Handling Separate QuickBooks Files in QQube | CLEARIFY

Default design: multi-company option for QQube is designed for aggregation - all files in one database

QQube - with the Multi-Company option - is capable of handling even up to 100 files with summary QuickBooks data, with the purpose of creating reports with aggregated data, whether choosing one, some, or all companies for that purpose.

 NORMAL MULTI-COMPANY USAGE

When it is better to keep separate databases for each file

We use this method internally at CLEARIFY® and it allows you to load a company file in one QQube database, and then load a different company file in a brand new QQube database.  This allows you to:

• Not worry about having too large a QQube database, which takes longer to refresh
• Not have to filter out reports by a particular company to test the data
• Isolate specific fiscal years for each company
• Deal with fewer moving parts in the event of an abnormal synch process

The steps - in short form

1. Add the first company and load the data
2. Stop the database service so you can get control of the file to store it
3. Compress the database and store it for later retrieval.
4. Re-start the database service in preparation for loading the second company
5. Create a new database for your second company file
6. Load the second company file and data in the new database
7. Compress the second database and store it for later retrieval
8. Retrieve the first company file
9. Re-start the database so you can query the data from the first company file

[1] Add a company and load the data

You follow the normal procedures for creating the connection users, adding the company file by using the configuration wizard and loading the data.

[2] Stop the Database Service so we can get control of the file to store it

Now we will stop the database service.  If we don't do this step, will unable copy, move, compress the database file.

Go to the Advanced Options>Database on the QQube Configuration Tool, and hit the Stop button to stop the database service.

(You may be asked to confirm Administrative Privileges - say YES if that occurs)

You will see several messages during the stop process which should only take a few seconds.

After the completion of the stop process the Stop button will be greyed out, and the Start button will be enabled.

[3] Grab the database and store it for later retrieval

Go to the path listed in the same window on the Configuration Tool:

Locate the database (.db), AND the log (.log) files:

Then right click and choose the Send To>Compressed (zipped) folder option.

This will compress the size of the file:

Then label the file using the company name, or whatever title you wish to help you remember what it is.  We will retrieve this database later.

[4] Re-Start the Database Service

Re-start the database.  Click on the Start button. 

When it is complete, the Start button will be disabled, and the Stop button enabled. 

[5] Create a new database for your next company file

From inside the Database Path, Right Click anywhere, and choose the Switch to an empty Database option.

Several processing messages will appear on the lower left hand panel of the Configuration Tool.

You may notice, that it creates a new database (.db) and log (.log) file (with a new number appended to it):

NOTE: you will still see the old database in the same folder, and wonder why we had you compress the database. The zip file compression shrinks up to 80% of the file, and is a more efficient manner of doing this.  At this point, when you see the old database file just delete it:

[6] Load your second company file in the new database

Repeat the directions and information in Step [1] above.

[7] Save the second company file for later retrieval

Once you have load the company file in the new database then repeat the directions and information in Steps [2] and [3] above.

[8] Retrieve the first company file

Let's restore the first database we created.  This means that you will stop at Step [3] and NOT proceed to step [4].  The database service needs to remain off.

IMPORTANT: when you go back to the folder where the database and compressed database files exist, make note of the database name, e.g. QQube.db, or QQube1.db, QQube2.db  Why is this important?  When you create a new empty database, QQube, by design renames the new database by adding or subtracting a number at the end of 'QQube'.  This is a technological necessity, so as to not overwrite the existing database name.

First, delete the existing database (.db) and log (.log) files which represents the second company you loaded data for.

Second, find the zip file which contains the compressed first database: 

Third, right click, and choose Extract All:

Fourth, Remove the end of the path as shown below (to extract to the proper directory), and click Extract.

The files will be extracted in the following manner:

Finally, rename the .db file to match the previous database name as noted above.

[9] Start the database service

Perform Step [4] to re-start the database service, and can know use the data from the first company.  If it does not start, the most likely culprit is to make sure that you changed the .db file to the name of the last database you created.