Startup Interruptions
During startup, Big Business evaluates available memory and arranges for its efficient use. A variety of lists are loaded and a maximum number of open windows determined. Even after a Toolbar appears, Big Business may still be arranging memory, particularly if it is in short supply.
Interrupting this startup may generate the following messages:
• Out of Memory, Quit Big Business as soon as possible
• You may only have one window open at a time (3426)
The optimal amount of memory for Big Business increases as the size of your data file--number of Customers, Items, Vendors, etc.--increases. If during startup Big Business does not have an optimal amount of available memory, it may take significantly longer to arrange available memory for use.
The Toolbar may appear before startup operations are complete and it is possible to interrupt startup and receive the following messages:
• Out of Memory, Quit Big Business as soon as possible
• You may only have one window open at a time
If you allow Big Business adequate time to complete startup, you will not encounter these messages.
Ideally, however, you would remedy this problem by adding more memory to the computer or reducing contention for existing memory by reducing the number of other services and applications running.
Diagnosing (Physical) Network Problems
Ethernet networks are adaptive and fault tolerant and will continue working despite partial hardware failures or other problems. Known problems which will degrade network performance, include:
• Incorrect or damaged cabling
• Routing or lookup tables which have adapted to changes and need rebuilding
• Failing Ethernet hardware
(3579)
Cabling should be visually inspected. Category 5 cable is clearly marked, "CAT 5" and is recommended for 10-Base-T and required for 100-Base-T networks. Any cable which is in questionable condition or is not Category 5, should be replaced with pre-assembled, tested cable.
Reset lookup tables in Ethernet hubs or switches by power-cycling (turn off or unplug for ten seconds, preferably when there is little network traffic). Most Ethernet devices are equipped with indicators for active connections, 10 vs. 100 speed connections, traffic, and collisions, which are fairly intuitive.
If you have more than one hub or switch in your network, it may be helpful to diagram the network connections to ensure there is one and only one route from any node to another, and that no route is more than five "hops."
Test your network with a file transfer. Using a stopwatch, time the transfer of a large file to various machines on your network.
Running Multiple Companies with Big Business
One instance of Big Business (Single-User or Server) runs ONE company file, which is one set of accounting.
Possible Multi-Company solutions include:
• Two company files used in rotation (i.e. not concurrently)
• More than one copy of Big Business, for use on more than one computer.
To run multiple copies of Big Business, you need multiple licenses. You will also need a custom, secondary Client or Single-User to avoid the message, "The resource cache file cannot be created." (3686)
One instance of Big Business (Single-User or Server) runs ONE company file.
Possible Multi-Company solutions include:
• License one copy of Big Business (Single-User) and create two or more Company files. Quit and relaunch to switch files.
• License one copy of Big Business Server and create two or more Company files. Quit and relaunch to switch files.
• License more than one copy of Big Business, for use on more than one computer.
• License more than one copy of Big Business Server, for use on more than one server computer.
• Some combination of the above.
By far, the common solution is one installation of Server for the "main" company and one installation of Single-User for smaller ventures. In this setup, you may run Client to the "main" Server file and Single-User, with a secondary file, on the same workstation.
What if you have two servers and Clients are switching back and forth as needed. Can you install two instances of Client on the same workstation, each connecting to a server? No, not with the regular Client. On launching a second installation of Client, you get the message, "The resource cache file cannot be created."
If you license multiple copies of Big Business, though, we can build a custom, secondary Client or Single-User which can be run conncurrently with the first.
Runtime Error, xSetStringsItem
If Big Business 9 Clients get a Runtime Error on startup saying, Error when executing the method xSetStringsItem at line number 13, Array Range Check Error, the problem may be running Big Business 9.2 Server on an older Mac OS, which can can modify a Resource File downloaded by Clients.
This Solution describes this option. (6456)
Big Business 9.3 solves this problem by locking the Resource File so it cannot be modified.
Heartbleed Bug
Big Business is not vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug.
"The Heartbleed Bug is a serious vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library."
