Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

GENERAL

1. What is QConnector?

QConnector is software that connects SugarCRM with QuickBooks to provide seamless integration and synchronization.

2. What does QConnector synchronize between QuickBooks and Sugar?

QConnector synchronizes QuickBooks and Sugar objects as follows:


QuickBooks	Direction	Sugar	Notes
Customer	Both	Account
Invoices	Both	Quotes	Only available with Sugar Professional
Tax Rates	Both	Tax Rates	Only available with Sugar Professional
Net Terms	Sugar to QuickBooks	Terms	Only available with Sugar Professional
Shippers	Both	Shipping Providers	Only available with Sugar Professional
Products	QuickBooks to Sugar	Product Catalog	Only available with Sugar Professional

LICENSING

1. How is QConnector Licensed?

QConnector is sold per user on an annual subscription basis. The subscription cost is a function of the total number of Sugar users.

2. Can I download an evaluation copy?

Yes, we hope to have a downloadable evaluation copy of QConnector available on our website soon. Until then you can call for an evaluation copy.

SUPPORT

1. Is support available for QConnector?

All licensed QConnector clients are eligible to receive all fixes and enhancements while they have an active subscription. RPS Technology provides support via e-mail only and will respond to requests within two business days of receiving your request.

QUICKBOOKS

1. What versions of QuickBooks does QConnector support?

QConnector requires QuickBooks 2005 or higher.

2. What editions of QuickBooks does QConnector support?

QConnector works and has been tested with the Professional, Premier, and Enterprise editions of QuickBooks. QConnector should also work with the industry-specific editions of Quickbooks. QConnector does NOT currently work with the QuickBooks Online Edition or QuickBooks for MacŪ.

3. Does QConnector support US, UK, Canadian editions of QuickBooks?

QConnector currently works with the US versions of QuickBooks but we hope to release UK and Canada versions by July 2007.

4. Does QConnector integrate with QuickBooks Merchant Services?

QConnector does not currently integrate with QuickBooks Merchant Services, however, it is a feature we have on the roadmap for future versions.

5. Why is the QuickBooks application unable to shutdown because QConnector is accessing company data file?

If you are running the Quickbooks Application on the same machine as QConnector you may receive a message when you try to exit the application that the file is in use and you cannot exit the application.  This will happen when QConnector has the Quickbooks file open on the same machine.  You will need to wait for QConnector to finish its current synchronization pass.  Then either pause or exit QConnector.  You should then be able to close the Quickbooks application.

SUGAR

1. What editions and versions of Sugar are supported?

QConnector currently works with Sugar Open Source 4.5 and Sugar Professional 4.5 or higher running with MySQL. Please note that because Sugar Open Source does not include a Quotes module, QConnector functionality is limited to synchronizing Account/Customer data between QuickBooks and Sugar.

2. Does QConnector support Sugar running against SQL Server and Oracle?

The current version only works with MySQL. We expect to have full support for SQL Server in Q3 2007.

3. How does QConnector integrate with Sugar?

QConnector is packaged as a Sugar Custom Module and loaded into Sugar using the Module Loader in the Sugar Administrative interface.

4. Can I use QConnector with SugarCRM's On-Demand Service?

SugarCRM does not currently support third party custom modules with their On-Demand service. We are working closely with SugarCRM to find a solution to allow this and hope to support this by Q4 2007.

5. Can I use QConnector with a Sugar hosting service?

RPS Technology offers Sugar hosting services for Sugar and we support QConnector within our hosting environment.

6. Does my Sugar server have to be on the same network as my QuickBooks file?

No.  QConnector was architected to work with a QuickBooks file running locally at the company talking to Sugar servers anywhere in the world via either HTTP or HTTPS protocol.  QConnector uses the HTTPS protocal to encrypt data to and from the Sugar servers.  Since all requests originate from the QConnector process inside your corporate firewall you should not have to make any network or firewall configuration changes.

SETUP AND CONFIGURATION

1. The QConnector Module does not appear to install on Sugar

When trying to load the QConnector custom module within Sugar, the module uploads successfully but you are then unable to take the next step.  This problem is often caused by UNIX file permissions issues.  Please confirm that the your file permissions are set properly for uploaded files.

SYNCHRONIZATION

1. What does QConnector synchronize between QuickBooks and Sugar?

QConnector synchronizes QuickBooks and Sugar objects as follows:


QuickBooks	Direction	Sugar	Notes
Customer	Both	Account
Invoices	Both	Quotes	Only available with Sugar Professional
Tax Rates	Both	Tax Rates	Only available with Sugar Professional
Net Terms	Sugar to QuickBooks	Terms	Only available with Sugar Professional
Shippers	Both	Shipping Providers	Only available with Sugar Professional
Products	QuickBooks to Sugar	Product Catalog	Only available with Sugar Professional

2. How often does QConnector synchronize data?

By default QConnector synchronizes every five minutes but this can be adjusted to longer intervals if required.

3. How does synchronization work?

QConnector installs a Windows executable onto a Windows machine so that it can access the QuickBooks file. The process is the controlling process for synchronization. It runs periodically based on the polling interval set in the configuration. The general process is as follows:

1. Initialize Synchronization with Sugar - verify license and authenticate
2. Check for manually resolved conflicts since last synch.
3. Check for and synch new/updated QuickBooks objects.
4. Check for and synch new/updated Sugar objects.
5. Tell Sugar the synch process is finished.


4. How does QConnector link QuickBooks customers to Sugar Accounts?

By default, QConnector initially maps a QuickBooks customer to a Sugar Account by matching the QuickBooks Account Name field to the Sugar Account Name field.  Once mapped, QConnector uses internal Sugar and QuickBooks unique identifiers for all future synchronizations.  We understand that often account name mapping is not a very reliable way to map customers to accounts. QConnector supports using an alternate key such as an Account Number to map customers to accounts. RPS Technology Professional Services can provide assistance in getting your initial data synchronized properly.

5. How does QConnector handle conflict resolution?

QConnector can be configured to handle conflict resolution automatically or manually. You can choose to have either the QuickBooks or Sugar version of the data win automatically when changes are detected for the same object. Alternatively, you can set conflict resolution to manual and then manually choose which application wins when a conflict is detected. This is controlled through the Sugar administrative interface for QConnector.

6. What data is synchronized for each object?

There are many data fields that are synchronized at both the Account/Customer level and Quotes/Invoice level. We will post a copy of our default field mappings shortly.

7. Can I control what fields are synchronized between QuickBooks and Sugar?

It is possible to customize the object and field level mappings between QuickBooks and Sugar. RPS Technology Professional Services can help you with this process as part of your implementation. We plan to expose some of this default mapping functionality via the QConnector administrative interface by Q4 2007.

8. Does QConnector show invoice payment status within Sugar?

Yes, for Sugar Professional clients, QConnector will synchronize summary payment status per invoice to Sugar. This is done via a Sugar Quote custom field. You must use Sugar Studio to include these data fields in your edit and detail panels.

9. Does QConnector update inventory levels within Sugar?

If you use QuickBooks to track inventory levels for products it is possible to update Sugar Professional's product catalog with the updated inventory levels. Please note that Sugar Professional does not currently use or display this inventory level as part of its quote processing.