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Bank feeds transactions in QuickBooks Online

How to build QuickBooks Bank Feeds powered by Codat

Things to add: Who you are You customers Problem to be solved

Overview​

Codat Bank FeedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software.​

Codat enables posting of post bank transaction data to accounting software.

Scope​

Support Platforms​

Codat supports bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. to:

  • QuickBooks Online (US & Canada)
  • Xero

In this guide we'll show how to build a solution for QuickBooks Online

This specification covers QuickBooks Online, as discussed up to this point.

Any integrations to further platforms beyond QBO will require some work to enable the authentication user journey. The bank transaction data write operation will be largely re-usable.

An integration to Xero will require a further specification.

Solution​

Authentication user journey​

diagram

  1. User is logged into your platform
  2. User selects the option to connect bank transactions to QBO.
    • This will be a button that client implements into your bank experience.
  3. User directed to credential generation screen.
    • When the user clicks the button in step 2, call the Codat APIAPI A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. Codat provides APIs for accessing financial data from accounting, banking, and commerce platforms.: - POST CompanyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. (or POST ConnectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. if the companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. already exists in Codat)
    • The request body will specify QBO bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. as the connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. to be created
    • The response body includes a linkUrl; direct the user to this linkUrl.
    • The linkUrl will take the user to the Set up QuickBooks bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. page, hosted by Codat.
    • The user follows the steps on the Set up QuickBooks bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. page to generate unique credentials. These credentials will be used in step 6.
  4. User logs in to QBO and selects the LinkLink The authorization flow that allows end users to connect their accounting, banking, or commerce platforms to your application via Codat. Account option.
  5. User searches the QBO account list for your bank (the name provided in the request to Intuit).

diagram

  1. After selecting the your bank option in step 5, the user will be prompted to enter credentials. The user enters credentials that they were given in step 3.
  2. User selects which Bank Account to linkLink The authorization flow that allows end users to connect their accounting, banking, or commerce platforms to your application via Codat., and which account to map the Bank Account to. This page is hosted by QBO. The user can select from any account in the chart of accounts that is a bank account or credit card and does not have an existing bank feed linked.
  3. Bank feed linkLink The authorization flow that allows end users to connect their accounting, banking, or commerce platforms to your application via Codat. is complete.
  4. Codat connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. status changes to Linked.
  5. Client can set up a webhook endpoint to listen for events that notify when the connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. status changes to Linked, indicating a successful connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform..

Deauthorization user journey​

Codat provides the ability to disconnect a bank feed to QuickBooks Online.

We recommend that the option to disconnect an existing bank feed is offered to the your bank customer.

The implementation section covers the APIAPI A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. Codat provides APIs for accessing financial data from accounting, banking, and commerce platforms. call to disconnect a connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform..

Diagram

Implementation​

Enabling QuickBooks Online bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. via Codat​

QuickBooks Online bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. must be enabled by Intuit before the solution can go into production. The process is as below:

  1. client requests Codat to enable bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software.: provides name that will appear in the QBO connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. journey
  2. Codat makes request to Intuit on client’s behalf to enable bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software.
  3. Intuit approves client to appear in the QBO bank selection screen.

Note: This step from Intuit is subject to approval; it is unlikely that Intuit will reject a client building via Codat.

Authentication user journey​

Initiation​

The user journey is initiated by directing the user to a Codat-provided linkUrl that corresponds to a Codat QuickBooks Bank Feed connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform..

There are two scenarios that must be addressed for this: creating a new companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. and corresponding QBO bank feed connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform., and creating a QBO bank feed connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. for an existing companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources..

Create new companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources.​

Creating a new companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. is appropriate when the user does not have any other existing use cases with Codat.

The name is to be specified by client, with the desired companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. name to be created.

The platformKey is hcws, representing QBO Bank FeedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software..

Example request body:

{
"name": "company name specified here",
"platformType": "hcws"
}",
      "language": "text"
    }
  ]
}

The response body will include a linkUrl - included below.

Create new connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. on existing companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources.​

Creating a new connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. for an existing companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. is appropriate when the user has another existing use case with Codat, and as a result has a corresponding companyId. This existing companyId should be provided in the request to create a new connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform..

The platformKey is hcws, representing QBO Bank FeedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software..

Example request body:


{
"platformKey": "hcws"
}",
"language": "text"
}
]
}

The response body will include a linkUrl.

From either the new companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. or existing companyCompany In Codat, a company represents your customer's business entity. Companies can have multiple connections to different data sources. flows, the user should be directed to this linkUrl provided in the response body.

Once the user is directed to the linkUrl, this Codat-hosted page will generate credentials for the user to input in QBO.

Screenshot

The user will follow the steps on the Codat-hosted page in QBO, and the authorization journey is complete.

User interface​

The language and authentication screen provided between Codat and QBO are fixed to a format (provided by Intuit). Deauthorization Bank feedsBank Feeds A Codat product that enables automatic synchronization of bank transaction data into a company's accounting software. can be deauthorized using the Delete connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. endpoint. This will remove the connectionConnection A link between a Codat company and a data source (like an accounting platform). Each connection represents authorized access to pull or push data from that platform. to the bank feed, when provided with a companyId and a connectionId:

DELETE /companies/{companyId}/connections/{connectionId}

Posting bank transactions​

Once the authorization journey is completed, post bank transactions to QBO via the Codat APIAPI A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. Codat provides APIs for accessing financial data from accounting, banking, and commerce platforms..

POST Bank Transaction

Example request body:

{
"accountId": "string",
"transactions": [
  {
    "date": "2022-08-30T00:13:46.488Z",
    "description": "string",
    "reconciled": true,
    "amount": 0,
    "balance": 0,
    "transactionType": "Unknown",
  }
],
}",
      "language": "text"
    }
  ]
}


### Best practices

Codat recommends writing transactions in batches of 1000 or less for performance reasons.

QuickBooks Online will be reading once a day from the backlog of transactions, or when the client manually presses the “update” button within the QBO User Interface.
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