Alembic Computer Services, Inc.

Increase QuickBooks® Speed and Performance

acsiaz — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:31:39 +0000

QuickBooks speed and performance is something that we all deal with. As our QuickBooks files get bigger the worse performance becomes. When you are dealing with Enterprise the typical file begins to demonstrate performance issues at around 500MB while Pro and Premier files typically show degradation around 256MB. There are two reasons for this, first the number of transactions and list sizes create more data for the software to work through. The second reason is what we want to discuss in depth with this post and seems to be something most people don’t know about.

In any system the more data you have in the database the more of an effect you will see on the overall performance of the system; however in a SQL or Oracle type environment you don’t see these types of performance issues with this amount of data. I don’t have a lot of background in how all the various systems utilize memory and other system resources but I have learned quite a bit about how QuickBooks seems to work, at least in the area of RAM usage.

When QuickBooks is installed there is a setting in the registry that tells the system how much of the system’s RAM to utilize initially and the maximum amount it is allowed to use. In Pro and Premier these numbers are 128MB and 256MB, in Enterprise they are 256MB and 512MB. What does this mean to us? Well, the amount of RAM set is going to be how much of your QuickBooks file is loaded into cache. It also means that initially it will load the amount of data equal to the lower number, and as the file is used more data will be loaded into cache. For example, if you have a large file and you open it, 256MB of the data will be loaded and then if you run an A/R Aging report more data will be loaded and so on.

Let’s look at this in relation to a “large” QuickBooks file. I like to use our first introduction to a “large” file as an example for all of this. We were contacted by a customer with a QuickBooks file that was 1.2GB in size and it contained about a year and a half worth of data. The client was completely against starting a new file, like most users they wanted to be able to see history when viewing reports and such. We started with basic troubleshooting, things like network setup and such. Nothing we tried was helping the fact that a 10 line invoice took 3 minutes to save, and that the user would often surf the web between entering invoices.

We had to find a way to resolve this issue because honestly the customer was close to abandoning QuickBooks altogether. One day while speaking with an Intuit employee something was said about this registry setting that could possibly help the situation. After a little research we found the setting and applied the change on the clients system. We changed the setting to allow for 2GB of RAM to be dedicated to QuickBooks to allow for file growth. Invoice processing went from 3 minutes to 3 seconds, and we had a very happy customer. Since then we have had a customer that has a 3.8GB file and a 40 line invoice took about 6 minutes to save and now it takes about a minute.

Here are some things to understand about this registry change. First off, the numbers mentioned above are the defaults; however these may not be the settings your system is using. I have seen situations where the maximum setting was 32MB! This means users began to see performance issue after the file reached only 32MB in size, and in an Enterprise file that isn’t very much data. The only thing I can come up with on this one is that the system did not have the typical 512MB of RAM free at the time of install so QuickBooks determined that 32MB was the “safe” amount of RAM it could use without causing major issues for the system. With that being said, I like to check any system I get my hands on to verify that it is at least using the default amount of RAM. Also, the system information screen (F2) always shows the default numbers at the bottom of the window no matter what the settings are, so don’t go by those.

Something else to keep in mind is that the registry setting will reset when an update is installed, so you will have to make the change again after you update the system. Please note that this is on the system that is hosting the QuickBooks file (the “server”) and not on the client.

I could continue to talk about this for some time, but I think the basics have been covered here. The only other thing I would like to cover is when multiple files are being used at the same time. You will need to ensure that you have enough RAM allocated to accommodate the total of all the files that are being accessed at the same time by all users.

The final thing I would like to add is that we are changing the system registry and that it is always recommended to make a backup before any modifications are made.

This is not a change that will allow for unlimited file growth, but it will help you get more out of your QuickBooks file before having to split your file or start a new one. I hope this has been an educating and helpful piece of information for everyone that reads it and even more importantly I hope it helps make for happier QuickBooks users!

If you would like to discuss this further, have questions or would like to have detailed instructions on how to make the registry change please feel free to contact us at quickbooks@acsi-az.com.

Oasis CRM Purchas Order and On Order Issues

acsiaz — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:40:07 +0000

Some time ago we identified an issue with Purchase Orders and the quantity that Oasis was reporting as the “On Order” amount for items. There were problems when a PO was created, and left in the Purchase Request status. When the “Remove” link was used the system would subtract the quantity on that order from the total On Order number for that item. The problem with this is that the quantity doesn’t get added to the On Order number for an item until the PO is put into a Submitted status. So, what was happening is a user would create a PO and add several line items to the order and leave it as a Purchase Request. Then another user would review the order and determine that a particular item was not needed so they would remove it. The behind the scenes work that was going on was as follows: the items were added and the On Order numbers would not increase (let’s say there zero on order), then when the user removed them the system would reduce the On Order quantity by the amount on the order (let’s say we had 10 items on the order). So, in the end the system would indicate that we had -10 On Order.

