A PostgreSQL Interface for QuickBooks Data



Use the Remoting features of the QuickBooks JDBC Driver to create a PostgreSQL entry-point for data access.

There are a vast number of PostgreSQL clients available on the Internet. From standard Drivers to BI and Analytics tools, PostgreSQL is a popular interface for data access. Using our JDBC Drivers, you can now create PostgreSQL entry-points that you can connect to from any standard client.

To access QuickBooks data as a PostgreSQL database, use the CData JDBC Driver for QuickBooks and a JDBC foreign data wrapper (FDW). In this article, we compile the FDW, install it, and query QuickBooks data from PostgreSQL Server.

About QuickBooks Data Integration

CData simplifies access and integration of live QuickBooks data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:

  • Access both local and remote company files.
  • Connect across editions and regions: QuickBooks Premier, Professional, Enterprise, and Simple Start edition 2002+, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and UK editions from 2003+.
  • Use SQL stored procedures to perform actions like voiding or clearing transactions, merging lists, searching entities, and more.

Customers regularly integrate their QuickBooks data with preferred tools, like Power BI, Tableau, or Excel, and integrate QuickBooks data into their database or data warehouse.


Getting Started


Connect to QuickBooks Data as a JDBC Data Source

To connect to QuickBooks as a JDBC data source, you will need the following:

  • Driver JAR path: The JAR is located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
  • Driver class: cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.QuickBooksDriver

  • JDBC URL: The URL must start with "jdbc:quickbooks:" and can include any of the connection properties in name-value pairs separated with semicolons.

    When you are connecting to a local QuickBooks instance, you do not need to set any connection properties.

    Requests are made to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

    The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the Remote Connector with QuickBooks. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide.

    Built-in Connection String Designer

    For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the QuickBooks JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

    java -jar cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar

    Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

    A typical JDBC URL is below:

    jdbc:quickbooks:URL=http://remotehost:8166;User=admin;Password=admin123;

Build the JDBC Foreign Data Wrapper

The Foreign Data Wrapper can be installed as an extension to PostgreSQL, without recompiling PostgreSQL. The jdbc2_fdw extension is used as an example (downloadable here).

  1. Add a symlink from the shared object for your version of the JRE to /usr/lib/libjvm.so. For example: ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so /usr/lib/libjvm.so
  2. Start the build: make install USE_PGXS=1

Query QuickBooks Data as a PostgreSQL Database

After you have installed the extension, follow the steps below to start executing queries to QuickBooks data:

  1. Log into your database.
  2. Load the extension for the database: CREATE EXTENSION jdbc2_fdw;
  3. Create a server object for QuickBooks: CREATE SERVER QuickBooks FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER jdbc2_fdw OPTIONS ( drivername 'cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.QuickBooksDriver', url 'jdbc:quickbooks:URL=http://remotehost:8166;User=admin;Password=admin123;', querytimeout '15', jarfile '/home/MyUser/CData/CData\ JDBC\ Driver\ for\ Salesforce MyDriverEdition/lib/cdata.jdbc.quickbooks.jar');
  4. Create a user mapping for the username and password of a user known to the MySQL daemon. CREATE USER MAPPING for postgres SERVER QuickBooks OPTIONS ( username 'admin', password 'test');
  5. Create a foreign table in your local database: postgres=# CREATE FOREIGN TABLE customers ( customers_id text, customers_Name text, customers_CustomerBalance numeric) SERVER QuickBooks OPTIONS ( table_name 'customers');
You can now execute read/write commands to QuickBooks: postgres=# SELECT * FROM customers;

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the QuickBooks Driver to get started:

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QuickBooks Icon QuickBooks JDBC Driver

Complete read-write access to QuickBooks enables developers to search (Customers, Transactions, Invoices, Sales Receipts, etc.), update items, edit customers, and more, from any Java/J2EE application.