Move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online

A lot of business owners are setting up their businesses to excel in 2023 by upgrading or migrating their QuickBooks products. Also known as a move, or moving from one QuickBooks software to another. Some businesses are upgrading to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, while others seek a migration over to QuickBooks Online. For those that choose to move over to QuickBooks Online, we offer a complete turnkey solution and service package that ensures business success. A lot of  clients want to know more about migration services, why they are so beneficial, and attempting to complete a migration without the help of an experienced professional might cause a major headache. By contacting us before proceeding into the QuickBooks unknown, you can avoid finding yourself ill-equipped in volatile territory.

In this article, a dive into the complexities of the QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online migration will be explained in plain language, along with what can happen when you venture out alone into the QuickBooks unknown, and how our QuickBooks migration services differ from all of the rest – how we move your data and empower your business for optimal success!

And, if you are still trying to determine which solution would be best for your business, there is help available for you. Check out the blog resources below, and Contact Us if you still need more help or have any questions:

• Why Move from QuickBooks Pro or Premier to QuickBooks Online?
• Why QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise May Be Your Best Move

Read on to learn more about QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online migrations!

What is a QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Migration?

A QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online migration is definitely a different animal compared to a typical software migration. A typical software migration is synonymous with a product upgrade – your data is “migrating” or simply “moving” unmodified, from one product to another within the same suite of products. When the products “speak the same language”, the move can be seamless.

A QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online migration, however, is not as straight forward, hence our recommendation to work with a company with experience. A typical software migration is the movement from one software to another, both from unique product suites, usually from completely different developers, with varying degrees of coding, data structure, and file type differences. For example, moving from Sage 50 to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. These differences make the process much more complex, which will be further discussed in the next section. Moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online is equally complex because event through they are both Intuit products, there are differences in coding, data structure, and file types.

The Complexities of a QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Migration

The many various complexities of a QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Migration are too abundant to cover completely, and extremely technical. The major differences are listed below:

• Different Coding

• Different Data Structure

• Different File Types

Think Twice Before Migrating Using the In-product Prompts?

While you might have success using the in-product migration prompt, there is a chance that it might not all go so smoothly. A few things to think about:

1. There are a host of issues that can arise with your data that the vast majority of users are not properly equipped to resolve – possibly resulting in data damage or loss.
2. Without following a strict pre-migration protocol (NOT included with the in-product migration prompts) your migration may be more prone to issues (preventing a successful migration) and you will not be best set up for success.

To provide more clarification on our reasoning, read on and we’ll dive a little deeper into reasons 1 and 2.

1. There are a host of issues that can arise with your data that the vast majority of users are not properly equipped to resolve

“The why” is pretty self-explanatory, but “the how,” not so much. There are a few tools available for users when it comes to working technically with QuickBooks data, such as the QuickBooks Desktop Tool Hub, but there is a limit to how much it will do for you. Additionally, you need to be pretty savvy with it in order to accomplish what is required, depending on issue type and complexity. Issues can range from simpler fixes such as unbalanced books or minor alterations to your Chart of Accounts (COA), all the way to the most severe such as data damage, which requires thorough backend troubleshooting, code analysis, and data analysis, manipulation, and modification.

Once you experience this severe-issue realm of QuickBooks, outsourcing repairs is your only option – unless you’re an expert QuickBooks data specialist with years of troubleshooting experience. You will also not soon forget the endless amount of frustration that comes along with your QuickBooks rendered useless and having to formulate a backup plan while you await the often lengthy turnaround time of repair(s) completion. And not to mention the cost of such repairs – an enormous, unnecessary, and completely avoidable expense. Add that to the cost of business downtime and you have yourself one expensive situation – we bet they didn’t mention all that in the in-product prompts!