That problem has been corrected, however there is no real way to know what you’re On Order numbers should really be at this point. Depending on the quantities that you order you could be showing that you have 1000 items On Order; but because of this issue you might actually have 1500. At some point though you had removed 500 from an order and that made your number 1000. To correct this issue we have created a Crystal Report (but you could use the reporting tool in Oasis) showing all the items we have on order, groups them by warehouse, and provides totals for each warehouse and item. Once we have that information we can then go into Oasis, open the item in Edit mode and update the On Order quantities in the Stock tab.

This is a problem that could go unnoticed for quite some time, especially if the numbers don’t go into the negative. There are some companies that rely more on the On Order numbers than others but no matter what we always want to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible. So, if you think you might have run into this problem and would like assistance in cleaning it up please contact us today.

Moving Memorized Transactions in QuickBooks

acsiaz — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:33:47 +0000

We recently had a situation where we needed to combine three QuickBooks company files into one single file. Overall this wasn’t extremely difficult and we had a plan in place to take care of all the tasks at hand; that was until we got a look at the list of memorized transactions that the client wanted to include.

QuickBooks allows you to export most of the available lists, but the Memorized Transactions list is not one of them. Fortunately there are a couple ways to get your Memorized Transactions from one file to another.

The first way that you can accomplish this is to remove all transactional data from a copy of your file and once complete use this as the base for your new file. The second way to handle this issue is to run all your memorized transactions with a date in the future. Then use a tool such as the Data Transfer Utility by Karl Irvin to transfer those transactions to your new file. Once they have been copied you can then memorize them and you will now have a new Memorized Transactions list.

If neither of these works for you then you have one option left, and that is to manually recreate all of your memorized transactions. If you would like to use one of the methods above and need assistance please feel free to contact us, we’d be happy to help.

Can’t Pay an Employee? Could Be a QuickBooks Set-Up Issue…

acsiaz — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:43:34 +0000

Question: We just added a new employee into QuickBooks last week and I am trying to run payroll but the new employee isn’t showing up. I have verified all the employee’s data and I can’t see why they aren’t showing up. The hire date is 2/22, their earnings are filled in and the taxes are all setup, but I still can’t run 2/28 payroll for this one employee. Why?

Answer: I began to review an employee record and scan for a field that might just cause such a problem. As I completed the question, “What do you have in as the Payroll Schedule”, the customer stated that she fixed it. I asked what the problem was and she said, “I didn’t have a Payroll Schedule entered.”

In this case it really wasn’t a problem with the software it was a simple oversight by the user. But how often is that the case? We often overlook something during set up no matter how hard we try to be vigilant. This post is more of a reminder to always take your time and go slow whenever setting up anything within QuickBooks. The problems that improper setup can cause are not always as noticeable as “I can’t pay my employee”. If you setup an item incorrectly you could cause activity in incorrect accounts which could go unnoticed for some time. Once you’ve realized there is a problem it could take a while to determine the source of the issue, and in the mean time you could be having problems at all sorts of levels.

So the lesson here is take your time, fill in all the data, then double check, and triple check your information.

Custom Reports – Cash Register Receipt

acsiaz — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:16:08 +0000

One of the latest reports we created using the great new Custom Reporting tool in QuickBooks^® Enterprise 2011 was a Cash Register Receipt Report that a client requested. This report allows the client to enter a specific date and see the checks that were received for that day, what invoices they paid off, and then what account those checks got deposited into.

We have this report grouped by deposit account number and then by the check number. The report displays the check number, date, and customer along with the payment total and total amount of discounts given for the invoices covered by that check. Additional invoice details from the check such as date, memo, amount paid, discount amount, etc. are displayed as well.

This report will help the client with daily reconciliation of their finances, something very important to their business. If you have a need to have all this type of info all in one place please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to customize this report to make it fit the specific needs of your company, or use this as a starting place to create a whole new report for you.

Please note that this report was created using the QuickBooks^® Enterprise 2011 Custom Reporting Tool and Crystal Reports XI.

Email us at quickbooks@acsi-az.com or call us at 620.454.9222 to discuss your custom reporting needs.

