| (page 1, only page) Internet Resources for Specific Software Applications previous page Part 1 – QuickBooks January 12, 2005 Introduction In this article, you find links to several websites with information that might help you use QuickBooks more effectively. These sites were discovered in a search of the Internet, using the Google search engine. To help you better access those sites that might be most useful to you, the websites are identified by the predominant type of information found at the site. The types are: Help and support for specific problems and questions with QuickBooks use Add-ins for use with QuickBooks for expanded usefulness Industry-specific QuickBooks use Review and evaluation articles on QuickBooks products QuickBooks product descriptions Help and Support For Specific Problems and Questions With QuickBooks Use Several sites are identified here that can be turned to if you are have a question or problem while using QuickBooks. Probably the first site you should consider going to is the Intuit QuickBooks support site www.quickbooks.com/support. From this site, you can access much free informational resources such as: videos on various common QuickBooks tasks; a database of messages exchanged by message board participants on their problems and suggested solutions; free telephone installation and upgrade support from Intuit QuickBooks personnel; and a large number of Intuit QuickBooks articles and answers on frequent problems and frequently asked questions. Intuit QuickBooks also has a resource and help site at accountant.intuit.com/practice_resources, intended for accountants. From this site you can access many QuickBooks tips and articles related to QuickBooks use. The Sleeter Group, a national QuickBooks-use consultant, maintains a site, www.sleeter.com/article, from which you can search their database of articles and answers relating to QuickBooks use. Registration, which is free, is required. The consultant, QBResource, maintains a site at www.qbresource.com/PartnerFolder/qbResource/resourcecenter/articles.cfm. Several articles deal with aspects of QuickBooks use. Add-ons For Use with QuickBooks For Expanded Usefulness Many software products are available that, when integrated, or used, with QuickBooks products, will provide the QuickBooks user additional capabilities. The term add-on, or add-in, is often used to refer to many such products. Included in the sites identified in this section are products that allow QuickBooks to connect and transfer data with other sites, such as at banks. An excellent site to use to identify software add-ons working with QuickBooks products is the Intuit QuickBooks site, marketplace.intuit.com, which identifies such products. Add-on information is provided by industry, e.g. retail and services, and by applications, e.g. Ecommerce and accounting. Prices, reviews, and details on the products are provided. Software, providing a variety of functions, and that interface with QuickBooks, are described, and can be downloaded from this site www.freedownloadcenter.com/Search/quickbooks.html. A limited number of the software systems identified are free. Sites with examples of QuickBooks add-ons for specific applications are: www.realtrac.com/functions/quickbooks.htm for time tracking, in a job shop environment; and www.exaktime.com, for time tracking, in a contractor’s environment. Wells Fargo Bank maintains a website at www.wellsfargo.com/biz/products/online_banking/quickbooks/get_started_2005, devoted to setting up and enabling a direct, on-line connection between your QuickBooks accounting system and your Wells Fargo bank accounts. Information provided at this site, on using online banking as part of your QuickBooks accounting operations, is probably similar for most banks. DataBlox has a product OfficeQ, described at this site, www.datablox.com/index.htm, which will extract data from QuickBooks for use in Excel, Word, and Access. Another company, QODBC, also offers a product that access QuickBooks files, which is described at this site www.qodbc.com/qodbc.htm. Using this product, you can pull customer data from QuickBooks and do a mail merge. QuickBooks Use in Specific Industries Several websites have information about the use of QuickBooks in specific industries. Using QuickBooks Pro 2002 in a small law firm is described at this site, www.law.arizona.edu/it/court/writ0702.htm. Articles on the use of QuickBooks in the restaurant industry can be accessed at this site rrgconsulting.com/subscribe.htm, maintained by the Restaurant Resource Group. The University of Missouri at this site, agebb.Missouri.edu/commag/dairy/bailey/dairyqb, maintains a site devoted to supporting the use of QuickBooks in dairy farming. And finally, QuickBooks has industry-specific versions (editions) for these industries: construction; nonprofit; real estate; manufacturing and wholesale; professional services; and retail. Information on these editions can be found at quickbooks.intuit.com/commerce/catalog/home.jhtml?-requestid=8227. Review and Evaluation Articles On QuickBooks Products Articles that review and evaluate QuickBooks products are available on the Internet. SamllBuinessComputing.com has articles at: www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/1503161 (several products – 2003); www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/print.php/1579581 (Premier – 2003); and www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3291551 (several products – 2004). PC Magazine reviews QuickBooks Simple Start at www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1663678,00.asp. Several QuickBooks products (2005) are reviewed by 180 Systems, Ltd at www.180systems.com/QuickbooksReview.php. The use of web-based accounting systems, including QuickBooks Online, is discussed at this New York CPA Society site www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2004/1004/essentials/p68.htm. QuickBooks Product Descriptions In your use of QuickBooks, you may become interested in information on other QuickBooks products that might support your operations, e.g. tax software and blank checks, or that might enhance your accounting capabilities as you grow. A complete list of Intuit QuickBooks products, and access to information on these products, can be obtained at this Intuit site accountant.intuit.com/commerce/catalog/home.jhtml?_requested=4188. All sites identified in this article can be linked to starting at the front page of the Management Accounting Information Center, and clicking “Accounting software evaluations, implementation, and applications”, on the right and top of the front page. 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