Preparing your Sage file for a clean conversion
A short checklist that makes a Sage to QuickBooks conversion or a Quantum downgrade faster and trouble-free.
A little prep on your side makes a conversion or downgrade go smoothly and avoids a back-and-forth. Run through this before you send your file.
The checklist
- Make a fresh backup. Work from a backup, never the live file – see how to back up your Sage 50 file. US files produce a
.PTB; Canadian files produce a.CAB. - Confirm the backup restores. Open or restore it on your side first. A backup that won’t restore is the number-one cause of delays.
- Note your version and edition. e.g. “Sage 50 US Quantum 2023” or “Sage 50 Canadian Premium 2024.” The exact build helps us plan.
- Have admin credentials ready. We need the admin/sysadmin user and password for the file so our technician can open it.
- US Quantum downgrades: turn off SmartPosting. It runs in the background and can leave a file mid-post; disable it before backing up.
- Decide how much history you need. All of it, or the last few fiscal years? This shapes the scope of a conversion.
- List any add-ons or customizations. Custom reports, third-party integrations, or unusual workflows are worth mentioning up front.
What you don’t need to do
- You don’t need to clean up or condense the file first – send it as it is.
- You don’t need to decide Desktop vs Online before reaching out (see QuickBooks Desktop vs Online).
- You don’t need to redact anything for a conversion – though for a Sage Intacct scope you can strip sensitive columns.
Ready
Once your backup is in hand, start a free evaluation and we’ll send a secure upload link. We reconcile the key reports against your originals before delivery, so the file you get back ties out to the one you sent.