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26.1- Company File Cleanup:
In QuickBooks you can condense the data in your company file to remove old transactions from your company file. This can remove detailed transactions prior to a specified date and inactive list records from your company file and replace them with general journal entries. This can often improve performance in company files with a high volume of transactions entered.
You can start the wizard by selecting “File| Utilities| Condense Data…” from the Menu Bar. At that point, simply step through the screens answering the questions posed to you and clicking the “Next” button to continue. When you are ready to begin the backup process, click the “Begin Condense” button.
Note that during this process an additional copy of your company file- called the “archive copy” is created. The archive copy contains a copy of your company’s data before any transactions are removed.
The archive file name will contain the date you run the condense process, your company name, and the label "Archive Copy.” You should never use the archive copy for active data entry. You can use the archive copy to run reports for those periods in which transactions have already been condensed.
If the condense process completes successfully the archive copy and the condensed data files co-exist on your disk. If you want to keep a separate archive in another location, you must backup the archive file in a separate backup process.
Using QuickBooks Tools
26.2- Exporting List Data to an IIF File:
You can export your list data into an IIF file. This file format stores list information in a text format for transfer to another company file, or transfer to other applications that can use IIF files. You create export files by selecting “File| Utilities| Export| Lists to IIF Files…” from the Menu Bar.
In the next screen you then choose which lists you would like to export to the IIF file. Then click “OK”
to continue and open the “Export” dialog box. Here you can select the folder into which you would like to save the export file and what you want to name the file. When you are ready to continue, click the “Save”
button to save the IIF file with the information from the selected lists.
26.3- Advanced Importing of Data:
You can import list data into QuickBooks using Microsoft Excel. You can also easily copy and paste data from an Excel workbook into the lists within your company file without having to perform an import. To see how you can perform this task, please review lesson “3.11- Adding Multiple List Entries from Excel” in the “Introductory QuickBooks” manual. However, in addition to being able to copy and paste the Excel data, you can also perform an advanced importing of Excel data into your QuickBooks lists.
You can import information from an Excel workbook into QuickBooks’ customer, vendor, item or account lists. To do this, select “File| Utilities| Import| Excel Files…” from the Menu Bar.
In the window that appears, click the “Advanced Import” button. On the “Set Up Import” tab, click the
“Browse…” button at the right end of the “File:” text box to launch a dialog box where you can select the Excel file to import. Then you can select which sheet in the workbook to import from the drop-down below the file name. If the data that you are importing has column labels, check the “This data file has header rows” checkbox to use the topmost row of data in the selected sheet as a header.
In the “Data Mapping” section, you must then tell QuickBooks which columns in the Excel file should be imported into which fields in the QuickBooks file. Click the “<Add New>” choice from the “Choose a mapping:” drop-down to create a new data mapping for your Excel data. This will launch the “Mappings”
dialog box. Here you must type a name for your new data mapping into the “Mapping name:” text box. Then
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Using QuickBooks Tools
26.3- Advanced Importing of Data (cont.):
select into which list you want to import the data from the “Import type:” drop-down. When you do, the available fields in the list will appear in the left column. For each piece of data that has a match in your Excel import file, click into the right column and select the name of the Excel column (if your list has headers) to which the data corresponds. When you are finished, click “Save” to save the data mapping.
To preview the data before importing, click the “Preview” button. This will show you the data as it would look when imported, along with any errors that would occur if the data was imported. At the bottom of this window you can select how you want QuickBooks to handle imported rows that cause errors. When the data looks good, click “Import” to import the data.
26.4- Updating QuickBooks:
You can ensure that your version of QuickBooks is current by selecting “Help| Update QuickBooks…” from the Menu Bar. You can either manually or automatically have QuickBooks search for updates. If you want to change that setting, in the “Update QuickBooks” screen click the “Options” tab. Here you can select to turn the feature on or off by selecting “Yes” or “No” to the “Automatic Update” option. If you have it turned off, then you have to connect to the Internet and click the “Update Now” button on the
“Overview” screen to download the updates manually.
