ACT! v6 - Custom layout for multiple databases - messed up

[daleb]

I seem to be having the same problem as many of the users in this thread: http://community.act.com/sage/board/message?board.id=ACT&message.id=9541&query.id=23995#M9541

Using ACT! Version 6.

Basically, we have around 40 databases. I'm trying to get all databases to use 1 single layout.

So I go in to a database, define the new fields and update the layout. There are old fields from redundant layouts still there, but I haven't removed them; all i've done is added new fields. EVERY database uses exactly the same fields. I had applied the layout in ACT! on everybodys PC and it seemed to work fine.. until the next day. A user went in to their database and reported that some of their fields were missing or in the wrong place. Others reported the same in their databases. But not all of the changes were consistant eg. one field might have changed for one database but not for another.

I'm completely baffled tbh.

Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Dale.

[Roy_Laudenslager]

The problem you are having comes from modifying each database separately rather than modifying one database and then creating empty copies for the additional databases. What has happened, when you add fields to the database each field is assigned an identifying number and this ID number is what is used to link the field to the layout rather than the field name. This makes every layout unique to the database where it was created. Bottom line, you have two choices: create a separate layout for each database or start over from scratch and create a master copy of you database and then make empty copies (File | Save Copy As | Empty Copy) of the master database for the other databases.

I have a question, why do you have 40 separate databases? 

[daleb]

Yeh I thought it might have had something to do with a unique ID or something.

There's definitely no other options?

There is 1 database for each member of staff which contains all of their customers.

Thanks,

Dale.

[Roy_Laudenslager]

You should consider upgrading to the latest premium version. They could run ACT! locally and sync with a master database or they could share the database over the network. If your main issue is keeping each users contacts private, the premium version of ACT! has limited access capabilities that would allow that.

[GLComputing]

Why do you run seperate databases instead of a single database?

What ACT! 6, you could use sync to have each user only seeing their own records...or even set all their contacts to private and share on a LAN.

With the later Premium versions, you can have more security options like Limited Access.

[daleb]

Ran into another problem.... seems like the calendar entries haven't copied over

What I did was create new blank databases from my original one, then export the data from the old database into the new one.

Thanks,

Dake.

[GLComputing]

Did you create all the ACT! users first... the must also have the same names (exact).

Basically:

In the original, Lookup all the user My Records and export them to the new empty copy database

Click the File menu, point to Administration, then click Define Users. Write down the list of users in this database, then click Cancel

In the destination database, go to Define users, and add them and link each to it's My Record

Then follw the steps as per this ACT! Knowledge Base article - http://tinyurl.com/5hd57u

[daleb]

Yeh I'm pretty sure everything was done like that.

Everything has coped over apart from the user's calendars. I've tried syncing them with outlook and then resyncing the opposite way in the new database..... to no avai.

Cheers,

Dale.

[GLComputing]

Check that the user names are the same (exactly) in both and that they are connected to their correct My Records?

Try running the Quick diagnosis of the database structure with ACTDIAG and see how many activities you have in both