QuickBooks Desktop & Spend management software integration

The Client

A leading cloud-based procurement software company in Northwest USA, founded in 1997. The Fraxion helps with proactive spend management (purchase requisitioning, expense, and approval management with advanced analytics) for the mid-market. They actively manage over $10 billion of spend across the globe at over 1,000 organizations, with more than 200,000 users.

The Challenge

The client was performing well with their existing procurement software offerings. However, some users had to manually import and export data from the procurement software to accounting software.

When the stock level of any item reduces to a low quantity such as 20 then BigCommerce, this was time-consuming for end users and also the competitive market of this time has an alternative for almost anything these days.

To advance their USP and improve the user experience, the client decided to implement QuickBooks integration to automate data syncing between systems.

They wanted this add-on to be simple, enabling non-technical users to operate it easily with minimal assistance.

Key challenges included:

• Manual Data Handling: Time-consuming and error-prone manual import/export processes.
• Integration Complexity: Needed an integration tool that could handle over 30 connections and be easily scalable.

The client also required a solution that worked without changes to their existing software. Ideally, they wanted an integration tool that requests data from the procurement software, triggers a response, and syncs with QuickBooks Desktop.

The Solution

Phase 1 – Initial Setup and Scope

The Satva team conducted several calls and email discussions to understand the procurement software’s workflow, ultimately developing a clear scope. Satva’s Business Analyst and Tech Lead worked on demo accounts and created a POC (proof of concept).

The proposed solution involved:

• Sync Entities: Supplier (Vendor), GL Code (Account), Invoice (Vendor Bill).
• Local Integration: Developed a console application that directly authenticates with QuickBooks Desktop, avoiding the need for a web connector approach. The application runs at scheduled times to sync records from the accounts payable system to QuickBooks Desktop automatically.

The system handles all tasks without requiring user intervention, including:

• Automatic Sync: The console application synchronizes data automatically at scheduled intervals.
• Sync Services: Monitors accuracy, and connection status, and provides error reporting for troubleshooting.

Phase 2 – Enhancements and Automation

As the integration went live and end users began using it, the client requested further automation. The second phase included syncing the following:

• Customers
• Classes
• Jobs
• Updated Bills

The Satva team delivered this within two weeks.

The Sync

Extracting vendors, GL codes, budgets vs. actuals, and pushing AP invoices into QuickBooks Desktop.

Synchronizing Customers, Classes, and Jobs.

Benefits

• Over 9,000 records (bills, vendors, GL codes, budgets vs actuals) synchronized between QuickBooks Desktop and the Procurement software.
• Business transactions worth $4 million synchronized.
• User ratings of the procurement software improved from 3.9 to 4.4.
• Errors and duplications were reduced to zero for end users.
• 23% growth in the user base.
• Minimal support is needed—just a few emails since March 2021.

Platform/Technology

• Database: SQL Server
• Programming Language: C# Console Application
• Task Scheduler: Windows Server Task Scheduler