Solving Common QuickBooks Integration Issues

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If you are new to the ESC/QuickBooks Integration process or have been using it for awhile, inevitably you will encounter a time where ESC is unable to send data to QuickBooks (QB). Before you can troubleshoot the problem, it is important to understand how ESC sends data to QB. The ESC/QB Integration is connected by one of two possible methods:

  • The ESC Direct Connect Method
  • The ESC Accounting Server

The Direct Connect Method is generally used for single users of ESC but can be also setup to work in a multi-user environment. This method requires each ESC user to have a fully installed version of QB on their local machine and to allow things to properly work, you must first log into QB and then into ESC. The start-up order is important as ESC is dependent on the QB application in this connection method.

The ESC Accounting Server method is the typical way in which multiple ESC users connect to a single QB database. The ESC Accounting Server is an additional program created by dESCO which, when installed, logs directly into the .QBW file and then acts as the bridge between the ESC workstations and QB. Once the ESC Accounting Server is installed, it acts like a logged in user into QB.

Regardless of your integration method, from within ESC on each workstation, you would go to File → QB Connection Wizard and tell ESC which integration method to use so that it can send data over to QB like new customers, vendors, jobs, techs, invoices and AP bills.

ESC Direct Connect Method - Common Problems and Solutions

  • Not starting the programs in the proper order, QB first and then ESC, will cause the integration not to work.
  • If QB crashes while integrated with ESC, you must shut down both programs on the computer and then restart QB followed by ESC.
  • “Could not start QB” errors can occur when the UAC (User Account Control) feature is disabled in Windows Vista or Windows 7. QB requires this to be on in order to function correctly.

ESC Accounting Server - Common Problems and Solutions

  • The ESC Accounting Server is Paused: This can occur because someone needed to get into QB single user mode. Press the connect button to fix this issue.
  • The ESC Accounting Server is Not Running: Go to Start → Programs → Desco → ESC Accounting Server and restart the program and ensure that it is connected.
  • The Computer that Runs the ESC Accounting Server has Crashed or Frozen: Reboot that machine to restart the operating system and the ESC Accounting Server.
  • “Failure to connect to QB” Errors: can occur if a pop-up or dialog box is left open on the computer running the ESC Accounting Server.
  • “Could not transmit xml to server: Object reference not set to an instance of an object” Error: just means that the ESC Accounting Server is either not running or paused.
  • Posting Errors: If using the ESC Accounting Server on a user’s workstation, that person must log into QB as a user with admin privileges. Failure to do this will cause posting errors for ESC as the ESC Accounting Server inherits the locally logged in QB users permissions for integration purposes.
  • It is only necessary to install one copy of the ESC Accounting Server on your network. Installing and connecting more than one can cause problems.

Common Problems and Solutions when Integrating ESC with QB:

  • Posted data is not showing up in QB: Confirm that you are posting from ESC to the correct QB database. If you have more than one QB’s company file, this could be the cause of this problem.
  • Corruption within the QB database can cause strange things to occur. If you suspect this to be the case, within QB switch to single user mode and go to File → Utilities → Rebuild Data. It is recommended by Intuit Support that you should run this utility three times in succession for best results.
  • Some problems occur when upgrading to a new version of QB and leaving the old version installed as well. This can cause integration issues and it is best to always uninstall the old version first and then install the new version of QB thereafter.
  • The error “Provided edit sequence is out of date” is just a warning and not a problem to worry about. The ESC posted transactions did save to QB and this message just alerts you to the fact that transactions are being saved in QB out of the order in which they were started.

Overall, if you are aware of how the integration functions together between the programs, it will be that much simpler to keep them working properly together and to recover from errors or issues whenever they may come up.

Written by Steve Gordon
Featured in May 2010 Newsletter

 

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