There are several methods of connecting to your AcctVantage system remotely. These methods range from minimally complicated and inexpensive but sometimes slow, to complex and expensive, but much faster.

Virtual Private Network (VPN): VPN is typically accessible through your computer’s operating system, commonly incurring no extra cost. The exact steps for setting it up vary from one operating system to another. Search Google for “virtual private network” and the name of your operating system (e.g. Windows or Mac OS) to get the most appropriate step-by-step directions on setting this up. The disadvantage of using VPN to connect remotely is that it can be slow.

Remote One-to-One connection: Applications such as TeamViewer or LogMeIn enable a remote user to connect to a machine physically located on the home network. The user controls applications on the remote computer. The advantage this provides over using VPN alone is that all of the usual communication that takes place between the Server and Client is over the local network. The data which travels over the internet to the remotely connected user is merely screen images, which can be transmitted very quickly. The disadvantage is that for each user connecting remotely, a machine on the home network must be dedicated to their exclusive use. This can be an excessive use of hardware resources.

Remote Desktop Services (Windows) or Apple Remote Desktop (Mac): A function built into the operating system. A single machine running on the local network can serve multiple remote connections, depending on licensure. No data is transmitted, only images, so the speed is much faster. The advantage of using Remote Desktop over TeamViewer is that only one computer on the home network must be dedicated to the remote users.

Back to My Mac: This service is only available to Mac users who have an Apple ID. It uses iCloud to facilitate the remote connection and requires the same iCloud account to be used on both computers.

Third party hosted service: A 3rd-party vendor, such as Citrix can provide a hosted solution to enable many users in multiple locations to connect to a single AcctVantage Server seamlessly. This is the most expensive and complex solution, but may be most appropriate if there are large numbers of users in several different remote locations. Speed is similar to using Windows Remote Desktop.

One of the most important tasks in data management is report generation. The Quick Report Editor is one of the tools used to design reports. You use the Quick Report Editor to create reports based on a selection of records. These can be ad-hoc reports intended only for one-time use or they can be save to be used perpetually.

With Quick Reports you can:

• Produce a list of records.
• Create breaks and subtotal lines.
• Compute calculations such as sums and averages.
• Apply formatting such as fonts, font styles and borders.
• Export the report as a file that can be imported into spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel®.

The Quick Report Editor will produce a report from a current selection of records. Before you print a Quick Report, set the current selection to the list of records to be included in the report using one of the query methods described here. The following is an example of a Quick Report.

• This is a feature that we recommend you to use sparingly.
• Its usefulness is most often accompanied by some error that results in a Check or Deposit being posted incorrectly to the Check Register.
• This type of entry will not affect the General Ledger. It can best be described as writing something in your checkbook without taking it to the bank.

The Journal Entry Import Template is a text file much like the ones used to import records (e.g. Clients, Vendors, Products) into other AV modules. However, this template has a different format that must be strictly adhered to.

There are two sections to this import template:

1. GL Summary
2. Sub-Account Detail

 In the sample below, rows 6-10 make up the GL Summary section and rows 12-43 make up the Sub-Account Detail section.

Note: If your import does not contain Sub-Account data (Inventory, AR, AP, etc), you must still include the Sub-Account header row (row 12 in screen shot below) and the EOF (end of file) tag.

Before you begin:

• Make a Backup of your AcctVantage Data File.
• Download the Journal Entry Import Template here.