At our February user events we looked at the value of archiving data in your Dynamics GP database. There are some built in tools that will enable you to remove data from the database, but to use them would be time consuming and could lead to some horribly unlinked data.
While investigating the options for this, I downloaded the Company Data Archive tool from Professional Advantage. I tested this thoroughly on my own system and was really impressed by the functionality. Not only is it very easy to setup and use but it has a fantastic enquiry feature that lets you look at both the archive and live database at the same time (perfect for Customer or Supplier queries).
The ability to do this means that you don’t need to keep seven years of data in your operational database – move it, free up space and speed up enquiries while not losing the visibility into the archived details.
The download comes with full installation and setup instructions and I found the manuals very easy to follow. Here’s a summary of how it works.
Setup a new Archive company database. From within this database, you can then archive the transactions. Go to Tools --> Utilities --> System --> Company Data Archive.
Choose the company database to archive from and select the date. The Preview button at the bottom will let you see how many transactions are in the period up to and including the date chosen. This will help you to chunk down the archive process into manageable portions.
You can choose to transfer and remove data (recommended) or simply to do one or the other.
Back in Fabrikam, I can choose to view only the information in the current database or select the “Additional” menu item and choose to view the archive details.
By selecting the archive company ID, I can view the details of transactions in that company. I can’t zoom in on them, but I can print a report showing all of them.
Note: Not sure on this one, but it does seem that if you have the same customer number in multiple databases that you can view the additional databases also.
Here are some of the main features that I found fantastic:
- When you choose the date to archive, it will only archive transaction chains that are complete – the document needs to be in history AND any documents applied to it also need to be in history. This keeps groups of information together.
- You can pause the archive – set one off after hours, pause it before others log in the next morning. It will complete what it is working on (based on settings) and then pause. Restart at the next opportunity.
- The cross-company enquiry is invaluable.
The pricing varies, depending on the number of users you have registered – it ranges from $2,000USD to $6,000USD (subject to change of course). I personally think it is well worth the price.
If you are interested in a demo of the product or would like to discuss further, contact support and we will answer your questions.
Heather Roggeveen is a MS Dynamics GP Consultant with Olympic Software. After 15 years of working with the end user all the way from designing the solution to user training, she has become a Dynamics GP expert. Heather regularly shares her knowledge, including tips and tricks for end users in her blog articles. Follow her on Twitter @HRoggeveen to be notified of her latest articles. You can also like Olympic Software on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn or on Twitter @OlympicSoftware. For more information about Dynamics GP and how it could benefit your business, view the Dynamics GP page on our website or give us a call, 09-357 0022.
