Resolving a Duplicate Project Name Error with QuickBooks Online
When syncing projects between Adaptive and QuickBooks Online (QBO), a duplicate name error occurs when a project or customer/job name in Adaptive matches one that already exists—or is reserved—in QBO. This article explains how to identify the source of the conflict and resolve it.
1. Find the Duplicate in QuickBooks Online
To locate the conflicting record:
Use the global search (search bar at the top of QBO) to search for the exact name shown in the error, including spacing and punctuation.
Check inactive vendors, customers, projects and other names as well—QBO can still treat inactive names as taken.
2. Resolve the Name Conflict
Pick one side of the conflict to update:
If the QBO record is wrong or obsolete: Rename it, make it inactive, or remove it in QBO so the name becomes available.
If the Adaptive record should change: Update the customer/job (project) name in Adaptive so it no longer matches with the QBO record, then sync again.
3. If Both Records Represent the Same Job
Important: Each project in QBO should be tied to one customer/job in Adaptive. If a project was created manually in QBO while Adaptive also attempts to create it, a duplicate error will persist until the names are aligned or the Adaptive record is merged to the existing QBO entity.
To resolve:
Do not sync a second "new" project with the same name.
Instead check inactive Jobs in Adaptive for the same name. If you find it, there are two options:
Activate the inactive job. Move any/all costs from the newly created duplicate to the correct Job, then delete the job with the sync error, or:
Update the name on the inactive job, allow a few minutes for this update to sync to QBO, then on the job with the sync error, sync again. Once synced, you can manually merge them in QBO.
4. Parent/Sub-Customer Considerations
Note: In QBO, projects are often created as sub-customers under a parent. A name conflict can still occur when two projects share the same display name, even if they belong to different parent customers.
To resolve:
Make the project display name unique in QBO, or
Update the project name in Adaptive to avoid matching names.
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