Importing if file as a timer file into QB 2016 Premier UK version

[rossmk]

Hi,

I have a UK version of QB. We are trying to import my time as a time file (iif, but through a different route in the QB desktop). The reason being that the user that imports the data has to be an administrator otherwise to import time as a “regular” iif file.

At present, I have to edit the file exported by the Time Master iOS app, which is painful to say the least. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[Adam]

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you are looking for?  I'm not sure why they would need to be an Admin to import IIF files?  Perhaps something is setup incorrectly on Windows?

When you say you have to Edit the IIF file.  What are you changing and why?

[rossmk]

It goes something like this (and correct me if I’m mistaken)...

There are two ways to import time data into QB. One is by using the import iif file feature in QB. As you probably know, in QB, there are different levels of access rights to the application. When you try to import an iif file, QB tells you that you have to have administrator rights. That’s not a Windows thing, it’s a QB thing. The problem is that the person who imports the time should not have free run of QB as administrator.

The alternative, which does not need admin level access rights, is to import an iif file through the import timer file route in QB. However, the Time Master app does not seem to export the file in quite the right format to be accepted by QB. Off the top of my head (I’m travelling at the moment), the date format is wrong and some of the fields oddly need to be in a different order.

Does this clarify things better?

Thanks.

[Adam]

Things are based off of the "Region" that you had set up your device in the Apple "Settings" app.  However some countries have a weird issue (off the top of my head, I believe it was Australia), so we had to put in a "Date Format" (override function) in the QB setup in TM.  Setup -> Quickbooks -> Date Format.  It can either be set to "System Format" or "US".  If your QB requires the date in the US format, set it to that instead.  The "order" should not be required as it is based on "labels" that are in the IIF file.

[rossmk]

I'm back now and have had some time to get my head back into this. From a little bit of basic research on the Internet, it appears that Quickbooks has always only allowed the Admin and External Accountant users to import iif files. As mentioned previously, when using the iif file as a timer file, so that my assistant can import the file without admin privileges on QB, I needed to (speaking figuratively) do some rearranging of the furniture with respect to editing the file. The most notable thing missing from the file exported by the Time Master app was a load of header data that QB needs to import the file as a timer file.

It seems to me, and I would appreciate your confirmation, that I either have to keep editing the files (something I don't want to do as it is a pain to do) or upgrade my assistant's privileges on QB (not something that I want to do). If I am right on both counts then it seems like, absent some kind of parsing app, Time Master is not the app for us?

Thanks.

[Adam]

Just to make sure, you are using the optional QuickBooks module, correct?  It does have headers in the file.  For example the first line should look like this:

!INVITEM   ACCNT   INVITEMTYPE   NAME

Then followed by the items.  After that is the Time record header:

!TIMEACT   BILLINGSTATUS   DATE   DURATION   EMP   ITEM   JOB   NOTE

And all the Time entry records.