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Simultaneous Multi-User Access

Sometimes, you need only a single computer and a single copy of

QuickBooks even though you have several employees using QuickBooks.

For example, if a small business has only an administrative assistant and

the owner accessing a QuickBooks data file, one copy of QuickBooks run-

ning on a single personal computer may be all that is required. However,

QuickBooks does allow for simultaneous use of the QuickBooks data file by

multiple users. To do this, predictably, you first need to set up the multiple

users as described in the preceding paragraphs of this chapter.

After you’ve set up the multiple users, however, you can install the

QuickBooks program on other personal computers and then — assuming

that these personal computers all connect to a Windows network — use

those other copies of QuickBooks to access the QuickBooks data file stored

on the first or principal computer.

To use QuickBooks in an environment of simultaneous use by multiple users,

you also need to tell QuickBooks that this simultaneous use is okay. To do

this, choose the File➪Switch to Multi-User Mode command. If you later want

to turn off this Multi-User Mode, you choose the File➪Switch to Single User

Mode command.

QuickBooks supports simultaneous use by multiple users through a technol-

ogy called record locking, which locks all the records that you’re working

with, but not the entire QuickBooks data file. For example, if you want to

work with company A and some other user wants to work with company B,

that’s okay. QuickBooks allows that. What you and the other user can’t do,

however, is work on the same company (company A or B) at the same time.

This would mean that you’re working with the same customer record.

You can’t install the same copy of QuickBooks on multiple machines and

legally have a multiple user QuickBooks system. You must purchase a copy

of QuickBooks for each machine on which QuickBooks is installed. Note,

however, that Intuit does sell some multiple user versions of QuickBooks

where you actually buy five licenses in one box of QuickBooks. (The

Enterprise version of QuickBooks supports multiple user networks with up

to thirty simultaneous users, while the other versions of QuickBooks sup-

port multiple user networks with up to five simultaneous users.)

A common setting in which you may want to have several QuickBooks users

is for sales representatives in your firm who prepare invoices or prepare

bids for customers. In this case, you may want to have each salesperson set

up on QuickBooks. Note, however, that these sales people should only have

the capability to create an invoice or perhaps create and print an invoice