V8 - Setup checklist for adding a new SOS account to an existing QuickBooks Online account

Most SOS Inventory customers already have an existing QuickBooks Online account that they have been using for some time. This section will show the steps required to successfully connect an existing QuickBooks account to SOS Inventory and outline unique support practices. We recommend that you register for “Setting Up SOS Inventory” via SOS Inventory’s Training page on our main website. The class covers much of the information given in this checklist, but with greater detail.

Steps 1-10 must be completed by the user who will serve as the master administrator for the QuickBooks Online and SOS Inventory accounts:

1. Make the following changes in QuickBooks Online (if not setup yet in QuickBooks Online):
   1. Under Settings > Account and settings > Sales
      1. Under Sales form content, enable Shipping, Discount, and/or Deposit in QuickBooks if you plan to use these features in SOS Inventory.
   2. Under Settings > Account and settings > Advanced
      1. If you enabled Shipping and/or Discount, go under Chart of accounts and choose the associated Shipping account and/or Discount account. (Deposits automatically go to Undeposited funds.)
      2. If you are going to use classes and/or locations (called departments in SOS Inventory), go under Categories, then enable Track classes and/or Track locations.
         1. For Track classes: In the Assign classes dropdown, choose One to each row in transaction.
         2. For Track locations: Choose the desired option under the Location label. (Note: Regardless of the label chosen, in SOS Inventory, it will always be called Department.)
   3. Validate Sales tax center if taxes are being used.
   4. Validate Chart of accounts.
      1. If using QuickBooks Essentials, create Inventory Asset and COGS accounts if they don’t exist.
   5. Go to Settings (gear icon) and select All lists.
      1. If you are using locations and classes, create any that you need if they don’t already exist.
          
2. Go to Apps on the left side menu in QuickBooks Online.
    
3. Search for SOS Inventory and select it.
    
4. Click on Get app now on the SOS Inventory information page.
   1. This will present you with the page stating to pick a plan, select one by clicking the button under the plan you desire.
   2. It will give you a message to please wait while creating account.
   3. You will be now placed into SOS at the dashboard and the accounts will be performing the initial sync (SOS retrieves copy of chart of accounts, sales tax center, and anything else you may have defined such as departments and classes, as well as any historical transactions, vendors, customers, and items).
      1. For historical transactions, the initial sync brings only the most recent 1000 transactions of each type: estimates, invoices, purchase orders, and sales receipts. (If you need all transactions to be synced to SOS Inventory, you can do so once you get to Step 11, by using SOS Inventory’s Data utilities feature.)
   4. This will also add a new My apps list in QuickBooks Online under the Apps tab for entry into SOS Inventory from QuickBooks Online (this is only for the person connecting the two accounts).
       
5. In SOS, go to the User menu and select User profile to change your password and add a security question/answer in case of password recovery.
    
6. Go to the User menu again and select User settings and change the time zone to yours.
    
7. Once you have received the email from SOS stating that the initial sync is completed, you are ready to go. If not, wait until you get it before proceeding with the rest of this checklist.
    
8. If you are using QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced, have enabled Quantity on hand tracking and/or have bundled inventory items in your Product and services list in QuickBooks Online, please contact SOS Inventory before proceeding.
    
9. Go to Settings > QuickBooks settings to ensure automated sync is set to desired level (most customers choose hourly).
    
10. At this point in the setup process, you may want to delegate or share the completion of the remainder of the setup process to one or more persons who will serve as company administrators in SOS Inventory. You can define those users by going to Company menu > User administration. Be sure to check the Administrator box so that they have the appropriate permissions. (Other users who do not have administrator privileges can be added as well, but they cannot complete items on this checklist.) Each user will receive an email from SOS asking them to log in.  Users should go to the User menu to complete their profile and settings (as described in Step 6 and Step 7).

Steps 11-16 can be completed by any user with administrator privileges:

11. If you want more than the 1000 most recent historical transactions than what were retrieved during the initial sync from QuickBooks to SOS (reference: see Step 4.c.i), go to Company > Data utilities, select the transaction type from the Retrieve from QuickBooks dropdown, then select Retrieve. (Ignore entering a date for the Update historical costs starting on field.) Repeat for each transaction type needed.
     
12. Complete company settings under the Company menu.
    1. Company settings. If needed, modify company header, set the home currency (make sure it matches that set in QuickBooks), enable multicurrency (make sure QuickBooks Online is set up for multicurrency as well), and add your company logo (make sure the logo file meets requirements in the note).
    2. User administration. If you haven’t done so already, add any other users you want to have access to SOS.
    3. Account info. Check the subscription plan setting to ensure it is the one you selected when creating the account. (Usually managed by the master administrator.)
    4. If you are using SOS Plus or Pro, create locations if you have multiple locations (warehouses, delivery vehicles, contract manufacturing, or other reasons for additional locations).
        
13. Complete the operational settings under the Settings menu. Listed below are the minimum requirements. (The “Setting Up SOS Inventory” class covers settings in greater depth than what is presented here.)
    1. Inventory settings
       1. If you don’t want to let stock levels go negative, uncheck Don’t ask about negative inventory.
       2. Select all default accounts needed for new items, inventory adjustments, and item receiving.
       3. Enable advanced search options if desired.
       4. Select desired valuation method.
       5. Review all other inventory options and enable/disable as desired.
    2. Purchasing settings
       1. Set your default location for receiving goods.
       2. Set your default payment method for paying vendors.
       3. Enable advanced search option.
       4. Set default expense account for items that do not have one in their definition.
       5. If using QuickBooks Online Essentials, uncheck Synchronize POs.
       6. Review all other purchasing options and set as desired.
    3. Sales settings (General tab)
       1. Set default tax code.
       2. Enable the Show available for sale on forms if desired (shows available stock while adding items to the sales forms).
       3. Set default payment method.
       4. Set default terms for sales.
       5. Enable advanced search option.
       6. Review all other sales options and set as desired.
           
14. Validate vendors and customers that synced from QuickBooks Online. You can use the Data export/Data import (bulk editing) tools under the Company menu to edit and make any necessary changes to the Vendors and Customers lists.
     
15. Finally, your items should have synced over from QuickBooks Online as an initial inventory list. Use the Export Data/Import Data tools to make sure your data synced correctly and add any missing essential information such as the account for asset and COGS. See the sections Guidelines for editing data and Item column descriptions for bulk edits for more information on the data columns and process.
    1. Column data – minimum requirements needed for items:
       1. Name
       2. Sales description
       3. Sales price
       4. Purchase description
       5. Cost
       6. Item type (ex: Inventory, Service, Assembly, etc.).
           
          warningIMPORTANT: It is very important that every item be typed correctly since they may not have been initially received from QuickBooks Online correctly on the initial sync.
       7. Quantity on hand for an item
       8. Value on hand (total value of stock for an item)
       9. Income, inventory asset, COGS, and expense accounts as appropriate to item type.
           
          warningIMPORTANT: It is very important that these are correct so that SOS Inventory can generate the appropriate journal entries to affect the accounts in QuickBooks Online.
    2. Do not change Column A. If you are adding new items, leave Column A blank, so SOS knows it is a new item.
        
    3. If you have any specific questions on data before loading this spreadsheet, contact SOS Support. This includes use of bins, multiple locations, serial inventory, or lot inventory.
        
16. Perform any other changes you may need that are discovered during this process—such as setting up BOMs for assembly items, form templates, process templates, additional locations, etc.

These setup instructions may change based on unique scenarios for your company. If you have any questions as you are going through this, please contact SOS Inventory Support. Email support hours are 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday, as well as 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The SOS Support team is available by phone from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday.