• How do I attach a document to an entry in QuickBooks?
• Can I attach directly from my mailbox?
• What kind of entries can I attach a document to?
• What happens when I attach a document to an entry?
• How long does it take to upload a document?
• What is the biggest file I can attach? How many files can I attach?
• Why can't I click the Attach paperclip icon?
• How will I know when I am running out of space in my billing plan?
• What kind of documents can I upload?
• Are my documents safe on the Internet?
• Who can see my documents? Who can delete my documents?
• Are the documents encrypted while uploading?
• If I accidentally delete a document can I get it back?
• How can I get a copy of all my documents?
• Can I rename a document or provide a description?
• Can I print or email an attached document?
• What is an Inbox?
• How do I use the Inbox?
• Can I use it without QuickBooks being installed on my machine?
• What is a custom folder?
• How do I create a custom folder?
• How do I upload documents to my custom folders?

How do I attach a document to an entry in QuickBooks?    Back to top

You can attach documents to a variety of QuickBooks entries.

• Open an existing QuickBooks transaction or create a new one
• Click on the Attach button or the paper clip icon

Viewing a Bill transaction in QuickBooks
• Once the Attach Documents dialog opens, you have three choices:
• Click on the Scan button to scan to use a TWAIN compliant scanner and attach document(s) to the QuickBooks entry
• Browse to a folder on your local drive or network and attach document(s) to the QuickBooks entry
• Click on the Inbox button to select document(s) from the Inbox to attach document(s) to the QuickBooks entry

Attach Document dialog

If you have a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner, see our Configure ScanSnap knowldgebase article for instructions to configure the necessary SmartVault profiles. With a ScanSnap scanner, you can attach a document even faster:

1. Open the QuickBooks entry you want to attach a document to.
2. Load your document(s) into the ScanSnap and press the green button to start scanning (no need to click the Attach icon!)
3. That's it! The document will automatically be attached to the current entry.

For more details on attaching documents, see Working with the Attach Documents dialog.

Can I attach directly from my mailbox?    Back to top

If you are using Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007, you can drag 'n drop email messages from your MS Outlook Inbox to the SmartVault toolbar, Inbox, and Document folder. These messages will be treated as any other attachments to the QuickBooks entry. You can also drag 'n drop individual MS Outlook mail attachments to the SmartVault toolbar, Inbox, and Document folder.

• To drag 'n drop an email mail message, select or click on the message in your MS Outlook client and drag it to the SmartVault toolbar, Inbox, or Document folder, when you have a QuickBooks entry open.
• To drag 'n drop an attachment from an email message, select or click on the attachment and drag it to the SmartVault toolbar, Inbox, or Document folder, when you have a QuickBooks entry open.

What kind of entries can I attach a document to?    Back to top

Documents can be attached to most types of entries in QuickBooks. The comprehensive list is available here: Supported QuickBooks Entries.

What happens when I attach a document to an entry?    Back to top

Here's what happens when you attach a document to a QuickBooks entry:
• SmartVault identifies the unique transaction ID for the current entry
• The document (and its name, description, and transaction ID) is uploaded to your SmartVault account at our secure data center

Whenever you open or edit this QuickBooks entry in the future, the SmartVault toolbar will show you how many documents are associated with the entry.

How long does it take to upload a document?    Back to top

The time to upload a document depends primarily on the size of the document and the speed of your Internet connection.

When the file has completed uploading, you will receive a notification message in the lower right hand corner of your screen.

What is the biggest file I can attach? How many files can I attach?    Back to top

The largest file that can be attached is 2 GB. If you need to attach larger files, please contact us at support@smartvault.com

You can attach as many files as you want; you are only limited by your billing plan's disk space allowance. If you try to attempt a file that will put you over your disk space allowance, you will receive an alert.

