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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/quickbooks-odbc-active-query-builder.rst

⇱ Rapidly Develop QuickBooks-Driven Apps with Active Query Builder

Rapidly Develop QuickBooks-Driven Apps with Active Query Builder

👁 Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Leverage the Active Query Builder SQL interface and .NET data access to create data-driven WinForms and ASP.NET apps backed by QuickBooks.

Write standard .NET to expose QuickBooks data through an SQL interface: Active Query Builder helps developers write SQL interfaces; the CData ODBC Driver for QuickBooks enables standards-based access to QuickBooks. This integration uses the Microsoft ADO.NET Provider for ODBC as a bridge between the ODBC Driver and the Active Query Builder objects to build a visual SQL composer.

Connect to QuickBooks as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

When you are connecting to a local QuickBooks instance, you do not need to set any connection properties.

Requests are made to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

The first time you connect, authorize the Remote Connector with QuickBooks. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

About QuickBooks Data Integration

CData simplifies access and integration of live QuickBooks data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:

  • Access both local and remote company files.
  • Connect across editions and regions: QuickBooks Premier, Professional, Enterprise, and Simple Start edition 2002+, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and UK editions from 2003+.
  • Use SQL stored procedures to perform actions like voiding or clearing transactions, merging lists, searching entities, and more.

Customers regularly integrate their QuickBooks data with preferred tools, like Power BI, Tableau, or Excel, and integrate QuickBooks data into their database or data warehouse.


Getting Started


Use SQL to Interact with QuickBooks

Follow the steps below to create a WinForms visual query builder.

  1. Open Active Query Builder for .NET WinForms. 👁 Opening Active Query Builder.
  2. In the new Windows Forms project go to the "File" menu and click "Connect..."
  3. Under Database Connections, click "Add..." 👁 Adding a new Connection.
  4. Set your desired Connection Name (e.g. CData QuickBooks), set Connection Type to "ODBC" and locate your previously configured DSN in the "User/System" DSN dropdown. 👁 Selecting a previously configured DSN (Amazon Athena is shown).
  5. Click "OK" to save the new connection.
  6. Back in the Database Connection wizard, select the newly created connection and click "OK." 👁 A newly added Connection (Amazon Athena is shown).
  7. Click "File" > "New Query" to create a QueryBuilder

You can now build queries visually: Double-click a table in the Columns Pane Area and an entity/relationship diagram is displayed in the Query Building Area. Columns that you select in the diagram are added to the query.

👁 Building queries interactively with Active Query Builder.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the QuickBooks ODBC Driver to get started:

 Download Now

Learn more:

👁 QuickBooks Icon
QuickBooks ODBC Driver

The QuickBooks ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from QuickBooks directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access QuickBooks data like you would a database - read, write, and update Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.