18 Nov When the file is “Dead”
When the file is “Dead”
When the list of damaged transactions is too long, or it seems impossible to restore data integrity, the file may be dead. At this point, the determination needs to be made as to when a new file will be started. It is possible to keep limping along with a damaged file, but keep in mind that something is wrong so using it is on borrowed time. If it is almost the end of the year, it may be possible to finish the year and start a new file with the New Year.
The transfer of the lists in the older versions, or the remove transaction option in the newer versions makes starting with a clean file (i.e. no transactional data) relatively easy. The beginning balances will need to be entered and reconciled. This is also a perfect time to make any changes that were impossible due to transactions (i.e. clean up the lists to remove unused or unneeded entries), setting up the file a little differently, etc.
The transactional data is where it becomes complicated. If it is close to the beginning of the year, re-entering the current year data may be the best way to go. If not, there is an add-on that can help automate the process of transferring the entries from the old damaged file to the new one. It does not work for payroll transactions (they will be transferred as checks and need to be re-entered or YTD adjustments entered) and the links between transactions will not transfer but it will save time on most of the data entry of the individual transactions.