Configuring QuickBooks Exports

Learn how to set up and customize data exports from your QuickBooks accounting account to Google Sheets with CountingKit.

Overview

After connecting your QuickBooks account, you can configure exports to send your accounting data to Google Sheets. This allows you to analyse financial performance, track invoices and payments, monitor purchase transactions, and create custom reports based on your QuickBooks data.

Prerequisites

Before configuring QuickBooks exports, make sure you have:

Connected your QuickBooks account (see Connecting Your QuickBooks Account)
Connected at least one Google Sheet or BigQuery destination (see Configuring Google Sheets or Configuring Google BigQuery)
Verified that your QuickBooks connection is active and working properly

Creating a QuickBooks Export

Follow these steps to create a new QuickBooks export:

Navigate to the Export Builder
From your dashboard, go to "Export Builder" and click "Create New Export".
Select QuickBooks as the Data Source
Choose "QuickBooks" from the list of available data sources.
Select Your QuickBooks Company
If you have multiple QuickBooks companies connected, select the company you want to export data from.
Choose a Google Sheet
Select the Google Sheet where you want to export your QuickBooks data.
Configure Export Settings
Set up the export configuration as described in the sections below.
Save Your Export
Click "Create Export" to save your configuration and create the export.

Export Configuration Options

When configuring a QuickBooks export, you have several options to customize what data is exported and how it's organized:

Data Tabs

QuickBooks exports are organized by data types, with each type creating a separate tab in your Google Sheet. The interface uses a tab-based layout where you can configure each data type independently:

Available data tabs include:

Invoices: Sales invoices with details about customers, amounts, dates, and status
Customers: Customer contact information and details
Vendors: Vendor/supplier contact information and details
Payments: Payment records linked to invoices
Bills: Bills (accounts payable) from vendors
Purchases: Purchase transactions from vendors
Accounts: Chart of accounts with account codes and names
Items: Products and services that can be used on invoices and bills
Estimates: Estimates/quotes sent to customers
Credit Memos: Credit memos issued to customers
Journal Entries: Manual journal entries
Profit & Loss: Profit and loss report data
Balance Sheet: Balance sheet report data
Cash Flow: Cash flow statement data
Trial Balance: Trial balance report data
General Ledger: Detailed transaction data by account
Sales by Customer: Revenue totals broken down by customer
Journal: Journal entries with debits and credits by account
Transaction List: All transactions listed by date
Tax Summary: Tax summary report (GST for AU, Sales Tax for US)
Accounts Receivable: Accounts receivable aging report
Accounts Payable: Accounts payable aging report

For each data tab, you can:

Enable/Disable: Choose whether to include this data type in your export by selecting columns
Set Data Handling: Choose whether to append new data or replace existing data
Select Columns: Choose which specific data fields to include for this data type

Column Selection

For each data tab, you can select which columns (fields) to include in your export:

Each data tab has its own set of available columns. Some common columns include:

Data Tab	Example Columns
Invoices	Invoice ID, Invoice Number, Date, Due Date, Customer Name, Customer ID, Total Amount, Balance Due, Status, Currency
Customers	Customer ID, Display Name, Company Name, First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Billing Address, Shipping Address, Balance
Vendors	Vendor ID, Display Name, Company Name, Email, Phone, Billing Address, Balance, Tax ID, Account Number
Payments	Payment ID, Date, Customer Name, Customer ID, Total Amount, Payment Method, Deposit Account, Reference Number
Bills	Bill ID, Date, Due Date, Vendor Name, Vendor ID, Total Amount, Balance Due, Status
Purchases	Purchase ID, Date, Vendor Name, Vendor ID, Total Amount, Payment Type, Account Name
Accounts	Account ID, Name, Type, Sub Type, Active, Classification, Account Sub Type
Items	Item ID, Name, Type, Description, Active, Type, Income Account, Expense Account

You can use the "Select All" and "Deselect All" buttons to quickly manage your column selections.