Why can't I click the Attach paperclip icon?    Back to top

The icons on the SmartVault desktop toolbar are dependent on two things:
• You must be viewing (or editing) a QuickBooks entry that is supported by SmartVault
• You must have been granted access to attach documents to the current type of entry

What happens when I reach my storage limit?    Back to top

The Individual, Team and Professional plans are sold in GB of storage, and your storage limit is based on plan and additional licenses for your account. Upon reaching your account's storage limit, you will no longer be able to upload additional documents. To determine storage utilization of your account, check Usage section in the web portal sidebar (Click on your account name and look at the top of the sidebar on the right. In the event that you do reach your limit, you can upgrade your account on the Manage Bill page.

What kind of documents can I upload?    Back to top

There are no restrictions on the type of files you can attach.

Are my documents safe on the Internet?    Back to top

SmartVault uses a SSL connection for all communications between the SmartVault client and our data center. This ensures the confidentiality and privacy of your documents while they are being uploaded or downloaded.

Read about SmartVault's Security Commitment to you. Our Privacy Policy details how we protect your personal information.

Who can see my documents? Who can change or delete my documents?    Back to top

You can share your documents with other people online by inviting them to your SmartVault account at our portal: https://my.smartvault.com.

Depending on your billing plan, you will be able to invite users as Administrators (full access) or Users (selective access controlled by you).

Are my documents encrypted while uploading over the Internet?    Back to top

SmartVault uses a SSL connection for all communications between the SmartVault client and our data center. This ensures the confidentiality and privacy of your documents while they are being uploaded or downloaded.

If I accidentally delete a document, can I get it back?    Back to top

Once a document has been deleted from SmartVault, it cannot be recovered.

How can I get a copy of all my documents?    Back to top

You can always download a copy of your documents and QuickBooks backup files to your local or network drive via the SmartVault Drive.

1. Map a SmartVault Drive..
2. Select your account and click on your vault.
3. Select the folder to copy (account, vault or custom folder).
4. Drag 'n drop it to a location of your choice either on your local machine or a network share.

Can I rename a document or provide a description?    Back to top

You can rename a document from either the portal or the SmartVault client as long as you have the appropriate access rights.

Can I print or email an attached document?    Back to top

When viewing a document from the SmartVault client inside QuickBooks, you can print a document directly from the Documents dialog.

To email a document, you will need to save it to your computer.

What is an Inbox?    Back to top

The SmartVault Inbox feature allows the user to scan, browse and upload documents without being attached to a QuickBooks entry. Once uploaded, you can access the inbox at any time and attach the documents to QuickBooks entries at your convenience. Saving you time and effort. The Inbox is reflected for each company in your vault. Therefore, documents cannot be moved from one company to another.

How do I use the Inbox?    Back to top

The SmartVault Inbox can be launched from the following locations:

• Desktop shortcut
• Start menu icon (Start > All Programs > SmartVault > SmartVault Inbox)
• Right clicking on the system tray icon in the lower right-hand corner of your screen

1. Once the Inbox opens, choose the vault and the company to which you want to add the documents.
2. You can click on the Add button to scan, browse to the documents, or drag 'n drop them directly to the Inbox.
3. Once in the Inbox, you can view the documents on the web portal, or open the Inbox at a later date with QuickBooks and SmartVault to easily move them from the Inbox to the individual QuickBooks entries.

Note: You can also access your other folders, such as Home, Reports, Snapshot as well as your custom folders from the All Folders tab in the Inbox. To scan to these folders, select the All Folders tab and use the Browse button to expand to the folder you need. Then click Add to attach your documents.

Can I use the Inbox without QuickBooks being installed on my machine?    Back to top

Yes! The SmartVault Inbox can be installed on any Windows XP SP2 or higher or Microsoft Vista or higher operating system even if it does not have QuickBooks installed. You must have a valid SmartVault user id and an internet connection to upload documents to your vault. You must also have permissions to access the specific company file in the vault.

