Last week, we discussed low-code app development and cloud integration challenges and suggested that there must be a better way to get the data you need into your app development platform.
Guess what? A better way is now available for Quickbase, our low-code app development platform! Introducing Quickbase Sync, a powerful new data integration capability built into Quickbase. It enables businesses to connect Quickbase, in just a few clicks, with top cloud apps and automatically sync data right into Quickbase. We will be discussing and demonstrating this new capability to hundreds of Quickbase customers at Empower 2015, our inaugural global user conference that kicks off in Chicago today. (Read the full news release)
Currently, customers can automatically sync data from these popular cloud apps into Quickbase: accounting apps Intuit QuickBooks Online and Intacct, customer relationship management (CRM) apps Salesforce and NetSuite, billing apps Bill.com and Zuora, and customer service app Zendesk. Businesses are also able to sync data across Quickbase apps.
Deep integration with your app ecosystem
Sync is the first step in delivering on our vision for Quickbase integrations. Imagine that the deep integration between Quickbase and the apps in your ecosystem has changed the way you do business so profoundly (driving new insights across the business and more efficient processes) that you can’t even think about going back to the old way. For app builders, this means the ability to integrate Quickbase with the application islands in their ecosystem without writing code; and for partners, a suite of powerful tools for their toolbox so they can deliver more value to their clients through connected Quickbase solutions.
Save time and make better decisions
We developed Sync leveraging the Connection Cloud technology acquired from Elastic Intelligence in 2013. The new data integration capability has been live and fully supported in production for several months now; it’s available to everyone by request and will be generally available in the summer of 2015. Sync is included in the Premier, Platform and Unlimited Quickbase subscription plans. It is designed to help users save time and make better decisions by automatically syncing data from their cloud apps into their Quickbase app. No coding is required.
With Sync, you always have the most up-to-date data, no matter where it lives, in one place — your Quickbase app. Once it’s there, it behaves like any other data in Quickbase; you can control access to it with roles and permissions, relate it to other Quickbase data, transform it with Quickbase formulas, share it in Quickbase reports and dashboards, and trigger notifications so everyone on your team works with the latest data. You can easily combine external data with Quickbase data so you can create holistic reports, see how the various parts of your business fit together, and gain actionable insights.
“Sync helped us reach the Holy Grail”
Sync is already making a difference for early adopter customers. For example, Paul Lanterman at OMS Photo, a full service commercial photography studio, struggled at tracking day-to-day expenses and matching them to specific jobs. Managing expenses and projects in two separate systems made it hard to get a clear picture of profitability. According to Lanterman, getting accurate information was a real headache and too much time was spent calculating in spreadsheets.
“Sync has changed the way we see our business by tying together expenses stored in QuickBooks Online and project data managed in Quickbase,” Lanterman said. “We now have the ‘Holy Grail’ of accurate, automatic reporting of profit and loss percentages on every project.” These reports are available to every project manager, the operations manager, and executives. No more manual re-keying or importing of data. No more nagging doubts about data accuracy. And certainly, no need to build – and maintain, a custom integration using APIs.
Beyond the beginning
As part of our continued work to expand the number of applications supported by Sync, we’re starting an Early Access program for CSV files. As part of this new feature, Sync connects with your Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive account, gets your CSV file and automatically syncs its data into your Quickbase app. Interested? Sign up for the program here.
Sync’s first release is just the beginning. Over time, we’ll be adding more features like a query editor so customers can write their own queries and bring in custom data sets.
