QuickBooks supports 2 methods to export transactions:
- The Export… button on the Find window
- Exporting from a Center, such as the Customer Center
The first method supports exporting a transaction type for more than 1 customer, vendor, or employee. This is appropriate where you need to analyze or exchange a broad but filtered set of data. The second method is designed for exporting transactions for either a single or multiple customers, vendors, or employees. This technique provides the flexibility to produce an export file that would be useful to review one account to address a specific business issue, such as resolving a customer’s payment history, or to export a range of 1 transaction type. Both export methods are based on common elements.
We’ll demonstrate both methods.
Exporting Transaction Data from the Find Window
Using the Find window, transaction data can be exported for more than 1 customer, vendor, or employee. Filters can be applied to reduce the transactions to be exported down to just 1 customer, vendor, or employee. To get started, click the Edit->Find… menu selection.
In this example, we’ll export all customer invoices. From the Transaction Type pull down menu, choose Invoice and then click the Find button. QuickBooks will locate and display the number of matches. For our sample data, there are 114 invoices. This data could be filtered further by choosing a Customer:Job, a Date range, a specific Invoice #, or an Amount. Additional filter options are available on the Advanced tab. Our goal for this export is to export all invoices, so we won’t enter additional filter criteria. To proceed, click the Export… button.
The Export window provides the ability to send the exported data to a comma separated values (.csv) file or an Excel workbook. Exports to Excel are only compatible with Microsoft Excel 2000 or later, and you can choose either a new or existing workbook. For this example, we’ll opt to export the data to a new Excel workbook.
On the Advanced tab, export settings can be customized further. To complete the export, click the Export button.
QuickBooks will automatically launch Microsoft Excel with the exported data loaded. Here’s a screenshot of Excel 2007 with exported transaction data loaded.
Exporting Transaction Data Starting in a Center
Using a Center, such as the Customer Center, you can flexibly export transactions for either a single customer, vendor, or employee or a filtered list of all transactions relevant to that Center. In this example, we’ll demonstrate exporting data for 1 customer, a common task to review a customer’s purchase history, as well as transactions for a range of customers.
To start, open the Customer Center and choose the customer whose data will be exported. In our example, we’ll choose “Abercrombie, Kristy” (an example only from the sample data) from the customer list displayed on the left.
With a customer selected, click the Excel button in the toolbar, followed by the Export Transactions… menu entry in the menu that appears below. This will export the transactions displayed for this individual customer. These transactions can be filtered by changing the values in the pull down menus above the transaction list. Export to Excel will proceed as described above, with the ability to export the transactions to either a new or existing workbook. Note that this method doesn’t offer an ability to export to a .csv file. That’s not an important consideration here, since a .csv file would only be useful in exporting a large number of transactions.
To export transaction data for more than 1 customer from the Customer Center, click the Transactions tab. A list of the available transaction types is shown on the left, with all of the transactions that meet the filter conditions on the right. Change the filter conditions as needed. In our example, with no additional filters, this transaction export will mirror the results we exported using the Find window. To proceed, click the Export… button on the toolbar.
Transaction export will proceed as described in our discussion using the Find window. In other words, you’ll be able to export to either a .csv file or an Excel file.
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I export and import my Items List to Microsoft Excell when I need to update pricing but it never maintains the Items List format when I import the updated list. Why?
My purchase and sales descriptions consist of two lines but after importing they are on one line. I have to individually fix each item. I am getting ready to do this again due to a vendor price increase and would like not to have to do this again.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
is there a simple way to export your check register from one QB to a new QB?
how can i get a large number of invoices out of quickbooks as an image (.pdf)
Example: on our website we have a customer portal area. it would be great if we could show the customers’ past and current invoices to them. it would need to be a pdf (or any image file extension) for each invoice (thousands) we would only do this one time fro every single invoice we have in qucikbooks and then we would do this regularly for the recent invoices (to add new ones and to show the invoices as paid if they have paid)
is there any way to do this?
Your best bet is to explore the QB marketplace for 3rd party add-ons or consider hiring a consultant who can do this for you. Apps that make use of the QB SDK can do what you want, or those with the skill can create a custom app to do it.
That’s great. How do I import it now? 🙂
John, transaction import into QB is a complicated area. For starters, you can read our related articles, on the capabilities of IIF files and importing data to QB from Microsoft Excel. Prepare yourself to be disappointed. To maintain the integrity of accounting data, Intuit strictly controls what data can come in and come out via its Software Developers Kit, or SDK. We have specialized tools that enable us to import transactions. Transaction import is complicated because it’s more than just pulling data into a QB file. All of the related fields in the file have to be updated. For example, importing an invoice means updating several fields where the balance is maintained.
The cost to import transactions can make sense in big situations, such as fixing your QB file or breaking a QB file apart into several smaller files. It can also make sense in certain high volume situations where very large numbers of transactions are imported on a regular basis, because the cost of designing the import routine can be spread over many uses. However, for a small number of transactions, the cost of designing the import exceeds what it would cost for accounting personnel to re-enter them. If you have a need that fits in an area where it is cost effective to import transactions, make a service inquiry and and we’ll be glad to help.