Someone writes in to ask: “We're scrambling to find a way to determine which user has a QB file open in single user mode. Our clients are on network servers and team mates are often working together in files in various physical locations. Based upon the task, someone may need the file in single user and forget to switch back. Or their session crashes and leaves them unaware that they're still in the file. Is there a way to check a log file on the back end to determine who is logged into a QB file?”
There is a way to find out what QuickBooks Company files are in use and who is connected to them.
If the QuickBooks Database Server Manager Utility is running, and the files directories of all QB files have been configured and all files have been scanned, then you open the QBDBS Utility, click on the Database Server ‘tab’, (figure 2 above) click the refresh list button and you will see each (every) file that is open and the users that are connected to it.
Even if a user has had their machine fail, if the QuickBooks Database Server recognizes that the file is still connected it will be displayed in this Utility. Unfortunately this does not show if the connection is ‘single-user’ or ‘multi-user’, but QuickBooks will tell you that it is in single-user mode when you attempt to log-in with another user account.
The QuickBooks Database Server Manager Utility should run on your ‘QuickBooks server computer’, and should always be left running, but many people make the mistake of closing it. You should always ‘minimize’ it rather than close it with either the Windows X or the ‘close’ button appearing at the bottom of the utility. When minimized it should appear in the lower right corner of the system icon tray.