What is a custom folder?    Back to top

The new SmartVault v3 plans and later offer the ability to create custom folders in your vault. These folders can be used to store documents that are not related QuickBooks. If you want, you can create a vault for your personal papers and in it build your own electronic filing cabinet. You can also create custom folders to invite certain guests who can then access the documents within the folder only. For example, to securely share your legal documents with your attorney, create a folder called Legal and invite your attorney to SmartVault. Your attorney can then sign in and access those documents only based on the permissions you have granted.

How do I create a custom folder?    Back to top

Create a custom folder using the Web portal:

1. Sign in to the web portal
2. Double-click on your Account name in the tree view
3. Right click on your vault name and select Create New folder...
4. Enter a name for the new folder

Create a custom folder using the SmartVault Drive:

1. Map your SmartVault Drive
2. Sign in to the SmartVault desktop (Start > Programs > SmartVault > SmartVault > Right click the SmartVault systray icon)
3. Open your SmartVault Drive
4. Double-click on your Account name in the tree view
5. Right click on your vault name and select New folder > Folder
6. Right click on the New Folder name and select Rename
7. Enter a name for the new folder

Note: You can create as many folders as you like under your vault and upload as many documents as your plan allows.

How do I upload documents to my custom folders?   Back to top

Upload documents to custom folders in a variety of ways.

You can upload documents to your custom folders via the SmartVault Web portal.

1. Sign in to the web portal
2. Double-click on your Account name in the tree view
3. Double-click on your vault and click on your custom folder
4. Right click on the custom folder to select Upload Files... or click the Upload File link in the Folder Tasks pane
5. Click on the Add File button and browse to your file using MS Windows Explorer
6. Select the file to upload and click Open or Select
7. Click on the Upload File button

You can upload documents via the SmartVault Drive.

1. Map your SmartVault Drive
2. Sign in to the SmartVault desktop (Start > Programs > SmartVault > SmartVault > Right click the SmartVault systray icon)
3. Double click on the My Computer icon > double click on the SmartVault Drive
4. Double-click on your Account name in the tree view and drill down to the custom folder
5. You can Drag 'n Drop a document, copy and paste documents, or scan documents to your custom folders

Note: To scan documents to the custom folder, you will have to configure a profile with your scanner software. (See scanner documentation)

You can upload documents via the SmartVault Inbox.

With the Extended Inbox features, you have access to your company file's Inbox as well as your custom folders.

1. Double click on the SmartVault Inbox icon and sign in when requested
2. Select the All Folders tab
3. Click through the Account name in the bar explorer or use the Browse button to drill down to the custom folder
4. You can Add and Scan, Add and Browse, or Drag 'n Drop a document to your custom folders

Note: With the Inbox, you can upload multiple documents simultaneously using the Browse or Drag 'n Drop feature.

Working with the Attach Documents dialog    Back to top

The Attach Documents dialog is the primary dialog window for attaching a document, image, or any electronic file to a data entry in QuickBooks. When the Attach Documents dialog window first appears, you will have three buttons by which to affix documents to the Quickbooks entry: Scan, Browse, Move From Inbox.

Special note for Fujitsu ScanSnap users:

The Fujitsu ScanSnap (which is not a TWAIN compliant scanner) is not displayed in the Attach Documents dialog. The ScanSnap will actually launch the Attach Documents dialog when you press the scan button on your scanner, and therefore you do not use the blue "Scan" button. For more information on using the Fujitsu ScanSnap with SmartVault, see the Using the ScanSnap knowldege base article.

• Use the Scan button to scan documents to the QuickBooks entry from a TWAIN compliant scanner
• Use the Browse button to browse to a file(s) on your local computer or network share to attach to the QuickBooks entry
• Use the Inbox button to move a document from the Inbox or custom folders to attach to the QuickBooks entry

To scan and attach a document, follow the steps below:

1. Place the document in your scanner.
2. Click on the blue Scan button. The SmartVault client software will take control of your scanner and initiate the scanning process.

