Connecting to QuickBooks using API

Question

I need some guidelines here. I am creating an online booking system for my client that interfaces with QuickBooks on their internal network (desktop QuickBooks, not online).

Do I need to go the full "publish app" route? I do not wish to sell this app in the marketplace. This is merely a custom booking system designed and paid for by the client. It seems like I need to "publish" the app in the marketplace for them to be able to use it.

Are there ways around this?

Answer 1

Update 06/23/2015 - To connect to a desktop QuickBooks installation the SDK with the Web Connector is now the only recommended approach. Intuit is removing Intuit Partner Platform (IPP) integration to desktop QuickBooks. For more information see http://www.sleeter.com/blog/2013/11/quickbooks-software-integration/.

Intuit has two ways to connect to QuickBooks:

1. Intuit Anywhere/Intuit Partner Platform - this is for SaaS apps where you're allowing many of your customers to connect their QuickBooks to your app, for a monthly fee (struck out because Intuit deprecated these APIs for QuickBooks desktop/Windows)

2. SDK/Web Connector - this can be used to integrate any type of app with QuickBooks for Windows

For the SDK/Web Connector, you don't need to go through any publication process or anything like that. Just build the solution, and connector your client.

There's a pretty good overview of how the QuickBooks web connector works on our QuickBooks wiki.

The QuickBooks SDK download also includes a huge PDF with detailed documentation about how to implement SDK/Web Connector applications as well.