Getting a lot of data out of QuickBooks Online is harder than it should be, and there isn’t just one reason. Reports can be slow to build before you can export them. Large exports can come back incomplete. Excel files arrive with formatting that gets in the way, and data sent to another system doesn’t always land in the right fields.
Each of these problems has a cause, and each one has something you can do about it.
Key Takeaways
- QuickBooks Online runs a report on screen before you export it, so large datasets can take a long time to load.
- Large exports can be truncated, so break reports into smaller timeframes and compare row counts and totals for each one.
- Choosing CSV over Excel avoids merged cells and misaligned columns that make exported reports hard to sort.
- Before sending data to an ERP or analysis tool, check that system’s import requirements and fix field mapping in Excel if needed.
Slow Report Generation Before Export
In QuickBooks Online, you run a report on screen before you can export it. You can’t send it straight to a file. When the date range covers a lot of transactions, the on-screen report takes a while to build, and the export can’t start until it finishes. Very large exports can also come out shorter than the report on screen, so it pays to check.
How to Fix Slow Report Generation
Use a shorter date range. If a shorter export still comes back incomplete, shorten it again. A range that works for one part of the year may not work for another, because transaction volume changes from month to month, so adjust it as you go. Running reports outside business hours may also help them finish faster.
Missing or Incomplete Data in Exports
Large exports can be truncated, so compare row counts and totals against the on-screen report. A file that is missing rows can still look like a finished export, which is why the check matters. If anything is missing, rerun the report over smaller periods and export each one separately.
How to Ensure a Complete Export
Check your report filters before you run the report, not after you export. When you break a report into smaller periods, review each exported period before moving on to the next. Keep a list of the periods you’ve exported so you don’t export one twice or skip one.
Formatting Problems in Exported Reports
When you export to Excel, the file keeps the formatting QuickBooks Online applied on screen. Cells get merged where a heading spanned several columns, and columns shift where the report had indented subtotals. You can’t sort merged cells or filter misaligned columns, so a report that reads fine on screen turns into a file that’s hard to work with.
How to Fix Formatting Issues
Exporting to CSV instead avoids the problem, because CSV holds no formatting at all. You get a plain, sortable file. You can also adjust report settings in QuickBooks Online before exporting to cut down the formatting that carries over. If you can’t rerun the export, Excel’s data cleaning tools can repair the file you already have.
Compatibility Issues with Third-Party Applications
Exported data often ends up in another system, such as a different accounting package, an ERP system, or a financial analysis tool. That system expects fields in a certain structure with certain names, and QuickBooks Online uses its own. When the two don’t match, the import either fails or succeeds with values in the wrong fields. The second outcome is worse, because it isn’t obvious anything went wrong.
How to Address Compatibility Issues
Read the receiving system’s import requirements before you run the export. If the fields don’t line up, fix the mapping in Excel before you load the file. A direct connection built on the QuickBooks API skips the file entirely, and a third-party data connector can do the same without any custom build.
Preventing Export Issues in QuickBooks Online
A QuickBooks Online file that is kept tidy tends to export more reliably. Review your data regularly, choose your export format on purpose, and pick CSV over Excel whenever you don’t need the formatting.
Best Practices to Prevent Export Issues
Keep your browser current and clear its cache, since browser problems can slow down any cloud app. Allow time for exports, because the report has to finish on screen first. If you export often and it keeps going badly, it may be time to rethink your accounting platform and the data tools around it.
Exporting a lot of data out of QuickBooks Online can be slow, incomplete, messy to format, and hard to load into other systems. Each of those problems has a workaround, but none has a real fix. Looking at alternatives to QuickBooks Online is a reasonable response.
