QuickBooks 2005: The Missing Manual

Setting Up QuickBooks on a Network

To let several people use the same company file from different computers, the computers running QuickBooks must be networked together. Making this arrangement work requires a few extra steps of setup. Each user in a multi-user environment must:

• Run the same version of QuickBooks (QuickBooks 2005, for example).

• Have permission to read, write, create, and delete within the folder in which the company file resides.

Tip

A network administrator typically sets up each user for these permissions. If you're responsible for getting users set up, but you never wanted network administrator as your job title, choose Start→Help and Support and then, in the Search box, type "Share folder" to find the instructions for sharing a folder using your operating system.

You can also simplify access to the company file folder by mapping a drive to that folder. In the Windows Help and Support window, search for "Assign drive."

• Have a valid License Number and Product Number.

Note

QuickBooks Pro can handle up to five people accessing a company file at the same time. Intuit is happy to sell you more than five licenses for QuickBooks, but only five of the licensed users can work on the company file simultaneously.

Storing Company Files

Where you store your company file can determine whether the people who work on the file see blisteringly fast response or nod off waiting for commands to complete. For QuickBooks Pro, the location of your company file depends on the type of network ...