QuickBooks for Mac 2014 User’s Guide 29
• Chat with other users working on the shared file. Sometimes you may need to contact other users when you're
all working in the same company file. In QuickBooks Server, select the company filename and the user name of
the person you want to chat with, then click Chat. Your default Chat application will open a chat with the user
you selected. Note: For Chat to work, the user's account must include their Chat ID.
Where to store your file
In multiuser mode, your company file sits on one computer and is shared on your network with other QuickBooks
users. So which computer are you going to use to store the file? Here’s my advice:
• I recommend picking a computer that meets or exceeds the recommendations for processor, memory, and disk
space. The amount of RAM on the computer can significantly affect performance, so get as much as you can.
• It’s a good idea to pick a computer that will be on during work hours and is going to stay in the office. Imagine
the dirty looks you’ll get if you put it on a laptop and then take that laptop on a customer visit when the office
manager is trying to work on payroll. I think we all can agree, for the sake of your happy workplace
environment, this situation should be avoided at all costs.
• It’s best if the computer with the company file is connected to the network through an Ethernet cable and not
Wi-Fi. It’ll work fine on Wi-Fi, but you’ll probably have better performance from a cable.
• Some activities are single user only, so it’s good idea to put the company file on the computer of the person
who will be doing those things. That way, that person can switch between multi user and single user mode on
their own.
Important: Backing up your company file is just as critical in a multi user environment as it is in single user. To
back up your data, stop sharing the company file then back up the file on the computer running QuickBooks server.
Then you can start sharing the file again.
Other things to know about multiuser mode
There are a few other things to keep in mind when you’re using QuickBooks in multiuser mode.
• You don't have to have QuickBooks running on the server, just QuickBooks Server. You'll have both QuickBooks
and QuickBooks Server installed on the computer you are using as a server. But you only have to have
QuickBooks Server running to share the company file with others.
• You can switch back to single user mode. You can turn off multiuser mode so that only one person can access
the company file. Choose File > Enable Multiuser Mode. You'll see a checkmark by the command name. When
you choose it again to go into single user mode, the checkmark goes away.
• All the computers have to be on the same network. For users to be able to share the same company file, their
computers must all be on the same network. You can't share a file with remote computers.
• You may run into each other, but it's OK. You may try to do something in the company file and see a message
that says another user is trying to do the same thing at the same time. You can either wait to try again or use
your Chat app to communicate with the other user.
• Set up each computer for Merchant Account Services (optional). For each computer in your multiuser
environment that you want to use to process your customer's credit cards, you'll need to set up credit card
processing using your Merchant Account Services connection ticket.
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