Wow! One of the more complicated conversions I have done for a client came my way the other day. Not only was my client switching from Peachtree to Quickbooks, not only were they switching from PC to Mac, but they also had their Peachtree files located on a remote server out-of-state.
Intuit offers a free conversion tool that can easily be downloaded onto your pc to convert a Peachtree file into a Quickbooks file. The client had already purchased Quickbooks for MAC. (You must have
Quickbooks for MAC 2007 or newer) In addition he had to purchase the
Quickbooks PC license and installed it on the Windows 7 platform that
was already installed on his MAC.
The big complication in this particular conversion was that the Peachtree and Quickbooks software as well as the conversion tool have to be installed on the same computer and that computer has to be a local computer. Because his Peachtree files were located out of state on another computer we had to send the file to Intuit tech-support for conversion. The conversion was completed quickly and we had our new file back in less then 48 business hours. And, because my client went through a ProAdvisor his conversion was free.
We restored this converted file to Quickbooks using the PC version of the software. The next step was to open this company file and use the feature in Quickbooks to prepare the file for a MAC conversion. (This is found under the "File" drop down menu on the top menu bar, and the "Utilties" feature. Select "Copy company file for Quickbooks MAC". Save the prepared file to your Desktop if your are already working on your MAC or to a flash drive if you are moving it to another computer.) Once complete we were able to open the company file in the MAC version and the training commenced.
One thing to NOTE if you are considering using Quickbooks for MAC and you have a Proadvisor or Accountant that regularly accesses you Quickbooks file. The remote access feature built-in to Quickbooks does not work with the MAC platform. Therefore, you can either allow access through Remote Desktop Connection, or run your Quickbooks on the Windows 7 parallel platform with your MAC.
The client I worked with in this incident actually used the PC version to create a file for his personal bookkeeping. He wanted to have a handle on his personal spending and was able to download several years worth of transactions from his bank. This gave him the opportunity to become more familiar with Quickbooks software before tackling his multiple company files in the Mac version. I have a feeling he may end up sticking with the PC version now that he has experience with all of the extra features, and consequently the increased ease, that the PC version provides.
With the outside services provided intuit this project took several visits. Now that everything is complete this client should be making great progress with minimal follow-ups.
I am converting from Peachtree PC to QB Mac as well. I was wondering if I can use the trial version of QB from the intuit website instead of purchasing? If so, should I use QB online trial or QB Enterprise solutions trial?
ReplyDeleteYou can use the trial version until it expires. Then you will need to purchase the software. Quickbooks offers a free download to complete the conversion from Peachtree. You can access that download here.
ReplyDeletehttp://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/about_quickbooks/peachtree_conversion.jsp
Whether you use the online version or the Mac Version will depend on your need. If you have to have instant internet access to your software from anywhere then the online version may be your best bet. In the long run it is more expensive. Keep in mind that the online version does not offer the same features as the Mac OS version.