Migration · QuickBooks Desktop to Odoo
QuickBooks Desktop to Odoo, done the way an accountant would
QuickBooks Desktop files often hold ten years of history, several companies and lists nobody has cleaned in a while. We have moved two project entities off QuickBooks Desktop into Odoo, and the method is the same for every client.
What moves from QuickBooks Desktop
No.ItemWhat it means in practice
01ListsCustomers, vendors, items and accounts exported from QuickBooks Desktop to Excel, cleaned and de-duplicated.
02Loaded through the APIEach list mapped to Odoo and loaded through Odoo's API, so the load can be run again on a fresh database until it is right.
03Open invoices and billsTaken from the open A/R and A/P reports at the cut-over date, with their dates and terms.
04Opening balancesAgreed to the QuickBooks Desktop trial balance for each company file. Differences are found, not plugged.
05InventoryQuantities and values at cut-over agreed to the inventory valuation report.
06More than one company fileEach file becomes its own company in one Odoo database, with consolidated reporting if you need it.
Where QuickBooks Desktop moves go wrong
No.TrapWhat it means in practice
01Damaged or old company filesOlder files often need a verify and rebuild in QuickBooks before the reports can be trusted for opening balances.
02Average cost to FIFOQuickBooks Desktop values stock at average cost. If Odoo will use FIFO, the opening stock value has to be set deliberately.
03Items that are really accountsDesktop files often use items for things that are not stock. These are sorted out before loading, not after.
04One machine, one personDesktop files tend to sit with one bookkeeper. We read the books with that person before anything moves.
How we do it
No.StepWhat it means in practice
01Read the books firstYour last trial balance, tax returns and bank reconciliations, before we touch Odoo. The move is planned from those, not from a file export.
02Build in a test databaseChart, taxes, contacts, products and balances loaded into a separate Odoo database. You keep working in your current system.
03Agree it, line by lineTrial balance, receivables, payables, stock and bank agreed to the old system. Differences are explained, never posted to a suspense account.
04Parallel runOne period posted in both systems and compared. This is where tax-code mistakes show up.
05Go live and stayWe are there for the first month-end close, when the real questions arrive.
Why an accountancy practice
We prepare accounts and tax returns for clients as well as building software. A migration is judged at the first tax return and the first audit, not on go-live day, so it is planned by people who have to sign off those numbers.
Questions people ask
01
Is QuickBooks Desktop still sold?
Intuit has stopped selling most QuickBooks Desktop editions to new customers in the US and pushes users towards QuickBooks Online. Many businesses use that moment to move to an ERP instead.02
We have several company files. Can they all move?
Yes. Each file becomes a company in Odoo. For the engineering contractor in our case study, both project entities moved with their own balances agreed.03
Which Odoo edition do we need?
Either works. Odoo Community has no licence fee and we self-host it for clients; Odoo Enterprise adds features and support from Odoo. We advise once we have seen your books.Book a meeting
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