Admin Tools: CustomBooks™ Test Company/Sandbox

Admin Tools: CustomBooks™ Test Company/Sandbox

Overview

CustomBooks™ provides every paid account with a complimentary Test Company/Sandbox. The Test Company is a separate environment where you can safely test features, train users, practice accounting workflows, and experiment with data without affecting your live company.

Benefits:
  1. Free of Charge: The Test Company/Sandbox is provided at no additional cost.
  2. Safe Testing Environment: Experiment with features and workflows without affecting your live data.
  3. Training Platform: Use the sandbox to train new employees or practice advanced accounting tasks.
The Test Company can be populated with your live data, sample training data, or no data at all.

Important: The Test Company is intended for testing and training. Changes made in the Test Company do not affect your live account.


Accessing the Test Company/Sandbox

You can access the Test Company from either the CustomBooks™ Home Page or the Admin Panel.

From the Home Page
  1. From the CustomBooks™ Home Page, click Test Company.
  2. If this is your first time accessing the Test Company, CustomBooks™ will begin building the environment.
  3. Once the Test Company is ready, you will receive an email notification.
  4. Click Continue to open the Test Company.


From the Admin Panel
  1. Navigate to Admin Panel.
  2. Select Test Company.


How to Identify the Test Company

Because the Test Company is separate from your live company, CustomBooks™ provides several visual indicators to help you identify which environment you are using.

When working in the Test Company:
  1. "Test Company/Sandbox" appears near the company title.
  2. The Test Company has a different color appearance (Pink) from the live account.
  3. The Test Company Home Page is visually different from the live company.
  4. The Test Company URL contains "SANDBOX".


Always verify that you are working in the Test Company before performing tests or making changes intended only for your sandbox environment.

Populating Your Test Company Data

When creating the Test Company for the first time, you can choose how you want to populate it. You have 3 options:
  1. With Data from Your Live Account: This option allows you to clone or copy your current live data into the sandbox for a realistic testing environment.

    This is useful when you want to:

    1. Test an import using data that closely matches your live account.
    2. Practice transactions using a copy of your current company data.
    3. Train users using a realistic set of company information.
    4. Test new features without changing your live account.

  2. With Data from a Sample Data: Use the test data option to populate the Test Company with sample data from a fictitious company. This option is useful for training and learning because it provides a predefined set of sample transactions and data.

  3. With No Data: Start with a blank slate to manually enter data and customize the test company/sandbox to your specific needs.


The Test Company/Sandbox creation process can take up to 30 minutes. The window can be closed and you may continue to work normally. Once the Test Company/Sandbox data is created, you will receive an email alerting you that the test company/sandbox data is complete and ready for use.


Resetting or Updating the Data in your Test Company

You may choose to reset or update your test company by clicking the buttons on the Test Company’s Homepage:
  1. Reset from Your Live Account - copy your current live data into the test company/sandbox.
  2. Reset to the Default Template - use pre-generated data from a sample or fictitious company.
  3. Erase All Data - if you wish to remove data from your Test Company.

Resetting the Test Company with Live Data

To reset the Test Company:
  1. Open Test Company from the Home Page or go to Admin Panel → Test Company.
  2. On the Test Company Home Page, click Reset from Your Live Account.
  3. Review the warning message.

  4. Click Continue to proceed.
When the reset begins:
  1. You and any other users currently working in the Test Company will be logged out.
  2. The process may take 30 minutes or longer, depending on the amount of live data.
  3. You will receive an email notification when the Test Company is ready.

For a quick overview of the process and guided steps, please watch the video below.




Using the Test Company for Import Testing

The Test Company is especially useful for testing data imports before importing information into your live account.

For best results:
  1. Copy your live data to the Test Company before testing an import. This allows you to test against data that more closely matches your live environment.
  2. After mapping your import fields, save the import mapping file and keep it with your import spreadsheet.
  3. Use the same import spreadsheet and mapping file when performing the import in your live account.
  4. Review the imported information carefully before importing the same data into your live company.
If you identify an issue during testing, correct the import spreadsheet or mapping before importing the data into your live account. Testing first can help prevent incorrect data from being introduced into your live company.

Test Company User Permissions

The Test Company has its own user list. Being added as a user to the live company does not necessarily give you access to the Test Company.

"Your username does not have access" Message

If you receive a message stating that you do not have permission when trying to access the Test Company, you are most likely not listed as a user in the Test Company.

This can happen if you were added to the main/live account after the Test Company was created.



How to Get Access

To add current live-account users to the Test Company, a user who already has access to the Test Company and has permission to reset it must perform the reset:
  1. Open the Test Company.
  2. Go to Admin Panel or Homepage → Test Company.
  3. Select from the options to reset the data.
  4. Confirm the reset.
  5. Wait for the Test Company to finish rebuilding.
  6. Once the reset is complete, the Test Company user list will be updated to include the current users from the live account.
The user who previously did not have permission should then be able to access the Test Company based on the permissions assigned to their account.

Important: Resetting the Test Company permanently erases the existing Test Company data. Make sure any information you want to keep in the Test Company is backed up or no longer needed before performing a reset.

Cloud Payroll Test Company (New!)

You can now access and fully test the Cloud Payroll module within your Sandbox environment, even if you do not have an active Cloud Payroll subscription in your live account.
  1. Universal Access: The Payroll module is available to all users in the Sandbox, allowing you to evaluate if the feature is a right fit for your business before subscribing.
  2. Risk-Free Testing: Safely simulate full payroll workflows—including setting up pay schedules, configuring employee details, and running mock payrolls—without impacting your live financial data or billing.
  3. Implementation Planning: Use the Sandbox environment to refine your internal payroll processes and train your team prior to a live rollout.

Cloud Payroll Test Company Setup

To begin testing payroll features in your Sandbox environment, you will first need to install the dedicated setup extension.
  1. Navigate to Extensions > Extension Store.
  2. Install the Cloud Payroll Test Company Setup extension.
  3. Once installed, double-click to open it and click Launch.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.







Best Practices

When using the Test Company/Sandbox:
  1. Confirm that you are in the Test Company before testing or making changes.
  2. Reset with live data before testing imports that you plan to perform in your live account.
  3. Keep your import spreadsheet and mapping file together so you can reuse them when importing into the live company.
  4. Review test results carefully before making changes to your live data.
  5. Be aware that resetting the Test Company permanently erases its existing data.
  6. Make sure users are added to the Test Company separately if they need sandbox access.

Summary

The CustomBooks™ Test Company/Sandbox provides a safe environment for testing, training, and experimentation without affecting your live company. You can populate the Test Company with live data, sample data, or no data, and you can reset it as needed.

Before using the Test Company, make sure you can distinguish it from your live account and verify that all users who need access have been added to the Test Company.