Big Business can use OpenSSL when the following functions are enabled:
• Secure Passwords
• Secure Credit Cards
• Authorize.net credit card processing
• Encrypt Client/Server Connections
• Secure Server for iPad
• Secure Web Server
This Solution provides details. (6484)
Current and prior versions of Big Business use versions of OpenSSL that are NOT vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug.
Big Business can use OpenSSL when the following functions are enabled:
• Secure Passwords
• Secure Credit Cards
• Authorize.net credit card processing
• Encrypt Client/Server Connections
• Secure Server for iPad
• Secure Web Server
For example, Secure Passwords, can use:
• OpenSSL 1.0.0 - branch is NOT vulnerable
• OpenSSL 0.9.8 - branch is NOT vulnerable
Import Errors
Big Business Imports check for errors, such as missing or mismatched data. Because you may be importing hundreds or thousands of entries, if there are any errors from an Import, you will have the option to save them as a text file for review.
This Solution provides examples. (6522)
Big Business Imports check for errors, such as missing or mismatched data. Because you may be importing hundreds or thousands of entries, if there are errors from an Import, you will have the option to save them as a text file for review.
Click Save and save the error file to a convenient location such as your Desktop. Open the file in your favorite text or word-processing program to review.
Each Error is reported on a new line and gives a simple explanation of the problem and outcome. Here are some examples, where _____ is the imported entry:
_____ found more than one Customer Listing match; using first match.
_____ found more than one match; attempting to update first match only.
Customer: _____ found more than one match; attempting to update first match only.
Date (_____) was invalid and could not be added.
Exchange Rate (_____) was invalid and could not be added.
Invalid Alert
Invalid is an error indicating a required entry is missing or not valid, such as not having a Customer on an Invoice.
This Solution provides details. (6523)
Invalid is an error indicating a required entry is missing or not valid, such as not having a Customer on an Invoice.
Some required entries are essential to the transaction. For an Invoice, these are Customer, Date, and Terms. And there are many more that may be optionally required, set by Preferences such as Credit Verification, Sell Into Negative Inventory, or Department Mandatory.
When Invalid applies to Line Items, such as Entry Verification for Warehouses (pictured), the first error is reported. If you correct the first error, then the second error may be reported.
Reported Alert
Reported indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Error dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Reported (6524)" tells you that the source of the message may be the Database, a Component or Plugin, or the Operating System.
This Solution provides an example. (6524)
Reported indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Error dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Reported (6524)" tells you that the source of the message may be the Database, a Component or Plugin, or the Operating System.
As an example, a problem saving to disk would show "Reported (6524)" as its source and may generate several texts, such as:
[1046] Cannot save record...
[1153] Not enough temporary space...
and so on.
Asserted Alert
Asserted indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Assertion dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Asserted (6525)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
This Solution provides details. (6525)
Asserted indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Assertion dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Asserted (6525)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
An Assertion warns of an unexpected condition. There are a few hundred assertions in Big Business. If you encounter an Assertion it is best to contact Support. Email the exact text or a screen shot to support@bigbusiness.com.
Since an Assertion is an unexpected condition, the results may be unexpected. If the operation completes any resulting entries should be double-checked for completeness and accuracy.
Confirmed Alert
Confirmed indicates a question that would normally be displayed as a dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Confirmed (6526)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business and that a default choice was automatically selected.
This Solution provides an example. (6526)
Confirmed indicates a question that would normally be displayed as a dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Confirmed (6526)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business and that a default choice was automatically selected.
Big Business includes a few hundred confirmations--whether you want to use quoted pricing, automatically update costs, and so on.
When you see Confirmed as the source of a message you can decide if you need to follow up. If the question is about quoted pricing, this means your Preferences are set to check Quotes for special pricing. The Confirmed message also tells you that the default choice was used--in this example Regular Price.
Conformed Alert
Conformed indicates a message from an Import or other automated task where the data was changed. "Conformed (6527)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
This Solution provides an example. (6527)
Conformed indicates a message from an Import or other automated task where the data was changed. "Conformed (6527)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
Typical messages are that an entry was too long to fit,or that an invalid date was replaced with the current date.
