QuickBooks Desktop Link > Initialize it


QuickBooks Desktop Link - Initialize it

[FOR AMICUS ADMINISTRATOR ONLY]

Before using the QuickBooks Link on a day-to-day basis, you must first perform some installation and configuration steps and a first exchange. The Amicus QuickBooks Link Wizard guides you through this process.

        Who and where – As the Amicus administrator, initialize the Link on the computer where the firm's QuickBooks software and database (company file) is installed. (Subsequently, the Link can be run by any user who may open QuickBooks (as a QuickBooks billing supervisor) and run the QuickBooks Web Connector at that computer.)

This topic covers:

        Run the Link Wizard

        Step 1: QuickBooks Web Connector setup

        Step 2: QuickBooks information upload

        Step 3: Link preferences

        Step 4: Lists and transaction mapping

        Step 5: Client and file alignment

        Step 6: Data exchange

Run the Link Wizard

        Choose Options and select QuickBooks Link from the left pane, check Enable Amicus Cloud Integration with and select the QuickBooks Desktop version radio button.


        Click the "Go to QuickBooks Link Wizard Initialization" bar.

        Click the step buttons to start, resume, or redo the steps. Complete each of the substeps in each of the 6 main steps.

Step 1: QuickBooks Web Connector setup

 

1.     Click STEP 1 and Download the QuickBooks Web Connector software.

2.     Install the QuickBooks Web Connector.

3.     Identify the location of your QuickBooks data (company file).

 

Step 2: QuickBooks information upload

1.     Download the QuickBooks Mapping Configuration file.


2.     Add the QuickBooks Mapping Service file as an application to the QuickBooks Web Connector. Enter your Amicus password.

3.     Run the QuickBooks Mapping Service—select its checkbox and click Update Selected. This uploads to the cloud your QuickBooks data needed to complete the Wizard, including job types, sales reps, GL accounts, customers, and jobs.

Step 3: Link Preferences


Note: Conflicts are resolved based on the Link priority options set by Amicus Administrator.


1.     Choose whether QuickBooks or Amicus has the more accurate data, to determine which program's record overwrite the other in cases where matching records exist in both programs. This affects initialization but not subsequent exchanges.

o        Choose a posting start date for Amicus payment (and optionally trust) transactions to be exchanged to QuickBooks.

 

 

2.     Choose which set of identifiers will be used to match QuickBooks customers and jobs with Amicus clients and files:

o        Client ID/Matter ID — QuickBooks customer name matches Amicus client ID, and QuickBooks job name matches Amicus matter ID.

o        QuickBooks ID/File Name — QuickBooks customer name matches Amicus contact QuickBooks ID field, and QuickBooks job name matches Amicus file name.

Indicate whether, for customers who are individuals, their name format in QuickBooks is "First Name Last Name" or "Last Name, First Name". This affects the automapping of QuickBooks customers with Amicus contacts, the visual display of Amicus names in Step 5 mapping lists, and the actual names exchanged from Amicus to QuickBooks.

The QuickBooks ID field is shown in Amicus contact details only if the corresponding option is selected here.

4.     Choose whether to exchange Amicus trust transactions to QuickBooks.

Step 4: Lists and transaction mapping

1.     Map all Amicus file types to QuickBooks job types. To add an unmapped QuickBooks job type to Amicus as a new file type, select it and click Add to Amicus.

Any QuickBooks job with an unmapped job type won't be exchanged. Any Amicus file with a new (unmapped) file type won't be exchanged, and the file type will be added in red to this screen.

2.     Map all Amicus firm members to QuickBooks sales reps. Manually add firm members or sales reps in the respective programs first if necessary.

This mapping determines which firm member will be assigned as responsible lawyer on any files created in Amicus, and which sales rep will be assigned to the customer on any jobs created in QuickBooks.

Any QuickBooks job with an unmapped sales rep won't be exchanged. Any Amicus file with a new (unmapped) firm member as responsible lawyer won't be exchanged, and the firm member will be added in red to this screen.

3.     Map all Amicus accounts to QuickBooks General Ledger accounts. You can map multiple Amicus accounts to the same QuickBooks account if you wish.

The three basic Amicus accounts are General Bank, Fee Revenue, and Expense Revenue. If you've set the Link to exchange trust transactions, then two Trust Bank categories are listed for each Trust Bank Account defined in Amicus: a Trust Checks account and a Trust Receipts account. If taxes are enabled in any Amicus files, then a Tax 1 Liability account (and a Tax 2 Liability account if necessary) will be listed.

 

Amicus Accounts QuickBooks Accounts (suggested)

General Bank Account GL

Undeposited Funds (Asset) account.
  

TIP: We recommend subsequently depositing funds to the appropriate General Bank account in QuickBooks.

Fee Revenue Account GL

Legal Fee Revenue account.

