QuickBooks’ performance decreases as the size of your file increases.

There are no actual limits on the size of your company data file, but performance may be impacted if your file has:

• More that 500 MB in Pro or Premier.
• More than 1.5 GB in QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.
• More than seven years of transactions.

Let’s look at common tasks that will keep your data in optimum condition:

1. Reduce your DB File Fragments.
2. Resort your Master Name List (customers, vendors, employees and other names), your Chart of Accounts and and your Item List. your lists weekly.
3. Verify your company file weekly.
4. Rebuild your company file periodically, even if Verify detects no damage, run the Rebuild utility up to four times a year. If your are prompted to run Rebuild frequently, contact technical support.
5. Make a manual backup with full verification to reset the transaction log file (TLG) This backup resets your TLG to its normal size. Large TLG files can cause performance issues. Do not delete or rename the TLG.
6. Create and restore a portable company file..
7. Do not enter zero lines on transactions. A zero line (with a zero price or quantity) adds another target to your data file and increases the size of your data file. Zero lines slow QuickBooks’ performance and, if you run cash basis reports with inventory, your COGS could be incorrect.
8. Run accrual reports instead of cash reports: Many transactions, e.g., more than 50,000, tend to degrade the Sybase Sequel server. Cash basis reports take longer to run because QuickBooks must check a transaction’s links to determine what is paid and unpaid.
9. If QuickBooks runs slowly when doing payroll, have other users log off and do payroll in single user mode.
10. Close QuickBooks windows that you are not currently using.
11. Clear the queues of forms to be printed or e-mailed.
12. If you are the only user in the data file, switch to single user mode.
13. Reboot your workstations daily.
14. Log out of the data file if you are not actively using it and do not stay logged in to the company file overnight
15. Perform long tasks in off-peak hours (e-mail or print batches of invoices or statements) in the off-hours (before normal hours, lunch time or overnight)so they do not take resources from other users.
16. Optimize running reports:
    1. Reports that draw a lot of data (e.g. the Sales Tax Liability Report) take a long time to run. Run them in the off-hours.
    2. Customize and memorize reports that take a long time to run.
    3. Copy your company file to an unused workstation, set the driver to print directly to the printer and pint your report.