FGHTables

File Utility - MYOX is a small program that can help you diagnose areas of concern in your
.myox Windows Based versions of MYOB®
For those new to MYOB®, there are 2 streams of Windows based programs both called AccountRight®:

• Classic MYOB® The stream that MYOB® users have used for up to 20 years. This stream is desktop only, and the current version number is v19.16 (19.sixteen). This stream of AccountRight is referred to by existing MYOB® users as the 'good' version. Classic MYOB® company files have a .myo extension.


• MYOB® Live The new stream MYOB Australia released in 2011, which is for desktop or cloud. This is the only version available to new users, and MYOB Australia is desperately trying to get every existing Classic user to upgrade to this version instead - there is a good reason many refuse to upgrade. The current version number is AR2024. Live MYOB® company files have a .myox extension.

company file. Unfortunately MYOB's push to force users to upgrade from v19 to AR2024 was not matched with a push to improve the product. There are a number of weaknesses in AR2024 and as a result a larger company file can get particularly slow when it comes to processing and report generation. Even opening certain screens (such as the Transaction Journal) can take 30 seconds or longer.

MYOB recommend a file no larger than 2-300MB if AR2024 is to cope. We have seen a number of very large MYOX files (some over 1.5GB) and some smaller files which are also very slow. Sometimes performance can be improved by a better understanding of what is in your company file and what can be removed.

Like v19, AR2024 also suffers in terms of Balances - specifically things being 'out of balance'. To assist with diagnosis we developed File Utility - MYOX to analyse a .myox MYOB® company file. We decided to make this program available to MYOB® users to assist with identifying problem areas in their company files. See screenshots below.



File Information
File Utility - MYOX will display a number important bits of data from your company file. This includes things like the version the file has been upgraded to (such as AR2017.2). This information is usually only available when you try to open the file with a different version. Other data includes things like key Dates (current FY, current Payroll year, date upgraded, Last Backup, and Next Licence Check date). It will also show File ID, product level (Plus, Premier etc), number of users, etc.

Administrator Password
File Utility - MYOX will check if the company file currently has an Administrator Password set. If one has been set, there is a built in password reset function (fee applies). See under 'File Dates etc' button.

Record Count
File Utility - MYOX will display the number of records in each of MYOB's internal tables. This will give users an idea of what is taking up more room in their file. For example you can quickly see the impact using Jobs can make.

Net Assets
One of the main indicators of a corruption in the company file is a discrepancy with Net Assets. Many users often only find out at the end of a financial year, when they send their file to the Accountant for end of year tax reporting, that their Net Assets figure does not equal Equity. Something has gone wrong and MYOB® never picked this up. File Utility - MYOX can quickly check and display any discrepancy in Net Assets.

Purge Stats
What is becoming an increasingly requested service is for a MYOX Purge. MYOB® did not include a purge function in AR2024, and so a file grows and grows. Some users failed to purge in v19 before upgrading and are now suffering. We have developed a process for purging MYOX files.

Purge Stats will quickly display the number of various transaction types, including the number that relates to prior years, in other words transactions that could be purged. It also gives you an estimate of expected new file size, as well as how long the process might take - these figures are based on results from our experience with purging MYOX files.

Orders
A frustrated AR2024 user recently sent us their file for purging. Unfortunately most of their transactions were from the current year and could not be purged. There were not a large number of transactions and yet even we noticed this file was particularly slow. The Record Count check soon revealed the problem.

This user always created an Order (often with 20 lines or more) which was later converted to a Bill (Sales or Purchase Invoice). For every line on an invoice or order MYOB records approx 6 records. When an Order is converted into a Bill, the Order remains in the file, however it is never used by MYOB®, and is effectively a hidden transaction in your file.

The only way to see how many orders are currently in your file is to export all orders - no other report or search will show you the number. Most users have no idea of the space wasted by Orders.

Normally in v19 when the Invoice is purged, the Order is also purged. With no purging in AR2024, what this meant was that for every invoice, there was effectively double the space taken up - wasted.

We developed a process to remove all the unnecssary Orders. Of all the records in the file 41% related to these orders. Once deleted the file was reduced by a third, and the speed difference was incredible.

• To open the Sales Register screen in the original file took 32 secs, the smaller file took 4 secs
• To open the Transaction Journal, the original file took 53 secs, the smaller file 7 secs
• To Generate a Receivables Reconciliation Detail Report, the original file took 67 secs, the smaller file 25 secs

File Utility - MYOX will quickly show you what percentage of records in your file relate to converted and hidden orders.

Card Balances
While MYOB® tracks Account Activity on a monthly basis, Card Balances are simply a running total. For Customers, when a Sale (or a Receive Payment) is recorded, the transactions are recorded in the Sales Register and Debtors, and then the Card Balance is updated. Same thing with Suppliers with Purchases and Pay Bills. So the Card Balance should always match the transactions in the Register. Unfortunately this is far too often not the case, nor does MYOB® check.

File Utility - MYOX will check all Card balances against Register totals, any discrepancies will be reported.

Correcting Card Balances
If a Customer or Supplier Card balance is incorrect, you can use the File Utility - MYOX to correct the outstanding balance.

According to MYOB, the reason for Cards out of balance is usually as a result of an incorrectly entered Finance Charge. Before using File Utility - MYOX to adjust Card Balances, users should check this Support Note and/or this forum post to identify (and perhaps fix) the cause of the out of balance.

If you have Cards out of balance, you should check your Receivables or Payables Reconciliation. If there is no Reconciliation Discrepancy, using the approach in the Support Note and/or forum post may be more appropriate than simply changing the Card Balance, as the Debtors or Creditors accounts balances will also need adjustment. It is important to consider the impact of any change to Card Balances before proceeding.

File Utility - MYOX is free to download and use to analyse your company file - we just ask users to report any errors so we can update the program if necessary. The program comes as an .exe file and does not need to be installed nor does it require Administrator privileges. It should run on any computer on which AR2024 runs - if it fails to run, you may need to install a Microsoft component - contact us if this is the case.

A code is required if you need to reset a password or correct Card Balances - purchase via an on-screen link.