26.5- Using the Calculator:
If you need to perform some quick calculations, you can access the calculator in QuickBooks by selecting “Edit| Use Calculator” from the Menu Bar. That will bring up the calculator so you can double-check numbers, or perform whatever other task for which you need a calculator.
26.6- Using Portable Company Files:
You can create a portable company file that you can take with you on portable media or e-mail to another for use. For example, if you wanted to email a copy of your company file to your accountant, you could send them a portable company file, which has a .QBM extension. When they open the file you sent them, it will open the file and create a QuickBooks company file (with the .QBW file extension) from the data. If you make changes to a portable company file, you cannot import the changes to your original company file later without overwriting any changes made to the original company file. If you wish to still use the original copy while someone makes changes to another copy, which you can import later, then use the
“Accountant’s Review” feature, instead.
To make a portable company file, select “File| Create Copy…” from the Menu Bar.
In the window that appears, select the “Portable company file” option button, and then click the
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Using QuickBooks Tools
26.6- Using Portable Company Files- (cont’d.):
File” dialog box that then appears, select the portable company file you would like to open and then click the
“Open” button to return to the “Open Portable Company File” dialog box. Here you can read the information, and then click the “Next” button when you are ready to continue.
In the “Save Company File as” dialog box that then appears, you can enter the name and location to which you want to save the company file that will be created from the portable copy. When that has been accomplished, click the “Save” button to open the portable copy and create a new company file from the data, which you can then use for data entry.
26.7- Using the Calendar:
You have a calendar feature that allows you to see company information, such as when bills are due, in a calendar layout. You can open the calendar by clicking the “Calendar” button in the QuickBooks toolbar, by clicking the “Calendar” icon within the Home Page, or by selecting “Company| Calendar” from the Menu Bar.
Within the calendar, you can see the current date selected within a month-style layout. For the selected date, you can also see the transactions that were entered, bills due, and other company transactions shown in a listing at the bottom of the calendar window. To the right of the calendar you can see a listing of upcoming transaction items that are due, such as to do items and bills, as well as past due items. Note that you can open any items shown within these areas by simply double-clicking on them to open the original transaction window.
At the top of the calendar is a toolbar that you can use to change the dates displayed. You can use the left and right pointing arrows to move through the months shown. The name of the currently displayed month and year is then displayed within the toolbar. If you wish to jump back to select the current date, you can click the “Today” button within the toolbar. You can change the layout of the calendar by clicking either the “Daily View,” “Weekly View,” or “Monthly View” buttons.
If you wish to select a particular date within the calendar, you can either click on the date shown in the calendar view, or you can select a date from the “Select a date” calendar drop-down shown in the toolbar at the top of the window.
You can also filter the transactions shown within the calendar by using the “Show” drop-down. The choice selected by default is “All Transactions,” however you can choose to view only selected transactions by making a choice from this drop-down menu.
When you are finished viewing the calendar window, simply close it by clicking the small “x” in the upper right corner of the window or pressing the “Esc” key on your keyboard.
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ACTIONS-
Using QuickBooks Tools
CLEANING UP COMPANY DATA FILES:
1. Select “File| Utilities| Condense Data…” from the Menu Bar.
2. Choose a condense option. Be careful! If you select the second option, it will clear your company file.
3. Continue through the wizard screens, choosing items to be removed.
4. Click the “Begin Condense” button when you are sure you want to proceed.
5. Click “OK” to dismiss the message and open the “Back Up Company File” window.
6. Click “Create Back Up” and then condense your file.
EXPORTING LISTS TO AN IIF FILE:
1. Select “File| Utilities| Export| Lists to IIF Files…” from the Menu Bar.
2. Click the checkboxes for the list or lists that you want to export.
3. Click “OK.”
4. Select where to save the file, and what to call it, and then click the “Save” button to save it.
IMPORTING IIF DATA FILES:
1. Select “File| Utilities| Import| IIF Files…” from the Menu Bar.
2. Use the “Look in:” drop-down to navigate to the folder that contains the import (IIF) file.
3. Double-click on the file to import the data.
IMPORTING EXCEL DATA:
1. Select “File| Utilities| Import| Excel Files…” from the Menu Bar.
2. In the window that appears, click the “Advanced Import” button.
3. On the “Set Up Import” tab, click the “Browse…” button at the right end of the “File:” text box to launch a dialog box where you can select the Excel file to import.
