Database FAQ

When you start FastManager for the first time, you will be prompted with the following dialog:

• Click on: Create a new company database to start the New Company Wizard

• Then proceed to follow the steps here

If you are already connected to an existing Company Database, but you would like to create (or switch to) a NEW one, go to:

• File -> Change Database
  • This will open the database selection dialog
  • First create or a select a new or different folder from the one your previous company database was in, then:
  • Follow the steps to create a company database

If you already have a company database, you can connect it by selecting the yellow “Folder” at the lower-right of the database selection dialog

• Then navigate to the location of your “FastManager Data Folder”

• You can also change to a different Company Database after you have logged in to the program:
  • Go to: File –> Change Database

When you first installed FastManager, you created or selected a folder that would serve as your “FastManager Data Folder”

• You can see where this folder is located in the lower-left corner of the FastManager program window, on any computer running FastManager:

Here is an example of what it might look like:

The FastManager Data Folder will contain:

db.qdb

• This is your main Company Database

• NEVER DELETE THIS FILE.

• ALWAYS BE SURE TO HAVE A CURRENT, WORKING BACKUP OF IT!

catalogs.mdb

• This database contains all of the imported vendor catalogs, as well as any “custom” catalogs or items that you have created

• Do not delete this file
  • If you do, we can easily help you to create a new, empty one, however you will lose any “custom” catalogs or items that you have created

Some important files and folders that you might see:

thumbnails_1

• This will be your Pictures Folder
• In FastManager, you can go to Edit -> Picture Folders to see a complete listing of all your configured Pictures Folders and where they are located
• These are all the thumbnail images that are embedded into the Design Detail Area of your orders
• Back these up if you are concerned about these thumbnails “disappearing” from old orders

upsshippinglabels

• As the name suggests, all generated UPS Shipping labels are stored in this folder
• These labels can be easily (re)generated from the Job Board

xmlABNMU.xml and xmlABNSetup.xml

• These contain (encrypted) configuration information for the real-time integration connection to “AlphaBroder”
• If they are deleted, you will need to re-enter the Alpha account information at:
  • File -> Vendor Integration -> Vendor Account Information, and:
    • File -> Vendor Integration -> Markup Selection

QBsetup.xml

• This contains setup and configuration information for the Quickbooks Integrator

To move the FastManager Database to a new server

Step 1:

Make sure that everyone has closed FastManager on all computers

Double-check in the FastManager data folder for the presence of the 2 “lock” files

• They should NOT be there. If they are, double-check once more that everyone has closed FastManager
• If you are certain that all users have closed the program, and the lock files are still there, DELETE them
• If you are unable to delete them, Reboot the server computer and try again
• the “lock” files are called: db.ldb and catalogs.ldb
  • not to be confused with the actual database files: db.Qdb and catalogs.Mdb , respectively

Once you are certain that the 2 “lock” files are gone, proceed to Step 2

DO NOT DELETE YOUR DATABASE FILES!

Step 2:

Copy the entire FastManager Data Folder, and all its contents, to the new location

• The data folder will contain, among other things:
  • The 2 database files: db.qdb and catalogs.mdb
  • The Pictures Folder: thumbnails_1
  • Possibly also a folder called: upsshippinglabels
  • And a a few other things

Step 3:

Share the FastManager Data Folder from the new location

• right-click on the data-folder
• select: Share with --> Specific People --> Everyone --> Add --> Read/Write --> Share --> Done

Step 4:

Rename or delete the “original” FastManager Data Folder

• this is to ensure that the users do not accidentally reconnect to the old database

Step 5:

Reconnect the users to the database at the new location

• When the user starts FastManager, they should get a prompt saying that “FastManager cannot find your database files”
• Click the yellow folder icon at the bottom right and browse to the new location of the Company Database
• Select db.qdb and click on Open
• Then click on Update

Step 6:

Update the setting for the Pictures Folder

• In FastManager, go to Edit -> Picture Folders
• Select the default entry and click on Changepic
• Navigate through the network to the new location of the Pictures Folder (usually this the folder called thumbnails_1 in the FastManager Data Folder)
• Click Ok

Step 7:

Reload the company logo

• Follow these steps

If you are using the “default” (MSAccess) backend

• See: this article

If your company database is in SQL Server

• See: this article