In this example, "date_created" was mis-mapped to the Sales Order Number (SONo) field which holds only ten characters. The resulting exceptions include the original data for reference (line 14, line 18, etc.) and repeat for each line item processed.
When mapped, Sales Order Number is used to group line items into orders. So, the original "date_created" is included in the API Response to identify each order (line 5, line 23). And, the resulting "SONo" is included in the results of successfully created orders (line 8, line 26).
Alerted Alert
Alerted indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Alert dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Alerted (6528)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
This Solution provides details. (6528)
Alerted indicates a message that would normally be displayed as an Alert dialog. For Imports or other automated tasks, "Alerted (6528)" tells you that the source of the message is Big Business.
Big Business includes more than a thousand messages to alert you to problems--that a customer is over their credit limit, an item is running low, or a duplicate has been encountered. Many of these are Preference settings.
When you see Alerted as the source of a message you can decide if you need to fix an entry or a Preference. When the message is that a customer is over their credit limit, this means Preferences for Credit Verification are set to Warn User, so you can make an informed decision. An Import may already have created a new order and is passing along the message so you can follow up as needed.
Sleep Alert
Sleep Alert appears in your Big Business Client when your computer goes to Sleep. Turn off Sleep to minimize disconnection from Big Business Server.
This Solution provides details. (6674)
Sleep Notification
Sleep Alert appears in your Big Business Client when your computer goes to Sleep. Turn off Sleep to minimize disconnection from Big Business Server.
This Solution provides details. (6674)
Plugin Updates
Big Business includes multiple Plugins, which provide additional functionality. Plugin Updates are included in Big Business Updates and handled automatically. When you install an Update to Big Business Server your Big Business Clients automatically get the new Plugins.
This Solution just provides a quick refence for changes to Plugins. (6784)
Big Business 11.18 updates Plugins for Custom Forms, PDFs, and JSON.
Big Business 11.9 replaces the PDF Plugin used for Batch Print. The old one could crash when 100's of documents were being merged. The new PDF Plugin offers many new options for PDF Tools.
Installer Update
Big Business uses installers, like InstallShield, which evolve with operating system updates. If you are unable to install, this might be because we broke something. It also might be that your computer is not up to date. Please contact support@bigbusiness.com for help.
This Solution provides a quick refence for Installer changes. (6917)
Big Business 11.23 updates to InstallShield 2019 but continues to install to Program Files (x86).
Big Business 12.02 updates to InstallShield 2019 and installs to Program Files.
This Chapter covers changes to Maintenance in Big Business 2.5 and recent additions to Big Business Documentation including:
• Big Business for Macintosh Won't Quit
• Waiting Postings Prevent Quitting
• Problems With Split Categories
• Big Business Requires I Run Tools
• Item Adjustment Alert: Value Needed
• Fonts in Windows95/98 and Windows NT
• Relocating Modal Dialogues
Verifying displayed screen values
This solution describes how to verify the accuracy of specific fields within Big Business. From time to time for certain reasons Big Business will not be able to update the screen value so that it matches the value stored in the database. By following the instructions in this solution you can verify or recalculate this value in order to view the correct value stored in the database. (5167)
Big Business allows you to verify the accuracy of your data file by recalculating specific values based on all of the existing information contained within your database. For example, you can verify that a customer’s balance still equals the open amount of all outstanding invoices.
To use this new verification feature, open up the record that you wish to verify. With the window open hold down the Command, Option, and Shift keys at the same time and then click on the field you wish to verify. On Windows, substitute the Control, Alt and Shift and click on the field you wish to verify.
Big Business will verify the accuracy of the data and return a message if the data is correct. If the value is off, you will be asked if you would like to update the information to the newly calculated value. You may verify Customer and Vendor Balances, MTD Totals, YTD Totals, Quantity Allocated, Quantity on Order, Quantity on Hand, Quantity Available, Quantity Needed, Total Cost, and Average Cost.
