QBXML : Can I get the balance sheet or do I have to calculate it?

Question

I am creating an overview page for a customer which gets invoice and sales data from Quickbooks using QBXML via a PHP app and web connector.

The customer would like me to include the balance sheet (for the requested date(s)). Is it possible to retrieve this directly, or do I have to get all the item and account data and calculate it myself?

Answer 1

This is definitely possible to do.

Using qbXML and the Web Connector, you can send QuickBooks a qbXML request asking it to generate the report, and return the report data to you. The report data is returned in a nice parseable XML format.

If you look at the OSR:

• https://developer-static.intuit.com/qbSDK-current/Common/newOSR/index.html

You'll find an option for:

• GeneralSummaryReportQuery

If you use that syntax to send a qbXML request something like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<?qbxml version="13.0"?>
<QBXML>
  <QBXMLMsgsRq onError="stopOnError">
    <GeneralSummaryReportQueryRq>

      <GeneralSummaryReportType>BalanceSheetStandard</GeneralSummaryReportType>

      <DisplayReport>false</DisplayReport>
      <ReportPeriod>
        <FromReportDate>2013-01-01</FromReportDate>
        <ToReportDate>2014-01-01</ToReportDate>
      </ReportPeriod>

    </GeneralSummaryReportQueryRq>
  </QBXMLMsgsRq>
</QBXML>

You'll get back a nicely formatted row/column XML document with all the balance sheet details.

More details on this QuickBooks qbXML example site and QuickBooks wiki.