Understanding the Output Files

The tool creates these tab-delimited text files:

Each file includes appropriate headers and is ready for direct import into AccountEdge.
 

IIF File Format

The Intuit Interchange Format (IIF) is a tab-delimited text format:

• First line of each section defines field names
• Subsequent lines contain data
• Sections marked by header keywords (!ACCNT, !CUST, !VEND, etc.)
• Fields are tab-separated
• Values may be quoted

Supported IIF Versions

The tool supports the standard QuickBooks IIF format as exported from:

• QuickBooks Desktop (Windows)
• QuickBooks Pro
• QuickBooks Premier
• QuickBooks Enterprise

Data Type Limitations

AccountEdge Field Limits:

• Names: 40 characters (customers, vendors, items)
• Addresses: 4 lines × 40 characters per line
• Account numbers: 6 characters (X-XXXX format)
• Tax codes: 10 characters (uppercase)
• Phone numbers: 21 characters
• Email: 255 characters
• Custom fields: Varies by field type

Conversion Handling:

• Values exceeding limits are truncated with a warning
• Critical truncations are logged as errors
• Some fields are split across multiple AccountEdge fields

Unicode and Special Characters

• Most Unicode characters are supported
• Some special characters may be stripped or converted
• Tab characters in data are converted to spaces
• Line breaks within fields are removed

Performance

NOTE: Your times may vary

Typical conversion times:

• Small file (< 100 records): Few seconds
• Medium file (100-1,000 records): 10-30 seconds
• Large file (1,000-10,000 records): 1-5 minutes
• Very large file (> 10,000 records): 5-15 minutes

The Full Import method takes longer due to AccountEdge's import processing.

Understanding Warning and Errors

Common Warnings

Missing Required Information:

• "Phone number missing" - Customer/vendor record imported without phone
• "Payment terms not recognized" - Default terms applied
• "Custom field value exceeds maximum length" - Value truncated

Data Mapping Issues:

• "Account not found" - Referenced account doesn't exist, default account used
• "Tax code not found" - Referenced tax code missing, item created without tax
• "Vendor not found" - Item created without primary vendor link

Format Issues:

• "Address truncated" - Address exceeded field length limits
• "Email address format questionable" - Email imported but may be invalid
• "Decimal value rounded" - Price or cost rounded to AccountEdge precision

Common Skipped Records

Duplicates:

• Records with duplicate names or codes that already exist in AccountEdge
• Solution: Edit the import file to rename or remove duplicates

Unsupported Account Types:

• Non-posting accounts (NONPOSTING type) are not imported
• These QuickBooks organizational accounts have no equivalent posting function in AccountEdge
• Solution: Create header accounts manually in AccountEdge if needed for organization

Unsupported Item Types:

• The following QuickBooks item types are not imported: ASSEMBLY, GRP (Group), FIXEDASSET, OTHC (Other Charge), SUBT (Subtotal), DISC (Discount), PMT (Payment)
• These item types either have no direct AccountEdge equivalent or serve special purposes in QuickBooks
• For ASSEMBLY and GRP items, you'll need to create the individual component items separately in AccountEdge
• COMPTAX items are imported as tax codes, not as items
• Solution: Recreate the needed functionality using supported AccountEdge item types or features

Invalid Data:

• Records missing required fields (e.g., name field is blank)
• Records with invalid data types (e.g., text in a numeric field)
• Solution: Edit the import file to correct the data

Business Rule Violations:

• Items with invalid account references
• Tax codes with invalid rates
• Solution: Ensure all referenced records exist or correct the data

Troubleshooting

Import Fails to Start

Problem: Nothing happens when you select the IIF file
Solutions:

• Verify the file is a valid IIF file (open in text editor, should start with "!ACCNT" or similar)
• Check file permissions (make sure the file isn't locked or in use)
• Try copying the IIF file to your desktop and import from there

Many Records Skipped

Problem: Large number of records showing as "Skipped"
Solutions:

• Check if records already exist in AccountEdge (duplicates are skipped)
• Non-posting accounts are intentionally skipped (not supported in AccountEdge)
• Unsupported item types (ASSEMBLY, GRP, FIXEDASSET, OTHC, SUBT, DISC, PMT) are intentionally skipped
• COMPTAX items appear as skipped items but are imported as tax codes instead
• STAX items appear as skipped items but are imported as consolidated tax codes instead
• Review the log file for specific error messages
• Verify required fields are populated in QuickBooks
• Check for special characters or unusual formatting in record names

Account References Not Working

Problem: Items show "Account not found" warnings
Solutions:

• Import accounts first before importing items
• Verify account names match between QuickBooks and AccountEdge
• Check that header accounts were created for any subaccounts
• Manually map accounts in the item import file if needed

Jobs Not Linking to Customers

Problem: Jobs import but aren't connected to customers
Solutions:

• Import customers before jobs
• Verify customer names match exactly (case-sensitive)
• Check for extra spaces or special characters in customer names
• Manually edit the jobs file to match customer names exactly

Custom Fields Not Importing

Problem: Custom field data is missing or in wrong fields
Solutions:

• Verify custom fields are marked for use in QuickBooks (CUSTNAMEDICT/CUSTITEMDICT)
• Check that AccountEdge has custom fields defined for the same record types
• Field mapping is by position (field 1 → field 1), not by name
• Manually create custom fields in AccountEdge Setup if needed

Tax Codes Have Wrong Names

Problem: Tax code names are abbreviated or don't match QuickBooks
Solutions:

• This is expected - AccountEdge limits tax codes to 10 uppercase characters
• The description field preserves the full name
• Check the mapping in the tax code file to see original → new names
• Edit the file to use different abbreviations if needed

Import Takes Very Long

Problem: Full import runs for a long time
Solutions:

• This is normal for large IIF files (thousands of records)
• The progress window shows which record type is currently importing
• You can cancel and use Create Files method instead
• Import individual files for better control

Foreign Characters Display Incorrectly

Problem: International characters, accents, symbols show as garbage
Solutions:

• Verify the IIF file is saved in UTF-8 encoding
• Re-export from QuickBooks ensuring UTF-8 encoding
• Edit the tab-delimited files in Excel ensuring proper encoding
• May need to manually correct affected records after import