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What’s the Difference Between Security In QuickBooks Versus Enterprise Solutions?

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The differences in security features between QuickBooks and Enterprise Solutions, its more powerful relative, are significant.  Those are apparent from the opening window to manage users, which in QuickBooks is the User List, and in Enterprise Solutions is the Users and Roles window.

For this comparison, we’ll compare QuickBooks 2009 to Enterprise Solutions 9.0. QuickBooks 2010 and Enterprise Solutions 10.0 haven’t changed the security model from the 2009 series of products.

In QuickBooks Premier 2009, managing users is on the Company->Set Up Users and Passwords->Set Up Users… menu.  In Enterprise Solutions, this functionality is on the Company->Users->Set Up Users and Roles menu.

Here’s the opening screen:

QuickBooks Premier 2009

QuickBooks Premier 2009 User List

Enterprise Solutions 9.0

QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 9.0 Users and Roles

At the highest level, QuickBooks supports 3 broad access levels:

  • All areas of QuickBooks
  • Selected areas of QuickBooks
  • Accountant access, which blocks access to customer credit card numbers

Here’s the window to specify the broad access level.  We’ll focus on controlling access to selected areas of QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access

Once Selected areas of QuickBooks is chosen as the access level, the type of access (either No Access, Full Access, or Selective Access) can be controlled in 9 areas of QuickBooks:

  1. Sales and Accounts Receivable
  2. Purchases and Accounts Payable
  3. Checking and Credit Cards
  4. Inventory
  5. Time Tracking
  6. Payroll
  7. Sensitive Accounting Activities
  8. Sensitive Financial Reporting
  9. Changing or Deleting Transactions

Screenshots of these 9 areas are shown at the bottom of this article.

By comparison, Enterprise Solutions adopts a different approach to access.  User access is controlled by managing the access of a role and assigning one or more roles to that user.  Enterprise Solutions supports 15 pre-defined roles:

  1. Accountant
  2. Accounts Payable
  3. Accounts Receivable
  4. Admin
  5. Banking
  6. External Accountant
  7. Finance
  8. Full Access
  9. Inventory
  10. Payroll Manager
  11. Payroll Processor
  12. Purchasing
  13. Sales
  14. Time Tracking
  15. View Only

These pre-defined roles can be treated like access templates.  They can be duplicated to create a new role, and that new role can be edited to create a different level of access.

QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 9.0 Edit Role

Each role in Enterprise Solutions can be given 1 of 3 main access levels (none, full, or partial) to 11 different areas/activities.  These 11 areas/activities are further broken down into 116 sub-areas/activities.  In the example above, the access of the Finance role can be managed across 7 sub-areas/activities.  The Finance role has been given Full access to Asset Accounts, but no access to the company’s General Journal.  Under the Banking area/activity, a role could be given access to the company’s checking account, but not its savings account.

Users can be assigned to any of the 15 pre-defined roles or new roles created from those templates.  Adding a new user with appropriate access only requires assigning that user to an Available Role.  Changing a user’s access is as simple as changing the Assigned Roles.

QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 9.0 New User

Assigning access through managed roles is referred to as granular access.  It’s far more powerful and flexible than the 9 broad access levels in QuickBooks Premier.  Granular security is more appropriate for the mid-market businesses targeted by Enterprise Solutions and the up to 30 simultaneous users it supports.  Likewise, the access control in broad functional areas offered by QuickBooks is suitable for the small business market it serves.

9 Selective Access Areas of QuickBooks Premier 2009

QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Sales
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Purchases
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Checking
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Inventory
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Time Tracking
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Payroll
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Sensitive Accounting Activities
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Financial Reporting
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Change
QuickBooks Premier 2009 User Access Summary
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What Is the Closing Date and How Do I Set It?

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The Closing Date in QuickBooks is a setting that indicates the date through which your books have been closed.  Normally, books are considered closed after they’ve been reviewed, all adjusting entries have been made, and reporting has been completed to investors, lenders, or tax authorities.

It’s used to protect data from inadvertent modification by making it more difficult – but not impossible – for you to change or delete transactions on or before the closing date.  Unlike other accounting systems that require you to close your books and make it impossible to add, change, or delete transactions in closed periods, QuickBooks offers the flexibility for you to restrict access to periods you or your accountant have determined are closed and to later remove that access restriction, a process commonly called “re-opening your books.”

It’s important to understand that setting a Closing Date doesn’t result in recording any transactions; QuickBooks automatically makes certain adjustments, such as increasing your Retained Earnings account by the amount of your prior year’s net income on the first day of your fiscal year.  The Closing Date is only an access restriction.  You can control how strict that restriction is by whether you set a Closing Date Password.

To set the Closing Date, click on the Accounting sub-menu of Edit->Preferences… menu selection and choose the Company Preferences tab.  You’ll see the current Closing Date, if any.

QuickBooks Premier 2009 Preferences Closing Date

Click on the Set Date/Password button to view the Set Closing Date and Password window.

QuickBooks Premier 2009 Preferences Set Closing Date

Like many functions in QuickBooks, there are multiple ways to get to this same point.  The Company->Set Closing Date… menu choice will take you to the window to make this setting.  You can also click on the Company->Set Up Users and Passwords->Set Up Users… menu selection, followed by clicking on the Closing Date… button.

QuickBooks Premier 2009 User List Closing Date

With either method, you’ll end up at the the Set Closing Date and Password window.

You can set or change your Closing Date and the Closing Date Password on this window.  If you attempt to enter any transaction with a date on or before the Closing Date, QuickBooks will display either a warning or a confirmation window, depending on whether you set a Closing Date Password.  If you set a Closing Date Password, you’ll have to first correctly enter it to record the transaction.

Here’s the warning you’ll see when attempting to record a transaction dated on or before the Closing Date if you do not enter a Closing Date Password:

QuickBooks Premier 2009 Closing Date Warning

You’ll still be able to record the transaction by clicking Yes.  The access restriction is simply forcing an extra step.

Here’s the more strict limitation you’ll see when attempting to record a transaction dated on or before the Closing Date if you do enter a password:

QuickBooks Premier 2009 Closing Date Password

You’ll have to correctly enter the password to record the transaction, so the access restriction is greater.

Since only the QuickBooks Administrator or a user with External Accountant privileges can set QuickBooks preferences, it’s not possible for users without those higher privileges to first remove the Closing Date or change the Closing Date Password to bypass the access restriction.  That insures that, when combined with user restrictions, the Closing Date restrictions are effective.

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