To attach a file already existing on your computer or a network drive or share, follow the steps below:

1. Clicking on the yellow Browse button, the windows explorer will appear, allowing you to select a file of your choice.
2. Select a file to attach to the current QuickBooks data entry.

To attach a document from the Inbox to a QuickBooks entry, follow the steps below: (you have to have documents uploaded to the Inbox or custom folders prior to these steps)

1. Click on the Inbox button.
2. If moving your documents from the Inbox, click on the Inbox folders tab.
3. If moving your documents from a custom folder, click on the All Folders tab.
4. Click on the arrow next to My Accounts > "Account name" > "Vault name" > and continue to drill through to your document location or use the Browse button.
5. Select the document you want to attach to the QuickBooks entry.
6. Modify the name and description (optional).
7. Click the Move button.

When attaching documents using the Scan button or Browse button, the dialog will change to give you a preview of the document. Here you can modify the name and description or just click Accept button to upload the document. For the Move from Inbox, the document is uploaded and attached directly to the QuickBooks entry.

You'll see a pop-up telling you the file has been uploaded successfully.

Options available from this screen are described below.

Name: SmartVault will auto-name the document, but you can manually name the document with any name you wish.

Description: SmartVault will auto-generate a description for the document, but you can manually type in any description you wish.

Accept: Click this button to accept the properties as shown and attach the document or file to the current QuickBooks data entry.

Cancel: You can cancel the current scan, in which case the scanned document will be discarded.

Help: View this help file.

If the document was scanned into SmartVault, or is a graphics file format supported by the SmartVault client software, you will also have one or more of the following options available:

Zoom: You can use the zoom buttons (above the Accept button) to zoom in and out of the document preview.

Rotate: You can use the rotate buttons (above the Help button) to rotate the page clockwise or counterclockwise before it is saved into a PDF format.

Page: You can preview the previous page (button to the left of the zoom buttons) or the next page (button to the right of the rotate buttons).

Note: This dialog will show a green up-arrow icon and grayed document name for documents that are in the process of being uploaded. A document in this state is not fully uploaded to the SmartVault servers, so it cannot be viewed or downloaded. If the document remains in this state for an hour or more, verify the person uploading the document allowed the upload to complete before disconnecting their computer from the network and have them reconnect it to allow the document upload to complete. If the incomplete state still persists, you may want to delete the partial document and upload it again.

Working with the Inbox dialog without QuickBooks    Back to top

The Inbox feature allows you to securely transfer documents to your Inbox associated with a QuickBooks company file or to custom folders in your SmartVault account.

Uploading your documents

1. Open the Inbox from the shortcut on your desktop, system tray SmartVault icon, or the Start Menu items
2. If uploading your documents to the Inbox, click on the Inbox folders tab.
3. If uploading your documents to a custom folder, click on the All Folders tab.
4. Click on the arrow next to My Accounts > "Account name" > "Vault name" > and continue to drill through to your document location or use the Browse button.
5. Select the folder to which you want to upload and click the Add button.
6. Click the Add
7. Choose Scan or Browse to perform the necessary action
8. Modify the name and description (optional).
9. Once your document is in the preview dialog, click Accept

If the Inbox is opened while QuickBooks is currently running, the following view will be available. You can easily attach the selected document in the Inbox to the open QuickBooks entry by clicking OK button.

Working with the Attach from Inbox dialog    Back to top

This feature allows you to process documents uploaded to the Inbox or to custom folders.Ater uploading your documents to the Inbox, you can open the Inbox from the Attach dialog to move the documents from the Inbox to the appropriate QuickBooks entry.

