Clients & Profits Database Guide
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Database
Utilities is a collection of data management tools
designed to help C&P system managers maintain their
database
Database Utilities is a collection of
data management tools designed to help C&P system
managers maintain their database. These tools track and
control the database’s size, test it for damage, and
export/import data to and from other systems.
User access to Database Utilities is controlled from the
Users, Access & Password window; a user doesn’t
have to have manager-level access privileges to use
Database Utilities. Access to the functions on the
Utilities menu, including Database Utilities, Purge,
Re-numbering, etc., can be restricted to only certain
staff members -- only those who are responsible for
administering the database.
The tools featured in Database Utilities
include:
Change Database Size extends the size of the
database to accommodate more data. Normally the database
expands automatically as new work is added. The database
can be pre-sized to prevent disk fragmentation that
affects its performance. When the database reaches 256mb,
this tool can add a new segment to expand its
capacity.
Export Data is used to extract selected client,
job, cost, and accounting information from your Clients
& Profits database, saving it as text files that can
be imported into another database, spreadsheet, or word
processor.
Import Data is used to bring data from another
database or spreadsheet into your Clients & Profits
database.
Print Data File Report lists the records stored in
each of the 50 data files that comprised the C&P
database (e.g., jobs, clients, costs, A/P, etc.). The
report also compares the database’s file size with
its data size, showing how much free space is available
for new data.
Quick Check performs a “quick check” of
the database, which looks for various kinds of data
corruption.
Check Data Files performs a thorough top-to-bottom
check on the database’s integrity. It is a more
elaborate and thorough -- and much slower -- version of
the Quick Check.
Repair All first checks every data file in the
database for damage, then attempts to repair any problem
it finds.
Reorganize (Optimize) Selected Files converts data
from older versions of Clients & Profits to the
latest version. Reorganization usually happens
automatically the first time a new software update is
installed. It is used only is special cases where the
conversion didn’t finish.
Re-index Selected Files rebuilds the index table
that is used to remember where each bit of data is stored
in the database. Indexes are selected fields that are
used to find records, such as job numbers and client
codes. Each data file has its own index, which is updated
each time a record is saved. If an index is damaged or
incomplete, some records won’t appear on reports.
This tool ensures that the indexes are valid in each data
file.
Repair Selected Files attempts to repair damaged
on data files selected by the user, instead of repair all
files. It’s a more selective version of the Repair
All tool.
Some Database Utility functions can’t be used if
other people are sharing the database. Everyone should
quit Clients & Profits before you repair, re-index,
or reorganize your database. However, you can export,
import, and check the data while other people are
working.
A technical supplement, The Clients
& Profits Database Guide, is a step-by-step
troubleshooting and maintenance guide to the C&P
database.
To use Database Utilities
1 Choose Setup > Utilities > Database
Utilities.
The Database Utilities window opens (see right), listing
the various data files and their record counts (i.e., the
number of clients, jobs, costs, etc.) The database is
checked, analyzed, and repaired by clicking on the
window’s toolbar buttons or choosing menu
commands.
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Charting growth. The
database’s size is calculated each time the
Graph button is clicked, creating a different
point on the graph. The graph is a helpful tool
for tracking the database’s growth over
time.
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