• RDS-Shared QuickBooks Desktop Edition (RDS-SQDE)
• Shared QuickBooks Desktop Edition (SQDE)
• Shared QuickBooks Online Edition (SQOE)
• Single QuickBooks Desktop/Online (SQDO)

RDS-Shared QuickBooks Desktop Edition (RDS-SQDE)

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Summary:

• Each user employs independent desktop TimeTTracker, mobile (PDA) TimeTTracker, and Intuit Remote Data Sharing (RDS) client installations (no desktop QuickBooks required, a stand-alone client installer available).
• Each RDS client connects on-demand to a remote RDS server. The network can be a LAN, a WAN, or a Virtual Private Network (auto-detection and authentication protocols available).
• A single, central data server employs QuickBooks desktop and RDS server installations (multiple company files can be added as shared resources).
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs synchronization of RDS-linked company file customer, vendor, job, etc. lists with TimeTTracker desktop.
• Integrated Microsoft ActiveSync technology performs synchronization of TimeTTracker desktop and mobile data across cable (USB, serial, etc.), network, wireless, or a dial-up connection.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs upload of TimeTTracker desktop data directly to an RDS-linked server. Uploaded transactions are locally marked as "exported", moved to a separate archival database, or deleted.

Security:

• Each user must have network access to an RDS server.
• Each user has to authenticate with an RDS server with a username and password combination before using TimeTTracker to upload transactions.
• Data access, permissions, and modification capabilities can be controlled by QuickBooks administrator on the server level.
• Authenticode digital code-signing prevents application masquerading or code-level impersonation.

Pros:

• QuickBooks customer, vendor, job, etc. lists are synchronized directly with RDS-shared company file(s) without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions are uploaded directly to RDS-shared company file(s) without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions can be tested for correctness directly with RDS-shared company file(s) before upload.
• Does not require separate QuickBooks installations for each user (one copy per server only).

Cons:

• Requires controlled network environment.

More information:

• Knowledge Base: Remote Data Sharing (RDS) - Setup

Shared QuickBooks Desktop Edition (SQDE)

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Summary:

• Each user employs independent desktop TimeTTracker, mobile (PDA) TimeTTracker, and desktop QuickBooks installations.
• Each QuickBooks desktop installation works with a network-shared company file. The network can be a LAN, a WAN, or a Virtual Private Network.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs synchronization of network-shared company file customer, vendor, job, etc. lists with TimeTTracker desktop.
• Integrated Microsoft ActiveSync technology performs synchronization of TimeTTracker desktop and mobile data across cable (USB, serial, etc.), network, wireless, or a dial-up connection.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs upload of TimeTTracker desktop data directly to the network-shared QuickBooks company file. Uploaded transactions are immediately marked as "exported", moved to a separate archival database, or deleted.

Security:

• Each user must have access to the network-shared QuickBooks company file.
• Each user has to start QuickBooks and authenticate before using TimeTTracker to upload transactions.
• Data access and modification can be controlled by QuickBooks administrator on per-user basis.
• Authenticode digital code-signing prevents application masquerading or code-level impersonation.

Pros:

• QuickBooks customer, vendor, job, etc. lists are synchronized directly with the network-shared company file without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions are uploaded directly to the network-shared company file without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions can be tested for correctness directly with the network-shared company file before upload.

Cons:

• Requires a separate QuickBooks installation for each user.
• Requires controlled network environment (a shared network drive, mapped locally to each workstation).

Shared QuickBooks Online Edition (SQOE)

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Summary:

• Each user employs independent desktop TimeTTracker and mobile (PDA) TimeTTracker installations, and one central QuickBooks Online Edition client/server installation accessible over the Web.
• Each desktop employs a standard Web browser like Internet Explorer to access QuickBooks Online Edition.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs synchronization of QuickBooks Online Edition customer, vendor, job, etc. lists with TimeTTracker desktop.
• Integrated Microsoft ActiveSync technology performs synchronization of TimeTTracker desktop and mobile data across cable (USB, serial, etc.), network, wireless, or a dial-up connection.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs upload of TimeTTracker desktop data directly to QuickBooks Online Edition. Uploaded transactions are immediately marked as "exported", moved to a separate archival database, or deleted.

Security:

• Each user must have access to QuickBooks Online Edition.
• Each user has to connect and authenticate to QuickBooks Online Edition using a Web browser before using TimeTTracker to upload transactions.
• Data access and modification can be controlled by QuickBooks administrator on per-user basis.

Pros:

• QuickBooks customer, vendor, job, etc. lists are synchronized directly with QuickBooks Online Edition without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions are uploaded directly to QuickBooks Online Edition without any intermediaries or export files.
• QuickBooks transactions can be tested for correctness directly with QuickBooks Online Edition before upload.

Cons:

• More complicated user authentication paradigm (connection tickets) specific to QuickBooks Online Edition.
• Usually the system performs slightly slower than the SQDE paradigm.

Single QuickBooks Desktop/Online (SQDO)

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Summary:

• Each user employs independent desktop TimeTTracker and mobile (PDA) TimeTTracker installations.
• A central data administrator workstation includes a single QuickBooks Desktop or Online Edition installation accessible only to a "data administrator".
• The central data administrator workstation also contains an administrative TimeTTracker installation.
• Integrated Microsoft ActiveSync technology performs synchronization of TimeTTracker desktop and mobile user data across cable (USB, serial, etc.), network, wireless, or a dial-up connection.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs synchronization of customer, vendor, job, etc. lists with TimeTTracker on the data administrator workstation.
• Data administrator creates XML list files using TimeTTracker and e-mails the files to all users.
• All users update their TimeTTracker installations from the XML files received.
• All users create XML transaction files using TimeTTracker and e-mail the files to the data administrator. Exported transactions are immediately marked as "exported", moved to a separate archival database, or deleted.
• Data administrator updates the administrative TimeTTracker installation from the XML files received.
• Integrated Intuit XML technology performs upload of consolidated transactions directly to QuickBooks.

Security:

• Only the data administrator has access to QuickBooks company file.

Pros:

• Requires only one QuickBooks installation.
• Does not require any controlled network environment, except for an e-mail system with attachments, an FTP server, or a web folder.

Cons:

• QuickBooks customer, vendor, job, etc. lists are synchronized from XML export files. Updated export files have to be delivered to all users consistently.
• QuickBooks transactions have to be delivered to the data administrator consistently.
• QuickBooks transactions cannot be tested for correctness before delivery to the data administrator.