What can you do when your QuickBooks Data File is too large?

Your QuickBooks file

Is QuickBooks hogging up your resources? Slowing you down? We can help reduce your file to 20% of its original size

New QuickBooks Data File

QuickBooks has worked well for your business but the file is becoming too big to work with. 

What is considered big?

• Files over 300 MB can begin to slow you down.  If it is not too slow, then it is not too big!  When you start experiencing slowness, check out our tips below and plan to begin a new data file.

Does making a change to my data mean I will loose that data forever?

• No.  Just like an Excel file or a Word file, you can copy, paste & rename your data file so that you can access the data file anytime you want to retrieve that information. Its best to change both the outside file name and the inside file name (and possibly the color background of the file) to make sure no-one enters data into that old file in error.  All new data should be entered into the new file. We can help you accomplish this task remotely in less than 1/2 hour. 
  Call 800-216-0763.

You can:

• Upgrade to QuickBooks Enterprise, purchase a new POWERFUL dedicated server just for running QuickBooks and use Terminal services. When a user is accessing QuickBooks through terminal services the data and software are residing on the same computer, providing a quicker reaction time since the data does not need to go through the network.
  Call 800-216-0763 to speak with our Certified QuickBooks Enterprise solution provider. 
• Condense/archive (clean-up) the data file. This technique will reduce your file size by approximately 20%. It can be an temporary alternative when it is inconvenient to start a new data file now.  It will replace your detailed transactions with monthly general journal entries for the period you are condensing. File menu > Utilities > Clean up company data.
  Be sure to Backup before running this procedure.  In fact, its a good idea to copy the file so you can easily return to the pre-condensed file if you need to retrieve detailed data.  If you would like help with this procedure, call 800-216-0763.
• Start a new data file by copying your existing file and performing a clean-up of all transactions. You will need to enter opening balances, and YTD balances.  This works well if you are starting a new file in a new year. It can be time consuming if you have a lot of accounts receivable and accounts payable transactions. If you would like help with this procedure, call 800-216-0763.
• Request our QuickBooks Large File Conversion Service (800-216-0763) to start a new file anytime during the year or at year end. Over a weekend, we will take your existing data file, eliminate all transactions and import balances from 12/31/last year (or the last day  of your prior fiscal year)  and all transactions from 1/1/this year  through today and import into the new file.  Works well for companies with large file sizes. For companies using a QuickBooks payroll service, year-to-date history will need to be added. We can provide this service too, for an additional fee.
• Request our New Start QuickBooks File. When your list items (Customers, Vendors, Items) have become unmanageable and you want a new start, or, your file has been showing signs of a corrupt database (crashing, failing to backup, and you have worked with Intuit to try and resolve the problem).   We will start a brand new QuickBooks file, importing only your active Customers, Vendors, Employees, Accounts plus your beginning balances and all your transactions from the first of the year.

• Keeping many windows open within QuickBooks while you work, will slow down the speed in which QuickBooks operates. Close open windows (in QuickBooks) that you are through with. To see how many windows are open,
  Click on the view menu> Open windows list.  Keep this open on the left side of your screen. When you are through with tasks/reports that are currently open, go to the Window menu > and Choose close all
  
   
• Set up reports to display the date range first (modify report window) so that you are not needlessly running reports twice
  Edit menu > preferences > reports > check the box "prompt me to modify report options before opening a report"
  Also check "don't refresh", if indeed, you keep a report open for easy access while doing a lot of data entry.
   
• To speed up the initial opening of QuickBooks, you can set QuickBooks Preferences to NOT open the home page and to NOT remember what windows you had open last time you worked within QuickBooks.
  
  Edit menu > preferences > Desktop View > click on the radial button "don't save the desktop", and uncheck Show home page when opening a company file. 

Creating a portable company file and restoring that portable company file as your working file will re-index the file which should improve performance as well.