QuickBooks POS 9.0 key

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After years of constantly having to resolve issues with QuickBooks, I realized that the cause of most problems lay with end users or the system administrator in charge of the QuickBooks deployment. So I thought it would be helpful to list 10 common mistakes that lead to major QuickBooks headaches. With this list in hand, you should be able to avoid the pitfalls and enjoy a smooth experience with one of the most widely used financial applications available.

1: Keeping the app open

I can't tell you how often I have witnessed users leave QuickBooks open during lunch, overnight, all week... you get the picture. This is a bad practice for a number of reasons. First and foremost, if your data file isn't password protected, it leaves your data open to prying eyes. This habit also leaves you open to data file corruption. Should your network connection go down, and QuickBooks assumes you are still connected, problems with the data file will begin to appear. On top of that, if the database manager assumes you are still connected (and you're not), you might be looking at a server reboot to solve the problem.

2: Not verifying/rebuilding your data file

There are two tools you should be using more often than you probably are. Within the Utilities menu, you'll find both Verify and Rebuild. At least once a quarter you should run Verify on your data file. This will check to see whether there are any errors within that data. If any errors are found, you'll then need to run the Rebuild tool to clean up said errors. If you leave those errors unchecked and unfixed, they can compound to the point where the only solution is to send the data file off to Intuit (which means a minimum of three business days without QuickBooks).

3: Failing to upgrade QuickBooks

There are a lot of reasons to upgrade QuickBooks. Many users assume the main reason is to send Intuit their money. The truth of matter is, with each major release there are new tax laws and software fixes added. This is especially true when a major release of the hosting platform is put into play. Even though upgrading QuickBooks can be a costly proposition, the downtime associated with not having a working QuickBooks solution (and having to fix that solution) is far worse. Upgrade QuickBooks regularly.