Creating a Pipeline

A pipeline is a reusable setup for converting your files. It remembers your output format and your field mapping, so once it's set up you can run conversions over and over without reconfiguring anything.

1. 1Go to Pipelines and choose New Pipeline.
2. 2Give it a name — for example, "Design Flex to QuickBooks Online — Production".
3. 3Choose your output format:
   • QuickBooks Online (API push) — estimates or invoices post straight into your QuickBooks. Recommended for QuickBooks Online. Requires connecting QuickBooks in Settings first.
   • QuickBooks Desktop (IIF) — produces an IIF file for manual import into QuickBooks Desktop.
   • CSV export — a clean CSV for third-party import tools or other systems.
   • Custom API / other systems — converted data delivered to a non-QuickBooks system or your own API. Set up with our team; contact us or see Professional Services.
4. 4If you chose QuickBooks Online (API push), select whether each run posts an estimate or an invoice. You can also choose how new customers are handled: match by name and create automatically, or require an existing match. You can also turn on Review before posting — each run pauses so you can check, edit, or remove any line before it posts to QuickBooks. Nothing reaches your books without your approval.
5. 5Load your mapping template and check the mapping. KitchenAPI loads a starting template that matches your output format, so you're not starting from a blank slate. Upload a sample Design Flex file and confirm each output field is pulling the right data from your file — this check is the heart of the build.
6. 6Generate a test conversion to see the result, then save the pipeline. Once saved, it's ready for everyday use in the Run tab.

Day to day, you won't touch the editor — you'll use the Run tab: pick this pipeline, upload the export, and go. See Running a Conversion.

The pipeline editor keeps the everyday settings up front — name, source, output, QuickBooks connection, and the review toggle. Less-common options (document numbering, job-site ZIP, tax mode, income account, and customer/item resolution) live under Advanced settings, so you only see them when you need them. SKU mappings are configured in the mapping itself, under Operations on a field — you choose which mapping list a field looks up, and what it replaces (your internal product number, your price, or both). See SKU Mappings.