Instabooks Multi-Client Database Provisioning (Onboarding)

Instabooks Multi-Client Database Provisioning (Onboarding)

1. 01

   Register the agency account and connect the first QuickBooks Online company

   Start on the Starter plan at $15 monthly, which covers 1 QuickBooks company with unlimited transactions and real-time two-way sync. This first connection validates that the sync pipeline works before you commit to client delivery.

2. 02

   Generate the scoped database password for the connected company

   Instabooks issues a read-only Postgres credential per company. Store the host, port, database name, and user in your secrets manager immediately, because the password is shown at creation and the connection string is what every downstream report depends on.

3. 03

   Confirm the synced schema covers the tables your reports need

   Open the database in psql, Postico, DBeaver, TablePlus, or pgAdmin and check that transactions, lines, chart of accounts, classes, departments, customers, and vendors are present in the double-entry layout. Missing tables here mean a broken sync, not a missing report.

4. 04

   Add each additional client company as its own database

   Every QuickBooks Online company maps to a separate database, so a 10-client bookkeeping retainer needs 10 connections. At that volume the Firm plan at $105 monthly (estimated from the vendor's calculator for 10 companies) consolidates billing into one monthly invoice and includes onboarding help.

5. 05

   Issue read-only analyst credentials to the delivery team

   Hand each analyst the per-company credential rather than a shared login. The read-only constraint is the safety mechanism: nobody on the team can post a journal entry, reconcile an account, or alter a client's books through this connection.

6. 06

   Document the schema reference for the client-facing deliverable

   Write down which tables and joins back each report template (P&L, AR aging, cash flow) so a second analyst can reproduce the query without reverse-engineering it. This document is what makes the retainer transferable when staff rotate.

7. 07

   Verify the client still owns transaction entry in QuickBooks Online

   Set the expectation in writing during onboarding: Instabooks is read-only, so data entry, reconciliation, and account updates stay in QuickBooks Online. Agencies that skip this step field support tickets about a capability the tool does not have.