V9 - Sync menu

The Task bar's Sync menu allows data to be exchanged between SOS Inventory and QuickBooks Online. The menu allows you to perform a manual sync, preview data records in the queue that are awaiting synchronization, and identify sync errors.  In addition, you can note other administrative lists such as synced accounts, and (if tracking for these features has been enabled in QuickBooks) access the Classes and Departments lists.

Manual versus automatic synchronization

SOS Inventory and QuickBooks Online synchronize via a two-way, server-to-server data sync. You do not need to be logged in to both programs (or even into either program) for them to sync properly.

Synchronizations normally take less than 30 seconds to complete. It does not happen immediately upon saving a transaction.

You can initiate a manual sync anytime by going to the forward_circle icon (Sync menu) and selecting Sync Now—or just allow SOS to trigger an automatic sync based on your specified schedule in the QuickBooks settings. 

The automatic sync feature allows you to configure SOS to sync with QuickBooks Online hourly, daily, or weekly. To set up automatic synchronizations in SOS, go to Tools & settings > Configuration > Connections > QuickBooks and set the desired Automatic sync setting. Never means that if you sync, you always sync manually.

Preview Sync (Sync queue)

To see what will be sent to QuickBooks Online the next time you sync, go to Sync > Preview Sync. This opens the Sync queue list, with data records listed in the order that they will be sent. If a data record is queued that you do not want to sync to QuickBooks Online, you can use the Delete action to remove that line from the list. You can also use the Move to bottom action to put a record at the bottom of the queue. If the Go to button is displayed for a Sync queue entry, selecting the button will take you to its record on the appropriate list.   

Sync errors

Sometimes the synchronization with QuickBooks Online will fail. This can be due to a data error or something as simple as a temporary server outage. Whenever the sync fails, the Sync icon will display a red exclamation point in a circle. Go to Sync > Sync errors to see the error message associated with the sync failure. Usually, it will tell you how to resolve the error.

The types of errors you will see on the Sync errors list are critical system errors, security issues, corrupt or missing data, and journal entries in error.

You can also use the Preview sync option as described above to see exactly which transaction is causing the problem. The error message pertains to the top entry in the Preview sync list. 

The SOS sync algorithm is very sophisticated. On a sync error, it waits three sync cycles to give the user a chance to resolve the error. If the error persists, the system will attempt to correct the error automatically. Sometimes it takes longer than others, depending on system load and the nature of the error. If you have an entry further down in the queue (such as an invoice that needs to go to QuickBooks now), you can use the Move to bottom action mentioned above to get the error out of the way so that you can sync again. If you are unable to resolve a sync error and the problem persists, please contact Support.

Sometimes the synchronization with QuickBooks Online will result in a successful sync, and the Sync queue and Sync errors list will display no data. However, there still may be errors found on the associated lists. For information on how to handle this situation, see Troubleshooting sync errors with the Sync column.

Synced accounting information

The bottom section of the Sync menu includes a section of accounting information that has been synced with QuickBooks Online:

• Accounts. This is a list of accounts copied from the Chart of accounts in QuickBooks.
• Bills. These are the bill entries generated from item receipts.
• Classes. They can be assigned to items and will appear on transactions so that you may generate reports based on a group of items by class.
• Credit Memos. These are the sales credit memos generated from returns.
• Departments. These are used to track different divisions, properties, or other sub-units of your business. You can generate reports based on department.
• Employees. If payroll is enabled in QuickBooks Online, this is the list of employees in QuickBooks.
• Journal Entries. This list contains all associated journal entries created in SOS Inventory to include the debits and credits to the associated accounts.
• Purchases. These are the check, cash, and credit card entries generated from item receipts.
• Tax Codes. Tax codes are passed from the Tax Center in QuickBooks.

In SOS Inventory, this information is for viewing only and requires the appropriate user permissions to see it. Any changes to the Accounts and Tax Codes must be made in QuickBooks Online because they are proprietary Intuit modules. These changes must be immediately synced to SOS using the Sync Now option.

Also in the accounting section of the Sync menu are Classes and Departments (in QuickBooks, called Locations). Although their tracking must be enabled in QuickBooks Online, clicking Classes (Sync > Classes) or Departments (Sync > Departments) will take you to their respective lists in SOS Inventory. Classes and departments can be added, edited, and deleted in either system and will sync. For more information, see Class and department tracking.