The QuickBooks® Link allows for the seamless exchange of data between Catalyst Manufacturing® and QuickBooks®. The interface allows for enhanced synchronization of your manufacturing and financial data by sending customer, vendor, bill, and invoice records to QuickBooks as records are updated in Catalyst. The transfer occurs in real-time if a local installation of QuickBooks is open or in batch for situations when non-accounting users add or change data without a local copy of QuickBooks.

The inventory items that appear in the detail section of the customer or vendor invoice are created in QuickBooks at the same as the customer invoice or vendor bill is added. In addition, chart of accounts, sales tax items and codes, and payment terms can also be imported into Catalyst to serve as the basis for financial and accounting requirements. The inventory for manufactured items remains in Catalyst since QuickBooks does not have the functionality to maintain and control sub-assemblies or intermediate level parts. Catalyst is the inventory system of record and is used to generate inventory valuation and cost of goods sold reports.

The process begins by entering a customer order in Catalyst. After any necessary estimating, planning, and scheduling, a shop order is released to production to make the product. The shop order consumes labor and material as it is converted into a final product which is then shipped to the customer. At this point the process is handed off to QuickBooks by creating a customer invoice based on the shipment transaction. QuickBooks is then used to receive payments against the invoice and generate financial and accounting journal entries and reports of the business activity. Similarly, vendor bills are entered into QuickBooks when the vendor invoice is entered into Catalyst. The vendor bill is then used as the basis for writing checks and making payments to the vendor.