QuickBooks Online connection strings contain the essential parameters to establish a reliable connection to QuickBooks Online, enabling secure communication between your application and QuickBooks. This guide will walk you through the key components of dotConnect for QuickBooks Online connection strings, and demonstrate how to construct and use them.
The following code snippet is used to create a new connection to a QuickBooks Online account. Make sure to replace the placeholders with your actual credentials.
using Devart.Data.QuickBooks;
...
string connectionString = "Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License key=**********;";The following table lists the valid names for values within the QuickBooks Online connection strings.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Authentication Type | Authentication method to use. The supported types are Refresh Token, Access Token, and OAuthInteractive |
| Company Id | Unique identifier for a QuickBooks company |
| Access Token | QuickBooks OAuth 2.0 access token |
| Client Id | One of the two OAuth 2.0 credentials obtained when the application is registered |
| Client Secret | The second part of the two OAuth 2.0 credentials |
| License Key | License key that should be specified in the connection string |
The following table lists the valid parameter names used in the QuickBooks Online connection strings.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Token Server | Stores refresh tokens between sessions and automatically refreshes expired access tokens |
| Refresh Token | OAuth 2.0 refresh token used to obtain new access tokens |
| NormalizeDbNames | Performs the normalization of database names |
| Connection Timeout | Time (in seconds) to wait for a connection to the server before terminating the attempt and generating an error. The default value is 15 |
| Default Command Timeout | Time (in seconds) to wait for execution of a command before terminating the attempt and generating an error. 0 indicates no limit |
| Failover Retries | Number of retries to execute a command if it fails because of the exception. It indicates that the reason for the failure may be temporary |
| Local SQL Engine | Enables local SQL processing, allowing more standard SELECT statement features |
| Readonly | Determines whether the connection is read-only (allows only SELECT statements) |
| UserAgent | Sets the value of the User-Agent HTTP header |
| UTC Dates | Indicates whether all datetime values retrieved from the data source are returned as UTC values or converted to local time. Also, it indicates whether date values specified on the application side (for example, in SQL statements) are considered UTC or local. The default value is false |
| Sandbox | Determines whether to connect to the sandbox environment in QuickBooks |
| Connection Lifetime | Compares the connection creation time with the current time when a connection is returned to the pool. The connection is closed if that time span (in seconds) exceeds the value specified by Connection Lifetime. The default value is 0 (connection always returns to the pool) |
| Max Pool Size | Maximum number of connections allowed in the pool. The default value is 100. Note that setting the Max Pool Size value of the ConnectionString can affect performance |
| Min Pool Size | Minimum number of connections allowed in the pool. The default value is 0 |
| Pooling | Determines whether the provider retrieves a QuickBooksConnection object from the appropriate pool or creates a new one. The default value is true |
| Initialization Command | Specifies a data source-specific command that should be executed immediately after establishing the connection |
| Run Once Command | Command to execute when the connection is opened the first time. It is not executed when the connection is taken from the pool |
| Proxy Host | Hostname or IP address of the proxy server |
| Proxy Port | Port number of the proxy server. The default value is 3128 |
| Proxy User | Account name of the proxy server |
| Proxy Password | Password for the proxy server account |
| Persist Security Info | Indicates if security-sensitive information, such as the password, is not returned as part of the connection if the connection is open or has ever been open |
QuickBooks Online is a widely used platform and a common data source for many business applications, especially those built with C# and .NET. Since reliable data connectivity is essential for stable application performance, it is important to configure the connection correctly and automate interaction with the service whenever possible. This article explains the parameters used in QuickBooks Online connection strings and provides a code example that demonstrates how to establish a connection.
To simplify tasks such as connecting to the data source, retrieving data, and performing data operations, you can use Devart's dotConnect solutions. dotConnect is a family of powerful ADO.NET data providers that allow developers to connect to various data sources and work with data directly without requiring additional client libraries.
If you are working with QuickBooks Online, use dotConnect for QuickBooks to establish connections quickly and reliably. A fully functional free trial is available for 30 days, so feel free to test it with your actual workload.
I'm a technical content writer who loves turning complex topics — think SQL, connectors, and backend chaos–into content that actually makes sense (and maybe even makes you smile). I write for devs, data folks, and curious minds who want less fluff and more clarity. When I'm not wrangling words, you'll find me dancing salsa, or hopping between cities.