4. Select which sheet in the workbook to import from the drop-down below the file name.
5. If the imported data has column labels, check the “This data file has header rows” checkbox.
6. Click the “<Add New>” choice from the “Choose a mapping:” drop-down to create a new data mapping.
7. In the “Mappings” dialog box, type a name for your data mapping into the “Mapping name:” text box.
8. Select into which list you want to import the data from the “Import type:” drop-down.
9. For each piece of data in the left column that has a match in your Excel import file, click into the right column and select the name of the Excel column to which the data corresponds.
10.When you are finished, click “Save” to save the data mapping.
11.To preview the data before importing, click the “Preview” button.
12. At the bottom of this window you can select how you want QuickBooks to handle import errors.
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ACTIONS-
Using QuickBooks Tools
UPDATING QUICKBOOKS MANUALLY:
1. Connect to the Internet.
2. Select “Help| Update QuickBooks…” from the Menu Bar.
3. Click the “Update Now” button to manually download and install any new updates.
4. Click the “X” in the upper right corner of the window to close it.
USING THE CALCULATOR:
1. Select “Edit| Use Calculator” from the Menu Bar.
2. Click the “X” in the upper right corner of the calculator to close it when you are finished.
CREATING PORTABLE COMPANY FILES:
1. To make a portable company file, select “File| Create Copy…” from the Menu Bar, instead.
2. In the window that appears, select the “Portable company file” option button, and then click the “Next”
button to continue.
3. In the “Save Portable Company File” dialog box, choose where you want to save the portable copy of the company file and what you want to call it. When you are ready, click the “Save” button.
4. Then click “OK” at the message box that tells you QuickBooks must close and reopen the company file first. QuickBooks will then create the portable copy for you.
5. Click “OK” in the message box that appears.
OPENING PORTABLE COMPANY FILES:
1. To open a portable company file to create a new company file that you can use, open QuickBooks and select “File| Open or Restore Company…” from the Menu Bar.
2. In the window that appears, select the “Restore a portable file” option, and then click “Next” to continue.
3. In the “Open Portable Company File” dialog box that then appears, select the portable company file you would like to open and then click the “Open” button to return to the “Open Portable Company File” dialog box.
4. Here you can read the information, and then click the “Next” button when you are ready to continue.
5. In the “Save Company File as” dialog box that then appears, you can enter the name and location to which you want to save the company file that will be created from the portable copy.
6. When that has been accomplished, click the “Save” button to open the portable copy and create a new company file from the data, which you can then use for data entry.
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ACTIONS-
Using QuickBooks Tools
USING THE CALENDAR:
1. You can open the calendar by clicking the “Calendar” button in the QuickBooks toolbar, by clicking the
“Calendar” icon within the Home Page, or by selecting “Company| Calendar” from the Menu Bar.
2. You can use the left and right pointing arrows shown in the toolbar at the top of the calendar to move through the months shown.
3. If you wish to jump back to select the current date, you can click the “Today” button within the toolbar.
4. You can change the layout of the calendar by clicking either the “Daily View,” “Weekly View,” or
“Monthly View” buttons.
5. If you wish to select a particular date within the calendar, you can either click on the date shown in the calendar view, or you can select a date from the “Select a date” calendar drop-down shown in the toolbar at the top of the window.
6. You can also filter the transactions shown within the calendar by using the “Show” drop-down. The choice selected by default is “All Transactions,” however you can choose to view only selected transactions by making a choice from this drop-down menu.
7. When you are finished viewing the calendar window, simply close it by clicking the small “x” in the upper right corner of the window or pressing the “Esc” key on your keyboard.
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EXERCISES-
Using QuickBooks Tools
Purpose:
There are no exercises for this lesson.