Q. What exactly does the Archive/Purge utility do?

The Archive/Purge utility permanently removes records from your database. The utility lets you select A/P invoices, A/R invoices, checks, client payments, job tickets, purchase orders, and time sheets that are either paid or closed by a date range for purging. For a complete description of the archive/purge utility, please refer to the C&P X User Guide.  

Q. Will archiving shrink my database?

No. The database never shrinks. Instead, space is cleared out for new records. This means your archived database won't grow as fast.  

Q. Will archiving making Clients & Profits X run faster?

The size of the database has only a marginal effect on the performance of Clients & Profits X, so archiving won't noticeably speed up adding, saving, finding, and printing records.  

Q. Can I archive the General Ledger?

Yes. However, it may never be necessary. Journal entries are purged automatically when the year is closed, so they don't need to be archived/purged manually. The only reason to purge the G/L manually is if you want to remove all the records in the G/L, e.g., you used your database to practice using C&P X before going live but now want to add your beginning balance JE. For more information on automatic purging of the G/L, please see the Close Year FAQ.

Q. What happens if I Verify/Recover an old job after archiving its costs and billings?

Don't do it -- a job's cost and billed totals won't be accurate. A job's totals are recalculated from the remaining costs and billings in your database for that job. The job's totals won't include anything you've archived, so they won't be accurate on job cost, billing, or profitability reports. That's why you should only archive costs and billings for jobs that are 3-4 years old -- and that aren't likely to be printed on current job reports.  

Q. What happens if I really need to look at something that was purged?

Before purging any kind of information, make a permanent backup on a cd of your database along with a copy of your current Clients & Profits X software. Make two copies in case one is damaged. Clearly label the cd so you know what information it contains. By copying the current version of C&P X you’re using, you won’t have to update the database to the most-current C&P X software before being able to open the database.  

Q. What's the difference between Archive/Purge and the Archived Jobs report?

Archiving/purging actually deletes records from the database. The Archived Jobs report is made up of jobs that are still a part of your current database. The report can contain summary information about old jobs, including job number, name, job description, date added, date closed, and the location of art files which you can add in the Archived On area in the Job Description window.

Q. How do I select records to be purged?

Records are selected by a date range. Within that date range, only the closed or paid records will be archived. They are not selected by date posted, and the accounting period is ignored. Remember, every record within that date range and with that criteria will be erased. Once data is purged, it won't appear on reports. Be sure to print any report you might need BEFORE archiving. NOTE: Some of the records listed below are not available for archiving in some programs or versions.

Data file:	Selected by:	Restrictions:
Job tickets	Start date	Closed jobs only
Purchase Orders	Order date	Closed POs only
Accounts Payable	Invoice date	Paid invoices only
Time Sheets	Work date	---
Checks	Check date	Cleared checks only
Accounts Receivable	Invoice date	Paid invoices only
Client Payments	Payment date	---
General Ledger	JE date	---

 

Q. I ran a Verify/Recover on my A/P and/or A/R account balances -- now many old invoices appear unpaid on my aging. What happened? How do I remove them?

Vendor checks or client payments were archived by mistake for invoices that still exist. The Verify/Recover utility matched invoices with payments, which it is supposed to do. But since the archived payments are no longer in the database, the invoice has no way to know it is paid.

If this happens, there are two options: (1) restore a backup of the data BEFORE it was archived, or (2) add the missing payments again. If restoring a backup of the database isn't practical or what you want to do, then you'll need to add the missing payments. Use the Auto-pay function to select the invoices which should be paid, but aren't:

1. Choose Accounting > Checkbook.
2. Choose Edit > Auto-Pay Payables.
3. Add the oldest pay date from the invoices to be cleared.
4. Select All A/P G/L accounts and Auto-pay everything.
5. Add the A/P G/L account number in the Checking account number field.
6. Add a starting check number which is outside the range of numbers you will ever use, like 1 or 100.
7. Click the Select button, review each line item, making certain the dGL is the same as the A/P G/L account number that you add in Step 5. 

If you only have a few to do, you might want to consider using a Vendor Credit instead -- just make sure the dGL and cGL are the same.

Accounts Receivable: You will need to add a client payment for each client that has unpaid invoices:

1. Choose Accounting > Client Payments.
2. Choose Edit > Add Client Payment.
3. Add the client number.
4. Select the user-defined Payment Type pop-up menu.
5. Add "Credit" or wording of your choice over the word "Other."
6. Add the amount -- then add the A/R G/L account number as the dGL.
7. Click Save, then apply the credit amount to the old, unpaid invoices, checking that the cGL is the same as the A/R G/L account number. 

CHECK YOUR WORK: Since you don't want these entries to affect this year's General Ledger totals, you must debit and credit the same account. You'll still see journal entries in the G/L, but they will net to zero. Once these Checks, Vendor Credits or Client Payments are posted, the old invoices will appear as paid -- and not appear on the aging report.  

What are some guidelines for safe archiving?

• Print any reports desired or necessary reports before archiving.
  
  
• Most important: Before purging any kind of information, make a permanent backup on a cd of your database along with a copy of your current Clients & Profits X software. Make two copies in case one is damaged. Clearly label the cd so you know what information it contains. By copying the current version of C&P X you’re using, you won’t have to update the database to the most-current C&P X software before being able to open the database.
  
  
• Archive at the server, not across the network.
  
  
• Archiving is irreversible. Once the data is purged, it can't be recovered.
  
  
• No one should be working in the database while the archive/purge is running.
  
  
• Turn off any programs that might interrupt it, like an automatic backup or screen saver.
  
  
• Don't purge checks and payments unless you are prepared to add adjusting entries if needed. If a verify/recover is run for vendor or client balances after the invoice payments are purged, the invoices will no longer have payments. Those invoices will reappear on the aging, resulting in an incorrect aging.
  
  
• Don't archive records that are less than three years old at minimum.
  

Also, notify the Clients & Profits Helpdesk of what you have archived so that it can be noted in your client file for future reference.