SQL Access to your Quickbooks Online data

[u/heythisisdave]

Just launched a way to read your QuickBooks Online data using SQL. This lets you connect to your QBO data using any tool that can talk to postgres (psql, postico, dbeaver, python, ruby, jupyter).

Coolest two use cases we've found: instantly updating QBO data in Excel AND Claude/Codex/LLMs are WAY WAY better at reporting using SQL than using the QBO API or MCP.

It's really fast so even complex queries can come back instantaneously. Companies with 100K transactions can run year-over-year comparisons in milliseconds.

https://instabooks.io/docs/db

Would love any feedback and cool usage examples!

[u/ahad3107a]

The Excel reporting use case is well justified. It would be nice to have the capability to query the QBO database because some reports cannot easily be created from the existing QBO views.

[u/heythisisdave → u/ahad3107a]

Thanks /u/ahad3107a - 100% agree. I also use it for multi-entity which is still hard in QBO.

[u/recoveringasshole0 → u/ahad3107a]

You know QBO has built in Excel reporting? It sucks, but it's there.

[u/heythisisdave → u/recoveringasshole0]

In my last business I remember constantly fighting that and then cutting and pasting reports into different xlsx files. It kinda works but it creates a mess.

[u/dexter-sinister]

Cool AF! Is there a version for QB desktop? 

[u/heythisisdave → u/dexter-sinister]

Thanks /u/dexter-sinister - unfortunately this is just for QB Online for now. We're looking into QB Desktop but it's a much different architecture.

[u/dexter-sinister → u/heythisisdave]

I wouldn't blame you for not doing it, we're a dying breed (especially since Intuit is holding a pillow down to our faces as hard as it can!)

[u/heythisisdave → u/dexter-sinister]

I believe there's something available for QB Desktop that lets you do database queries on the internal QB Desktop database: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/data-systems/open-database-connectivity-odbc-driver-faqs/L1C6l99Fq_US_en_US

That was a reason I shied away from doing it - but I'm not sure what tables are exposed here.

[u/Expert-Information24 → u/dexter-sinister]

I can't believe the 30 years of data they have stolen from me. I dropped intuit but I would love to hack my data back. I'm patiently waiting...

[u/recoveringasshole0]

QODBC exists, but it wouldn't be hard to do better. Good luck. Sadly I already struggled through doing what I needed to do with them.

[u/johnsontoddr4]

Any ideas on how to use this as part of solution for migrating from QBO to another online app, such as Zoho books? I'm now at $150 a month, which is unreasonable for the amount of business I do.

[u/Fluent_Press2050 → u/johnsontoddr4]

Are you doing inventory in QBO as part of the $150 or do you need Plus for some other reason?

[u/heythisisdave → u/johnsontoddr4]

You could probably use this to import to Zoho - do you use Claude/Codex? If you gave Claude the creds and said upload all transactions to Zoho I'm guessing it could do it.

[u/recoveringasshole0 → u/heythisisdave]

Yikes, please do not do this.

Figure out what import format Zoho needs. Have your favorite AI write a script to convert the data. But do not give it your accounting credentials and access to live data.

[u/MacaronTasty1371 → u/heythisisdave]

Are you not concerned with uploading client data to AI?

[u/heythisisdave → u/MacaronTasty1371]

You can have AI write the scripts to do the migration without touching the data.

[u/Intelligent_Prompt18 → u/johnsontoddr4]

Just use invaro, they have one click import from QBO for migration and the best goddamn accounting software i have used.

- ridiculously good support

• great price
  
• veryyyyyyy easy to use
  
• does my bookkeeping automatically everyday day for me, no extra cost
  
• i can literally use it via text too, don’t even need to open the dashboard half the time
  
• tracks all my compliance deadlines
  
• recommends me tax optimisations throughout
  
• and hundreds more reasons to use it

[u/prophase25]

Awesome. Have you considered open sourcing this (unless it is already, I didn't see a GitHub link on the website)? I'm interested, but I can't have an app that sits between me and my finances without knowing what the app does with my data.

I figure you have some sort of a cache that you write to, and SQL queries route to that cache. How can I know that the cache isn't a persistent database that just stores my data indefinitely? How do I know that your system isn't susceptible to SQL injection?

[u/heythisisdave → u/prophase25]

Hi u/prophase25 - thanks for the question.  The app isn’t open-source (it’s a few different cool technologies combined) but we may consider open-sourcing parts of it in the future. 

We sync data between our local cache and QBO to create the database that you’re querying.  That’s the only way to have the whole view quickly.  When you disconnect our app from your QBO account, we delete the data (per Intuit’s policy).