SYSTEM MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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GUARANTEED
GREAT IDEAS!
System
Management Tips from Real Clients & Profits Users
These Clients & Profits
users share their system management tips:
Promote continuing
education "It's an important part of being a
C&P system manager to keep my co-workers informed
about Clients & Profits," says Angela Albanese
of Bandy Carroll Hellige Advertising. "I usually
send e-mails once a month with tips and reminders
about proper usage of C&P. I also usually forward
any information, like FAQs, that I find on the C&P
web site if it's relative to someone's job here."
Install updates
as they are released "I am anxious to incorporate
any new concepts to make the business run smoother," says
Sue Augustine Bartholomew of Creative Concepts Inc. "I
install updates as soon as I am informed that there
is a new one."
Upgrade your
hardware and network periodically "As your business
grows, spend the money to upgrade your server and
network," says Rebecca Cox, a Clients & Profits
consultant. "It's not like buying the latest fashion
to look good. Periodically upgrade your equipment
to maintain the overall health of your hardware and
network. Improvements are made constantly and at
some point, it's time to invest in those improvements.
After all, how many of you are still using your 8-track?"
Stay informed "I
use the Clients & Profits web site bi-weekly," says
Jim Kennedy of Brokaw Inc. "I want to keep up to date
on patches and known issues. I also subscribe to all
the C&P e-mail lists. I find those to be valuable
sources of information; also the Helpdesk."
Monitor the health
of the database "On a daily basis, our data's
integrity is checked when someone with manager's
level access, namely me, opens our database," says
the Princess of Power, Deb Harrington of in10city. "Then,
I keep Clients & Profits open all day as I am
office manager, receptionist, secretary, human resources,
bookkeeper, payroll specialist, and C&P system
manager. In my spare 27 seconds, I am the social
director." |
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Q.
Our users are asking for different fonts on reports and forms
in C&P. Is this possible?
Font settings in Clients & Profits are not
specific to individual reports and forms, so the quick answer
here is no. However, in the Report Fonts area, you can experiment
with using different fonts that would affect a wide range of
reports and forms at one time. (There is no guarantee that a
given font will work, so trial and error would be the method
you'd use.) Any changes made have an effect only on the computer
you're working from because the changes are in the C&P program
installed on that computer.
Q. What's the difference between fields and files?
Your database is comprised of about 66 files.
A file is information from a specific area of your database,
e.g., jobs, costs, and staff. A file is comprised of many fields.
As users enter data, they enter it into different fields in
your database. Each field has a field name. So within the jobs
file, you'll find fields named job number, job name, job start
date, etc.
Q. Why does a pointer cursor sometimes turn into
a padlock?
During data entry or saving, you'll sometimes
see a padlock. It means that the same file is in use by some
other user--whoever got it first. This is a natural feature
of record-locking multi-user databases, and occurs to ensure
that two people don't edit the same record at the same time.
Padlocks disappear automatically as soon as the person who's
editing the record saves it. Each user should know to never
turn off a computer to break a padlock as this can damage the
database. Padlocks can be canceled by pressing command-period
(on a Mac) or control-break (on a PC) or wait for them to resolve
which usually is a matter of seconds.
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Q. Is bad data and damaged
data the same thing?
No. Bad data, e.g., account balances that aren't
correct, one-sided journal entries, billing amounts that don't
add up, etc., happen because of posting problems and user mistakes,
as well as system errors. Damaged data means the structure that
holds the database's clients, jobs, costs, etc. is actually broken
in some way. Bad data can be caused by damaged data, but not
always.
Q. What is the database path?
The database path shows the location of the
database on the file server or wherever it resides. A setting
can be made in Agency Information to warn users if they open
a database other than the one specified.
Q. Can a software bug cause database damage?
No. If a software bug could cause database damage,
the damage would be consistent and occur frequently--which isn't
the case. The usual causes of database damage include: disk
fragmentation on the server's hard drive, power surges, bad
server hardware, poor LAN wiring and even excessive heat in
the server room!
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