#TipTuesday - Reckon API and Add-ons Marketplace 🧑‍💻

Tanvi_kataria

It's Tuesday so here we are with a new #TipTuesday! Today, lets have a chat about the Reckon API and how you can use it for some extra cool things!

Are you a developer?

To get started with the Reckon API 3rd party developers go through the steps listed here or click on https://developer.reckon.com/get-started

• Create Developer Portal account where Subscription keys will be stored.
• Lodge the application form
• Find learning resources on the Reckon API Resources

Access to the Reckon API

To begin integrating with the Reckon API, third-party developers need to submit an application.

You can find the form here: Reckon API Products. This step is essential for collecting information about your application and ensuring compliance with OAuth 2.0 requirements.

Reckon API products

Reckon API products are comprised of the following software:

1. Reckon One + Payroll
2. Reckon Accounts Desktop & Hosted
3. Reckon Web Connector

For more information about each of these products, you can share the following https://help.reckon.com/category/x57gcol46a-reckon-api-api-products with the developers.

What is the Reckon Add-on Marketplace?

It's a market of 3rd party applications that integrate with Reckon software and have a range of different features and functionality such as invoices, data sync, CRM and much more.

There are a range of add-on's available for Reckon One, Reckon Accounts Hosted, Reckon Accounts Desktop, check them out here - https://www.reckon.com/marketplace/all-add-ons/?fwp_addon_industries=reckon-accounts-hosted-au 😊

Let's pick to take a closer look.. introducing ODBC!

ODBC is a powerful data sync tool and integrates with Reckon Accounts Desktop. There are some of ODBC solutions including:

• CData Excel
• CData ODBC Driver
• QODBC Driver

Different add-on's have differing features or can work in different ways, for example CData Excel allows you to connect with live data from Reckon directly from Microsoft Excel.

ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Reckon directly to any applications that support ODBC connectivity and import and export data quickly and easily to Reckon Accounts using the Windows tools of your choice with QODBC Driver.

ℹ️ Reckon Accounts Enterprise and Premier users have access to the QODBC driver for no extra charge and any Reckon Accounts user can purchase a license directly from QODBC to work with their Reckon Accounts software 😊

⚠️ As there are several variants of the QODBC driver that have different functionality, the free version supplied with Reckon Accounts is a read-only version that allows Reckon Accounts data to be exported to spreadsheet and database programs (e.g. Excel) 📝🛠️

How do we start QODBC for the first time?

• Run Reckon Accounts Desktop
• Open a company file and login to the file as User Admin

Note: Your Reckon Accounts and the QODBC Test tool should be launched typically. Do not start the application as Run as Administrator.

Both applications should be running under the same Windows User context (Elevated=No)

If Reckon Accounts is closed, start Reckon Accounts normally. The Reckon Accounts application is "Run as Administrator" (Elevated=Yes).

Close Reckon Accounts by default runs in Elevated Mode = Yes, then make sure Windows UAC is set to Default level, check Reckon Accounts application shortcut properties, and remove Run as Administrator. Restart the PC and start the Reckon Accounts application again.

To run a tool, Go to Start ➡️ Programs ➡️ QODBC Driver for QuickBooks ➡️ QODBC Test Tool or QODBC 32-Bit Test Tool.

Click on the QODBC Test Tool or QODBC 32-Bit Test Tool icon to launch the program supplied with QODBC and to establish a connection, select the Reckon Accounts Data DSN from the dropdown list, and click on Connect

Note - When the driver starts, Reckon Accounts will ask permission for the driver to access your Reckon Accounts data. Answer Yes, always to this, and the QODBC driver is added to the Integrated Application list.

This will allow applications to integrate with Reckon Accounts data when Reckon Accounts is running on the desktop, and This will connect you to the current company file opened by Reckon Accounts after you click Connect.

Now, you want to Allow Applications to log in automatically 💻️

From Reckon Accounts Edit menu, select Preferences, and then select Integrated Applications. There are often instances in which you want an integrated application designed to share data with Reckon Accounts to access files automatically, without user intervention. This might permit, for example, a particular application to run during the night when there is no other activity in the company file. Also, Reckon Accounts doesn't need to be running in the foreground for ODBC-compliant applications to access the data files using QODBC while setting in this mode.

A few things to keep in mind..

• Don't allow any applications to access this company file checkbox isn't checked in the Company Preferences of Integrated Applications. 🚫
• Check "Allow this application to access this company file."
• Uncheck "Prompt before Allowing Access."
• Check "Allow this application to log in automatically."
• Check "Allow this application to access Social Security Numbers, cc information, and other personal data if appropriate.

You can also set-up QODBC for Auto-login into Reckon Accounts -

• Locate the QODBC Driver program group on your desktop and click on the Configure QODBC Data Source icon to launch the configure data source program supplied with QODBC.
• Click Add to create a new QODBC Data Source
• Select QODBC Driver for Reckon Accounts and click Finish

Now, you can see the General Setup screen 😀

• General Tab - will give you an option to locate and browse the location of the company file
• Advanced Tab - will give you an option to allow "auto-login"

Of course, there are some other options as well for you to choose as per your requirements and after that you're all set to use QODBC🎉

Thanks so much and stay tuned for more Reckon API info!

Regards

Tanvi