Understanding the Sync Process

QuickBooks sync copies supported accounting records into GrantLink's local mirror. GrantLink screens, grant links, allocation rules, releases, and reports then work from that mirrored data rather than making a live QuickBooks request on every screen.

Important: Sync is read-only with respect to QuickBooks, but it is not necessarily read-only inside GrantLink. After an ordinary successful or partially successful sync, GrantLink schedules allocation-rule processing and restriction-release reconciliation. A full sync can skip allocation-rule processing when you leave Also re-apply allocation rules off.

Before You Start

• Open Settings > Sync and confirm the Connection card names the intended company.
• Decide whether you need recent changes, a bounded historical re-read, or older complete history.
• Review active allocation rules before a sync that will apply them.
• Do not use sync to correct a wrong amount, date, account, vendor, Customer, Class, Location, or Project. Correct source-controlled data in QuickBooks first.
• If a report or close depends on the result, plan to verify both Recent activity and the affected GrantLink records.

Choose the Refresh That Matches the Problem

Control or trigger	What it does	Use it when	Allocation-rule processing
Automatic syncing	Runs an incremental refresh daily and when supported QuickBooks webhook events arrive	Routine background freshness	Runs after a successful or partial job
Sync now	Pulls recent changes since the prior cursor, including older-dated records edited recently	A recent record or edit is stale	Runs after a successful or partial job
Run full sync	Re-reads the configured historical window and fills gaps	Initial setup, incomplete data, or mapping changes	Optional through Also re-apply allocation rules
Import complete history	Imports posting transactions from a selected first transaction date through a frozen import boundary	Needed activity predates ordinary full-sync coverage	Uses its dedicated fenced history workflow; do not treat it as routine refresh

Only one sync or verification job can own the connection at a time. If one is already active, GrantLink reports that the sync or QuickBooks verification is in progress rather than starting a competing job.

Configure Automatic Syncing

1. Open Settings > Sync.
2. Under Sync settings, turn Automatic syncing on.
3. Confirm the description says GrantLink pulls updates daily and when QuickBooks pushes webhook events.

The scheduled refresh runs daily at 2:00 a.m. UTC. Webhooks can start a targeted refresh sooner, but they are event-driven—not a guarantee of immediate delivery. If Automatic syncing is off, both daily and webhook-triggered refreshes are skipped; use Sync now.

Run an Incremental Sync

1. Select Sync now.
2. Wait for Syncing right now to finish.
3. Review the status hero and newest Recent activity row.
4. Verify the edited source record and any downstream allocation in GrantLink.

Incremental change tracking is the first choice for normal updates. Repeating it will not discover an old, unchanged transaction that was never inside imported history.

Run a Bounded Full Sync

When the complete-history feature is not enabled, Full-sync history window accepts an integer from 30 through 4,000 days and defaults to 365 days.

1. Enter the required number of days in Full-sync history window.
2. Select Save. Saving changes coverage only; it does not start a sync.
3. Select Run full sync.
4. In Run a full QuickBooks sync?, select Also re-apply allocation rules only if refreshed transactions should be evaluated against current rules.
5. Confirm the full sync and verify the result.

Leaving the checkbox off still refreshes the QuickBooks mirror and runs downstream release reconciliation, but the sync tells allocation processing not to apply rules. It does not remove or undo existing allocations.

Import Complete History Where Available

Import complete history is feature-flagged. Where it appears, it replaces the editable Full-sync history window controls; Run full sync remains available for recent data.

1. First run Sync now when GrantLink instructs you to establish a recent change cursor.
2. Under Import complete history, choose the first transaction date. It must be a valid date no later than today.
3. Select Import history.
4. Allow the background workflow to finish; do not disconnect or replace the connection.
5. Review the history-mode row in Recent activity, then spot-check old transactions.

The import freezes its company, date range, and change boundary so retries cannot silently widen the job. It may reject a start when another sync or verification is active or when an existing mirror lacks a recent cursor needed to reconcile changes safely.

Read Recent Activity Correctly

Recent activity shows the last 10 jobs and these columns:

Column	Meaning
Started	When the job began
Mode	Incremental, full, webhook, manual, or history
Status	Completed, Partial, Failed, Running, or Pending
Read	Objects fetched or examined from QuickBooks
Upserted	Objects inserted or updated in GrantLink's mirror
Duration	Elapsed job time

Read and Upserted are object counts, not transaction totals, dollar amounts, or proof that a report is correct. Partial means some entities failed. Select Details to review Sync issues, HTTP status when present, and Can retry, Needs review, or Retry status unknown.

Verify the Outcome

1. Confirm the newest job has the expected mode and a current start time.
2. For Completed, spot-check the source record in GrantLink; zero upserts can be valid when nothing changed.
3. For Partial, verify the affected entity before relying on it and review Details.
4. Check the grant's QuickBooks links if the record synced but is unassigned or assigned unexpectedly.
5. Review allocations created or changed by rules. A successful sync does not prove the allocation or report scope is correct.
6. Reconcile the report result to QuickBooks according to your normal close controls.

Accounting and Product Boundaries

• QuickBooks remains authoritative for source company data; GrantLink mirrors it.
• Sync never edits QuickBooks company data.
• GrantLink may create or change GrantLink allocation records after sync when rules apply.
• Settings > Permissions exposes configuration, but all QuickBooks company-data writeback operations are currently blocked globally, regardless of the selected mode or permission.
• Sync does not choose accounting policy, validate allowability, approve allocations, or replace ledger reconciliation.

For setup, see Connecting QuickBooks Online. For a missing or stale record, follow QuickBooks Connection and Sync Troubleshooting.