2. Without following a strict pre-migration protocol  your migration may be more prone to issues (preventing a successful migration) and you will not be best set up for success

The most important consideration, not mentioned in the in-product migration message prompts, is that there is no strict pre-migration protocol and no clear, defined expectations. A strict migration protocol is a process that allows us to take an in-depth look into how your current QuickBooks solution is set up, understand how it will affect the migration process and the way you use your current QuickBooks solution, and ensuring that your new QuickBooks Online solution is set up to do everything you want it to do, the way you want to do it, within product constraints.

The lack of clear, defined expectations means that you will not know exactly what to expect if you do the migration yourself. Complexities can arise that cause the Migration Tool to fail, and will ultimately require technical intervention. For example, certain QuickBooks features can change how your data is structured on the backend, making it difficult for the tool to convert (translate the data) correctly.

When you use the in-product Migration Tool, you will likely be able to move your data without issue, but issues can AND do arise, and you will not receive the benefit of receiving an optimized, custom-fit QuickBooks Online solution, personalized to your business.

Why Use Our QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Migration Services?

Out of the Box Technology prides itself on having the best, most in-depth and client satisfaction-centric turnkey service solution available in the marketplace. In addition to migrating (moving) your data, we provide the following:

• Strict Pre-migration Protocol: A strict migration protocol is a process that allows us to;
  1. Take an in-depth look at how your QuickBooks Desktop is set up – including workflows, Chart of Accounts (COA) structure, reports, various lists, add-ons, and 3rd-party application integrations
  2. Understand how it will affect your migration process and the way you use your QuickBooks Desktop solution
  3. Ensure your QuickBooks Online is set up to do everything you want it to do, the way you want to do it (within product constraints)

• The Most Seamless Migration Possible: Our Data Services team, comprised of in-house Advanced ProAdvisor consultants with 500 years of combined QuickBooks experience, have successfully migrated thousands of clients from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, and with exceptional results! Our Data Services team has come across every issue in existence so nothing is novel to us. We use specific technical tools and have strict processes put in place to ensure an optimum product and service delivery. Best of all, if your QuickBooks migration is more complex and requires technical intervention, we have all the knowledge and tools to complete it successfully – even when the Migration Tool fails you!

• Personalized Turnkey QuickBooks Online Solution: This ties back into our Strict Migration Protocol and how we:
  1. 1. Take an in-depth look at how your QuickBooks Desktop is set up
     2. Understand the way you use your QuickBooks Desktop solution
     3. Ensure your QuickBooks Online is set up to do everything you want it to do, the way you want to do it (within product constraints)

Using this information, we setup your QuickBooks Online solution to exact, agreed-upon specifications (within product constraints) and deliver to you a complete turnkey solution, fully-optimized and personalized to your business.

• Post-migration Support: After the delivery of your complete turnkey solution, fully-optimized and personalized to your business, we will take you every step of the way through an extensive onboarding process to ensure you are equipped with the knowledge required to properly leverage your QuickBooks Online solution. We will also continue to provide you with any support services that you need (additional services at additional cost). All of our clients consider us to be their QuickBooks business partners, and we are always ready and willing to continue growing our client network!

About Us

Out of the Box Technology is an Elite QuickBooks Solution Provider (QSP). We provide our clients with QuickBooks products and end-to-end Business services and Data services through our talented team of in-house ProAdvisor Advanced Consultants, possessing over 500 years of combined QuickBooks experience. Armed with our “SauceBox Approach^TM,” Out of the Box Technology’s Advanced Consultants live up to our motto, “Anything + Everything QuickBooks.” Contact us and let us show you the best possible client experience, every single time! And don’t forget to check out our Company Blog for Free Resources, valuable How-To’s, and TONS of frequently added QuickBooks content!

What is Our SauceBox™ Approach?

Our SauceBox Approach^TM is the internal process that we developed specifically to better serve our clients.  This is essentially a five-step secret-sauce recipe to client success.  We start by listening to the client and walking through a methodical approach to finding a solution that fits the client’s pain points.  Our goal is to provide the best possible client experience, every single time!