Using the Attach From Inbox Feature

For a business where you manage your own QuickBooks

1. As documents are generated during the course of business, upload them to the Inbox or custom folders
2. As you begin your accounting tasks with QuickBooks, access those documents in the Inbox or custom folders for review
3. Process each of the documents in the Inbox and create the necessary QuickBooks entry
4. Move the document from the Inbox to the QuickBooks entry created

For a business with an onsite QuickBooks user

1. As documents are generated during the course of business, members of your organization can upload them to the Inbox or custom folders
2. When the bookkeeper begins their accounting tasks with QuickBooks, they can access those documents in the Inbox or custom folders for review
3. The bookkeeper can then process each of the documents in the Inbox or custom folder and create the necessary QuickBooks entries
4. They can then move the document from the Inbox or custom folder to the QuickBooks entry created

For a business with an off-site bookkeeper

1. As documents are generated during the course of business, members of your organization can upload them to the Inbox or custom folders
2. When the off-site bookkeeper begins their accounting tasks with QuickBooks, they can access those documents in the Inbox or custom folders for review
3. The bookkeeper can then process each of the documents in the Inbox or custom folder and create the necessary QuickBooks entries
4. They can then move the document from the Inbox or custom folder to the QuickBooks entry created

Processing document in the Inbox/Custom Folder (works best if you have two monitors)

1. Open the Inbox by double clicking the Inbox icon on the desktop or choosing it in the SmartVault systray menu
2. Open the document to be processed
3. Open QuickBooks and create an entry by completing the information from the document to be processed
4. Click on the Attach (paperclip) icon in the SmartVault toolbar
5. Click on the Inbox icon and select the document being processed
6. Click on the Move button

Note: This dialog will show a green up-arrow icon and grayed document name for documents that are in the process of being uploaded. A document in this state is not fully uploaded to the SmartVault servers, so it cannot be viewed or downloaded. If the document remains in this state for an hour or more, verify the person uploading the document allowed the upload to complete before disconnecting their computer from the network and have them reconnect it to allow the document upload to complete. If the incomplete state still persists, you may want to delete the partial document and upload it again.

Working with the Browse button    Back to top

Use this button to browse for your destination folder in the Inbox dialog.

On the Inbox Folders tab

Use the Browse button to browse to a particular company's Inbox.

1. Click on the + sign to expand My Accounts
2. Expand the Vault where the company file resides
3. Click on the company file name and click on the Select button

On the Inbox Folders tab

Use the Browse button to browse to a particular folder in your vault.

1. Click on the + sign to expand My Accounts
2. Expand the Vault where the custom folder resides
3. To select a non-transaction based folder in QuickBooks (i.e. Home, Snapshots, or Reports) go to step 5.
4. To select a custom folder go to step 8.
5. Click Applications > QuickBooks
6. Click on the company file and expand the Documents folder
7. Scroll down to the non-transaction based folder and click on the Select button
8. Click on the custom folder
9. Click on the Select button

Working with the Documents dialog    Back to top

The Documents dialog contains a list of all documents associated with the current QuickBooks entry.

• Open a QuickBooks entry that has an attachment
• Click the folder icon in the SmartVault toolbar

Documents dialog

Accessing the Documents dialog

Once the document viewer is open, you can:

• Add additional documents to it by scanning, browsing or dragging
• Open a document to view
• Save the document to your desktop by using the Save button or dragging and dropping onto the desktop
• Print the document
• Delete the document

Note: This dialog will show a green up-arrow icon and grayed document name for documents that are in the process of being uploaded. A document in this state is not fully uploaded to the SmartVault servers, so it cannot be viewed or downloaded. If the document remains in this state for an hour or more, verify the person uploading the document allowed the upload to complete before disconnecting their computer from the network and have them reconnect it to allow the document upload to complete. If the incomplete state still persists, you may want to delete the partial document and upload it again.

Working with the Pending Transfers    Back to top

The Pending transfers dialog lists the documents that are pending transfer from the SmartVault client to the SmartVault server. If there has been a loss of internet connectivity during an upload or lack of bandwidth on the client side, the documents that have been attached to QuickBooks entries will be stored and listed in this window, and displayed as pending. To see the pending transfers:

1. Right click on SmartVault client icon in the system tray.
2. Scroll up to Action, and select Show Pending Transfers.