Product Registration Tip

acsiaz — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:44:05 +0000

I have not been a huge fan of the QuickBooks® registration process ever since version 10, when it became necessary to use an Intuit log in to register the product. As Intuit Solution Providers we are able to order product for our clients and have it pre-registered, which means we get the validation codes with our orders. With the Intuit login method this doesn’t really do much good as the client must still create an Intuit user name and password, which they might never use again. However, there is a way around this process. When you open QuickBooks®, click on Help and then About Intuit QuickBooks… With the Help window open click Ctrl+R+P and the old registration window will appear, you can then enter your validation code. This is a much easier way to get the process done when you have clients who have never created an Intuit user name or if they do not remember the information.

Recently we received a call from a client letting us know that they had gotten a new computer and installed their copy of QuickBooks® on it. After 30 days it was now asking them to register the product before they could continue to use it. The individual whose login was used for the original registration was not in the office at the time, and there was work to be done. We had saved the product registration number on the license key label, so we were able to use the method above to get the product registered and keep the client running with no lost time.

Its little tips and tricks like these that are nice to have tucked away for occasions such as the one above.

Custom Reporting and QuickBooks Enterprise 2011

acsiaz — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:33:01 +0000

We are very excited about one of the new features in QuickBooks Enterprise 2011! We haven’t really seen anything written about it yet so we thought we might as well take the opportunity to do so. The Intuit Press Release “QuickBooks 2011 Saves Small Businesses Time in the Back Office” mentions most of the new additions to QuickBooks Enterprise, however, one thing is not mentioned, the new Open DataBase Connection (ODBC) Driver.

This is not a replacement to the QODBC driver that has been available for some time now from FLEXquarters. It is an additional tool that has been made available by the developers at Intuit. This tool provides direct access to the QuickBooks database via table views. Alembic has been working with the Intuit development team since early in the development stages of this great tool and we have found it to be a very nice addition. This driver provides strictly read only access to the database, unlike the advanced driver available by FLEXquarters which provides both read and write access. However, when it comes to custom reporting read access is all we need and this driver is FAST! Unlike the QODBC driver that uses the QuickBooks SDK to build a secondary database to work from, this new driver works directly with the data. We were able to develop a report that pulled thousands of records in just a few seconds.

In addition to being fast we also have access to data that is unavailable via the QODBC driver, due to limitations imposed by the SDK. An example of this improved access is that we can now report on budget information contained within the QuickBooks file. In the past if we wanted to report on budget data we had to export the info into another program, such as MS Access, pull additional data in, and then develop our report off of that. It was a very tedious and time consuming process. With this new tool this will no longer be an issue!

Since this is a new tool it does take a little bit of getting used to. You must create a reporting user within QuickBooks, the driver is a File DSN as opposed to a System DSN, and the QuickBooks file must be opened when accessing the data. We were fortunate to work directly with the development team at Intuit, learning first-hand how tables are related to one another and what relationships are needed to get to the data correctly. It was a great jump start for us.

We look forward to using this great new addition to QuickBooks Enterprise 2011, which will be available for purchase September 27, 2010. Contact us today to learn how you can purchase this #1 Rated financial solution.

What’s your backup plan?

acsiaz — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:13:42 +0000

We could have many long debates on the topic of cloud computing and on-line services, but that is not where we want to take this post. We feel that there is a time and a place for everything, but a majority of the time we try to keep services “in house” if at all possible. However, this is not always the best solution, especially for small business that may not have the resources needed to perform all their necessary day to day activities.

Instead of debating on the practicality of using “the cloud” and covering pros and cons; we would like to take a moment and cover some alternatives you might want to have available for when the cloud your business depends on isn’t available. We have seen this happen more frequently than many would like (no one wants the access to their data cut off, and it’s really frustrating when you have no control over the recovery of those services) and most notably Intuit has suffered two such outages in a one month period.

Instead of signing up for online services, sitting back and relying on “the other guy” to give you access to your data 24/7 we would encourage you to have a backup plan. Let’s take a look at some things you can do to ensure that your business doesn’t come to a screeching halt when an unforeseen outage does inevitably occur.

In reviewing many of the forums, twitter and other community sites it seems that Payroll and Credit Card Processing are the largest areas of complaint when someone like Intuit has an outage. So, what can you do to make sure employees are paid and you are able to collect payments from your customers during a time such as this?

