How to Prepare for a Quickbooks to Sage Intacct Data Import: A Step-by-Step Guide
When transitioning from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct, many people assume the process is simple. However, importing QuickBooks data to Sage Intacct is far more complex and requires meticulous planning to ensure your data is accurate, clean, and aligned with your new system’s structure. This guide breaks down the essential steps, providing expert insights and highlighting real-world success stories.
Step 1: Understand Your System Data Today
The first step in migrating from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct is developing a thorough understanding of your current financial setup. Without this clarity, critical data or workflows and data structure might be overlooked, causing complications during migration.
Key Areas to Evaluate:
- Reporting Requirements: Identify the financial reports you rely on today and those you’ll need in Sage Intacct. Customizing your new system to meet your reporting needs ensures smoother day-to-day operations.
- Data Flow and Workflows: Map out how your current data flows through your organization. Consider workflows, approval processes, and areas where automation could be implemented in Sage Intacct.
- Chart of Accounts (COA): Examine your COA structure for granularity and nuances. This is critical as Sage Intacct’s dimensional COA requires a restructured approach.
- Integrations: Review all systems currently integrated with QuickBooks, such as payroll, CRM, or inventory software. Determine which integrations you’ll maintain or replace with Sage Intacct-compatible tools.
Case in Point: Alaska Seaplanes, a leading commuter airline, struggled with QuickBooks’ inability to provide granular tracking and real-time insights. By carefully assessing their data needs, they successfully transitioned to Sage Intacct, saving over 1,000 hours annually in manual data entry. Learn more about their experience moving from Quickbooks to Sage Intacct.
Step 2: Plan Your Budget and Timeline for Migration
Transitioning from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct is a significant project that requires careful timing and resource allocation. Proper planning will ensure your business operations remain uninterrupted during the transition.
Considerations:
- Seasonality of Your Business: Schedule the migration during a slower period when your team can dedicate time to data cleanup and implementation.
- Time and Effort: System migration isn’t just a technical process—it involves your team’s input to validate data and workflows. Plan for collaborative sessions and training during implementation.
- Year-End Timing: Migrating at the end of a fiscal year simplifies accounting, but ensure all stakeholders are available to support the transition.
Pro Tip: Start preparing 5-9 months before your desired go-live date. This allows time to address unexpected challenges and perform thorough testing.
Step 3: Partner with a Team of Experts
Working with an experienced implementation partner is essential for a smooth migration. A skilled Value-Added Reseller (VAR) uses proven tools and processes to ensure your data is migrated accurately and aligned with Sage Intacct’s structure. When applicable, we utilize expert industry tools to efficiently extract data from QuickBooks, ensuring accuracy and completeness throughout the migration process.
Why Work with a VAR:
- Industry Expertise: A VAR with experience in your field, such as construction or real estate, understands your unique needs and challenge
- Chart of Accounts Redesign: Transitioning to Sage Intacct’s dimensional COA requires a thoughtful redesign to optimize reporting and workflows.
- Best Practices for Workflow Design: Implementing industry-proven practices ensures efficiency and accuracy in your new system.
- Complete the Database Buildout and Import: A qualified VAR will have access to tools that will assist applicable clients in the export process, pulling the data out of QuickBooks and into a tabular format that can be reviewed and manipulated into a clean data file - ready for importing into Sage Intacct.
- Migration Assistance: Importing QuickBooks data to Sage Intacct involves more than transferring balances; it requires accurately migrating customers, vendors, historical data, job details, and open invoices. A dedicated project team provides guidance at every step—from cleaning up QuickBooks data and reviewing Sage Intacct import templates in tabular format, to importing files and configuring your new database—ensuring seamless implementation.
- Go-Live and Post-Go-Live Support: Expert teams provide hands-on assistance during and after go-live to ensure your system functions as intended.
Case in Point: When Alaska Seaplanes upgraded to Sage Intacct with Sockeye’s help, they eliminated manual entry for daily revenue and cash data. Automated tools saved them 10-12 hours per week, and tailored workflows streamlined their operations for long-term success.
When to Engage a Partner: Reach out to a VAR 5-9 months before your desired go-live date. This timeline allows for detailed planning, data preparation, and testing to ensure a successful migration.
Why Importing QuickBooks to Sage Intacct is Not a Simple Task
Unlike other software transitions, migration from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct involves rethinking your financial structure, workflows, and data accuracy. Here’s why it’s not a one-click process:
- Data Cleanup is Critical: Sage Intacct’s robust system thrives on accurate data. Importing outdated, redundant, or incorrect information will only create issues down the line.
- Workflow Optimization: Sage Intacct allows for automation and customization that QuickBooks lacks. This requires redesigning workflows for efficiency.
- System Compatibility: Not all data from QuickBooks is structured in a way that aligns with Sage Intacct’s advanced capabilities. External data sources like spreadsheets often need to be reformatted for import.
Pro Tip: Treat the migration as an opportunity to enhance your financial operations, not just transfer data. Reconsider all of your current processes and think of all of the possibilities for tracking more detail with new tools available in Sage Intacct.
The Benefits of Getting It Right
When done correctly, migrating from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct can revolutionize how your organization manages its financials:
- Enhanced Reporting: Gain real-time insights across multiple dimensions for better decision-making.
- Streamlined Workflows: Reduce manual processes and improve operational efficiency.
- Scalable Financial Management: Sage Intacct grows with your business, supporting complex projects and multi-entity structures.
Case in Point: For Alaska Seaplanes, upgrading to Sage Intacct unlocked granular profitability reporting and automated reconciliation tools, enabling better decision-making and significant time savings.
Ready to Migrate QuickBooks Data to Sage Intacct?
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can guide you through every step of the process—from data cleanup to go-live support—ensuring your migration delivers long-term value.