QuickBooks log of deleted records?
My CPA was working in our QuickBooks and reported that "all of a sudden" some records for Jan-March of 2008 were missing. They did say they might have done it but I don't know how to prove what happened. The invoices are there but payments received aren't showing up and I really don't want to have to re-enter three month's worth of documentation.
Can anyone help me by maybe showing me if there is a log that will show the user that did it or the time it happened or anything? The CPA will do it all again if I can show it was them but if not I will have to pay them to do it again because right now it's not due to human error but a system error...unless i can prove otherwise. Thank you in advance for your time and help in the matter.
Can anyone help me by maybe showing me if there is a log that will show the user that did it or the time it happened or anything? The CPA will do it all again if I can show it was them but if not I will have to pay them to do it again because right now it's not due to human error but a system error...unless i can prove otherwise. Thank you in advance for your time and help in the matter.
ASKER
Thanks for your thoughts.
At the time when this happened we discovered that the backup wasn't functioning properly so there is no restore. We had a backup that would backup multiple times a day so there would be minimal impact if something happened. Well, something happened and the person responsible for maintaining the backup failed us. Moving forward, I was looking for a sort of log that might have actions performed by specific accounts.
I will call QuickBooks to see if they can help with this in any way. I just don't want to have to lose the work done since the incident either.
I'm going to keep this open a bit longer to see if anyone has further input. I thought that QuickBooks had some sort of auditing to track who makes changes and where but I could be wrong.
At the time when this happened we discovered that the backup wasn't functioning properly so there is no restore. We had a backup that would backup multiple times a day so there would be minimal impact if something happened. Well, something happened and the person responsible for maintaining the backup failed us. Moving forward, I was looking for a sort of log that might have actions performed by specific accounts.
I will call QuickBooks to see if they can help with this in any way. I just don't want to have to lose the work done since the incident either.
I'm going to keep this open a bit longer to see if anyone has further input. I thought that QuickBooks had some sort of auditing to track who makes changes and where but I could be wrong.
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thinkpads_user
Thanks for the suggestion. Luckily I did setup the CPA with their own login before this happened. We were moving towards some best practices and this was one of them. I'll look into the Audit Trail you mentioned when I get into the office and see if i can find anything. The CPA was able to provide me with the date/time that this happened because they were in the system so I will try to isolate it to that time frame. I just hope auditing was turned on by someone if it's not active by default. I'll post back once i find out.
Thanks for the suggestion. Luckily I did setup the CPA with their own login before this happened. We were moving towards some best practices and this was one of them. I'll look into the Audit Trail you mentioned when I get into the office and see if i can find anything. The CPA was able to provide me with the date/time that this happened because they were in the system so I will try to isolate it to that time frame. I just hope auditing was turned on by someone if it's not active by default. I'll post back once i find out.
Another thing you can do is pull up a Quick Report for your invoices (likely in Accounts Receivable) and for the date range in question. When the report comes up, click on Modify Report. In the Modify screen, in the column list, select Entered/Last Modified and Last Modified By. If one side of the damaged transaction is in your Quick Report, you will be able to see who made the changes and when.
Good luck with your work.
.... T
Good luck with your work.
.... T
ASKER
thinkpads_user
Still not at the office but should be heading that way shortly.
Question, will this suggestion work even though the invoices we entered are still present? It seems that only payments received were wiped out. I'm not an Accounting person so please excuse me if I'm using the wrong terminology or none at all. :)
Still not at the office but should be heading that way shortly.
Question, will this suggestion work even though the invoices we entered are still present? It seems that only payments received were wiped out. I'm not an Accounting person so please excuse me if I'm using the wrong terminology or none at all. :)
I have provided two kinds of approaches:
1. The Audit Trail (if there) provides a record of changes to a transaction and can also show deleted transaction numbers. It is a bit difficult to use in that it displays a pile of data, some of which you don't need. Still, it can help.
2. The second approach (Quick Report) that you are asking about is easier to use, but may not give all the data. If the invoices are there, you should be able to see who changed them.
Now, the payment information you asked about concerns me. If someone deleted a payment, then the deletion would have deleted a bank entry. At that point, your bank reconciliation just broke (because the payment is in the actual bank and not in the ledger).
You need to see what is actually going on in the ledger. If you are not the accounting person, presumably there is an accounting person (who is not the CPA). I think looking at a Quick Report of invoices and adding in "Modified by" will be helpful to get started.
... T
1. The Audit Trail (if there) provides a record of changes to a transaction and can also show deleted transaction numbers. It is a bit difficult to use in that it displays a pile of data, some of which you don't need. Still, it can help.
2. The second approach (Quick Report) that you are asking about is easier to use, but may not give all the data. If the invoices are there, you should be able to see who changed them.
Now, the payment information you asked about concerns me. If someone deleted a payment, then the deletion would have deleted a bank entry. At that point, your bank reconciliation just broke (because the payment is in the actual bank and not in the ledger).
You need to see what is actually going on in the ledger. If you are not the accounting person, presumably there is an accounting person (who is not the CPA). I think looking at a Quick Report of invoices and adding in "Modified by" will be helpful to get started.
... T
ASKER
thinkpads_user
Thanks, will focus on your suggestions and see where it leads us. Will post back if I have further questions or developments.
Thanks, will focus on your suggestions and see where it leads us. Will post back if I have further questions or developments.
Can you provide an update please? Cheers, .... T
I never heard anything back. Can this thread be closed and points awarded for very subtanstial effort? There may indeed be no solution to the problem. ... Thinkpads_user
ASKER
Sorry for the lack of communication. I had other matters I had to tend to.
I'll try to look over this today and provide some feedback.
I'll try to look over this today and provide some feedback.
(1) QuickBooks 2008 and up in Canada, and 2007 and up in the US are client server models (excluding Multicurrency). If you look in the folder where the ledger is, there should be a transaction log (Companyname.QBW.TLG). If that is there and current, call Intuit (pay for a support call if need be) and see if transactions can be restored from that log. I have not done this, so cannot advise.
(2) Is there a server backup or a QuickBooks backup from a modestly earlier date that would have these transactions.
(3) I know of NO system error in QuickBooks (any version back to QB2003) that will lose records like this. There is always a first time, I suppose, but losing records is not a QB weakness.
(4) A rebuild *can* delete records, especially if the rebuild is done over a network. I have done many rebuilds, and any rebuild done locally has never resulted in record loss. In one case, I lost two records of an old transaction (minimal value and 2 fiscal years prior) when I did a rebuild over a network. Lesson learned - never again.
I think that if your CPA maintains it is a system error, they owe you a satisfactory explanation of what system error and that explanation should be agreeable to Intuit.
Failing a resolution (records lost, no transaction log, no proof of responsibility) they should at least split the cost 50:50.
Finally, and this is a long shot (I just can't see from here), see if the money is in the bank along with the invoices in the system. If so, it may be possible to match credits with invoices. What I am saying here is that the link between invoice and payment may be broken, but the payment may still be in the bank (otherwise your bank reconciliation should be now incorrect).
.... T