Carefree) and its job were set up in Quickbooks.

2. Once this is synchronized to Industrack, this will create a duplication of the customer’s name. IndusTrack only synchronizes the Company name and does not synchronize the full name plus the job name. 

This is how it looks once the customer (Carefree) and its job are synchronized to Industrack. 

Solutions:

1. Leave as is (can be confusing).
2. Rename jobs in QB to include the location (e.g., Carefree – Main Office).
3. Delete jobs after backup and confirmation from IndusTrack.
4. Do a full sync, switch to one-way sync from IndusTrack to QB, then clean up duplicates in IndusTrack.

How Duplicate Customers Are Handled During QuickBooks Sync

When syncing customer data between IndusTrack (OT) and QuickBooks (QB), it’s important to understand how duplicate customer entries are managed. This helps avoid confusion, sync errors, and inconsistent records.

🔁 Types of Sync

There are three sync modes:

1. One-Way Sync (OT → QB)
2. One-Way Sync (QB → OT)
3. Two-Way Sync (OT ↔ QB)

✅ What Happens if a Duplicate Customer Exists?

A duplicate customer is when a customer with the same name or identifier already exists in the destination system (either OT or QB). Here’s how each sync type handles duplicates:

1. One-Way Sync (OT to QB)

• If a duplicate customer is created in OT and then synced:
  • QuickBooks will not accept it as a new customer.
  • The sync skips the duplicate.
  • No merging happens automatically.
  • An alert or sync log entry will note the issue.

2. One-Way Sync (QB to OT)

• If a customer already exists in OT with the same name:
  • The system skips creating a new customer.
  • The duplicate entry is not added or merged.
  • The event is logged in the sync report, if enabled.

3. Two-Way Sync

• The system checks both sides for duplicates.
• If a match is found (based on name or ID):
  • No duplicate is created.
  • Whichever record was modified most recently will update the other, depending on your sync settings.
  • No auto-merge of conflicting data occurs—only field updates based on sync direction and timestamp.
  • Warnings may appear in sync logs if there’s a conflict.

🧠 Best Practices to Avoid Sync Issues

• Use unique customer names or IDs across both systems.
• Before syncing, review your customer list in both OT and QB for duplicates.
• Check the sync logs regularly for skipped or failed records.
• Avoid manually entering the same customer in both systems—let the sync process create and match them.

📌 Example Scenario

You create a customer called “ABC Plumbing” in OT and later add another “ABC Plumbing” entry by mistake.

• When syncing OT → QB:
  • Only the first “ABC Plumbing” will appear in QuickBooks.
  • The second, duplicate entry will be skipped and logged in the sync report.

Warning: Read below before installation 

🔁 Choose Your Sync Direction

Before installation, decide how you want to sync customers:

1. QuickBooks to IndusTrack (QB is Master)
   • Changes in QB sync to IndusTrack.
   • Changes in IndusTrack won’t sync back to QB.
2. IndusTrack to QuickBooks (IndusTrack is Master)
   • Changes in IndusTrack sync to QB.
   • Changes in QB won’t sync back to IndusTrack.
3. Two-Way Sync
   • Changes in either system sync both ways.
   • The most recent change wins in case of conflicts.

Important: If you keep dispatching jobs from QuickBooks, each job will sync to IndusTrack as a separate customer using only the company name, not the job name. This may result in what appears to be duplicate customer entries. To avoid confusion, make sure to assign a Ship To location to each job in QuickBooks. This will help you identify which location belongs to which customer once the data syncs to IndusTrack.

🔁 Customer Sync: One-Way (QuickBooks → IndusTrack)

When you enable one-way sync from QuickBooks to IndusTrack, all customer data flows from QuickBooks into IndusTrack, but not the other way around.

⚙️ Tax and Payment Terms – Managed by QuickBooks

If the tax and payment term sync toggles are enabled:

• The Tax and Terms settings in IndusTrack become read-only.
• You will not be able to add, edit, or delete tax rates or payment terms from IndusTrack.
• All tax and term data is pulled directly from QuickBooks, ensuring consistency.

📍 Location:
Settings > Tax and Terms (view-only when toggles are on)

📌 Why This Matters

This setup is designed to keep financial data consistent with QuickBooks, which acts as the source of truth. Once this sync mode is active, all updates to tax rates or payment terms must be made in QuickBooks, not in IndusTrack.

🔁 Customer Sync: One-Way (IndusTrack → QuickBooks)

When using a one-way sync from IndusTrack to QuickBooks Online, customer records are sent from IndusTrack into QuickBooks, but not the other way around.

⚙️ Managing Tax and Payment Terms

In this sync mode:

• The tax and payment term sync toggles are disabled during setup.
• However, you can still manually manage tax and payment terms directly in IndusTrack.

✅ IndusTrack users can:

• Add, edit, or delete tax rates.
• Create and manage payment term options.

You can access these settings by going to:
Settings > Tax and Terms

📌 Why This Matters

Because the sync only flows from IndusTrack to QuickBooks, IndusTrack remains in full control of tax and payment term records. You’re free to manage these fields without restrictions, and they will carry over into QuickBooks during sync.

🔄 Customer Sync: Two-Way (Primary System = QuickBooks Online)

When using two-way sync with QuickBooks Online as the primary system, customer data is shared between QuickBooks and IndusTrack, but QuickBooks controls the master records.

