If you are reading this, chances are you know the manual data exchange between Intuit QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an unimaginably overwhelming task. There is a kind of workaround for this, which we wrote in a CRM Software Blog article back in 2021, though, as we mention in the article, it is still a manual process that consumes a lot of time. As such, the best way to get around this issue is to find other ways to complete your integration without having to struggle as much.
Through this comprehensive guide, we will explore the best practices and tips for creating an automatic connection between QuickBooks Online and Dynamics 365, streamlining your processes and amping your productivity. This Microsoft Dynamics integration with QuickBooks will seamlessly get the information from each of these systems – it will be like they are finally speaking to each other. Let’s find out how this can be achieved!
1. Automate your Synchronization
The truth is that manual synchronization is a thing of the past. If, by harnessing the power of technology, you can now have live updates of both your financial and customer data reflected in QuickBooks and Dynamics 365 simultaneously, there is no reason for you to have to break your head over delayed manual processes.
To achieve automation, you will need to find reliable QuickBooks and D365 integration software since neither one of these systems natively offers this automatic connection.
2. Ensure Bidirectional Sync on your Dynamics 365 QuickBooks Integration
If your systems don’t connect bidirectionally, you’re missing out. System integration’s value definitely increases when information is shared on both ends. By having accounting data in D365, your sales team gains better customer insights. They can view payment histories and buying habits. This data aids in designing targeted marketing and enhancing customer experience. Similarly, with CRM data in QuickBooks Online, your finance team can monitor sales activities. This helps in faster invoicing, managing accounts receivable and other financial tasks. Overall, clearly a win-win situation!
Keep in mind that when you establish the integration, you will decide what data flows to where and who will have access to it – for example, having invoices flow to Dynamics 365 doesn’t mean that all CRM users need to have full access to them!
3. Opt for a Simplified QuickBooks and Dynamics 365 Integration
If you have concluded that automating the connection between QuickBooks and D365 is the way to go for you, there are two viable options to consider.
The first one is to study the QuickBooks API and the Dynamics 365 API yourself to make the integration happen. If you decide to go down this route, you will need to study the QuickBooks API documentation, which is honestly rather simple to navigate through. From there, create your app to generate the development keys, after which you can proceed to the OAuth 2.0 authentication and then to the relevant API calls. Do keep in mind that while this is by no means impossible, it can certainly turn into a complicated project.
The second way still involves doing the integration with the QuickBooks API, but without having to study any of it. By leveraging Connect Bridge to achieve your seamless Microsoft Dynamics with QuickBooks integration, you can completely avoid studying the API. But before we explain, note this only works for QuickBooks Online. So, if this is the target system you want to connect to, Connect Bridge is perfect!
This software integration platform not only minimizes API studying as mentioned, it also minimizes the coding time by an unbelievable amount. Using SQL alone (in a Linked Server), or in combination with your preferred programming language (C#, Java, PHP, etc.), you can reduce your integration efforts by 90% - yes, you read it correctly – by automatically translating SQL statements into API calls. As such, using Connect Bridge will make your QuickBooks Dynamics 365 integration as simple as it can possibly get. Plus, you won’t even have to worry about any future updates to QuickBooks Online or D365, since we designed Connect Bridge to guarantee forward compatibility.
4. Understand Functionalities and Limitations of the Integration
As with any software available on the market, there are inherent limitations you must consider before starting to use a software integration platform. As such, to leverage Connect Bridge for your QuickBooks and Dynamics 365 integration, you need to nail down your company requirements beforehand to simplify the options that best align with your company’s needs. Here is a brief overview of what you can and can’t achieve with the Connect Bridge platform:
You can’t:
- Sync QuickBooks Online with non-Windows-based software
- Sync QuickBooks Desktop with QuickBooks Online, or vice versa
- Integrate or sync QuickBooks Desktop with other software
What you can do:
- You can integrate QuickBooks Online with any custom or legacy software from the last 30 years (as long as you have access to the software’s source code)
- Perform website integration with QuickBooks by extracting data from QuickBooks and into a database (e.g., SQL Server or Oracle)
- Sync a single instance of Dynamics 365 with multiple QuickBooks companies
- Sync QuickBooks Online with other software, including popular CRM platforms like Salesforce or SugarCRM through the same process explained in Point 3
5. Support Informed Decision Making
Whenever you are interested in a particular product or service, as a rule of thumb, it is always better to investigate the experiences of those who have gone through the problem you are trying to solve with the product/service you are currently considering.
Being big believers in non-biased purchasing decisions, we always encourage our customers to share their experiences of using our products. This way we get a better view of their journeys, while taking feedback into account when working on future versions of our software. In addition, if agreed upon by the customer, we go a step further by conducting interviews to write stories based on their own experience with our software – each one is unique!
If you want to peek at the stories we have for Connect Bridge, you can read on and learn the stories of:
- ORBIS Group - one of our partners, working with international corporations and enterprises, especially from the DACH Region
- Iperal - an Italian supermarket chain
- Fesworld - also one of our partners. They created a solution through Connect Bridge to connect D365, SAP and Gmail – yes, 3 different applications!
- Swenex - a Swiss energy service provider, with serious needs in terms of reliability and availability
We also have other success stories available on our blog covering our other software solutions. Rather than taking our word for it, read directly from our customers and their integration projects!
Takeaways for Your QuickBooks and Dynamics 365 Integration
We have seen that automating the exchange of data between your systems is definitely worth considering, and this is the case whether you are dealing with QuickBooks Online and Dynamics 365 or another assortment of software.
Resorting to the Dynamics 365 and QuickBooks integration can help you avoid a number of problems namely:
- Duplication of effort: Would you consider entering the same data into both systems? This would be a waste of time and resources.
- Inconsistent data: If the same data exists in two systems that are not synchronized you might have one information in one and a different one in the other.
- Poor decision-making: Without access to all necessary data, it can be difficult to make informed decisions about your business.
- Reduced agility: If your data is siloed, it can be difficult to quickly respond to changes in the market or customer needs.
By integrating Dynamics 365 and QuickBooks, you can break down these data silos and improve the efficiency, accuracy, and agility of your business. To expedite your integration process, consider leveraging Connect Bridge with the assistance of our always-ready-to-help team. Don’t hesitate to explore the countless possibilities and empower your business with this automated integration!
If you want to read even more into this before kicking off your integration project, feel free to have a look at this ERP Software Blog post, covering the same use case.
About the Author
By Diogo Gouveia
“After completing my studies in the United Kingdom, I joined the Marketing team at Connecting Software to create content on software integration and a variety of other IT topics. If you have any observations or suggestions, please reach out."