Jack Wallen for TechRepublic writes: After years of constantly having to resolve issues with QuickBooks,
I realized that the cause of most problems lay with end users or the
system administrator in charge of the QuickBooks deployment. So I
thought it would be helpful to list 10 common mistakes that lead to
major QuickBooks headaches. With this list in hand, you should be able
to avoid the pitfalls and enjoy a smooth experience with one of the most
widely used financial applications available.
1: Keeping the app open
I
can't tell you how often I have witnessed users leave QuickBooks open
during lunch, overnight, all week... you get the picture. This is a bad
practice for a number of reasons. First and foremost, if your data file
isn't password protected, it leaves your data open to prying eyes. This
habit also leaves you open to data file corruption. Should your network
connection go down, and QuickBooks assumes you are still connected,
problems with the data file will begin to appear. On top of that, if the
database manager assumes you are still connected (and you're not), you
might be looking at a server reboot to solve the problem.
2: Not verifying/rebuilding your data file
There
are two tools you should be using more often than you probably are.
Within the Utilities menu, you'll find both Verify and Rebuild. At least
once a quarter you should run Verify on your data file. This will check
to see whether there are any errors within that data. If any errors are
found, you'll then need to run the Rebuild tool to clean up said
errors. If you leave those errors unchecked and unfixed, they can
compound to the point where the only solution is to send the data file
off to Intuit (which means a minimum of three business days without
QuickBooks).
3: Failing to upgrade QuickBooks
There are a
lot of reasons to upgrade QuickBooks. Many users assume the main reason
is to send Intuit their money. The truth of matter is, with each major
release there are new tax laws and software fixes added. This is
especially true when a major release of the hosting platform is put into
play. Even though upgrading QuickBooks can be a costly proposition, the
downtime associated with not having a working QuickBooks solution (and
having to fix that solution) is far worse. Upgrade QuickBooks regularly.
4: Hosting a data file on a laptop
Do
not do this. Period. Why? There are many reasons, but let me highlight
two. First, that laptop will most likely be moved off the premises. When
it is, QuickBooks can't be used by the other machines. Second, you'll
most likely be transmitting your data over wireless. Seriously? Don't do
that. Wireless is significantly less secure (and less reliable) than a
wired connection. QuickBooks has no business being run over a wireless
connection.
5: Not doing clean installations
If you wind
up with a broken QuickBooks installation, don't just assume Windows can
properly handle the uninstall. This assumption will only cause
subsequent installations to fail. After you do the uninstall, you must
go through your directory structure (which will differ, depending upon
the platform) and delete the leftover files. (Be careful not to delete
anything associated with QuickBooks POS, if you use that application.)
If you do an install and you find your key and product code already
there, the install was not clean.
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