Expense Revenue Account GL

Typically, an Expense or Asset account.

[Trust Bank Accounts]

Trust Bank Accounts (as specified in your Options > Billing > Trust Accounts list), and only if you've configured the Link to exchange Trust transactions.

For each Trust Bank Account specified in Amicus, two are provided for mapping: a Trust Check account and a Trust Receipt account.

If you wish to use the Undeposited Funds (Asset) account, you should map Trust Checks and Trust Receipts to different QuickBooks accounts.

TIP: If you wish to use a single account for both Trust Checks and Trust Receipts, consider mapping both Amicus accounts to a QuickBooks clearing (exchange) account.

This enables a QuickBooks user to print checks and receipts against this clearing account, upon which the funds would be transferred as appropriate.

Trust Liability Account GL

Client Funds in Trust Only shown if you've configured the Link to exchange Trust transactions.

Client Trust Account

 

Tax 1 Account GL

Only if Tax 1 is applied by the firm for one or more non-closed, billable files.

A clearing (exchange) Liability account. Do NOT map the real QuickBooks Tax Liability account.

Tax 2 Account GL

Only if Tax 2 is applied by the firm for one or more non-closed, billable files.

A clearing (exchange) Liability account. Do NOT map the real QuickBooks Tax Liability account.

 

Step 5: Client and file alignment

1.     Read which Amicus contact and file fields correspond to which QuickBooks customer and job fields. For more details, see QuickBooks Link - What does it exchange?

2.     Map Amicus contacts to QuickBooks customers. (Or unmap ones that have been improperly mapped.) Items are automatically mapped based on the identifiers you chose earlier (IDs or names).

o        Unmapped contacts/customers shown in black in the outer columns are ones that will be added as new items in the other program during initialization (or from Amicus to QuickBooks only during subsequent exchanges.

o        Unmapped contacts/customers shown in red in the outer columns are ones that won't be exchanged during initialization (or subsequent exchanges) due to problems that are shown upon mouse over.

o        Mapped contacts/customers shown in black in the center column are ones that will be next exchanged. During initialization, either the Amicus records overwrite QuickBooks records or vice versa, depending on which program you said has the most accurate data. (In subsequent exchanges, the Amicus records will overwrite QuickBooks records.)

o        Mapped contacts/customers shown in grey in the center column are ones that have already been exchanged.

        Amicus contacts are listed only if they are primary clients on one or more non-closed, billable files.

        QuickBooks customers are normally listed only if they are active customers on one or more active jobs. Customers only on closed, not awarded, or pending jobs are not listed.

Or select the Show all QuickBooks customers option to also list (in italics) the active customers who are not on any active jobs. These customers must have a last name and/or company name. If you map one to an Amicus contact, initialization will create a job in QuickBooks from the contact's file in Amicus.

3.     Map Amicus files to QuickBooks jobs. (Or unmap ones that have been improperly mapped.) Items are automatically mapped based on the identifiers you chose earlier (IDs or names).

o        Unmapped files/jobs shown in black in the outer columns are ones that will be added as new items in the other program during initialization (or from Amicus to QuickBooks only during the next subsequent exchange).

o        Unmapped files/jobs shown in red in the outer columns are ones that won't be exchanged during initialization (or subsequent exchanges) due to problems that are shown upon mouse over.

o        Mapped files/jobs shown in black in the center column are ones that will be next exchanged. During initialization, either the Amicus records overwrite QuickBooks records or vice versa, depending on which program you said has the most accurate data. (In subsequent exchanges, the Amicus records will overwrite QuickBooks records.)

o        Mapped files/jobs shown in grey in the center column are ones that have already been exchanged. (These appear only after initialization.)

o        WE RECOMMEND YOU CLEAN UP THE RED ITEMS - change in Amicus then return to this screen, and/or change in QB then run 1st service again then return to this screen to confirm now mapped or black?

        Amicus files are listed only if they are non-closed files with a primary client assigned.

        QuickBooks jobs are listed only if they are active jobs with an active customer assigned.

Step 6: Data exchange

1.     Download the QuickBooks Exchange Configuration file.

2.     Add the QuickBooks Exchange Service file as an application to the QuickBooks Web Connector. Enter your Amicus password.

3.     Run the QuickBooks Exchange Service. (Select its checkbox and click Update Selected.) This performs the first exchange, completing the initialization process:

o        Mapped clients/customers and files/jobs are updated in Amicus/QuickBooks and linked.

4.     Unmapped clients/customers and files/jobs without problems are added to Amicus/QuickBooks and linked.

5.     Consult the QuickBooks Posting Report, available from the first page of the QuickBooks Link wizard.

        QuickBooks Desktop Link - What is it?

        QuickBooks Desktop Link - How to use it

        QuickBooks Desktop Link - What does it exchange?


Amicus Cloud (July 2023)

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