PREREQUISITES

The connector currently support the version with the ADS database (and the ADT files). If you have a more recent version using a MySQL database, the connector is not compatible yet with your version of BOB 50.

You need to install a program on the same server where Sage 50 is installed. To ensure the connector works on the server, please make sure before installation that:

• You have admin access to the server where Sage 50 is installed in order to proceed with the installation

  • Be aware that the server/computer must be permanently accessible with internet access (24 hours a day). Otherwise, the data will not be synchronized

• The integration is enabled for Sage versions 6.16 and above

• Have the code (not the password) of the ADMIN user in BOB50.

• You may require the help of the person managing your company's server to setup the integration

The .NET Framework 4.8 MUST be installed on the server/computer where the local agent will be installed !

If your integration is expected to push data into BOB50, then the link module needs to be enabled for the connection to work. Otherwise no data will be sent into BOB50.

PREPARATION

Watch this video:

Step 1: Find the accounting folder code from your authentification page on your Sage BOB 50 account.

Step 2: Find the username from your authentification page on your Sage BOB 50 account.

NOTE: Make sure the user is an Admin user and that the user doesn't require a password to use BOBLINK. This can be done by opening BOB System and select the chosen user:

Step 3: Find the analytical plan code

Utilities→Configuration→Define analytics plan

There can be one or many plans, determine the plan you want to connect and copy the analytical plan code.

Step 4: Find where your Sage BOB 50 software is located on your computer.

• Go to folder → Hard disk (?:) → Bob50

• Find BOB.ini and copy the route to it's location

Step 5: Find where your Sage BOB 50 Data Link software is located on your computer.

• Go to folder → Local Disk→ Bob50DATA → LINK and copy the route to the file.

CONNECTION

Step 1: Choose a name for your connection (not always shown), username, analytic plan, BOB50 path & BOBLINK path ; then choose if you want to use the sage box or attach pdfs to invoices.

Step 2: Download an install the local agent on the computer/server where BOB50 is installed.

Step 3: Provide folder code.

Step 4: Click on "Submit" to finalise the connection.

DOWNLOAD OF THE LOCAL AGENT

Sage BOB50 is installed on a server. To enable data sharing, it is necessary to download a program (local agent) that will allow data transmission with Sage BOB50.

After the connection step, you will have two options to download and install the local agent on the same server as your Sage BOB50 instance:

• If Sage BOB50 is hosted on your computer, you can directly download the program by clicking on Download.

• If Sage BOB50 is hosted on another server, you have the option to send the program via email to the person or company hosting Sage BOB50 so they can download and install it.

🚨 If there is an error with Winbooks local agent in Chift

Cannot authenticate to BOB 50

This issue usually indicates that something is not matching with the values expected on the server. The easiest is thus to check all the elements configured until we find the element not matching with the expected configurations.

• Are you using network drives / Is the service running using a dedicated service on your server ?

If you do so, then make sure you log into the server using this user, this will make sure that the users used has access to everything.

• In the form that you filled on Chift, you had to indicate the path of a folder where Bob50 is installed. This path is used to find the Bob.ini file. Copy this path and paste it to your file explorer. Then open the Bob.ini file using the notepad. You should have something looking similar to this:

• Make sure that all path in this file must be using C:\ paths or UNC paths otherwise the service won't be able to understand the values configured.

• Copy paste the path provided on the COMMONDATA field and paste it to your file explorer. You will find a file called company.adt in this folder. Open it. It should look like this:

• Same thing here, the companies that we will be looking for will be the one you entered after filling the form on Chift. Following the same logic as the previous step, all path must be either following C:\ paths or UNC paths. You can see both examples on the screenshot.

Change the user running the service

This is required if you are using network drives. By default the service will be running with the local system user and this user do not have access to your network drives.

To do so, you need to pick a user having access to bob50 and to your network drives and open the services window. To do so, search for services in your windows environment and it should be the first result.

In the list of services, you will find a services called BOB50Service. Perform a right click on the service, open the properties and go to the second tab named "Log on".

Select the "this account" and fill the different fields with the windows user that you want to use to run the service. Once updated, make sure to click the Apply button on the bottom right of the window to apply the changes to the service.

Finally, those changes will only be taken in consideration once the service has restarted. To do so, perform a right click on the service again and click on the restart option.