Warning: Do not perform the verify operation if you have cleared transactions in previous periods. The calculated totals will not include cleared information.
This Chapter covers Troubleshooting Big Business and recent additions to Big Business Documentation including:
• Big Business for Macintosh Won't Quit
• Waiting Postings Prevent Quitting
• Problems With Split Categories
• Big Business Requires I Run Tools
• Item Adjustment Alert: Value Needed
• Fonts in Windows95/98 and Windows NT
• Relocating Modal Dialogues
Item Adjustment Alert: Value Needed
This Solution documents a entry error that generates the following alert:
"One or more records needs a value in the Item Code, Description 1, or Description 2 field" (3283)
When you create a new Item Adjustment, as with most records with Line Items, Big Business creates a blank Line Item. You can "see" this Line Item by looking in the Amount column and noticing the 0.00 total.
If you open a new Item Adjustment and Add a Line Item, by clicking the Plus button or using the Key Command (Ctrl +, on the PC; Command + on the Mac) prior to using the Line Item already inserted, you may end up with an "extra" blank Line Item.
The alert is only generated by a blank Line Item. Line Items that have at least one field do not generate the alert. Look to see if there is a blank Line Item, without ANY Item Code, Description 1, OR Description 2, but a "0.00" in the Amount column. Select this Line Item and remove by clicking the Minus button or using the Key Command (Ctrl -, on the PC; Command -, on the Mac).
Report Changes
Reports get frequent changes.
This Solution lists the current features and can be used as a starting point. (6826)
Big Business 11.19 adds the report Profit and Loss by Month
Big Business 11.19 add Report Options for A/R Custom Fields
Big Business 11.17 adds new A/R Agings
Big Business 11.16 adds the report Inventory Sales by Customer by Month
Big Business 11.15 updates these reports to include Allocations (from open Orders):
- Inventory Sales Analysis
- Inventory Sales Analysis by Warehouse
JSON Update
JSON is a data format for sending data to a service such as with TaxJar Connect, BigCommerce Connect, Shopify Connect options for Big Business. It also used to send data to the Web API, if you build your own solution to put data into Big Business.
This Solution provides details. (6855)
Big Business 11.18 updates the JSON plugin to add features, reliability, and speed.
Profit and Loss by Month
Profit and Loss by Month exports Profit and Loss results for Months and Year-to-Date.
This Solution (6872)
Profit and Loss by Month exports Profit and Loss results for Months and Year-to-Date.
A Date dialog asks for the Month and Year to run through. For example, picking March when you are calendar-fiscal will include results for Jan, Feb, Mar, and YTD for the year entered.
The report includes columns for Account Group, Account Code, Account Name, and the Months and YTD results.
The report includes all Profit and Loss Accounts when running, and skips any that have no Postings.
Profit and Loss by Month with Budget
Profit and Loss by Month with Budget exports Profit and Loss results for Months and Year-to-Date along with Monthly Budget, YTD Budget, and Actual to Budget.
This Solution (6874)
Profit and Loss by Month with Budget exports Profit and Loss results for Months and Year-to-Date along with Monthly Budget, YTD Budget, and Actual to Budget.
A Date dialog asks for the Month and Year to run through. For example, picking March when you are calendar-fiscal will include results for Jan, Feb, Mar, and YTD for the year entered.
The report includes columns for Account Group, Account Code, Account Name, Monthly Budget, Months and YTD Actuals, YTD Budget, and Actual to Budget.
The report includes all Profit and Loss Accounts when running, and skips any that have no Postings.
Profit and Loss by Department
Profit and Loss by Department exports Profit and Loss results for Departments, Unclassified (entries without a Department), and Totals. (6976)
Profit and Loss by Departments exports Profit and Loss results for Departments, Unclassified (entries without a Department), and Total.
A Date dialog asks for a Date Range.
The report includes columns for Account Group, Account Code, Account Name, and the Departments, Unclassified, and Total.
The report includes all Profit and Loss Accounts when running, and skips any that have no Postings.