Managing Naming Conventions

SECURITY  Admin access to the QuickBooks data file and security level with permission to configure the QuickBooks Extension. Refer to Admin security settings.

NAVIGATION   > Admin > Extensions & Integrations > QuickBooks Extension (New) > Web Connectors > right-click > Manage Naming Conventions

NOTE  To learn everything about the QuickBooks Extension for Desktop, refer to the landing page for documentation links, configuration steps, videos, and walk-throughs that help you set it up.

The QuickBooks: Manage Item Naming Conventions page lets you determine the names of billing items Autotask will map to or create in QuickBooks. Your choices here will impact the number of new items Autotask will create on the QuickBooks Item List. You can choose to map at the billing code level or at the level of each individual billing item name. To open the page, use the path(s) in the Security and navigation section above.

The Use Item Naming Convention (configured below) if all items in a group have the same value setting is selected by default.

  • If selected, the Item Naming Conventions for individual items will be used for grouped billing items that all share the same name.
  • If cleared, the group naming conventions listed in the Customize Naming Conventions section will be used.

In this section, you select the naming convention for single items that are transferred to QuickBooks.

  • If you select the billing code, the Autotask data transfers will create one item for each billing code on the QuickBooks Item List. This will result in the smallest possible number of items created in QuickBooks.
  • If you select a combination like Role:Work Type, the Autotask data transfers will create one item for each combination of role and work type on the QuickBooks Item List. The number of items created will equal the number of roles multiplied by the number of work types. Each role in Autotask will be an item on the Item List, and the list of work types will be repeated as sub-items underneath each role.
  • If Charge Name is selected, any new charge name transferred from Autotask will generate a new item on the Item List.

To see the list of item names that will be created in QuickBooks, click the Preview icon to the right of the selector control. The Naming Convention Preview will appear, showing the six most recently used items and how they will appear in QuickBooks.

NOTE  Please keep in mind that item names in QuickBooks must be unique, and avoid creating names in different billing item types that will result in the same QuickBooks item names.

You can select from the following:

Option Description Default / Best Practice

Labor

Role:Work Type

One item for each combination of role and work type will be created on the QuickBooks Item List. The number of items created will equal # of roles x # of work types. Each role in Autotask will be an item on the Item List, and the list of work types will be repeated as sub-items underneath each role.

 

Work Type

One item will be created for each work type on the QuickBooks Item List.

Services/Bundles

Recurring Services:Service Code

An item called Recurring Services will be created in QuickBooks, and all service codes will be listed as sub-items.

NOTE  While the current release was 2020.2, the item was created as Recurring Service (singular). We have changed it to Recurring Services (plural), to match the naming convention for legacy users. If you have transferred invoices with this mapping, one of two cases will apply to you:
• A duplicate set of items was created with the singular naming convention (legacy users)
• A duplicate set of items will be created as we switch back to the plural naming convention (new users)
In both scenarios, you will probably want to clean up your Item List in QuickBooks and merge any singular item names into the plural ones..

 

Service Code

Each service code will create an item on the QuickBooks Item List.

Service/Bundle Name

Each service or bundle you set up in Autotask will become an item on the QuickBooks Item List. If you have a service named Workstation Support Gold, it will become a QuickBooks item.

 

Charges, Block Purchases, Retainer Purchases, and Ticket Purchases

Charge Name

When you choose this option with purchase-type charge items, the changing dates mean that a new QuickBooks Item is created with each transfer of a block, retainer, and per ticket purchase.

 

Material Code

Billing items for all material codes plus block purchase, retainer purchase, and ticket purchase will be created in QuickBooks.

This selection makes sense if you do not want each individual product name to appear on your QuickBooks Item List, but rather just the broad categories. If you want the item name to be Laptoprather than HP Pavilion, with the details in the invoice Description field, this is a good choice.

Subscriptions

Material Code

Billing items for all material codes will be created in QuickBooks.

Subscription Name

Subscriptions are usually named after products, so an item will be created for each subscription's product.

 

Expenses

Expense Category Name

This is the only option for Expenses.

Milestones

Milestone Code

Billing items for all material codes will be created in QuickBooks.

Milestone:Milestone Code

We strongly advise against this option, since milestones can be named anything at all, and this setting could potentially create a large number of items in QuickBooks.

 

Contract Setup Fee

Recurring Services:Setup Fee

An item named Recurring Services:Setup Fee will be created. This is the only option for setup fees.

For new customers, we recommend that you analyze the level of detail on your QuickBooks Item List. If the items have generic names, select the billing codes. If each product is listed, other choices might be more appropriate. Consult your Autotask Implementation Manager.

Autotask allows you to roll up multiple items into one billing item. The following table shows the default item names that will be transferred to QuickBooks for such grouped items, or for items where the setting indicates using the billing code name, but no billing code is associated with the item.

You can customize the names for grouped items.

Default Item Names used when grouping is turned on Conditions
Labor

Labor invoice items when:

  • Grouping Labor by Line of Business
  • Grouping All by Line of Business
  • Grouping All by Account Location
  • Grouping All by Grouping Description and Labor Grouping is turned on
  • Grouping All by Billing Code or Grouping Labor by Work Type and the invoice line item does not have a work type
  • Labor Invoice line item when there is no grouping and the naming convention choice is Work Type and the invoice item does not have a work type
Recurring Services

Recurring service/bundle/setup fee invoice items when:

  • Grouping All by Line of Business
  • Grouping All by Grouping Description and Service/Bundle Grouping is turned on
  • There is no grouping and Itemize Recurring Services is off

Setup Fee

Recurring Services Setup Fees
Charges
  • Charge invoice items when grouping is turned on and grouping by grouping description
  • Grouping all by organization location
  • Grouping all by line of business
Subscriptions

Subscription Invoice Items when:

  • Grouping All by Line of Business
  • Grouping All by organization location
  • Grouping All by Grouping Description and Subscription Grouping is turned on
Expenses
  • Expense invoice items when grouping is turned on and grouping by grouping description
  • Grouping all by organization location
  • Grouping all by line of business
Milestones
  • Milestone invoice items when grouping all by billing code and the invoice item doesn't have a billing code
  • Milestone invoice items when there is no grouping and the invoice item doesn't have a billing code
  • Milestone invoice items when grouping by grouping description and grouping is turned on
    or all by line of business
Tickets Ticket Labor invoice items when grouping Labor by Ticket Number
Projects
  • Labor invoice items when grouping Labor by Project
  • Labor invoice items when grouping Labor by Project Phase
Tasks Task Labor invoice items when grouping Labor by Task Number
Contracts Labor invoice items when Grouping Labor by Contract
Resource Labor invoice items when grouping Labor by Resource

NOTE  If you are grouping All by Billing Code, Labor by Work Type, or Labor by Ticket/Work Type, the name will be the billing code or work type name regardless of the naming convention you selected.