[sc:quickbooksSlidePanel ]

How to connect QODBC to QuickBooks
for the First Time

Step 1 – Test QuickBooks Connection

The first time you run this driver (for example, you can test it using the VB Demo program included), you need to be running QuickBooks on the machine at the same time and logged in as Administrator. This is for security reasons.

Click on the VB Demo icon to launch the demo. To establish a connection: From the menu bar select “Connection” / “Add a new connection “, select the QuickBooks Data Source you want, Click “OK”.


After you click “OK” a QODBC splash screen will pop up if you are using the Free QODBC Basic Edition of the product, and a mouse click will allow you to continue. No such splash screen appears in the registered version.

When the driver starts, QuickBooks will ask permission for the driver to access your QuickBooks data. Answer “Yes, Always” to this and the QODBC driver is added to the Integrated Application list.

This will allow applications to integrate with QuickBooks data when QuickBooks is running on the desktop.

There may be instances in which you want an integrated application designed to share data with QuickBooks to access QuickBooks files automatically, without user intervention. This might permit, for example, a particular application to run during the night when there is no other activity on the company file. Also QuickBooks need not be running on the desktop for ODBC compliant applications to access the data files while set in this mode, because QODBC will start it up in background/hidden mode.


Note: QODBC does have a digital certificate (right click on fqqb32.dll/properties in the Windows>System 32 Directory) but since another application is trying to access QuickBooks through QODBC and QuickBooks does not know what the application is, it generates that message.


Allowing an application to login automatically

To change any of these options, from the QuickBooks Edit menu, select Preferences, and then select Integrated Applications.

  • Click the Company preferences tab and make sure that the “Don’t allow any applications to access this company file” checkbox isn’t checked.

  • The “Notify the user before running any applications whose certificate has expired” checkbox can be checked.  If it is, however, automatic access will be suspended if the application’s certificate expires.

  • Select the FLEXquarters QODBC driver you want to run automatically and click Properties.

  • Check “Allow this application to access this company file.”
  • Uncheck “Prompt before Allowing Access.”
  • Check “Allow this application to log in automatically.”
  • Check “Allow this application to access Social Security Numbers, cc information and other personal data if appropriate.

This procedure need only be done once for QODBC to be able to connect with the QuickBooks data from any other ODBC compliant application in the future.

Additionally if you plan to modify the files, you will also need to choose “Multi-User Mode” from the Files menu in QuickBooks to allow this.

Testing Driver Capabilities

This driver is not guaranteed to work with all possible front-end ODBC applications, and it would be impossible to test them all. If you find you have problems with this driver that do not occur in other ODBC drivers, contact support at FLEXquarters. We do want to provide maximum compatibility wherever possible. A simple Visual Basic test program called VBDEMO.EXE has been included in this product to allow basic testing and to isolate problems from various environments.

VB Demo

To establish a connection: From the menu bar select “Connection” / “Add a new connection “, select the Data Source you want, Click “OK”, an established connection to your data source message appears, Click “OK”, type in your SQL query, Click “Query” button and the requested query results will appear. Or Click on the table’s button to see a list of the available tables.


To disconnect, you can either select “connections” / “remove the connection” or Click the “disconnect” button.

If you get an error, please search our FAQ Knowledgebase or post a support ticket to resolve the issue. If not, congratulations – you have created your first report from QuickBooks data and are ready to talk to your own company data.

Step 2 – Start QuickBooks to register QODBC

QuickBooks is an accounting program which must produce trusted numbers that accountants can rely on. For this reason they have created an interface to the QuickBooks application which follows all of the business rules. This is what our product uses to access QuickBooks data.

To get access to that data, your application (using QODBC) must register with QuickBooks so that security access can be granted. To do this, you first need to run QuickBooks on your computer logged in as an Administrator and open your company file (or one of the sample company files that came with QuickBooks) as shown here.

Step 3 – Running VB Demo

Leaving your QuickBooks company file open, click on “Start” and “Programs” and locate QODBC Driver for QuickBooks program group.

Click on the VB Demo icon to launch the Visual Basic Demo program supplied with QODBC.

To establish a connection: From the menu bar select “Connections” / “Add a new connection”, switch to the Machine Data Sources tab and select the Quickbooks Data DSN, Click “OK”.

This will connect you to the current company file opened by QuickBooks.

Step 4 – QuickBooks Integrated Applications with No Certificate

When QODBC starts, QuickBooks will ask you permission for this driver to access your QuickBooks data. Answer “Yes, Always” to this and the QODBC driver is added to the Integrated Application list.

This will allow applications to integrate with QuickBooks data when QuickBooks is running on the desktop.

Step 5 – Allowing Applications to Login Automatically

From the QuickBooks Edit menu, select Preferences, and then select Integrated Applications. There are often instances in which you want an integrated application designed to share data with QuickBooks to access QuickBooks files automatically, without user intervention. This might permit, for example, a particular application to run during the night when there is no other activity on the company file. Also QuickBooks doesn’t need to be running in the foreground for ODBC compliant applications to access the data files using QODBC while set in this mode.

  • Click the Company preferences tab and make sure that the “Don’t allow any applications to access this company file” checkbox isn’t checked.

  • The “Notify the user before running any applications whose certificate has expired” checkbox can be checked. If it is, however, automatic access will be suspended if the application’s certificate expires.

  • Select the “FLEXquarters QODBC” driver you want to run automatically and click Properties.

  • Check “Allow this application to access this company file.”

  • Uncheck “Prompt before Allowing Access.”

  • Check “Allow this application to log in automatically.”

  • Select your “Login as” user. (Normally “Admin”)

This procedure needs only be done once for each QODBC application to be able to connect with the QuickBooks data from any other ODBC compliant application in the future.

Note: If you plan to modify the files, you will also need to choose “Multi-User Mode” from the Files menu in QuickBooks to allow this.

Step 6 – Testing Your Connection

Now that you have successfully established a connection to your QuickBooks data, it’s time to type in your desired SQL query, for example your can use the default “SELECT * FROM CUSTOMER” or type in another table like stock by entering  “SELECT * FROM ITEMINVENTORY”. Click on the “Query” button and the requested query results will appear! In case you’re wondering, the * in the select statement means all columns in that Table.

Click on the “Tables” button to see a list of all the available QuickBooks tables.

To disconnect, you can either select “Connections” / “Remove the connection” or Click the “Disconnect” button.