I'm in the middle of converting a client from a billing and accounting program to Clio and QBO. The QBO portion basically is done, and I've learned a few lessons I think are worth sharing.
1. Carefully understand the data that's available from the originating program. In my case, the program exports journal entries, checks and deposits. However, the checks and deposits are part of the journal entries and don’t have the non-bank part of the transaction. I had to figure out how to get the checks into QuickBooks with full information and without duplication, or convince the client that journal entries instead of checks were okay.
2. If the client wants to change the chart of accounts, do it after you have imported. I have spent lots of time matching account names and numbers between the old program and QuickBooks.
3. Narrow the time frame. Decide how much old data really needs to be brought in and recognize the quality of it. If the old data is garbage, don’t import. Clear out vendors that haven’t been used in the last two or three years. Have the client either plan to keep the old program around for reporting or print reports to PDF for storage.
4. A good techie is a good friend. Depending on what program you're coming from, you may need someone who can go into the old program and pull the data for you with SQL commands or other methods. Work closely to get what you need.
5. Learn excel tools that can help you. Tools like VLOOKUP, Filters and Pivot tables can be very useful in comparing information.
6. Convert to QuickBooks desktop and then use that to create the QBO file. I imported and deleted data at least 30 times in the process of converting the data. I also did an import with test data. This could not be easily done in QBO, as you can’t backup/restore. Because of some specific aspects of this conversion, the client already had the QBO file with some limited data. Therefore, I perfected my imports in QuickBooks desktop and then did the imports into QBO. If I could have just uploaded my desktop file, it would have been easier.
7. Remember, you can’t easily import into AR and AP accounts. Setup these accounts as Other Current Asset and Other Current Liability accounts if you're not importing actual customer invoices and vendor bills.
8. Find the right tools. Transaction Pro Importer was my tool of choice for both desktop and QBO import. I needed to make use of TPI’s blogs and support forum to find answers to questions such as how to get QBO import to recognize account numbers (there’s an options button) and for journal entries how to format the number since in QBO import TPI uses a single column (positive for debit/negative for credit). I think some of this information could have been easier to locate, but they're great tools.
9. Backup Often. I made extensive use of the QuickBooks desktop backup utility, making backups with specific names. I also made use of the in-program utility to purge data.
10. Keep careful notes, and read them so that you don’t make the same mistake multiple times as you go through the various phases. This was especially true for me since I had to make changes in my desktop file and then repeat them in QBO.
11. Save copies frequently. When working on spreadsheets, always start with a "save as" before making substantial changes. This will help you get back to the original file easily if you have a big "OOOPS" moment.
12. Celebrate. Appreciate the small victories along the way and enjoy when you're done.
So now that it’s done, would I do it again?
Yes, but I'd set the client expectations differently knowing the program limitations and I would convert to desktop and then upload.
Caren Schwartz is an Advanced Certified QuickBook ProAdvisor, and a regular contributor to Insightful Accountant. Caren consistently has been a member of the Top 100 ProAdvisors, and also has been honored as the "Top Niche Practice ProAdvisor" of the year. She holds an MBA in marketing and finance from the Johnson Business School at Cornell University. Caren's business, Time & Cents Consultants is located in Fairfield, Conn. She is known for her expertise in the area of law firm technology with certifications in such software as Timeslips, Amicus Attorney, Time Matters, PC Law and Tabs3/PracticeMaster. She also is the author of "QuickBooks for Law Firms."