Introduction

Data archival permits you to move infrequently used data out of the active database and into the archive database.

For an overview and preparation tips for Archiving, see this article.

Note: Once archived, the data can be accessed only through the Archive Module and cannot be restored to the active database.

Related References

Before You Begin

Before you perform Archiving, you must prepare properly. If you are unsure whether you have completed the necessary steps prior to archival, begin here, and work your way through the seven preparatory procedures.

You may wish to lock down Department Manager to ensure no one uses the system while you perform data archival. Learn more here.

Performing the Archiving Process

Once you have completed the seven procedures to prepare for Archiving, you may proceed with the Archive/Year End process.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that no users are logged in to Department Manager as you perform the Archiving process. It is easy to log out of a module without logging fully out of the system. If users need assistance with login/logout, refer them to this article.

Follow this series of steps to archive account data.

Select the Year End Option

Navigate within the Accounting Module to Special Procedures-Year End Close-Begin Year End.

The following Year End screen will display:
Perform a Budget Transfer for accounts where the link between the account and Cost Center budgets must be maintained, if necessary. Learn how to perform a budget transfer here.

Complete the Year End Screen

Reminder: Ensure that no users are logged into Department Manager while the following steps are performed. We recommend that you lock down Department Manager.

From the Year End screen:

Click either the Account or Cost Center radio button from Year End Options. The corresponding tab at the bottom of the screen will be activated after you make a selection.
Define how the object codes will be used in compressed transactions created for Year End Type = C (carry over) or in the new budget entries created for Year End Type = N (none):
- Click a radio button to load the budget or expense transactions by Minor, Major, or Budget Or,
- Click the appropriate Object Set and an Object Code from corresponding drop-down menus to load the new transactions into a single object code.
Check the box for “Treat Cost Centers as SubAccounts” when you are archiving an account and all Cost Centers used by the account are contained completely within it and are not needed for reporting after the account is archived. The Cost Centers must also have the same Year End Type as the account.
Determine whether the archived transactions will be deleted from the active database by setting the corresponding radio button, Delete Archived Records, to either Yes or No. We recommend that you delete these transactions unless you are using ID Codes or RT Codes to produce management reports. In this case, click No and then use the Delete Archived Transactions button after the final version of your ID or RT Code management reports have been produced for your organization’s annual reporting period.
Determine whether to back up the database during archiving and click or ignore the Skip Backup option accordingly. While this step may be time-consuming for large installations, we recommend that you check this option unless you are archiving several individual accounts or Cost Centers, one behind the other. In this case, check the option when archiving the first one. Then make sure that you verify the results of the Year End process before letting anyone else use the database. Once other database data entry or import procedures are performed, we recommend that you again check this option before the next archive is performed.

Note: Ideally, we recommend that you arrange for your IT department to perform backup before you begin archiving. This will permit you to select the Skip Backup option.
Define an individual or group of accounts or Cost Centers to be archived. If you are archiving a group of accounts or Cost Centers at the same time, make sure that they all have the same Year End type:
- To archive an individual Account or Cost Center, enter the corresponding code in either the account field of the account tab or the Cost Center field of the Cost Center tab. After the code is entered, use the mouse to place the cursor on the next record. The start date end date, and year end type for the account or Cost Center will be automatically filled in for you.
- To define a group of Accounts, select the corresponding code from the Account Department, Division, or Type drop-down menus and then click the Load Grid To define a group of Cost Centers, select the corresponding code from the Cost Center Department, Division, or Type drop-down menus and then select the Load Grid button. In either case, after you select Load Grid, the grid will be populated with Accounts or Cost Centers to be archived.
  
  Note: When archiving a group of accounts or Cost Centers, they must ALL have the same Year End Type.
Verify that all the information in the grid is correct. All fields must be filled in. If any are blank, press the “X” button to cancel the Year End process. Then exit this screen and go to the appropriate account or Cost Center setup screen (under the File menu option) and enter the correct information.

Start the Archive Process

Once you have completed the preparatory steps and are ready to archive, follow these steps.

Click to start the process.
As soon as the year end close is completed (before any other user accesses the database), run the appropriate account or Cost Center reports to ensure that the balance for the Account or Cost Center that was archived is correct.

What's Next?

This is the end of the data archival process.