⚙️ Tax and Payment Terms – Controlled by QuickBooks

With this setup:

• The sync toggles for tax and payment terms are enabled.
• IndusTrack will automatically sync tax rates and payment terms from QuickBooks.
• These records become read-only in IndusTrack.

❌ You cannot add, edit, or delete tax rates or payment terms in IndusTrack when this sync is enabled.

📌 Why This Matters

This setup ensures your financial settings (taxes and terms) remain consistent and accurate with what’s in QuickBooks—your accounting source of truth.

Even though customer information flows in both directions, QuickBooks always controls tax and term data when it’s the primary system.

🔄 Customer Sync: Two-Way (Primary System = IndusTrack)

In a two-way sync setup where IndusTrack is the primary system, customer records are shared between IndusTrack and QuickBooks Online. This means changes to customer information in either system can be synced across both platforms.

However, there are important exceptions you need to be aware of.

⚠️ Tax and Payment Terms Are Read-Only in IndusTrack

Even with IndusTrack set as the primary system:

• Tax settings and payment terms become read-only in IndusTrack.
• You cannot add, edit, or delete tax or payment term records in IndusTrack.
• These fields are controlled entirely by QuickBooks Online.

🔒 You’ll still see these fields in IndusTrack, but they will be locked for editing.

📘 Why This Happens

QuickBooks Online manages financial settings like taxes and terms to ensure accuracy across accounting and reporting. Even in a two-way sync, these settings must stay consistent with QuickBooks, so IndusTrack disables editing for these fields during sync.

✅ What You Can Edit in IndusTrack

• Customer name
• Contact info
• Addresses (billing & service locations)
• Notes
• Job details and service history

🧭 Service Locations

How locations sync between systems:

• In QuickBooks: Use the “Ship To” section to add service locations.
• In IndusTrack: These become Service Locations under each customer.

If you don’t set up “Ship To” locations in QB, IndusTrack will treat each one as a separate customer.

QB Ship to Location 

Industrack Service Locations under Customer 

To add “Ship To” in QB:

• Open the customer.
• Click Edit.
• Click the plus (+) icon under “Ship To”.

📎 Notes & Attachments

• Attachments and notes must be imported manually using Excel files.
• Active/inactive customers in one system will sync to the same status in the other.

📦 Inventory Sync

Inventory sync does not support two-way syncing. Choose one direction:

1. QB to IndusTrack
   • Items in QB (inventory, non-inventory, services, equipment) sync into IndusTrack.
   • Changes in IndusTrack won’t reflect in QB.
2. IndusTrack to QB
   • Items in IndusTrack (inventory, non-inventory, services, equipment) sync to QB.
   • Changes in QB won’t reflect in IndusTrack.

Key Notes:

• Items marked non-taxable in IndusTrack must also be marked the same in QB.
• Equipment in IndusTrack will appear as Inventory Items in QB.
• Assign income and expense accounts in IndusTrack before syncing inventory.
• Purchase Orders are NOT synced with QuickBooks.

🧾 Invoice Sync

Invoices only sync from IndusTrack to QuickBooks.

Sync Requirements:

• Invoices must be approved and marked “ready for sync” in IndusTrack.
• Once synced, the invoice number in IndusTrack will update to match QuickBooks (if this setting is enabled).

Invoice Number Settings:

• Enabled: QuickBooks controls the invoice number.
• Disabled: IndusTrack keeps its own number.

Additional Notes:

• If a tax is set in QB, it will automatically apply when the invoice is synced.
• When a payment is marked in QB, it will also mark the invoice as paid in IndusTrack after sync.
• Invoices created for job-based customers in IndusTrack will reflect both job and customer in QB.
• ✅ Zero-dollar invoices can now be synced (e.g., warranty or follow-ups).

Tax Updates Not Syncing Correctly

• Scenario: When QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) is set as the Primary System with Two-Way Sync enabled.
• Observed Behavior: Editing a tax in QBD (e.g., changing the name or value) does not update the existing tax entry in IndusTrack (OT). Instead, the sync creates a new duplicate tax entry while leaving the old tax unchanged. This results in duplicate or outdated tax records in OT, even though QBD only shows the updated tax.
• Expected Behavior: Changes made to a tax in QBD should update the corresponding tax record in OT, ensuring both systems remain aligned without creating duplicates.

Deleted Terms Not Removed in One-Way Sync

• Scenario: When using one-way sync from QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) to IndusTrack (OT).
• Observed Behavior: If a term is deleted in QBD, it is not removed in OT during sync. As a result, OT may continue to display outdated or incorrect terms, even though QBD is the source of truth.

Important Note: In a one-way sync, deleted terms in QBD will not be automatically removed from OT. Users should be aware of this limitation when managing terms.

🔄 Switching QuickBooks to Single-User Mode

If you have set up your QuickBooks for Multi-User Mode, this will not allow us to synchronize with IndusTrack. We need to switch QB desktop app to single-user mode before we start synchronizing. We can switch it back later to its original mode once we finish the initial sync. 

How to switch QuickBooks modes: 

1. Open QB
2. Click on File 

3. Select switch to Single-user Mode.

4. Go to the task manager find QBW.EXE click on it and then click on End Task. 

5. Open up QB again and it should be in Single-User Mode.