There are many instances when a company may need to combine separate QuickBooks company files into a single file. Some companies have different divisions or entities that each have separate QuickBooks company files. Sometimes, one company will purchase another company and want to combine the two company files. In instances such as these, combining QuickBooks company data files is quick and easy with Transaction Pro.
Merging QuickBooks data is similar to migrating data. For any QuickBooks Desktop company file involved, the VERIFY DATA and REBUILD DATA utilities in QuickBooks should be run first before the merge process begins. Once completed, a fresh backup of all the companies should be saved.
Next, ensure that the data to be merged into the new company file is as clean as possible. Use Transaction Pro Importer to make any unused list items (Customers, Vendors, General Ledger Accounts, Inventory Items, etc) inactive. Use Transaction Pro Deleter to remove any unnecessary data. (Remember: data cannot be deleted if it has any data connected to it. Check out our Knowledge Base article about the Desktop Suggested Order to Delete or the Online Suggested Order to Delete for more information.)
Once your data is clean, use Transaction Pro Exporter to export all data that is to be merged into the live company file. If your data is large, you may need to export it in small batches. Be sure to use file names for your exported files that indicate what the data is and the date range.
Keep in mind that when merging QuickBooks company files, list items, especially General Ledger Accounts, need to be reviewed for duplicates. For example, you may call an account Telephone Expense in one file and Phone Expense in another and Telecommunication Expense in another. The files to be imported need to match to the Chart of Accounts in the resulting live company file. A helpful tool with this process is to create a cross reference spreadsheet that lists the accounts from the live company and then the corresponding accounts for each other company file to be imported. Then you can use either a VLOOKUP formula or FIND AND REPLACE in Excel to update the files prior to importing. We have a Knowledge Base article about Useful Excel Formulas and Tips to Use with Imports and Exports that may prove helpful.
Once you are comfortable with the data in your import files, you are ready to use Transaction Pro Importer to merge your data into the live company file. Be sure to review our Desktop Suggested Order to Import or Online Suggested Order to Import articles prior to importing your data into the live company file. Data must be imported in a specific order that follows the same logic as if the data was being manually entered. For example, you must import Invoices before you can import Receive Payments, and Bills before Bill Payments.
As you import, be sure to review the Transaction Logs for each import and save any Logs that contain errors to address later. If merging multiple companies, we recommend creating an Excel worksheet Trial Balance that has a column for each company merged along with the live company pre-import. Then create a total column and add together the columns for each row. This will provide you with the numbers to compare to the current Trial Balance in the live company (post-import) to ensure that everything imported correctly and balances. When merging, if only certain data was merged into the live company file, take that into account when inputting the Trial Balance numbers on the comparison worksheet.
For more information about using Transaction Pro to merge QuickBooks company files, check out the Data Migration section in our Knowledge Base.