Copying a ChronoBooks Backup to a New QBO File

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Most of you know already, I am a big fan of ChronoBooks. Why? Because of the easy of use and the security it offers for various situations such as; conversions, client training, integrations and it’s perfect for any client who just wants the comfort of knowing they can access and control their data at any time.

Recently, I had a QBO client file I wanted to export and copy into an empty QBO file. ChronoBooks allowed me to make a backup and within minutes I had a fully copied version of the data in a new QBO file. In my case I did not want to cancel or delete the original QBO file. By using a backup my original data was unchanged. If you do want to quit using the original QBO file make sure to un-subscripe.

Steps to Creating a ChronoBooks Backup and Restoring to a New QBO File:

1) Connect your QBO file (or your client's file) to ChronoBooks.  From the QBOA Dashboard select Apps, search for ChronoBooks, click Get App Now.  (Pro tip: decide who is going to pay for the App, you or the client, then be certain to connect appropriately.)

2) Follow the steps to connect the App. Once connected, from the ChronoBooks navigation bar, select Companies, then Enable Backup.

3) Tell ChronoBooks where you want to copy the data. In this case you want to connect to the New (empty) QBO file you have already created.  From the ChronoBooks navigation bar select Companies, then choose Add a Company. (Note: You will not be charged for a ChronoBooks subscription for the QBO Company file to which you are copying the data unless you later decide to start backing-up that new QBO Company file.)

4) Following completion of the backup, choose Copy on the ChronoBooks navigation bar and select the Company file to copy from and the empty QBO file you wish to copy to.

5) Data verification is the last step.  After you receive the 'green status check-mark' your ChronoBooks copy is a success, you should open the new QBO file and pull the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss reports for all periods in Accrual basis and compare the data from both files. 

When making a copy of a QuickBooks file all Apps will need to be reconnected to the new Company file as well as bank feeds, bank feed rules and recurring transactions.

Other things to consider when using this procedure:

ChronoBooks errors: ChronoBooks will inform you if there are import errors and will give recommendations on how to correct them in most cases. ChronoBooks help center states most errors are due to files which have been previously converted from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. They recommend reaching out to them for help to complete these types of copies.

ChronoBooks exceptions: ChronoBooks restores and copies all objects that it backs up with the exception of the following, none of which affect your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online:

  • Inventory history for inventory items. Inventory adjustments cannot be created or changed via the QuickBooks Online API.
  • Budgets. While budgets will be copied if you're performing a copy, updating Budgets for a restore is not supported by the QuickBooks Online API. You can also use the Local Backup feature to export a CSV file of your budgets.
  • Migrated QuickBooks Desktop data. If your company was migrated to QuickBooks Online from QuickBooks Desktop, your Online data may have transactions (~0.1%) that cannot be ordinarily created.

So far, I have been able to copy all QBO files but have had to work through some errors like turning on sales tax in the empty QBO file and then re-importing data.

For me, using a copied version of the client’s data allows for a perfect testing environment in which I can test Apps without having to worry if they might adversely affect my client's live data!  This let's me insure that we will all be happy with the results of whatever I am testing (new routines, new Apps, etc.) before going live!  Thanks to ChronoBooks  I can make those working copies easier than ever.