QB (with 2 users connected) often takes 2-3 minutes to access a list
(items or customers). The lists have anywhere from 2000 to 6000 items.
Its almost as if it's resorting the list each time it's called up-
anyone have an idea to fix that?
We're running QB Pro 2001 on Win98 SE

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Request for Question Clarification by pwizard-ga on 27 Nov 2002 08:44 PST

Can you tell us a little more about your computer setup? What type of
processor is on the computer? How much RAM is installed? Do both users
experience the same amount of lag when accessing the data or is it
just from people not on the local computer with the database? Is the
database also stored on this Win98SE machine or is it on a remote
server?

What version (exactly) of QB Pro 2001 are you using? Have you applied
all of the latest software updated?

Thanks,
PWizard

Dear JWCII,

"Its almost as if it's resorting the list each time it's called up"

You're right. That's exactly what it's doing. 
QB re-creates and resorts your data each time you
call it up.

I have two suggestions.

1) Review your lists and see if there items, customers or vendors
you can code as 'inactive.' You can code them by going to that
list's menu, highlight the line and press CTRL & E (the control key
and E). That brings up the edit menu. There is a box on the right
hand side of the screen to check to 'make this inactive.'

2) Archive, or condense your data. You probably have years worth
of detailed transactions for each vendor. You don't need more
than one or two year's data in the system. 

DO A COMPLETE BACKUP of your entire company file before you
start. Heck, make two copies, just to be safe.

When you condense, you will lose all the transaction details
in those files. Only the totals will remain.

Make sure you set your system to single-user mode, or it won't work. 

I will admit that I never tried to condense data in QB2001,
so this is the first time I am looking for the tool.
Even searching their HELP index doesn't tell me how to do
find the condense/archive tool. It does tell all about the
process. But doesn't show the link to start it.

I suspect that you should be able to condense any one of the
lists (i.e. items, customers, vendors, chart of accounts).
But you may need to open the manual to see how to start it.

It was much easier to find in older versions. 

That will solve your problem, though. 
 
Best wishes,

Your TaxMama

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Clarification of Answer by taxmama-ga on 27 Nov 2002 16:52 PST

Hi JWC.

Just a note. Please let me know if
you have any questions by Friday morning. 
After that, I'll be gone until 12/10

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best

Your TaxMama-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by jwctoo-ga on 27 Nov 2002 21:05 PST

we do use the "Make inactive" option when we can, but since this
happens on part number and customer lists there are only a few that
can be made inactive. We need to have all these items and customers
active and available- is archiving really going to help?

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Clarification of Answer by taxmama-ga on 27 Nov 2002 22:40 PST

Hi JWC,

"Is archiving really going to help?"

It will make a big difference. 

While you may want to leave all the customers and
vendors open and active, how far back do you need 
to keep the detailed data in the system for day to
day use?

I'd say one year, maximum two, is enough. 

Incidentally, you can do one of two things (or both)
about saving the data. You can do a back-up (and I
certainly would). But you can also make a complete
copy of the file and rename it - archive11-27-02, for
instance, and leave that file on the same computer. 

Then, when you do your archive or condense, you'll have
a faster, leaner system. But if a vendor or customer calls
and wants detail going back longer than the dates in 
your open files, you have their records right at your
fingertips. 

I'd create archived files like this once every year if
I were doing the volume of transactions you are.

Does this help?

Best wishes,

Your TaxMama-ga

Researcher provided an idea to help with problem but wasnt sure
exactly how to implement it in this version of QB. I will try to find
out the method and experiment with the idea to see if it improves the
speed.