Payroll

Use the IRS site to help calculate pay-checks manually. Publication 15 – Employer’s Tax Guide, or Circular E, is the tool you’re looking for. Download the 2010 Publication 15 or search the IRS site for Publication 15. Or better yet, use a free paycheck calculator such as the one available from Paycheck Manager. You can then cut checks manually and enter them into QuickBooks later.

If you are using Assisted Payroll you are going to want to call them to determine them how you should handle your payroll. They may be able to assist you with processing your payroll, over the phone, during the outage.

Intuit Online Payroll – 800-624-1465
Intuit Complete Payroll – 888-236-4282
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll – 888-712-9702
QuickBooks Do-It-Yourself Payroll – 800-624-2106

Credit Card Processing

Collect the customer’s credit card information (card number, name on card, expiration date, billing zip code and CID are all good things to have) and process the card at a later date. You can always call the credit card company to verify funds are available. Yes this takes longer than normal, but you’re still able to conduct business.

Vista & MasterCard 800-228-1122
AMEX 800-528-2121
Discover 800-347-1111

Another option is to sign up for a PayPal account. You don’t have to use it if you don’t need it and you only pay when you do use it; so there’s no disadvantage to having it there as a backup plan.

We never know when an issue is going to rear its ugly head and for that reason we should have a backup plan in place, ready to implement at all times. It is extremely frustrating when one of your providers goes down, Intuit for example, but what if your own internet connection, phone system or power goes out? How are you going to conduct business then? It could happen to any of us and we need to be prepared.

Think about these things and begin putting a plan together today. Please feel free to contact us if you need any assistance in developing your “Plan B”, we are here to help! Make sure that you aren’t one of the businesses turning away sales because you weren’t prepared the next time you see a message informing you that service is currently unavailable.

New Credit Card Security Standards and QuickBooks

acsiaz — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:47:47 +0000

The time is here! If you process or store credit card information within your QuickBooks file you must have secure passwords for your users. This is to ensure that you are in compliance with the new Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS).

The latest maintenance release of QuickBooks (R7) facilitates this compliance; however, there are additional steps outside of QuickBooks you and your business will need to perform in order to be in compliance with the new security standards.

The PCI requirements are as follows:

Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
Do not use vendor supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
Protect cardholder data
Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
Use and regularly update antivirus software
Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
Assign a Unique ID to each person with computer access
Restrict physical access to cardholder data
Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
Regularly test security systems and processes
Maintain a policy that addresses information security.

The new functionality in QuickBooks R7 will assist you with item 3 above, by implementing the QuickBooks Complex Password Requirements feature, number 10 can be achieved by using the QuickBooks Credit Card Audit Trail. The other 10 requirements will require actions from you in order to be completed outside of QuickBooks. If you have questions about these requirements please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to assist you in any way possible.

How To Process an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) Within Oasis CRM

acsiaz — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:59:34 +0000

There are times when customers just need to return or exchange, merchandise, it’s inevitable. We never look forward to this event, but ensuring we process the return correctly is always important. The following procedures will guide you through the proper process within Oasis CRM.

Log Into the Oasis CRM Application

Log into the application using the Employee Login & Password you have been provided. If you have lost your password, select the “Lost your Password” link at the bottom.

Go To Orders & Purchasing Menu

Select the Quotations & Sales-Orders option.

Search For the Order

Search for the order by number, customer PO or by sales rep. You can also go to the customer’s account screen by doing a search for the customer under Customer-Management/ Search Accounts & Contacts. From the client’s account page you can find all orders and the select the one with the return associated to it.

Run A Search For the Product Being Returned

Use either the Model # or Description of the part being searched.

Enter A Negative Qty Indicating A Return

In the qty. field, enter a negative qty of the product being returned. For example, if three units are being returned, then enter in -3 to this field and select Commit Line Changes (or press enter or Alt+C).

RMA Number Will Be Auto-Generated

This RMA number will then be assigned to this order.

Go To The RMA Tab

From here, enter in the number of units that have been returned and select Commit Line Changes

Receive the Product Back Into Stock

Upon tracking information being received by the client, enter in the Inbound Tracking Number, Ship Method and any associated COD Shipping Cost. Click on the “Finalize This Package & Continue” button. Note; if the product is a serialized unit, make sure to indicate which serial number is being returned as seen above.

Save Changes ~ Credit Memo

Select the Save Changes button. This will activate InfoLink (Oasis CRM’s connection to QuickBooks) to issue a credit memo to the customer account. Accounting can then issue a refund or credit to account following the guidelines set forth internally.

We hope you found this helpful. Of course, you can always contact us for information and support on Oasis CRM.