Cmdlets for QuickBooks Online

Build 25.0.9434

Establishing a Connection

With the CData Cmdlets users can install a data module, set the connection properties, and start scripting. This section provides examples of using our QuickBooksOnline Cmdlets with native PowerShell cmdlets, like the CSV import and export cmdlets.

Authenticating to QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online supports connecting and authenticating via a desktop application, a web browser, or a headless machine. The CData Cmdlets PowerShell Module for QuickBooks Online includes embedded OAuth credentials that simplify connection from the desktop or a headless machine and provide limited functionality. However, to experience fuller functionality via desktop or headless machine connections OR to connect via the web, you must create a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to QuickBooks Online from all OAuth workflows. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application. For a complete list of connection string properties available in QuickBooks Online, see Connection.

Desktop Applications

The properties required for connection depend on whether you want to connect via the embedded OAuth credentials (limited use) or connect via a custom OAuth Application (full functionality):

Before you connect, set the required properties:

When you connect, the cmdlet opens QuickBooks Online's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

When the access token expires, the cmdlet refreshes it automatically.

Automatic refresh of the OAuth access token:

To have the cmdlet automatically refresh the OAuth access token, do the following:

  1. The first time you connect to data, set these connection parameters:

  2. On subsequent data connections, set:

Manual refresh of the OAuth access token:

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAUth access token is the OAuth refresh token.

  1. To manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn period (returned by GetOAuthAccessToken) has elapsed, call the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure.
  2. Set these connection properties:

  3. Call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
  4. After the new tokens have been retrieved, set the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken. This opens a new connection.

Store the OAuth refresh token so that you can use it to manually refresh the OAuth access token after it has expired.

Headless Machines

If you need to log in to a resource that resides on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser. You can do this in either of the following ways:

  • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value.
  • Option 2: Install the cmdlet on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.

After you execute either Option 1 or Option 2, configure the driver to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtaining and Exchanging a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL as follows:

  1. Authenticate from the machine with an internet browser, and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

    If you are using the embedded OAuth application, call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

    If you are using a custom OAuth application, set these properties:

  2. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. The stored procedure returns the CallbackURL established when the custom OAuth application was registered (see Creating a Custom OAuth Application).

    Copy this URL and paste it into a new browser tab.

  3. Log in and grant permissions to the cmdlet. The OAuth application redirects you the redirect URI, with a parameter called code appended. Note the value of this parameter; you will need it later, to configure the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  4. Exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. On the headless machine, to obtain the OAuthAccessToken, set these connection properties:

Option 2: Transferring OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described above in "Desktop Applications".

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the path specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

To connect to data via the headless machine, set these connection properties:

Creating a Connection Object

You can then use the Connect-QBOnline cmdlet to create a connection object that can be passed to other cmdlets: 

$conn = Connect-QBOnline

Retrieving Data

The Select-QBOnline cmdlet provides a native PowerShell interface for retrieving data: 

$results = Select-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table "Customers" -Columns @("Id, GivenName") -Where "GivenName='Cook, Brian'"
The Invoke-QBOnline cmdlet provides an SQL interface. This cmdlet can be used to execute an SQL query via the Query parameter.

Piping Cmdlet Output

The cmdlets return row objects to the pipeline one row at a time. The following line exports results to a CSV file: 

Select-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table Customers -Where "GivenName = 'Cook, Brian'" | Select -Property * -ExcludeProperty Connection,Table,Columns | Export-Csv -Path c:\myCustomersData.csv -NoTypeInformation

You will notice that we piped the results from Select-QBOnline into a Select-Object cmdlet and excluded some properties before piping them into an Export-CSV cmdlet. We do this because the CData Cmdlets append Connection, Table, and Columns information onto each row object in the result set, and we do not necessarily want that information in our CSV file.

However, this makes it easy to pipe the output of one cmdlet to another. The following is an example of converting a result set to JSON: 

 
PS C:\> $conn  = Connect-QBOnline
PS C:\> $row = Select-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table "Customers" -Columns (Id, GivenName) -Where "GivenName = 'Cook, Brian'" | select -first 1
PS C:\> $row | ConvertTo-Json
{
  "Connection":  {

  },
  "Table":  "Customers",
  "Columns":  [

  ],
  "Id":  "MyId",
  "GivenName":  "MyGivenName"
}

Deleting Data

The following line deletes any records that match the criteria: 

Select-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table Customers -Where "GivenName = 'Cook, Brian'" | Remove-QBOnline

Modifying Data

The cmdlets make data transformation easy as well as data cleansing. The following example loads data from a CSV file into QuickBooks Online, checking first whether a record already exists and needs to be updated instead of inserted. 

Import-Csv -Path C:\MyCustomersUpdates.csv | %{
  $record = Select-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table Customers -Where ("Id = `'"+$_.Id+"`'")
  if($record){
    Update-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table Customers -Columns @("Id","GivenName") -Values @($_.Id, $_.GivenName) -Where "Id  = `'$_.Id`'"
  }else{
    Add-QBOnline -Connection $conn -Table Customers -Columns @("Id","GivenName") -Values @($_.Id, $_.GivenName)
  }
}

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Build 25.0.9434