Date Range Options

For transaction-based data tabs (Invoices, Payments, Bills, Purchases, etc.), you can specify the date range for which you want to export data:

Today: Data from the current day
Yesterday: Data from the previous day
Last 7 days: Data from the previous week
Last 30 days: Data from the previous month
Last 90 days: Data from the previous three months
This month: Data from the current month
Last month: Data from the previous month
This quarter: Data from the current quarter
Last quarter: Data from the previous quarter
This year: Data from the current year
Last year: Data from the previous year
Maximum: Maximum available data range

Note: All report tabs also use this date range to determine the reporting period.

Financial reports

CountingKit supports a range of financial reports from QuickBooks. Some reports have dedicated options, while others work as standard data tabs with column selection:

Hierarchical reports (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow)

These reports display accounts with indentation, section headers, and totals. They support:

Summarize By: Break the report into columns by Month, Quarter, or Year. If left as "None", you get a single total. The number of period columns is determined by the date range plus Summarize By.
Accounting Method: Choose Accrual or Cash.

To compare multiple periods, set the date range to the span you want (e.g. "This year") and choose a Summarize By value (e.g. Monthly for 12 month columns).

Trial Balance and Tax Summary

These reports are enabled via the checkbox and support an Accounting Method option (Accrual or Cash). They export all columns automatically.

Tax Summary shows GST data for Australian companies and Sales Tax data for US companies, based on your QuickBooks company's locale.

Tabular reports (General Ledger, Sales by Customer, Journal, Transaction List)

These work like standard data tabs with column selection and optional append mode:

General Ledger: Every transaction grouped by account, with date, type, name, memo, amount, and running balance.
Sales by Customer: Revenue totals broken down by customer.
Journal: All journal entries with debit and credit amounts per account.
Transaction List: A flat list of all transactions in date order.

Aging reports (Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable)

These show amounts owed, grouped into aging buckets (Current, 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, Over 90 days). They work as standard data tabs with column selection.

Data Handling

For each data tab, you can choose how to handle the exported data:

Replace (default): Each export run will clear existing data and replace it with new data
Append: Each export run will add new data rows without removing existing data

The append option is particularly useful for building historical datasets over time. When enabled, new data will be added to existing rows rather than replacing them.

Pro Tip

Use the append option for transaction data you want to track over time (like invoices or payments), and use replace for data that represents current state (like customers, vendors, or accounts).

Best Practices

Start Simple: Begin with just one or two data tabs and a few essential columns
Focus on Key Data: Select only the columns you actually need for your analysis
Consider Sheet Size: Be mindful that exporting too many columns or rows can make your Google Sheet slow or hit size limits
Use Appropriate Date Ranges: Choose a date range preset that matches your reporting needs. For daily reports, use "Today" or "Yesterday". For monthly reports, use "This month" or "Last month". For comprehensive historical analysis, use "This year" or "Maximum"
Append Strategically: Use append for historical data tracking, but be aware that it will increase your sheet size over time
Create Multiple Exports: Instead of one large export with everything, create separate focused exports for different purposes (e.g., one for invoices, another for financial reports)
Check Your Exports: After creating an export, run it manually and verify the data before setting up automation
Use Reports for Analysis: The financial report tabs (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, etc.) are great for high-level financial analysis and can be combined with transaction data for comprehensive reporting

Troubleshooting

Missing Data

If your export is missing expected data:

Verify that you've selected the appropriate columns for the data tab
Check if the date range is appropriate for the data you're looking for
Ensure that the data exists in your QuickBooks company
Check if you have the necessary permissions to access that data

Export Errors

If your export fails with errors:

Check the export logs for specific error messages (see Viewing Export Logs)
Verify that your QuickBooks connection is still active
Check if your Google Sheet is accessible and has not been deleted
Try reducing the number of columns or the date range if you're hitting API limits

Performance Issues

If your exports are running slowly or timing out:

Reduce the number of columns you're exporting
Choose a shorter date range (e.g., "Last 30 days" instead of "Maximum")
Split large exports into multiple smaller exports
For companies with large transaction volumes, focus on the most recent or most important data