Create an additional Database

The purpose of this article is to walk a program administrator through duplicating their existing Fabshop or SheetMetal database to have a completely independent new database.

Some principles to understand first:

There are three critically important parts to the QuoteSoft Legacy database

1. The Data Files, Item Option Files, Pressure Files, are all stored in the DataFile folder within the Fabshop or Qserver folder
2. The Jobs are stored in the JobFiles folder in the Fabshop or Qserver folder
   1. In Fabshop it is Customers with Jobs
   2. In SheetMetal it is Jobs with Zones
3. The JOBINDEX.mdb indexes the Customers/Jobs for proper display within the program

To create a new Database for QuoteSoft

1. Copy the Fabshop or Qserver Folder and rename it to your desired new name
   1. Do not use a space in the name, for example Fabshop New would be an invalid name, instead use FabshopNew 
   2. This may take a while as you are copying all customers, jobs, zones, spreadsheets, plan files, pressure files, etc
2. Copy the local workstation folder and rename it
   1. Fabshop workstation folder is named Fab. Example new name is FabNew
   2. SheetMetal workstation folder is named Quote. Example new name is QuoteNew
3. Copy the desktop shortcut and rename as well

The files are now created, we now need to connect the new icon to the new workstation folder and then to the new data files

I. First the desktop icon

1. Right click your new desktop icon and choose properties
2. On the Shortcut tab, modify the path listed in the Target and Start In boxes as shown below

II. Now connect the new workstation to the new database

1. Double click your new desktop icon and login to the program with an administrator level of permissions
2. Click on Administration on the Main Menu
3. Lower right, Location of Database, click into the box
4. Click Browse button and navigate to your new Fabshop or Qserver folder
5. Click on the JobIndex.mdb and hit Open
6. The program will close and on reopen you will be connected to the new database

III. Archive Jobs and Zones to start with an empty Job or Customer File

1. Make sure no other users are in the program
2. Log into the program with administrator level permissions
3. Click on the Administration button on the Main Menu
4. Click on the Archive Old Jobs/Bids button
5. After clicking OK to proceed do not be alarmed if it takes a while to present the next screen, the more Jobs you have the longer it will take to show
6. In the Archive Jobs Older Than box select todays date and click Archive
7. This process will take quite a long time as it archives each job individually

IV. Deleting the archived Jobs and Zones

1. On Administration page click the button that says Delete from Archive by Date
2. This process will also take quite a while to complete
   1. Almost exactly the same amount of time the Archive process took
3. When completed you should have an empty Customer List in Fabshop and no jobs in SheetMetal