This quick and easy guide will fully optimize your Quickbooks file/database. We have a client that's much too large to run Quickbooks, so we perform these steps every 2 weeks due to the amount of data pouring into the file. Typical companies running Quickbooks can perform these steps either bi-yearly or yearly.

This guide will perform the following actions:

• Purge Audit Trail (5-10% reduction typically)
• Multiple Pass Rebuild - Rebuild the File
• Backup - Clear Transaction Log
• Create Portable File & Restore - Purges indexes and compresses database, removing database fragments.

Perform the following steps on your file on the server where your Quickbooks file is housed. DO NOT perform these steps remotely on a networked station connecting to a remote QB database. 

Be sure not to skip steps, and plan for about 30-45 minutes of work depending on the size of the Quickbooks file and processing power of the computer running QB.

1. Reboot QB Server or restart QB Server Service to clear any connected users and flush the DB server memory. We have seen situations where the rebuild would crash if the DB server had been running for a long time prior.  
2. Switch to Single User Mode - File, Switch to Single User Mode
3. Perform a File Backup - File, Back Up Company, Create Local Backup
4. Perform Multiple File Rebuilds until you get no errors - File, Utilities, Rebuild Data
   In the event your rebuild crashes, it is IMPERATIVE you reboot, restore the backup you made in step 3 and start again. Do not attempt to rebuild a QB file that crashed during the initial rebuild!
   
5. Purge the Audit Trail - File, Utilities, Condense Data, Select "Keep all transactions, but remove audit trail to date"
   Note: If there are inventory issues this process will crash or simply close out Quickbooks. Repeat the rebuild, step 4.
   
6. Perform a File Backup - File, Back Up Company, Create Local Backup
7. Create a Portable File - File, Create Copy, Portable Company File
8. Delete the Production/Live QB Files (Company.QBW/Company.TLG)
9. Restore the Portable File to the Production/Live QB Location - File, Open or Restore Company, Select "Restore a portable file"
10. Reboot QB Server or restart QB Server Service to again flush the DB server memory. 
11. Optional: Clean up backup copies of the QB file created during the rebuild. These files will be in the production/live QB location. This is in addition to the QBB backups made during the rebuild/backup process.

If you do not wish to run this on the server, but on a higher powered or other local system (not over the network):

1. Perform a File Backup on the QB Server - File, Back Up Company, Create Local Backup
2. Create a Portable File - File, Create Copy, Portable Company File
3. Delete the Live QB File - Prevents users from modifying data while you are running your off-server rebuild.
4. Copy & Restore the Portable File to a local workstation
5. Perform the steps above.
6. Restore the Portable File to Live QB Location - File, Open or Restore Company, Select "Restore a portable file"